Overall Rating: A+
Subtitles: Strong subtitles. I do have my regular Netflix complaint about the reversed name order.
Brief Synopsis: A woman and a single father navigate the possibility of relationship despite the taboo. Watch it on Netflix here.
**Full show spoilers below the image. If you do not wish to be spoiled, do not proceed**
Ending Type: This one gave us a proper happy ending. 🙂
Characters:
Lee Jeong In (Han Ji Min)
Yu Ji Ho (Jung Hae In)
Kwon Gi Seok (Kim Joon Han)
Full review:
Y’all this is my 50th post! An exciting milestone, and this is a worthy drama to review for it.
Honestly I would consider this pretty much a perfect romantic drama. It’s not a rom-com, though there are some sweet and light moments. It deals with a lot of heavy concepts– our main character’s sister is an in abusive marriage. Ji Ho is a single father in a culture where marrying a single parent (unless you are also a single parent) is considered taboo. Jeong In has to navigate ending a relationship with someone who could help her father achieve his dream, and someone who is unwilling to let her go.
This show handled delicate matters well and with grace– I don’t know enough about the intricacies of Korean culture and law to know how the abusive marriage piece would work in reality, but it was good to see Seo In’s family rally around her (with the exception of her awful father) and to see Seo In take her own power and choose to separate herself and her future child from the man who was a danger to both of them.
It was actually a relief to see Jeong In’s mother threaten their father with divorce– the idea of divorce in that generation seems to be a such a hugely taboo subject, but seeing her mom show up for her kids and consider separating herself from a husband who was unwilling to show up for his own children was really powerful.
But at its heart it this was a romance about two kindred spirits who found each other and were willing to overcome the obstacles and navigate the difficulty of their potential relationship because of how strongly connected to one another they felt. It was sweet, it was fun. There were moments of reservation and pain, but our two leads actually were honest with each other and talked through their issues. They were real people with insecurities and fears and feelings and they were both deeply lovable in a way that made you super invested in them, their story, and their happiness.
The romance and dating and relationship were cute and sweet and emotional without being over the top– there was an element of realism to it that made it even more engaging. You could imagine that these two people really existed and really met, and this was the real progression of their relationship.
Overall it was definitely the best romance melodrama I’ve seen, and I highly, highly recommend it. I have already watched it multiple times and it gets me every time.
High Points: All of it, but especially the leads, their chemistry, and their relationship.
Low Points: Honestly none, except that I wanted to punch the dad in the face multiple times.
K Drama Kween 