Is this drama a pandemic creation of the writer? Our tangerines.
If there was a new Baeksang Arts Award category created this year for the Best Achievement in Acting for the whole cast, then ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ would be the first winner in my book. I was a skeptic going into viewing this drama, determined not to be easy prey, because of the high ratings all around that this drama was getting. ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ won me over the hard way. This drama earned it. Male Lead Park Bo Gum’s compelling acting as the quiet but powerful Yang Gwan-sik is so good that it freezes you in place. In the past, I have found IU’s acting performances to be immature. However, she showed up big time in every scene as the bold and daring Female Lead Oh Ae-sun. Let us make this harder. IU also plays her own grown daughter Yang Geum-myeong. She is the eldest child and only daughter of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik, who has the opposite personality. Other child actors played this role of Yang Geum-myeong as young children. Since ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ spans three generations, the audience experiences a total cast change as the decades are handled in flashbacks and flash-forwards. The chronological narrative of the story is interrupted, as multiple timelines are visited or revisited.
There are a lot of balls bouncing in each fully loaded episode, but writer Lim (Im) Sang-choon maintains a consistent and congruent flow of this masterful storyline. She remains in complete control of this epic story. Very few actors get the job done, staying in character, perceiving the flow of the overall storyline and understanding how each character must develop in a cohesive manor, without a great director at the helm. Writer Director Kim Won Suk pulls the best out of each actor.
I found this a bit of interesting history and irony. Lim (Im) Sang-choon is the writer of ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’. She took a rest from the Film and Drama Industry for an extended period during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This new drama was released six years later. Is this brilliant masterpiece of art the result of her sheltering in place?
‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ is a metaphor for experiencing sour setbacks. It is equivalent to the English saying "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". This expresses a positive outlook one might take on when facing the travails of life. While I did not personally interview anyone, I know that the world was served up many lemons (or tangerines) in 2019, at the advent of COVID-19. Many resilient souls around the world found ways to make lemonade during this time period, or Sweet Tangerines (if you are from Korea). During this time, the writer Lim (Im) Sang Choon had all the time in the world to create a wonderful story, which starts in 1951 and spans three generations. The story is said to be inspired by an actual couple who lived on Jeju Island in South Korea.
Six Degrees of Separation
Writer Lim Sang-choon
Lim (Im) Sang-choon is the screenwriter for ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’. She won for Best Screenplay at the 56th Baeksang Arts Award for the drama When the Camellia Blooms 2019). Also, Lim (Im) Sang-choon was nominated at the 54th Baeksang Arts Awards for her screenplay for Fight My Way (2017). She writes under a pseudonym, keeping her personal information very private.
Few people claim even to have met Lim (Im) Sang-choon personally. Lim (Im) Sang-choon is shrouded in mystery. This helped peaked the curiosity of IU, when she get a phone call from Lim (Im) Sang-choon about joining the project. Actress IU and writer of ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ Lim (Im ) Sang Chop met secretly during this time and went over the script. IU was asked to play the main female lead in this drama. IU has revealed that she would forever cherish this meeting. Production for the Netflix project began in March 2023 and concluded February 2024. The World Health Organization declared to the world on May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 was no longer a world health emergency.
(Writer) Director Kim Won Suk
Writer/Director Kim Won Suk co-authored the Korean Drama ‘Descendants of the Sun’ (2016), which won Best Drama. He was nominated for Best Writer for this drama as well. Kim Won Suk also wrote The Queen’s Classroom (2013), Man to Man (2017) and wrote Payback (2023). As a Director, Kim Won Suk won a Baeksang as Best New Director for ‘Sungkyunkwan Scandal’ (2011) and Best Director for ‘Misaeng’ (2015). He was nominated for a Baeksang as a Director for ‘My Mister’ (2019) and for ‘Signal’ (2016). It was on the set of ‘My Mister’ (2019) the Writer/Director Kim Won Suk met actress IU, who appeared in the drama as the Female Lead. Between 2019-2025, Writer Director Kim Won Suk wrote the Korean Drama Payback (2023) and concluded the project ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’.
