The show let the character's actions speak for themselves, and presented their perspective, letting the viewer…
'll have to strongly disagree on the assessment of YH. Anyone that would even take into consideration having an affair with their partner's boss, let alone treat it as something even remotely reasonable or normal, in reaction to feeling unhappy in the relationship, is basically scum. To pretend otherwise is merely self serving cynicism. Frankly, I cannot understand how anyone would be able to imagine doing that to one's partner without feeling disgust, let alone deliberately betraying and lying to their faces for a year without a shred of guilt. And YH did much worse than even that, as JA correctly pointed out on the rooftop.
I will acknowledge that, seeing that even someone like JA, who was explicitly paid to, and was doing what she was doing to protect her grandma, while struggling with poverty and physical and emotional abuse (as opposed to YH's actions, which were entirely self serving, cruel and absolutely needless and entirely avoidable, given that she could and should have simply split up from DH as even her own sister in law did), was unable to bring herself to betray DH when she realized that he was a good person, YH did begin to change (too little and too late, imho, but render unto Caesar, and all that)..
JA did what she did in order to protect her family, her grandma, and was struggling with everything from poverty to physical and emotional abuse, and was being paid to betray DH, was unable to bring herself to do it when she saw that he plainly didn't deserve to be treated that way, and was willing to stand at his side at great personal risk, while her, who after all was his wife, the person that he trusted the most (and he trusted her absolutely, defending her to his brothers when they questioned her business trip excuse when she missed her niece's wedding to be with her lover), betrayed him completely, from having an affair with his abusive boss (and making jokes about it while she was fully aware of DH's pain and the fact that he still tried to do the best he was capable of), to ratting him out to the boss when DH went to ask her for help regarding the bribery case, to everything else she did.
A reasonable reaction to feeling unhappy in a relationship might be to get a divorce, particularly in this case where they had different views on core issues (to be more precise, where he expressed his views and she married him despite not accepting them, pretending that he would change them for her sake, which was a recipe for making herself unhappy, and unfortunately, in doing so she wrecked DH's life as well).
I wouldn't exactly use the term "taking a wrong turn" for "betray and deceive someone you have known for decades, and the father of your child, having an affair with his abusive boss, manipulating him, and everything else YH did, all the while gaslighting them and treating them horribly, in a show of massive hypocrisy". Nor do I think that it in any way served to "deal with a bad situation'". It didn't address the situation in any way whatsoever. It was cruel and unnecessary, and didn't even get her any close to happiness, which being honest with DH and getting a divorce would have.
Again, this is a bit of a "bait and switch", because when we are talking about their relationship, and splitting up, that's something completely different and distinct from her massive betrayal. One might very well be unhappy and want to split up from their partner, but that wouldn't make them any more inclined to treat them without a shred of loyalty, honesty and respect. The show did a perfectly good job highlighting that fundamental difference.
Frankly, the fact that when she talked about DH to her lover she acknowledge that he was a good person, that he suffered terribly but still did everything he was capable of to do right by his family, and that fundamentally they had merely different views and values (family being her and the kid, or it including his brothers and mother as well, etc.). That she would talk about his depression and pain and then be able to turn around and make a joke of betraying him with her lover was appalling. It would have been a thousand times better had she just hated him. This indifference and complete lack of guilt was absolutely creepy and sociopathic. To acknowledge that he was in pain, that he was still trying his best, and yet betraying him with his boss and being able to joke out of it... repulsive.
And it was appalling that she had the gall to play the victim and question his love and commitment, while giving him an infinite number of reasons to question her own? Even after remembering how she treated him like garbage, and he cared for her feeding her porridge, etc. despite knowing of her betrayal, in the scene in the car with the flashback? The bit where they discussed about the fact that she was never at home and yet expected him to simply stand there in an empty house, because she was irrationally jealous of his friends, happened when she knew he knew of her affair, and he offered a compromise (which she rejected, despite having been the one to raise the issue, without offering one of her own) despite the fact that he was at a point where he had to physically turn around and walk away outside of his apartment when he saw her car downstairs, because he needed space (which she was unwilling to give him) and he couldn't stand her presence for self evident reasons.
Frankly, she was also completely dishonest, to the point where even until the very end, she only fessed up when DH essentially discovered everything. And it was consistently absolutely self serving. And cruel. And absolutely avoidable. Appalling that she would play the victim and accuse DH when she did a billion times worse, and question his priorities, affection, etc, when she had given him an infinite number of reasons to question her own. Compare and contrast with JA doing what she did for the sake of her grandma, her family, and still being unable to bring herself to hurt DH when it became clear to her that he suffered and still tried his best, that he was a good person, sadly the only really good person she met after the terrible events in her childhood, and that was willing to trust her, and he didn't deserve to be treated this way.
