Okay I was not ready for the EP 6 reveal that Phukhao's mother and Pin were lovers. I thought Santi and Pin were exes and Pin was Mai's mother. So who was Mai's mother??? And is Phukhao's mother leaving her husband to get back together with her girlfriend? Hoo boy that's a lot of drama.
This was the most disappointing episode for me so far. The melodrama really got way too over the top . Yes I know it's a Thai lakorn but the problem is every single scene is super dramatic without light-hearted scenes in between to break it up a little bit like you had in earlier episodes so ep 6 felt like someone was screaming at you all the time.
Also I cannot understand how Phukhao and Kongkwan are suddenly caressing each other. There's been absolutely no plausible build up to that.
I still love Plu and Zo and still find Mai's story compelling. I'm also surprisingly into the story of all the parents and want to learn more about that situation.
In terms of the acting I think Off, View and Pluem are all really strong but something's not hitting with Ohm and Tu. They both keep going way too big in their scenes so I think it must be a directing and writing problem.
I'm loving this show but weirdly the weakest/least compelling part of the story is the relationship between Phukhao and Kongkwan. Love Mai and his relationship with young Phukhao, love Plu and Zo, love Plu and his grandparents, love Zo and her father. I'm very interested in the tangled relationships between all the parents, the theater crew and the crime boss and how all that will play out.
A big theme of the drama is how trauma plays out over multiple generations and how the children are bearing burdens placed on them by the failures of their parents. There's also a strong theme of something precious from the past that's been lost (the defunct traveling film business, the broken down movie theater, clips from classic movies, the motorcycle handed down from Santi to Mai to Phukhao, the tattered novel that's important to Lak and Phukhao's mother, Plu's grandmother losing her memory) but also a sense that there may be a way to carry forward some of the past to a more hopeful future (Kongkwan's battered doll that was given to her by Phukhao).
Yes the show is melodramatic and the central romance is falling a bit flat, but the writing is complex and layered and I love how we learn more and more about the characters and their history with each episode. I'm looking forward to seeing how all of these damaged children heal.
A great example of a show that should have probably been about 10-12 eps. It was okay at the beginning but then…
They were setting up a more substantial storyline for Gwangnam and a romance with the manager but I bet the network killed it. I'll still love this drama forever for the scene where he gives sex advice to Sang Eun.
hmm..another romcom. leading actress sure knows her lane and stays in it.
I don't really think that's fair though, this was a very weird drama and not a conventional rom-com, at least not in the first half. I think she was trying for something different but in the end she did revert to her usual style. The writing went conventional too so it's not all on her
This show was going so well in the beginning because the story was different , the ML was not a typical ML but…
I can't prove it but I suspect network interference killed Gwangnam's romance which is sad. He was clearly set up for a love story that never happened.
Mixed feelings about this one... Certain elements were disappointing (Gwang Nam's story line, the last two episodes,…
The most important thing to remember about the love triangle is that it's not actually a triangle, it's a meta commentary on triangles and also our expectations of romantic leads. It's kind of a deconstruction of what a love triangle is. I feel like this show's writer was very ambitious but didn't accomplish what they set out to do but I appreciate the effort
Can someone who's finished this tell me if PMY and GKP have any chemistry in the show? I keep seeing clips on…
I loved their chemistry but it's not a conventional dynamic or relationship and he's not a typical ML. If you love weird, awkward introverted dorks who are also ardent and passionate and win over the FL by feeding her and creating a safe quiet space for her to live in, you'll love him. If you're wrinkling your nose and saying ew stay away.
Episode 16 wasn't great but after ep 15 it's like the feeling of relief that you get when someone stops stepping on your toe. Anyway, we're done and my feelings are all over the place, just like the tone, plot and themes of this drama.
I'm just deeply disappointed because the first half of this drama was dark, weird, hilarious and sexy (yes, even without actual sex) and had interesting things to say about romcoms and the relationship we the audience have with the tropes and characters
The drama also had painfully accurate depictions of the scars of childhood trauma, particularly with Jiho who wasn't loved so didn't believe he could be loveable and Sang Eun who was trained to be a beautiful performing doll so felt used and unloved.
I loved it up to ep 9 even with its plot holes but then the chaebol nonsense ate the story. Eps 13 & 14 seemed to come back to the core theme of healing but then ep 15 yeeted itself off a cliff and the show wasn't able to climb out of the ditch in the end.
Go Kyung Pyo was a revelation as Jiho. I've always liked his performances but he was on fire in this. Jiho was weird, awkward, often ridiculous and yet he was also an ardent lover who won Sang Eun by simply creating and holding a safe space for a woman who needed it to heal. He doesn't usually portray romantic leads, but I guess Jiho was complex enough to draw him in. I'm looking forward to seeing more of his work. He was nominated for best supporting actor at the Blue Dragon Awards for #DecisionToLeave.
