As a piece of entertainment, it is more than decent. But it is unsatisfactory in the messages it is trying to…
Even as someone not suffering from mental illness, I felt extremely uncomfortable by how judgmental and unempathetic the show felt. I know of people who do and I would never recommend this show to them. Hope you didn't feel too hurt as it indeed isn't your fault.
This is yet another highly praised show that failed to resonate with me.
As a piece of entertainment, it is more than decent. But it is unsatisfactory in the messages it is trying to get across. It raised very important problems, such as being driven into a corner by a competitive society and being stuck in a poverty cycle, and feeling oppressed and helpless as a youth. These are extremely prevalent and sensitive issues in SK and other countries. The show offers a message that comes from good intentions, but it is over simplified and maybe even insensitive towards depression and mental illness. Throughout the show, there is no empathy offered to the main character's suffering, but rather a lingering feeling of "your pain is bearable compared to many others who have suffered so much more than you". Which is obviously distasteful and wrong in many ways. It's classic victim blaming, coming from an outsider's POV.
Furthermore, it ultimately does not provide any tangible solutions to any of the main character's problems and he will realistically end up in the exact same place. In the end, he's just back to square one with the wounds of living multiple lives and with the guilt of hurting others with his decision. There is no accountability for the further damage to his mental state. I can't help but feel that if that was the route the show was going to take, it shouldn't have presented such severe societal issues through the main character's story in the first place.
Saw this in a comment on reddit: SD's mom saying "I've been giving Samdal a hard time too. I'm going to deal with myself first" in episode 12. It was referring to how she was being a hypocrite for lashing at SD because just like her taking the beating from Eunjoo's mom, she had been silently tolerating the abuse from YP's dad all these years. And she needs to gain the courage to stand up for herself and her family now. That somehow didn't occur to me when I was watching.
I really liked the past few episodes, some moments were awesome and hilarious. It feels like the show is now fully embracing its sense of humor. The characters' chemistry gets stronger and the heartwarming moments are genuinely touching. I even like how it's shamelessly going all out on the cliche-ness of the villains. We don't need complex villains for this story.
Usually shows get a bit stagnant towards the end, but this one is a nice surprise. For me it started at like 7.5/10 and gradually went to a 8.5-9. Now it'll be great if it sticks the landing too. Crossing fingers.
The depiction of reality in this show is hard to watch at times. The mom's character is hitting way too close to home for me. Having a string of health problems but refusing to retire, stubbornly reluctant to receive medical help, going "what's the big deal, everyone else is just like me". It's good enough that she's willing to take her meds. The children are helpless and end up racking their brains and wasting time finding solutions. That's exactly like my dad. Except in reality, we're busy, tired and frustrated, and our relationships are on the verge of being ruined. Maybe I should let my dad watch this.
what was the thought process behind releasing last episodes 2 weeks later when everybody forget about it ..
It's Netflix's strategy to prolong the release so they can gain/retain more subscribers. They did this with The Glory, except that made more sense with two 8-episode parts. This is a large scale production that's expected to gain a huge following, so they probably thought it will drive up the anticipation for part 2, but it just feels forced to split it into 7/3 episodes. Tbh I've already forgotten some of the plot, so... I don't think this works in their favor at all.
Okay, I get some of the criticism of this show and I do think it can be better in some ways, especially in the earlier episodes. But for the criticism towards SHS's acting, I genuinely don't get it. I get not liking how some of her character's behaviour is written (though I think it's understandable for someone whose self esteem got destroyed overnight). Putting on a strong front as a career woman but becoming vulnerable in front of her family and friends, slowly becoming more like herself over the course of the show, even the spark rekindling in her eyes when she took the wedding photos, I think she expressed those aspects of the character very well. Even acting like you're genuinely drunk takes acting chops. If anything, it's a role that might fly around and become incoherent if put in the hands of a lesser actress. I'm not even being biased, I just thought it's an objectively good performance and was shocked to see comments that she is bad at acting. I hope people are not putting their dislike for a character on the actor.
The last time I felt like this was for Castaway Diva. I haven't finished that show but I also saw criticism towards PEB's acting in the comments and was just completely baffled. I wonder if people tend to be overly critical towards actresses.
I'm convinced the production team is getting paid by the Jeju tourism board because that sunset in episode 10 is too pretty. Usually filler scenes bore me but the traveling around Jeju scenes were quite nice and wholesome to see on new year's day. As for the plot, well, the leads' backstory involving their parents is quite typical and old-fashioned but I like the subtle chemistry between SHS and JCW. I like that their interactions, past or present, are not overly romanticized. The characters can act silly but they're not obnoxious. The sisters' side plots are surprisingly entertaining as well. The show isn't something amazing, but it's a solid one so far with a dose of nostalgia.
