Tanky Toon

One of my favorite tropes is childhood friends-turned lovers, so this comes as no surprise that Love Next Door would be up my alley. Coupled that with charming actors such as Jung Hae In and Jung So Min, I was highly expecting this drama to be damn good. Where it started strong, especially love the banter and easy camaraderie between Choi Seung-Hyo and Bae Seok Ryo, I thought this was pretty much a done deal: an easy 10 points for me. But sadly, this was not. The drama’s attempts at realism, while admirable at first, became tedious and prolonged, and it’s no fault of the actors.

I get it really: these characters are supposed to be flawed because we know that no one is perfect. And while I commend people by being self-sacrificing for their loved ones, there comes a point where this self-righteousness becomes overbearing. Take in case Seok Ryu’s example. She was adamant about not letting people know that she and Seung Hyo started dating, for reasons she believed their families may not receive the news well. But we see that her parents have loved Seung Hyo and considered him as part of the family already even before they started dating. I don’t see why they would oppose him now that they are. Then she has this inkling that they may not end up together in the future. Now with that mindset, why even agree to be together in the first place, if you already had plans to abandon the person who has loved you for most of his life?

Then only when your partner suffers an injury, that you finally declare your love for him, only to reject him later when he proposes. I find this behavior extremely flaky. Seok Ryu did Seung Hyo a disservice by stringing him along, afraid that she will lose him to an ex-girlfriend who was not even in Seung Hyo’s consideration. Granted, it may be too early for Seong Hyo to suggest the idea of marriage, but can you really blame him? They are both already in their mid-30s, and he has waited so long for her to agree into a relationship, it’s not surprising that he wanted to “seal the deal.”

Speaking of flaky, Kang Dan Ho is no better. And it’s this so-called self-righteousness again that is at play. First, he claimed to be too good for Mo-Eum, then later revealed his affection for her in front of Mo-eum’s mother while Mo-eum was intoxicated. Is he hoping she will forget his momentary weakness when she sobers up the next morning? He then later backtracks at the slightest provocation that Mo-eum’s mother is against their pairing.

I’m not too sure what these characters are playing at, but if they were young, in their adolescent years, perhaps I will have forgiven them for their immaturity. But they are not. I could overlook their indecisiveness if it didn’t affect others, but it does. You can’t just have everyone agree to your terms alone, especially if you are in a relationship. There should be at least a semblance of balance between the giving and the taking. Just because you suffered a great deal more doesn’t give you the right to play victim all the time. You can only use this card a few times, but there’s a point when it loses its effectiveness.

When Seok Ryu points out to Mi Suk that Dong Jin is banking on their mother’s blatant favoritism, it’s the same concept. Her parents gave her brother many chances to screw up, and they excused his failures because of his childhood illness. But because Seok Ryu was always an excellent student, they demanded more from her. And then when Seok Ryu comes home after “failing” (losing her job and fiancée); instead of saying it’s okay, they will be supportive, their parents tried to kick her back out. Only when they found out about her sickness did they capitulate. Why does it need to take someone to be sick, for you to be supportive?

We can apply the same scenario to Geyong Jong and Hye Suk’s relationship. For the most part of the show, it looks like they could hardly stand each other being in the same room. Eating separately, sleeping separately. It’s no surprise that the path will lead to divorce. But it turns around only when Hye Suk goes missing and could have a probable memory loss.
I’m struggling through the second half of the drama, with all these curve balls thrown in to make the plot more dramatic, but it’s not making the show more endearing. In fact, the more I watch this drama, the more frustrated I get. And to think the show tried to liven things up, by inserting comedic elements that frankly fell flat. They were trying too hard to be funny that they’re really not.

There are a few redeeming points going for this drama. The message of friendship, family and love is well-meaning; in fact, this show excels in juxtaposing the different bonds. The fact that being brought up in better circumstances did not necessarily guarantee a happier life, or vice versa. The show also highlights the characters’ emphasis on “putting on a brave face” and the importance of “face,” arguing that these shouldn’t outweigh family and genuine friends. They are there for you to lean on when times get rough, the same that Dan Ho and Seung Hyo like to help those in need.

While it has its moments, Love Next Door is just a waste of the cast’s talents that could have been better utilized in another drama, given the right script. It tried to wrap up loose ends too quickly after dragging on others. There were an excessive amount of drunken scenes, over-the-top yelling, and contrived angst just to fill in long episodes that could have been better edited for length.