I have mixed emotions about #ParkMinYoung. She apparently held onto the Love In Contract script for a year before shooting because she wanted this role so badly. It was a departure for her & she gave Sang Eun a fragility and vulnerability that made you root for the character. But I think #ParkMinYoung struggled with the darker and weirder aspects of the story and character and ultimately reverted to her light comedy wheelhouse. But I appreciate that she went for something different.
I'm incredibly disappointed that Gwangnam didn't get a romance after all that hinting in the first half (network interference?) but I want the crazy talented Kang Hyung Suk to be cast in all the things next year.
Would I recommend you watch Love In Contract? Oh god. Well, how tolerant are you of weird, quirky, ambitious storytelling that nails it in the first half but falls apart in the second half? How much would you appreciate a ML who doesn't fit any of the stereotypes? How do you feel about plot and genre subversions, tonal whiplash, a second male lead who is never remotely in the running to win the female lead and a story about weddings that doesn't have one in the end? If that intrigues you, it's a must watch. If you're like wtf is that, stay away.
Only watched 1 episode so far and this didn't draw me in, so looking for others opinions...If you loved it, why…
I loved it to episode 9, and then it got very melodramatic and implausible. Episodes 13 and 14 were a bit of a recovery but episode 15 was horrid and the last ep was a little flat and boring. Having said that, the male lead is one of the best I've ever seen in a drama. He's a delightful introverted weirdo and watching him blossom as he grows closer to the FL is the best part of the drama.
This was the most disappointing episode for me so far. The melodrama really got way too over the top . Yes I know it's a Thai lakorn but the problem is every single scene is super dramatic without light-hearted scenes in between to break it up a little bit like you had in earlier episodes so ep 6 felt like someone was screaming at you all the time.
Also I cannot understand how Phukhao and Kongkwan are suddenly caressing each other. There's been absolutely no plausible build up to that.
I still love Plu and Zo and still find Mai's story compelling. I'm also surprisingly into the story of all the parents and want to learn more about that situation.
In terms of the acting I think Off, View and Pluem are all really strong but something's not hitting with Ohm and Tu. They both keep going way too big in their scenes so I think it must be a directing and writing problem.
A big theme of the drama is how trauma plays out over multiple generations and how the children are bearing burdens placed on them by the failures of their parents. There's also a strong theme of something precious from the past that's been lost (the defunct traveling film business, the broken down movie theater, clips from classic movies, the motorcycle handed down from Santi to Mai to Phukhao, the tattered novel that's important to Lak and Phukhao's mother, Plu's grandmother losing her memory) but also a sense that there may be a way to carry forward some of the past to a more hopeful future (Kongkwan's battered doll that was given to her by Phukhao).
Yes the show is melodramatic and the central romance is falling a bit flat, but the writing is complex and layered and I love how we learn more and more about the characters and their history with each episode. I'm looking forward to seeing how all of these damaged children heal.
I'm just deeply disappointed because the first half of this drama was dark, weird, hilarious and sexy (yes, even without actual sex) and had interesting things to say about romcoms and the relationship we the audience have with the tropes and characters
The drama also had painfully accurate depictions of the scars of childhood trauma, particularly with Jiho who wasn't loved so didn't believe he could be loveable and Sang Eun who was trained to be a beautiful performing doll so felt used and unloved.
I loved it up to ep 9 even with its plot holes but then the chaebol nonsense ate the story. Eps 13 & 14 seemed to come back to the core theme of healing but then ep 15 yeeted itself off a cliff and the show wasn't able to climb out of the ditch in the end.
Go Kyung Pyo was a revelation as Jiho. I've always liked his performances but he was on fire in this. Jiho was weird, awkward, often ridiculous and yet he was also an ardent lover who won Sang Eun by simply creating and holding a safe space for a woman who needed it to heal. He doesn't usually portray romantic leads, but I guess Jiho was complex enough to draw him in. I'm looking forward to seeing more of his work. He was nominated for best supporting actor at the Blue Dragon Awards for #DecisionToLeave.
I have mixed emotions about #ParkMinYoung. She apparently held onto the Love In Contract script for a year before shooting because she wanted this role so badly. It was a departure for her & she gave Sang Eun a fragility and vulnerability that made you root for the character. But I think #ParkMinYoung struggled with the darker and weirder aspects of the story and character and ultimately reverted to her light comedy wheelhouse. But I appreciate that she went for something different.
I'm incredibly disappointed that Gwangnam didn't get a romance after all that hinting in the first half (network interference?) but I want the crazy talented Kang Hyung Suk to be cast in all the things next year.
Would I recommend you watch Love In Contract? Oh god. Well, how tolerant are you of weird, quirky, ambitious storytelling that nails it in the first half but falls apart in the second half? How much would you appreciate a ML who doesn't fit any of the stereotypes? How do you feel about plot and genre subversions, tonal whiplash, a second male lead who is never remotely in the running to win the female lead and a story about weddings that doesn't have one in the end? If that intrigues you, it's a must watch. If you're like wtf is that, stay away.
I posted the above on Twitter and we're recording a podcast episode on it too, stay tuned! https://twitter.com/daebakpodcast1/status/1590899374271631361