It's more about family, friendship and long lasting love rather than a typical romantic drama
Finally finished this kdrama and as much as I enjoyed it, was greatly disappointed with the ending. No spoilers, but how they tidied it up was sweet enough, but it could of done with a couple of more episodes to really give the story the happy ending we all wanted. In the end I was routing for the second couple's (best friend and single dad) happily ever after more than the male and female leads. I think they wasted a few episodes just with each other's exes. Also not being confident enough to speak up about how they felt about each other. They danced around that for a couple of episodes too. They have supposedly known each other for 30 years, how can they be so unaware of their feelings.The saving grace was the supporting cast. Loved the families and friends. Loved their relationship with their kids and each other. Especially loved the Lavender girls. It showed that long lasting friendships may have their difficulties but overall their love and dedication spans the decades. Maybe that is what we should get from this series. Not a romcom, but a beautifully acted and written kdrama about love in all it's forms and how it can whether whatever trials and tribulations that can come their way.
Overall it is worth a watch just for watching those dynamic relationships. If you want a childhood friendship to adult love, romantic kdrama, watch Fight for My Way, this kdrama is so much better at portraying this theme.
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This review may contain spoilers
Beautiful love story.
Where do I start with this kdrama, or should I say k-trauma, because it felt like that at times. Yet again the writers have messed up what would have been a beautiful, modern love story. The cast were exceptional. They were perfect in their roles. Full of fun, depth of emotion and understanding of what they had to portray in their roles. What let this drama down was the poor script in the latter episodes. From episode one to about ten, we had a great story. A beautiful couple finding their feelings were changing from old family friends to lovers. The intimacy between the male and female leads was so well done that at times I thought are they really a couple in real life.Where the writers let the story down was the way they brought in the break-up storyline. Yet again going down the predictable storyline of happy, happy, happy relationship, let's bring in more drama by splitting them up, for then to bring them back together later on. As if they didn't have enough problems to overcome with the female lead's mother. A break-up was not needed. For this to be an adult relationship with longevity they needed to stick together and support each other and show the world no matter whatbyou throw at us we can get through it, but no they had to go down the boring predictable break-up route.
Also, why is it they always have to have these toxic, psychotic mothers who hide their awful behaviour behind the pretext of their motherly love, and wanting what's best for their child. Shouldn't their happiness be the number one thing, not whether they are in a high powered job, or dating (with a possibility of marriage) to another high powered, successful man. Both times, when we saw the female in those types of relationships, she was miserable. The first one cheated on her with someone much younger. He also stalked, sexually assaulted, kidnapped, and tried to kill her! W.L.A.F!!! Who in their right mind thinks that is a good relationship. The second one, we see at her brother's wedding. Yet again a self absorbed prick who is constantly on his phone with work. Yeah, I get in his line of work he probably does not get a moments peace, but even at a family event he could not keep off his phone, and then left without saying goodbye because he had to catch a flight. He was never present in their relationship. Throughout the date and the drive home, he was on his phone, and ignored her. I bet he didn't even notice that shebleft his car when they were at a set of traffic lights. Someone like him should not be in a relationship. Even though this was bad enough, her mother when she told her that they had split up, she was still angry with her. He daughter at this time is nearly 40. Leave her alone. You created this situation. Her toxic parenting was responsible for her daughter making those decisions. What she should of done is get a life of her own. Done things with her husband instead of focusing so much on her children and what they got up to. I know the Korean culture is different to ours, and a lot of emphasis is placed on parents and your piotity towards them, but still this was yey again on another level. When are writers/directors going to learn that this level of abuse, especially with adult, independent (she might have lived at home, but she had a professional job) is not OK.
Also the other disappointing thing was the ending. They did the predictable time jump thing that they always do. This time it was 3 years. She was with douch-bag number two, the male lead turned up after 3 years to his best friend's (her brother's) wedding. Loads of awkward interactions with everyone else, but no contact between them. Lots of side looks, and unhappy stares. It took most of episode 16 for them to talk face to face. Still for all to see a deep lingering love between them, but because of their past hurt and their stubbornnes, never resolved their past break-up and trauma.
Eventually in the last 10 minutes or so of the episode they get back together, but it was so lame. They definitely needed another episode or two just to tidy everything up. She was living on Jeju Island. He still had a job in America. Was he going to stay in Korea or was he still going back to America? Never addressed that. Also was his sister, her mother and the rest of her family going to accept her being in a relationship with him again? Never was addressed. How could they live happily ever after? Could they forget their past traumas? Could they move on and be at peace with the relationship as it is. A sort of secret love affair like before? Or were they willing to be open with everyone and be damed with the consequences? So many unanswered questions, that really spoilt what was a lovely modern day love story.
