This review may contain spoilers
If “Potential Man” Was a Kdrama
I’m on episode 9 out of 12, so I’m aware I’m jumping the gun. But god,
god. Give me strength.
From the start, this drama’s description was misleading. I actually don’t know what I expected, really. The concept of a translator and celebrity teaming up on a long term project and getting closer was — and still is — very appealing, and as someone who enjoyed Run On quite a bit, I was excited to see another take on this topic. However, this show quickly devolved into a tangled mess of love polygons and poor depictions of serious mental health issues. To top it all off, they had the audacity to have Kim Seonho play a watered down, inconsiderate, dry-as-cardboard version of Hong Dusik from Hometown Cha Cha Cha.
Do Rami as Cha Muhee’s “alternate personality” is just… something else. Truly something else. I’m not going to sit here and try to say that the depictions of her mental health struggles is 100% inaccurate — at times, I think they did a good job at depicting Muhee’s anxiety and disassociation. However, they lost me when they started having “Do Rami” pop out like a Love and Deepspace LI. Genuine question — has no one outside of Hojin been paying attention to her behavior? Her impulsivity and sudden personality change is immediate grounds for an intervention and a lovely trip to the nearest in-patient facility. Or at the very least, a fucking therapist appointment. Seriously, why did no one suggest this to her upon waking up? Even without knowing her background, experiencing such a traumatic event, surviving, and suddenly being thrust into the spotlight is overwhelming! It’s life altering! Seriously, what is happening?!
Before they utilized Do Rami in this fashion, I was really loving how they used her as a negative inner monologue — a manifestation of all her insecurities and the “ugliness” she feels. I found it especially fitting that this personification ended up taking the face of her breakout role / the last role she played before her accident. It reminded me of how actors talk about the impact playing certain characters had on their psyche. This could’ve been absolutely brilliant if this stayed an internal and mental battle for Muhee and not… (gestures vaguely at the screen). It felt like a very cheap way to address how poorly she was doing. And yet another bullshit plot device to facilitate this ridiculous romance plot. Do Rami became a "voice" for whatever Muhee did not want to or did not feel confident enough to say, whenever it was convenient for the writers. She was thrown into scenes where there was unaddressed tension and gone just as quickly as she came. Never mind the fact that this is not how personality disorders work, it was obvious that they thought this was slightly comedic. Do Rami is the "crazy bitch inside [Muhee's] head" that can be toggled on and off like activating an ultimate attack for a gacha game character.
Speaking of romance — what are we doing here folks? I can excuse the cliché and maddening misunderstandings between Muhee and Hojin because this is a k-drama after all. However, whatever the fuck was happening with Jiseon and EVERY. SINGLE. DUDE. who was pining after her? God. It was liking pulling teeth. I actually didn’t mind her and Yongwoo at all objectively, but… why? I’m scratching my head. I hated this weird love… diamond? they had going on here. It took me out of the drama. I don’t understand why they wrote Hojin like this either. How do you see your crush dating your brother and almost MARRYING HIM and not immediately get turned off to every feeling you've had? Personally, I think my sibling’s partners are a no-no no matter what, but alas! Also, this might be an unpopular opinion, but I genuinely liked the chemistry between Hiiro and Muhee more than whatever was happening with Hojin and Muhee. Whenever the actor pair took the screen, it was like Hojin/Seonho was the second lead in his OWN drama. It didn’t help that Hojin was so flat and dismissive in many of his scenes. Sure, we got some moments where he showed genuine love and care, but it either happened when Muhee was unaware of what was happening (aka her coma) or in such a subtle way that it barely counted. So far, all I’ve seen is him flip flopping between giving a fuck about her and putting up a cold front, which normally wouldn’t be a problem IF HE HAD ANY DEPTH TO BEGIN WITH. We've gotten little to nothing about his background and motivations to even justify this behavior. He wasn’t even that nice to her when they originally met, either. And he doesn't seem that nice to his friends! I don’t get the hype at all. That being said, I’m not going to say that Hiiro doesn’t have his flaws and that his initial behavior with Muhee was acceptable, but they are/were clearly following the enemies-to-lovers trajectory that most k-drama fans would eat up if it was any other show. If you liked any drama where the male lead started out being mean as fuck to the female lead, I need you to shut up about the people who like Hiiro and Muhee, STAT!
Despite my long, long rant, I did enjoy the cinematic shots and music. I surprisingly enjoyed Go Younjung’s performance in this drama despite me not liking her in Resident Playbook or Alchemy of Souls S2 (specifically her role as Jin Buyeon, not Naksu). I also really enjoyed how it was clear Kim Seonho took the time to learn these languages. It sounded pretty legit, at least to me. The concept of filming a dating show around the world with two celebrities that aren’t that familiar with each other is something that I’d eat up in real life, so I’m going to need some variety show host to plagiarize this with some of my favorite idols/actors. Please and thank you.