This show is a bit of a grower. It started off on the cheesy side but I'm getting invested as the backstories are unveiled. I like that as layers are getting peeled off, details shown in the past start to make sense. The latest episode was quite tearjerk-ing and as frustrating as the parents may be, I understand both sides. ML's dad uses a misplaced outlet for his resentment to mentally cope with such an unprecedented tragedy. FL's mom still suffers survivor's guilt, and psychologically it resulted in her recklessness towards her own health as she subconsciously thinks she deserves it. I don't think another tragedy will happen, it's probably a close-to repeat of history that will be the wake up call needed for many characters. Sisters for not getting it together and unintentionally overlooking something in front of them, FL's mom for refusing to communicate with her children, and ML's father who needs to realise he's been worsening everyone's pain.
I went in with lowered expectations, but I still felt disappointed. While the show started off decently for me, it ended up not being very engaging after all. It was hard to connect to the poorly written motivations of the ML, the superficial relationship between the leads, or the storyline which went just as I could predict since the first few episodes. Even the comedy for the most part didn't hit for me and even felt out of place in multiple scenes.
The show felt like bits and pieces of other well known films/dramas. It had sets and scenes familiar to Mr Sunshine and Assassination, a plot device almost identical to Kingdom, and the creature was reminiscent of the one in Stranger Things. It didn't feel gelled together and it didn't have its own identity. It needed a fresher, more creative narrative and more in-depth characters to actually hook me. I'll still stay for the second part, but I can't say I'm particularly looking forward to it.
Went in with lowered expectations, and 1 episode in -- I thought it was actually not bad other than some very odd music choices. Especially in the scenes where both of the leads meet, the piano music was not very fitting. Story is easy to follow so far and the pacing is fine imo. If I'm being nitpicky, the sets look very new and not very authentic, even if they look nice and expensive. The editing in the action scene was very choppy. My main concern is that plot-wise, they've already revealed a LOT and made it very obvious what already happened and what's going to happen, so idk if the plot is going to have much surprises ahead.
Frankly, this show so far doesn't have a standout plot or great production value (what's with the choppy editing and sudden music placements at times?) but it's pretty much the only show I'm looking forward to each week. Because I'm finding almost everything else currently airing to be more tired, repetitive or just underwhelming. At least this one has more relatable themes, solid actors and a pleasant laidback setting. It's like a relaxing family drama to watch while having a meal.
The reception of the first part from the korean press is quite concerning, almost every review I've seen has been negative. I remember Squid Game getting mixed reception domestically as well, and while that obviously didn't stop its international success, I ended up not being a fan and agreed with the poor reviews. Of course I'll watch and judge it for myself, but I'll be lowering my expectations.
I guess this isn't my kind of humor... The actors were good and had good timing but for some reason I didn't find it funny, like at all. Maybe some of it got lost in translation.
Ep 3 hit many right notes. Nostalgia, friendship, experiencing disappointment in adulthood. The show is showing an exponential improvement with every episode imo. It also went a bit in depth on Samdal's family dynamics with some obvious lack of communication between the mom and daughters. Looks like the focus of the show is coming into view now, it's about reconnecting not just the romance, but also familial ties and friendships. Maybe also about re-finding your self-esteem. I wasn't the biggest fan of the way the show made Samdal come back to Jeju, but I like where it's going.
Furthermore, it ultimately does not provide any tangible solutions to any of the main character's problems and he will realistically end up in the exact same place. In the end, he's just back to square one with the wounds of living multiple lives and with the guilt of hurting others with his decision. There is no accountability for the further damage to his mental state. I can't help but feel that if that was the route the show was going to take, it shouldn't have presented such severe societal issues through the main character's story in the first place.
SD's mom saying "I've been giving Samdal a hard time too. I'm going to deal with myself first" in episode 12. It was referring to how she was being a hypocrite for lashing at SD because just like her taking the beating from Eunjoo's mom, she had been silently tolerating the abuse from YP's dad all these years. And she needs to gain the courage to stand up for herself and her family now. That somehow didn't occur to me when I was watching.
Usually shows get a bit stagnant towards the end, but this one is a nice surprise. For me it started at like 7.5/10 and gradually went to a 8.5-9. Now it'll be great if it sticks the landing too. Crossing fingers.
The last time I felt like this was for Castaway Diva. I haven't finished that show but I also saw criticism towards PEB's acting in the comments and was just completely baffled. I wonder if people tend to be overly critical towards actresses.
The show felt like bits and pieces of other well known films/dramas. It had sets and scenes familiar to Mr Sunshine and Assassination, a plot device almost identical to Kingdom, and the creature was reminiscent of the one in Stranger Things. It didn't feel gelled together and it didn't have its own identity. It needed a fresher, more creative narrative and more in-depth characters to actually hook me. I'll still stay for the second part, but I can't say I'm particularly looking forward to it.