Even the secondary storyline of the female lead's sexual harassment case, was a breath of fresh air. Tackling a very difficult subject matter, that can be understood globally, but yet again they messed up with this storyline. They dragged out, and then did a poor job in resolving it. She didn't get justice, but you find that in a lot of these cases, but the lack of support from her female colleagues I just found gobsmackingly awful. I know women can be bitchy, especially in the workplace, but this was on another level. They deliberately through her under the bus just to save their own skins. It was disgusting to watch. She was literally alone. Her family were no use. Her mother, the toxic mess. Whose idea of love is to make her daughter miserable. Her boyfriend who's idea of support, was to run away. And then her best friend, who what I can gather, had never been in love or ever had a boyfriend/relationship, completely cut her off because of how her brother was treated. She never once put herself in her friend's shoes. The blind date she was forced to go on, because if she didn't she would have been seen as an ungrateful and disrespectful daughter. Even though all she ever did was bend over backwards for her family and friends. Literally a doormat for them to walk all over her. Then her mother having a go at her best friend and boyfriend, in front of everyone. I get why the sister/best friend would be angry, but not once did she think all that vitriol would not hurt her friend too. The two closest people in the world to her. The two people she loved the most, was being abused my her own mother and she didn't know what to do.
Overall the writers missed a whole chunk of the story out. They rushed parts in order to get a 'happy' conclusion, but dragged out some storylines (the sexual harassment part being one). Maybe more episodes might have tidied up the story better, but I believe some of the middle episodes could have been reedited so as to not have such a rushed last episode.
In the end it has great actors playing their roles well. The leads had great chemistry, but the ending was an anticlimax after such a great story build up. The age gap between them was never an issue throughout. In some instances you could be mistaken for her being younger than him. The way he conducted himself, at times, was as if they were the same age, and this made their love story more sweet and their compatibility more true.
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This review may contain spoilers
Even though you know the ending it's worth the watch.
What can I say about this bitter sweet romcom. From the first episode it makes you more than aware of how this series will end, but the more you watch it the sadness you feel is not because of the ending but because of the life they ended up having and the mistakes they made along the way. The male and female leads act their heart out. Between the playful fighting, the constant chasing and running away from everyone and everything, we see a beautiful love story between two broken, and in their words, unlucky people.We witness, through flashbacks, their first meeting. We see them fall in love and live a beautiful life together as a couple. We also see their breakup.
After they have a chance meeting at a hospital whereby they both get bad news. The male lead then kidnaps the female lead from her wedding (he wants to find his biological father, and wants to take her along for the ride), and their bitter sweet love story commences.
All I can say is, yes it is definitely a sad story (you see it from the beginning of episode one), but the traumady is not as harsh as I was expecting. It shows that as long as you are with someone you love in your final moments in this world your life would have had some meaning, and you are the luckiest person to have lived.
If you want a typical happy ending story (boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl get married) then don't watch this drama.
If you want to watch a bitter sweet love story, that looks at all aspects of love (family, friends who are like family, partners who become your family) then this is the series to watch. Well worth the 10/10 stars 🌟 🤩
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The complexities of relationships
I originally tried to watch this drama a while back, but dropped it because I wasn't sure about the female lead, and the story seemed like it wouldn't hold me, but I started to rewatch it because it was about to leave a streaming platform so I wanted to give it another try. I am so glad I did. The intimacy between the ML and FL took some time to get there but once it did, wow! I feel this was the most grown up kdrama about relationships that I have seen in this genre for a while. It tackled adultery, broken hearts, suicide, emotional manipulation, intense love both in bad and good ways. It even tackled same sex relationships, and the hurt it can cause yourself and everyone around you if you are not true to your sexuality. The only problem with this storyline is how thick the married sister was in not realising her husband's 'friend' was gay, or that her husband could be gay, or at least bi. Trying to set him (husband's friend) up with single girlfriends and even her husband saying he will be not interested and not interested in marriage, still didn'tmake the penny drop for her. Also how close he was to his 'friend'. Maybe it isn't an obvious thing in Korea to notice a man's sexuality, but I noticed from about episode 3 or 4 that her husband was in the closet, and really struggled with his sexuality. He just looked miserable throughout his marriage, even on his first date (the flasback/reminiscing scene) with his future wife he looked miserable. I found this storyline was more interesting that the FL and ML one. This main storyline was frustrating at times. The ML did all the chasing. The FL was cold at times, and was so selfish. I get she was hurt and betrayed by her boyfriend. A secret