Compare this to JA, who, for example, couldn't help but give DH the suggestion about the phone booth despite it going completely against her interests, because he couldn't continue to look at him being deceived. This despite the fact that she was supposed to be on the side of those interested in working against him, and doing all this in order to protect her family, and being in an atrocious situation where she was beaten and lived in poverty, while YH's actions were entirely self serving. Plus, she was a stranger who was paid to be his enemy, while YH was his wife and lived with him every day, she had known him for decades, and DH was her child's father. And yet JA showed him more loyalty, starting out as his enemy, than his own wife.
I will acknowledge that, seeing that even someone like JA, who was explicitly paid to, and was doing what she was doing to protect her grandma, while struggling with poverty and physical and emotional abuse (as opposed to YH's actions, which were entirely self serving, cruel and absolutely needless and entirely avoidable, given that she could and should have simply split up from DH as even her own sister in law did), was unable to bring herself to betray DH when she realized that he was a good person, YH did begin to change (too little and too late, imho, but render unto Caesar, and all that)..
JA did what she did in order to protect her family, her grandma, and was struggling with everything from poverty to physical and emotional abuse, and was being paid to betray DH, was unable to bring herself to do it when she saw that he plainly didn't deserve to be treated that way, and was willing to stand at his side at great personal risk, while her, who after all was his wife, the person that he trusted the most (and he trusted her absolutely, defending her to his brothers when they questioned her business trip excuse when she missed her niece's wedding to be with her lover), betrayed him completely, from having an affair with his abusive boss (and making jokes about it while she was fully aware of DH's pain and the fact that he still tried to do the best he was capable of), to ratting him out to the boss when DH went to ask her for help regarding the bribery case, to everything else she did.
A reasonable reaction to feeling unhappy in a relationship might be to get a divorce, particularly in this case where they had different views on core issues (to be more precise, where he expressed his views and she married him despite not accepting them, pretending that he would change them for her sake, which was a recipe for making herself unhappy, and unfortunately, in doing so she wrecked DH's life as well).
I wouldn't exactly use the term "taking a wrong turn" for "betray and deceive someone you have known for decades, and the father of your child, having an affair with his abusive boss, manipulating him, and everything else YH did, all the while gaslighting them and treating them horribly, in a show of massive hypocrisy". Nor do I think that it in any way served to "deal with a bad situation'". It didn't address the situation in any way whatsoever. It was cruel and unnecessary, and didn't even get her any close to happiness, which being honest with DH and getting a divorce would have.
Again, this is a bit of a "bait and switch", because when we are talking about their relationship, and splitting up, that's something completely different and distinct from her massive betrayal. One might very well be unhappy and want to split up from their partner, but that wouldn't make them any more inclined to treat them without a shred of loyalty, honesty and respect. The show did a perfectly good job highlighting that fundamental difference.
Frankly, the fact that when she talked about DH to her lover she acknowledge that he was a good person, that he suffered terribly but still did everything he was capable of to do right by his family, and that fundamentally they had merely different views and values (family being her and the kid, or it including his brothers and mother as well, etc.). That she would talk about his depression and pain and then be able to turn around and make a joke of betraying him with her lover was appalling. It would have been a thousand times better had she just hated him. This indifference and complete lack of guilt was absolutely creepy and sociopathic. To acknowledge that he was in pain, that he was still trying his best, and yet betraying him with his boss and being able to joke out of it... repulsive.
And it was appalling that she had the gall to play the victim and question his love and commitment, while giving him an infinite number of reasons to question her own? Even after remembering how she treated him like garbage, and he cared for her feeding her porridge, etc. despite knowing of her betrayal, in the scene in the car with the flashback? The bit where they discussed about the fact that she was never at home and yet expected him to simply stand there in an empty house, because she was irrationally jealous of his friends, happened when she knew he knew of her affair, and he offered a compromise (which she rejected, despite having been the one to raise the issue, without offering one of her own) despite the fact that he was at a point where he had to physically turn around and walk away outside of his apartment when he saw her car downstairs, because he needed space (which she was unwilling to give him) and he couldn't stand her presence for self evident reasons.
Frankly, she was also completely dishonest, to the point where even until the very end, she only fessed up when DH essentially discovered everything. And it was consistently absolutely self serving. And cruel. And absolutely avoidable. Appalling that she would play the victim and accuse DH when she did a billion times worse, and question his priorities, affection, etc, when she had given him an infinite number of reasons to question her own. Compare and contrast with JA doing what she did for the sake of her grandma, her family, and still being unable to bring herself to hurt DH when it became clear to her that he suffered and still tried his best, that he was a good person, sadly the only really good person she met after the terrible events in her childhood, and that was willing to trust her, and he didn't deserve to be treated this way.
Compare this to JA, who, for example, couldn't help but give DH the suggestion about the phone booth despite it going completely against her interests, because he couldn't continue to look at him being deceived. This despite the fact that she was supposed to be on the side of those interested in working against him, and doing all this in order to protect her family, and being in an atrocious situation where she was beaten and lived in poverty, while YH's actions were entirely self serving. Plus, she was a stranger who was paid to be his enemy, while YH was his wife and lived with him every day, she had known him for decades, and DH was her child's father. And yet JA showed him more loyalty, starting out as his enemy, than his own wife.