This review may contain spoilers
A Love Story Based on a Drunken One-Night Stand
I debated on whether I wanted to write a review or not. I had a love/hate response to this drama. So I guess what I'll do is just list my likes and dislikes and you can be the judge as to whether to watch or not.
What I liked:
*The actors and the acting, especially the two main leads. There was chemistry between these two and that made their love story that much more precious.
*There was a little of everything in this story. It was cute and funny at the start, then the writer brought intrigue and mystery into it. The story flowed fairly well and it kept me tuned in every week when new episodes came out.
*The costumes and sets were nice. This kept the visuals of the drama top notch.
*The relationship between the two main leads was one of adults. Their romance was not awkward, and it wasn't full of unrealistic juvenile behavior, which I always appreciate when a writer does that.
*I liked that it wasn't the usual historical romance with rampant palace intrigue with the horrible queen mother plotting to take control. The mystery and intrigue was one I had not yet experienced in a drama. It was something slightly different and I would say that kept me tuned in every week.
What I disliked:
The main thing I did not like is how this great love between Seon Chaek and Yi Beon started as a drunken one-night-stand. Seon Chaek was introducing Josean young people to modern day cocktails and mixed drinks. She drank heavily....really heavily. This was really unrealistic as I think if anyone had drank as much as it showed, she would be dead from alcohol poisoning. Anyway, she drunkenly meets up with Yi Beon, and winds up in bed with him spending the night. It is his first time, and from this he falls madly in love with her. I don't like the impression that this great love can happen from a drunken night of sex. In life this almost never happens. I didn't like the possessiveness that Yi Beon's character displayed because of the one night stand. Rather than love, it seemed more like "you slept with me, now I own you." The portrayal of this just left me with a bad taste. His character softened though as the story progressed so that helped. But really it was because Seon Chaek perceived this possessiveness as love, and loved him back for it. Again, I really didn't like the toxicity of representing possessiveness as love.
The switching up part of the story was weak. I honestly did not understand that two different characters had switched places until the end of the story. I thought the modern Seon Chaek had hit her head and she was unconscious and dreaming the whole thing. Because of this I didn't understand the little boy character when he appeared, nor why they had these strange flashbacks to the modern time. The scene with the two of them together in the modern world, the clock ticking, and having to write the ending was really weird. Seo Hyun's character in the modern world was never developed, and I don't believe we found out why she didn't want to be in Josean anymore. All in all, this part of the storyline was very weak and strange.
Overall what really made this drama good was Seo Hyun and Taec Yeon. They did an outstanding acting job in their leads and it really kept the storyline strong in places where it was weak. Well done to both of them!
What I liked:
*The actors and the acting, especially the two main leads. There was chemistry between these two and that made their love story that much more precious.
*There was a little of everything in this story. It was cute and funny at the start, then the writer brought intrigue and mystery into it. The story flowed fairly well and it kept me tuned in every week when new episodes came out.
*The costumes and sets were nice. This kept the visuals of the drama top notch.
*The relationship between the two main leads was one of adults. Their romance was not awkward, and it wasn't full of unrealistic juvenile behavior, which I always appreciate when a writer does that.
*I liked that it wasn't the usual historical romance with rampant palace intrigue with the horrible queen mother plotting to take control. The mystery and intrigue was one I had not yet experienced in a drama. It was something slightly different and I would say that kept me tuned in every week.
What I disliked:
The main thing I did not like is how this great love between Seon Chaek and Yi Beon started as a drunken one-night-stand. Seon Chaek was introducing Josean young people to modern day cocktails and mixed drinks. She drank heavily....really heavily. This was really unrealistic as I think if anyone had drank as much as it showed, she would be dead from alcohol poisoning. Anyway, she drunkenly meets up with Yi Beon, and winds up in bed with him spending the night. It is his first time, and from this he falls madly in love with her. I don't like the impression that this great love can happen from a drunken night of sex. In life this almost never happens. I didn't like the possessiveness that Yi Beon's character displayed because of the one night stand. Rather than love, it seemed more like "you slept with me, now I own you." The portrayal of this just left me with a bad taste. His character softened though as the story progressed so that helped. But really it was because Seon Chaek perceived this possessiveness as love, and loved him back for it. Again, I really didn't like the toxicity of representing possessiveness as love.
The switching up part of the story was weak. I honestly did not understand that two different characters had switched places until the end of the story. I thought the modern Seon Chaek had hit her head and she was unconscious and dreaming the whole thing. Because of this I didn't understand the little boy character when he appeared, nor why they had these strange flashbacks to the modern time. The scene with the two of them together in the modern world, the clock ticking, and having to write the ending was really weird. Seo Hyun's character in the modern world was never developed, and I don't believe we found out why she didn't want to be in Josean anymore. All in all, this part of the storyline was very weak and strange.
Overall what really made this drama good was Seo Hyun and Taec Yeon. They did an outstanding acting job in their leads and it really kept the storyline strong in places where it was weak. Well done to both of them!
Was this review helpful to you?
