We could've had it all
The drama started off strong: the premise was solid, the characters were promising. But somewhere along the way, it lost its spark. And I blame the tired, overused ex boyfriend storyline. Sure, many romantic clichés rely on this trope, but it shouldn't have dominated the drama the way it did. Two short scenes, maybe twenty minutes max, would’ve been more than enough — and far more palatable than a brooding ex pleading to get back together.
Let’s not even get into his subplot, which turned out to be completely pointless, since it was never addressed again. A narrative dead end.
I’m still not sure which character lost their footing more: Beom-woo or Yeonju. But something stopped clicking along the way. For a 10 episode drama, they really should’ve invested more time in developing both characters (individually and as a couple) instead of wasting screen time on the ex.
The mother-as-the-villain plot had real potential. It could have been amazing, if we had gotten enough screen time to explore it! What is happening with K-dramas lately? We need to go back to 16 episode formats. The villain ended up feeling cartoonish and shallow, like someone with too much time and no real motive.
The acting, however, was great. You could tell Kang Haneul poured himself into the role. Go Minsi was a pleasant surprise, I’d never seen her in anything before, but she held her own beautifully. The supporting cast also did a fantastic job and helped hold the story together, despite the limited screen time.
The ending felt rushed and oddly Disney esque, and not in a good way. It lacked time, depth, and focus on the core storylines. Still, the performances were strong, and the OST was pleasant, so not all was lost.
Let’s not even get into his subplot, which turned out to be completely pointless, since it was never addressed again. A narrative dead end.
I’m still not sure which character lost their footing more: Beom-woo or Yeonju. But something stopped clicking along the way. For a 10 episode drama, they really should’ve invested more time in developing both characters (individually and as a couple) instead of wasting screen time on the ex.
The mother-as-the-villain plot had real potential. It could have been amazing, if we had gotten enough screen time to explore it! What is happening with K-dramas lately? We need to go back to 16 episode formats. The villain ended up feeling cartoonish and shallow, like someone with too much time and no real motive.
The acting, however, was great. You could tell Kang Haneul poured himself into the role. Go Minsi was a pleasant surprise, I’d never seen her in anything before, but she held her own beautifully. The supporting cast also did a fantastic job and helped hold the story together, despite the limited screen time.
The ending felt rushed and oddly Disney esque, and not in a good way. It lacked time, depth, and focus on the core storylines. Still, the performances were strong, and the OST was pleasant, so not all was lost.
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