Actor Park Bo Gum
Park Bo Gum did put out Record of Youth in September 2020. After this production, even Park Bo Gum went silent in the Film and Drama Industry until the 2025 drama release of When Life Gives You Tangerines. Park Bo Gum’s chose to complete his Military service, serving from August 2020 to April 2022. After his release from the Military, Park Bo Gum told the public that he would take a rest from the Film and Drama Industry, which he did untilhe was offrered tge male lead in ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’.
In earlier years, Park Bo Gum and IU met during a commercial shoot for a noodle advertisement in 2012. In addition, Park Bo Gum briefly appeared in IU’s Drama The Producers. Their 13 year friendship helped add the organic feel to their performances in When Life Gives You Tangerines.
Actress IU (Lee Ji-eun)
Actress IU (Lee Ji-eun) also took a break from the Korean Drama world after 2019. However, IU did appear in The Movie Dream in 2023 and appeared Korean Variety shows. IU has had nine Baeksang Arts Awards nominations with two wins. These are Most Popular Actress for My Mister (2019) and Most Popular Actress for Broker (2023). Actress IU (Lee Ji-eun) is nominated this year for Best Actress in a TV drama. It would be her first win in this category is she is successful.
When Life Gives You Tangerines is a Coming of Age Life Romance Drama that is resonating in so many different circles. Life has its travails, but you can still approach life in a positive way, is a central theme. The drama offers Healthy Relationship of Main Characters, Supportive Male Lead, Family Relationships, Parenting, and Multiple Timelines.
It is rare for a drama to still have a 5/5 rating of general Internet users after its run completion. Ratings usually drop a little, as more people add their voices. When Life Gives You Tangerines is still drawing 5/5. Descriptive words like “A Masterpiece” is being thrown all over the place. Are American Awards like Academy Awards (Oscars), Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Award and Emmy Award possible?
When Life Gives You Tangerines has garnered eight Baeksang Arts Awards Nominations (The next nearest is six). The Awards Show was set for 5 May 2025. All nominations are still pending. When Life Gives You Tangerines secured nominations in the categories of Best Drama, Director, Actor (Park Bo Gum), Actress (Lee Ji-eun), Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, New Actress, and Best Screenplay. This drama is a Netflix original. When Life Gives You Tangerines tops the latest Gallup Polls.
There are a lot of balls bouncing in each fully loaded episode, but writer Lim (Im) Sang-choon maintains a consistent and congruent flow of this masterful storyline. She remains in complete control of this epic story. Very few actors get the job done, staying in character, perceiving the flow of the overall storyline and understanding how each character must develop in a cohesive manor, without a great director at the helm. Writer Director Kim Won Suk pulls the best out of each actor.
I found this a bit of interesting history and irony. Lim (Im) Sang-choon is the writer of ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’. She took a rest from the Film and Drama Industry for an extended period during the COVID-19 Pandemic. This new drama was released six years later. Is this brilliant masterpiece of art the result of her sheltering in place?
‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ is a metaphor for experiencing sour setbacks. It is equivalent to the English saying "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". This expresses a positive outlook one might take on when facing the travails of life. While I did not personally interview anyone, I know that the world was served up many lemons (or tangerines) in 2019, at the advent of COVID-19. Many resilient souls around the world found ways to make lemonade during this time period, or Sweet Tangerines (if you are from Korea). During this time, the writer Lim (Im) Sang Choon had all the time in the world to create a wonderful story, which starts in 1951 and spans three generations. The story is said to be inspired by an actual couple who lived on Jeju Island in South Korea.
Six Degrees of Separation
Writer Lim Sang-choon
Lim (Im) Sang-choon is the screenwriter for ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’. She won for Best Screenplay at the 56th Baeksang Arts Award for the drama When the Camellia Blooms 2019). Also, Lim (Im) Sang-choon was nominated at the 54th Baeksang Arts Awards for her screenplay for Fight My Way (2017). She writes under a pseudonym, keeping her personal information very private.