I’ll be back with more thoughts when I’m done, which will be soon (hopefully).
god. Give me strength.
From the start, this drama’s description was misleading. I actually don’t know what I expected, really. The concept of a translator and celebrity teaming up on a long term project and getting closer was — and still is — very appealing, and as someone who enjoyed Run On quite a bit, I was excited to see another take on this topic. However, this show quickly devolved into a tangled mess of love polygons and poor depictions of serious mental health issues. To top it all off, they had the audacity to have Kim Seonho play a watered down, inconsiderate, dry-as-cardboard version of Hong Dusik from Hometown Cha Cha Cha.
Do Rami as Cha Muhee’s “alternate personality” is just… something else. Truly something else. I’m not going to sit here and try to say that the depictions of her mental health struggles is 100% inaccurate — at times, I think they did a good job at depicting Muhee’s anxiety and disassociation. However, they lost me when they started having “Do Rami” pop out like a Love and Deepspace LI. Genuine question — has no one outside of Hojin been paying attention to her behavior? Her impulsivity and sudden personality change is immediate grounds for an intervention and a lovely trip to the nearest in-patient facility. Or at the very least, a fucking therapist appointment. Seriously, why did no one suggest this to her upon waking up? Even without knowing her background, experiencing such a traumatic event, surviving, and suddenly being thrust into the spotlight is overwhelming! It’s life altering! Seriously, what is happening?!
Before they utilized Do Rami in this fashion, I was really loving how they used her as a negative inner monologue — a manifestation of all her insecurities and the “ugliness” she feels. I found it especially fitting that this personification ended up taking the face of her breakout role / the last role she played before her accident. It reminded me of how actors talk about the impact playing certain characters had on their psyche. This could’ve been absolutely brilliant if this stayed an internal and mental battle for Muhee and not… (gestures vaguely at the screen). It felt like a very cheap way to address how poorly she was doing. And yet another bullshit plot device to facilitate this ridiculous romance plot. Do Rami became a "voice" for whatever Muhee did not want to or did not feel confident enough to say, whenever it was convenient for the writers. She was thrown into scenes where there was unaddressed tension and gone just as quickly as she came. Never mind the fact that this is not how personality disorders work, it was obvious that they thought this was slightly comedic. Do Rami is the "crazy bitch inside [Muhee's] head" that can be toggled on and off like activating an ultimate attack for a gacha game character.
Speaking of romance — what are we doing here folks? I can excuse the cliché and maddening misunderstandings between Muhee and Hojin because this is a k-drama after all. However, whatever the fuck was happening with Jiseon and EVERY. SINGLE. DUDE. who was pining after her? God. It was liking pulling teeth. I actually didn’t mind her and Yongwoo at all objectively, but… why? I’m scratching my head. I hated this weird love… diamond? they had going on here. It took me out of the drama. I don’t understand why they wrote Hojin like this either. How do you see your crush dating your brother and almost MARRYING HIM and not immediately get turned off to every feeling you've had? Personally, I think my sibling’s partners are a no-no no matter what, but alas! Also, this might be an unpopular opinion, but I genuinely liked the chemistry between Hiiro and Muhee more than whatever was happening with Hojin and Muhee. Whenever the actor pair took the screen, it was like Hojin/Seonho was the second lead in his OWN drama. It didn’t help that Hojin was so flat and dismissive in many of his scenes. Sure, we got some moments where he showed genuine love and care, but it either happened when Muhee was unaware of what was happening (aka her coma) or in such a subtle way that it barely counted. So far, all I’ve seen is him flip flopping between giving a fuck about her and putting up a cold front, which normally wouldn’t be a problem IF HE HAD ANY DEPTH TO BEGIN WITH. We've gotten little to nothing about his background and motivations to even justify this behavior. He wasn’t even that nice to her when they originally met, either. And he doesn't seem that nice to his friends! I don’t get the hype at all. That being said, I’m not going to say that Hiiro doesn’t have his flaws and that his initial behavior with Muhee was acceptable, but they are/were clearly following the enemies-to-lovers trajectory that most k-drama fans would eat up if it was any other show. If you liked any drama where the male lead started out being mean as fuck to the female lead, I need you to shut up about the people who like Hiiro and Muhee, STAT!
Despite my long, long rant, I did enjoy the cinematic shots and music. I surprisingly enjoyed Go Younjung’s performance in this drama despite me not liking her in Resident Playbook or Alchemy of Souls S2 (specifically her role as Jin Buyeon, not Naksu). I also really enjoyed how it was clear Kim Seonho took the time to learn these languages. It sounded pretty legit, at least to me. The concept of filming a dating show around the world with two celebrities that aren’t that familiar with each other is something that I’d eat up in real life, so I’m going to need some variety show host to plagiarize this with some of my favorite idols/actors. Please and thank you.
I’ll be back with more thoughts when I’m done, which will be soon (hopefully).
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