Misogynistic at its finest
The biggest issue is the weak script. Kim Woo Joo's character feels bland and all over the place - he's supposed to be this "hopelessly romantic" guy but the script doesn't actually show that, just tells us through dialogue and some childhood trauma that feels really forced. The childhood connection trope is basically used as a lazy plot device to justify their feelings instead of letting them develop naturally. Woo Shik acts with his usual subtle touch, but the script needs bigger reactions, which creates this weird disconnection where his expressions make me feel "half-baked but unnecessarily dramatic." (weird, I know)
There's zero chemistry between Woo Shik and Jung So Min. I feel like they get thrown into this fake marriage situation without any emotional foundation, other than their childhood interaction, which is by itself so shallow an interaction that it does not even make any sense how they like each other. Every interaction feels transactional. I actually wanted to skip through their scenes because it is so awkward, which is the first for me for a drama with Choi Woo Shik. I have seen his past rom-com works with his past female colleagues, and I truly enjoyed them. The chemistry was great in OBS. In Melo Movie with PBY, I would argue that they don't have much chemistry during the kiss or skinshipped scenes, but I can still feel some tension and emotions between them in other scenes that allow some chemistry to go through (so yes, not as many chemistry as OBS but still great chemistry).
I also feel like the energy between Me Ri (chaotic, quirky) and Woo Joo (calm, grounded) so opposite and the directing doesn't know how to balance it. Each one is at their own end of two opposite spectrums but never truly meet in the middle.
The treatment of women in this show is seriously problematic (and I'm usually not the type who notices these things). All the female characters - except Me Ri's mom - are written as either mean or manipulative (notice that this is my feeling based on up to episode 5). This is to me clearly internalized misogyny in the writing. Even Me Ri character, she likes guys just because they're hot - even as a kid - which is to me incredibly shallow and insulting. She also does not seem to have any major drive or motivation of her own (other than the main trope of getting the fancy house); it's truly one-dimensional writing that I have not seen in quite some times.
Then, the styling and makeup for Jung So Min is so bad - it's like they're actively trying to make her look worse. The "quirky" wardrobe goes for messy, and not charming (I cannot count how many moments I say "wtf is she wearing"). Camera angles on her are often unflattering for no reason. It all feels like the production team doesn't respect the female lead.
About Jung So Min: I don't think she's acting badly, but rather, she's acting according to poor direction. She often has this vacant staring look that irks me the wrong way, which I think is what the director asked for but there's no proper emotional context for it.
In summary, WYMM fails on every level for me - character writing, pacing (painfully slow, one hour-long episode feels endless), chemistry, and how it treats female characters. It is so bad that it's not even entertaining to watch. Rather, it's painful and torturing.
There's zero chemistry between Woo Shik and Jung So Min. I feel like they get thrown into this fake marriage situation without any emotional foundation, other than their childhood interaction, which is by itself so shallow an interaction that it does not even make any sense how they like each other. Every interaction feels transactional. I actually wanted to skip through their scenes because it is so awkward, which is the first for me for a drama with Choi Woo Shik. I have seen his past rom-com works with his past female colleagues, and I truly enjoyed them. The chemistry was great in OBS. In Melo Movie with PBY, I would argue that they don't have much chemistry during the kiss or skinshipped scenes, but I can still feel some tension and emotions between them in other scenes that allow some chemistry to go through (so yes, not as many chemistry as OBS but still great chemistry).
I also feel like the energy between Me Ri (chaotic, quirky) and Woo Joo (calm, grounded) so opposite and the directing doesn't know how to balance it. Each one is at their own end of two opposite spectrums but never truly meet in the middle.
The treatment of women in this show is seriously problematic (and I'm usually not the type who notices these things). All the female characters - except Me Ri's mom - are written as either mean or manipulative (notice that this is my feeling based on up to episode 5). This is to me clearly internalized misogyny in the writing. Even Me Ri character, she likes guys just because they're hot - even as a kid - which is to me incredibly shallow and insulting. She also does not seem to have any major drive or motivation of her own (other than the main trope of getting the fancy house); it's truly one-dimensional writing that I have not seen in quite some times.
Then, the styling and makeup for Jung So Min is so bad - it's like they're actively trying to make her look worse. The "quirky" wardrobe goes for messy, and not charming (I cannot count how many moments I say "wtf is she wearing"). Camera angles on her are often unflattering for no reason. It all feels like the production team doesn't respect the female lead.
About Jung So Min: I don't think she's acting badly, but rather, she's acting according to poor direction. She often has this vacant staring look that irks me the wrong way, which I think is what the director asked for but there's no proper emotional context for it.
In summary, WYMM fails on every level for me - character writing, pacing (painfully slow, one hour-long episode feels endless), chemistry, and how it treats female characters. It is so bad that it's not even entertaining to watch. Rather, it's painful and torturing.
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