relationship for 2 years, I would have binned him after 6 months, but that isn't the point. His complex, and hurtful actions I think didn't help her open up, and because of her past trauma of seeing her dad's affair, and her mum's clinging behaviour towards her (which we find out later on was due to her own awareness of her husband's affair, and then subsequent death, had it's own complex issues). I loved how close she (FL's mother) became to the ML in the later episodes, and how when they (FL and ML getting back together. Never understood why she would leave him for 5 years, yet again FLs selfish behaviour), the FLs mother did not approve of them getting back together because the ML was to good for her daughter. Good on her. Calling her own daughter out for her selfish behaviour. Loved it. Overall I found this series enjoyable. Some good acting from some great actors. The various relationships that were going on around the main ML and FL were just as good. if not more interesting at times, than the main romantic storyline. I loved how the second sister found a deep and loving relationship with the brother of the 2nd FL. Their courtship, and subsequent relationship was the purest and most healthy out of all of the relationships that were going on in this drama. The 2nd FL I found irritating beyond belief. She used her attempted suicide to cling on to a man who everyone could see did not love her, but because she was obsessed with him, and only her obsessive (and oppressive) love mattered, a marriage was going to take place. I am glad he walked away in the end. She was irritating beyond belief. A spoilt princess. Hurghhh!! Nothing grates me more than those stereotypical girls in a drama. After her suicide she needed therapy to bring her back to reality, and sort out her complex ideology around love and relationships. The 2nd ML lead also needed therapy. After coming from parents who abandoned him in their own ways (who does that to a child, one parent a con-man always looking for money, and then leaves his son to pick up the pieces. I couldn't believe the people his father conned coming into his school and manhandling him in order to find out where his father was, and demanding the money back! Who does that!? The other just ups and leaves, and even after 25 years still shows not an ounce of remorse for leaving him with a feckless father who only brought pain and trouble to his door, and no emotion when he shows up, just tells him basically to not find her again!) No wonder he can't hold onto the one healthy relationship he had. He felt obliged to be engaged to the 2nd FL because of his past relationship with her brother and her attempted suicide, but the real relationship, the one where he could genuinely be himself, and I do believe he loved the FL deeply. Could not be real or open about because of his messed up relationship with his 'friend' and fiancée. I think it was fitting that he ended up alone. His messed up childhood and distorted ideas of what relationships are (he didn't believe that his fiancée's brother was genuinely his friend! That was so sad.) He needed to heal. He at least was honest with all his past girlfriends about how he felt, and how he dealt with everything. How wrong he was to not be honest with the FL and how he should never had agreed to the 2nd FLs brother's request to be by his sister's side forever. That is not a heathy way to live your life. Overall I really good drama. It looked all the complexities of relationships, be it friendships, sexuality, adultery, parental, romantic or long standing marriages it tackled everything, and it did not sugarcoat the darkness that some of these relationships can bring. It also brought the light when it comes to finding a good and honest healthy relationship. In the end the FL and ML got their happily ever after, and all the other relationships sorted themselves out. I was hoping that the divorced sister would find someone who loved her as deeply as she loved her ex husband. She poured her heart and soul into that relationship, and he was as cold as ice throughout. It took her acceptance of his sexuality and him finding peace with it for him to be truly happy, but I felt she could have done with a bit of love too. A deep love that was based on him wanting her, and her not chasing and clinging onto a ice cold relationship. I thought the 2nd ML might have been that. Giving him a family he never had, but I think that would have been a little to incestuous even for this drama. Some of the relationships were very close, and how they ended up together was mind-boggling at times, but overall it worked out for the best. A throughly enjoyable drama, and I was glad I found it again and gave it a second chance.Was this review helpful to you?
Story makes no sense
Where do I start. I think the story would be better if they were not 5 mins long. Also I think some of the dialogue is lost in translation. The male and female leads are good looking. The supporting cast act well, but overall the story makes no sense. For a story like this to work there needs to be more of a preamble towards their deepening love. It's like the male lead bumps into female lead. Female lead then meets him again after she gets drugged and placed in the male leads bed. From that encounter she becomes his girlfriend. WHAT!!! No logic. Both of them have been drugged and placed in that situation, so why isn't the police involved. Then they fall in love. HOW!!! Where is the courtship? Where is the lead up to the relationship? Also the ex boyfriend of the female lead is vile. He goes from being her childhood saviour, to an utter shit. He is (with his new girlfriend) responsible for the female lead being in dangerous situations with other men. Just really disappointed with his drama. Has great potential to be a really interesting, gripping, romantic drama. Instead it is a rushed, mishmash of other stories, thrown together to make a series. Disappointed. 😔Was this review helpful to you?
