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started out strong, lost all momentum and succumbed to common cliches
I was one of those people who had a high opinion (and rating) of this drama when it first started out. Coming from See You In My 19th Life and Destined With You, where the show's supernatural elements were a mere afterthought to boring, redundant past-life jargon and chemistry-less romance, I was happy to see the fantasy touched upon more often. Or so I thought.The first 5-6 episodes were great in my opinion. They set up the scene quite well - the protagonist, antagonists, supporting group around each, etc... All of this positive growth dissolved nearly instantly when they lazily concluded subplots and introduced ridiculous new ones. The motives behind NSM trying to get rid of DoHee became more and more ridiculous as the plot went on. His evil streak being cut short and BOOM! them resorting to the tired trope of "well, he's hiding now so watch out!" The plot with former Chairwoman Ju barely being revisited until the very end. DoHee randomly being surprised her demon husband-bodyguard-savior(?) kills people brutally. Guwon's powers being literally useless for the most part until the very end?? Insanity. Its like they were trying to tease some avenues for exploration and then chickened out last minute. Don't even get me started on how the episodes just turned into cheesy romance scenes reminiscent of every kdrama ever. I had to fast-forward at one point because it felt like a 13 year old's Wattpad fanfiction turned TV. It doesn't help that the show kept wasting time flashing back to earlier moments of the show re: romantic moments. Like we really do not care can we get on with it? Don't get me wrong, the leads definitely looked good together at the very least. However, all their chemistry and substance evaporated into thin air the moment they stopped focusing on the plot and shifted towards pandering to lovesick viewers with 0 frame of reference for a decent fantasy romance depiction.
The constant parallels to Goblin, DWY, and SYM19L should've been a red flag from the start. Very rarely fantasy dramas stay consistent with the original tone of the show while balancing decent romance. And if they do, they risk major character assassination somewhere down the line (For example, literally EVERYTHING regarding Alchemy of Souls S2 - the side characters were butchered). The only saving grace for this series, in my opinion, was the OST and some cinematic shots. Its a shame because the cast was really good.
Side note, Jin Gayoung has got to be one of The most annoying side characters I have ever seen on TV. Her background gave 0 clue on why she was /that/ obsessive and its a shame she was only marginally likeable and mature at the very end.
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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).
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Cute - But Lacks Charm
Honestly, it took me half a year to finish this drama. As an avid lover of Hospital Playlist 1 & 2, my expectations were set very, very high. Was that unfair to do? Probably, but I couldn’t help it. I yearned for more content so desperately I latched onto this immediately. I was quickly disappointed, though. You can tell the writing and production staff were different than the original series immediately.The acting was mid at times and I felt that the writing for the residents was very clunky. I’m no medical expert by any means, but surely things like… basic empathy is taught in school, right? Also, I’m aware that OB/GYN is a ROUGH rotation for medical students and that a lot of hazing goes on behind the scenes, but dude, these professors and other residents were insufferable. Like, “this warrants a talk with HR” insufferable. The relationship between the residents were not fleshed out at all, and even when we did get some moments of them on screen, it felt like the were telling us and not showing us — WHICH IS IMPRESSIVE TO GET WRONG IN A VISUAL MEDIUM! Even the romance between I-yeong and her brother in law was so… The chemistry was non-existent I fear. Also, ew, they’re family, practically. Honestly, my favorite part of this series was seeing cameos from the original cast. Seeing them interact with the current residents was refreshing.
Perhaps it is harsh to pick on her specifically, but I’m unsure of what Go Younjung is trying to do with her career. Her acting is subpar at best and her “range” reminds me Park Shinhye, and not in a good way. She’s beautiful and she seems like a really sweet person, but seriously, she’s either not being given good material consistently or the people around her are just better.
Despite my harsh reviews, I’ll give the series one thing — it really picks up from episode 7 onwards. Better late than never I suppose?
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