Few people claim even to have met Lim (Im) Sang-choon personally. Lim (Im) Sang-choon is shrouded in mystery. This helped peaked the curiosity of IU, when she get a phone call from Lim (Im) Sang-choon about joining the project. Actress IU and writer of ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ Lim (Im ) Sang Chop met secretly during this time and went over the script. IU was asked to play the main female lead in this drama. IU has revealed that she would forever cherish this meeting. Production for the Netflix project began in March 2023 and concluded February 2024. The World Health Organization declared to the world on May 5, 2023 that COVID-19 was no longer a world health emergency.
(Writer) Director Kim Won Suk
Writer/Director Kim Won Suk co-authored the Korean Drama ‘Descendants of the Sun’ (2016), which won Best Drama. He was nominated for Best Writer for this drama as well. Kim Won Suk also wrote The Queen’s Classroom (2013), Man to Man (2017) and wrote Payback (2023). As a Director, Kim Won Suk won a Baeksang as Best New Director for ‘Sungkyunkwan Scandal’ (2011) and Best Director for ‘Misaeng’ (2015). He was nominated for a Baeksang as a Director for ‘My Mister’ (2019) and for ‘Signal’ (2016). It was on the set of ‘My Mister’ (2019) the Writer/Director Kim Won Suk met actress IU, who appeared in the drama as the Female Lead. Between 2019-2025, Writer Director Kim Won Suk wrote the Korean Drama Payback (2023) and concluded the project ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’.
Actor Park Bo Gum
Park Bo Gum did put out Record of Youth in September 2020. After this production, even Park Bo Gum went silent in the Film and Drama Industry until the 2025 drama release of When Life Gives You Tangerines. Park Bo Gum’s chose to complete his Military service, serving from August 2020 to April 2022. After his release from the Military, Park Bo Gum told the public that he would take a rest from the Film and Drama Industry, which he did untilhe was offrered tge male lead in ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’.
In earlier years, Park Bo Gum and IU met during a commercial shoot for a noodle advertisement in 2012. In addition, Park Bo Gum briefly appeared in IU’s Drama The Producers. Their 13 year friendship helped add the organic feel to their performances in When Life Gives You Tangerines.
Actress IU (Lee Ji-eun)
Actress IU (Lee Ji-eun) also took a break from the Korean Drama world after 2019. However, IU did appear in The Movie Dream in 2023 and appeared Korean Variety shows. IU has had nine Baeksang Arts Awards nominations with two wins. These are Most Popular Actress for My Mister (2019) and Most Popular Actress for Broker (2023). Actress IU (Lee Ji-eun) is nominated this year for Best Actress in a TV drama. It would be her first win in this category is she is successful.
When Life Gives You Tangerines is a Coming of Age Life Romance Drama that is resonating in so many different circles. Life has its travails, but you can still approach life in a positive way, is a central theme. The drama offers Healthy Relationship of Main Characters, Supportive Male Lead, Family Relationships, Parenting, and Multiple Timelines.
It is rare for a drama to still have a 5/5 rating of general Internet users after its run completion. Ratings usually drop a little, as more people add their voices. When Life Gives You Tangerines is still drawing 5/5. Descriptive words like “A Masterpiece” is being thrown all over the place. Are American Awards like Academy Awards (Oscars), Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Award and Emmy Award possible?
When Life Gives You Tangerines has garnered eight Baeksang Arts Awards Nominations (The next nearest is six). The Awards Show was set for 5 May 2025. All nominations are still pending. When Life Gives You Tangerines secured nominations in the categories of Best Drama, Director, Actor (Park Bo Gum), Actress (Lee Ji-eun), Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, New Actress, and Best Screenplay. This drama is a Netflix original. When Life Gives You Tangerines tops the latest Gallup Polls.
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