Hey everyone!
This is my first time reviewing something other than the written word, so I’m curious to see how well I’ve done.
This isn’t a review per-se, mostly just me dumping my thoughts here. When I sat down to write, I realised I tried talking about shows the same way I would critique a novel, but they have their differences.
There’s a different charm about K-dramas, especially for the first time watcher. I hope I was able to convey just how much I’m loving this new hobby through this post.
There’s so many to watch and so little time!
I have a lot more shows I’ve watched that I haven’t included here, so let me me know if you want to see more of these type of posts!
Queen of Tears
Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo: Hae-in's husband and the legal director of Queens Group- absolute perfection! This man rolled out the green carpet.
He’s too good to be true, but not in a way that seems impossible. Despite his seemingly endless compassion and intelligence, his appearance and expressions show something unbearably vulnerable and human/flawed that tugs at the viewer’s heart. He’s not infallible, but his gentle heart and earnestness redeem him (as well as how extremely resourceful he is).
He meets each of the antagonist’s manipulations with a secret card up his sleeve over and over. It’s like watching a convoluted fistfight with punches being dodged and getting hit, or a chess match.
The Vincenzo cameo was especially fitting because at some point the corporate manoeuvrings veered into Vincenzo territory.
Most unexpectedly, the entire tracklist of the show had no right to go as hard as it did. There are so many masterpieces in there that elevate the rush of emotions you feel while watching the show.
When I listened to the tracklist afterwards, I was awash with all the things the show made me feel and brought back the impact of the show twofold. Listening to that playlist is almost as good as re-watching the show in terms of how it will make your heart clench and sing the entire time.
From uplifting melodies to heart-wrenching music, the tracklist is incredible!
There’s also something to be said about how every single episode is the value of its time. Every episode has at least one pivotal plot development and another devastating character moment- the kind that you highlight and doodle hearts around in books.
At first, I was bothered by how gullible and easily manipulated the Hong family is. I still maintain that opinion, but it doesn’t bother me as much. The Hong family, including Hae-in, is as easy as to manipulate as a puppet on strings for the antagonists. But to be fair, they also deal with a deadly amount of snakes in their close circle that poison them from the inside.
To be fair, there were absolutely some things that were “too convenient”, like Hae-in’s diary not getting burned to ashes and the goodwill of the German doctors to kindly send it to her. However, it went under the radar for me because, in the grand scheme of things, there weren’t that many such instances to for me call it lazy writing.
Doctor Slump
It was my first proper K-drama and I had no idea that the cast were pretty popular and seasoned actors. It was a good thing for me to start here too. All the roles were performed to perfection. 👌
The chemistry and romance were A+. It’s a slow-burn in the truest sense. Every big or small gesture the characters made for each other was so wholesome to watch. In the end, it all just meant being there for each other, showing up, and being vulnerable about that bone-deep understanding they had of being at the lowest point in their lives.
The flashbacks to their high school life were just adorable and added a freshness to the otherwise serious plot.
I loved the way mental health was discussed in this show. The reluctance to seek therapy is a natural thing, even for doctors who would objectively recommend you to get help.
One of the most heartwarming side characters was the mother of the Nam Ha-neul, played by Jang Hye-jin.
The mother’s character loves her children to bits, and she does what she can to help her daughter through a tough time. The little details added about all the subtle gestures and efforts made by her pierce your heart. It’s a great example of how older people who may not truly understand the concept of mental health can still grow and learn. The mother-daughter relationship is so endearing!
The story also takes its time to let the characters truly heal, instead of jumping into a romance and hoping that will fix everything in their lives. Which it obviously does not. Falling in love with each other gave them strength, but it didn’t fix their depression. They had to find hope and confidence in their self for things to work.
Even after the apparent “happily-ever-after”, there are minor things to smooth over that are taken care of in the last episode.
The murder-mystery plot unfolding in the background was also quite interesting. It was predictable though because it was made quite obvious who the real culprit was. But again, that wasn’t the true focus of the story anyways.
It was a well-rounded story that delivered on what it promised.
Happiness
This show was so good, it put me in a slump right after because I couldn't think of anything that would be this good for me. I would go as far as to say that I consider Happiness at par with Vincenzo, or maybe a tier higher. This made me realize how unbelievably furious and frustrated and frankly disappointed in human beings just watching a show could make me.
At surface level, it is a show about a couple trapped in a building that has been quarantined because of the Mad Human Disease. This disease spreads fast and turns people into bloodthirsty monsters.
But if you go deeper, it exposes the true nature of humans when put in the worst of circumstances. How seemingly normal people around us become no worse than monsters in a situation of survival. Despite the world falling apart around them, the tenants trapped in the apartment complex don’t let go of their prejudices of class. They become more and more selfish and self-serving as the days go by. It was almost more disturbing to watch them than the zombie-like monsters.
At one point, it doesn’t matter who is poor or who is rich. Everyone is looking out for themselves, trying to spin the situation to make a profit for themselves to enjoy after.
Not to forget, a job well done by Park Hyung-sik. Ever the perfect hero. He’s never not absolutely whipped for his girl. His ability to always have such great, strong female characters beside him has to be applauded. He’s not hesitant about acknowledging that his partner is stronger than him.
Yoon Sae-bom, played by Han Hyo-jo, was a fascinating character. She was fierce and cut-throat but also had this impossible tenderness within her. Brazen and unapologetic, and so smart.
Sae-bom and Yi Hyun balanced each other in the best ways. They take turns being reckless and cautious; angry and composed.
It’s so refreshing to see this dynamic in K-dramas!
Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon
This show really highlighted the stark line between the perception of masculinity in Korea vs everywhere else. Because nothing made me more happy than seeing MinMin and BongBong together.
Someone please take notes because the kind of rich billionaire CEOs we need more of is Ahn Min-hyuk.
It was as if the role was tailor-made for Hyung-sik. A man who giggles and kicks his feet at a text from his girlfriend and absolutely melts to the floor when she calls hum by a pet name. And yet none of that takes away from his strength and masculinity. He’s still protective of her, and wants attention, yet he does not stifle her.
Do Bong-soon grows immensely throughout the show, becoming a person who feels a sense of duty to protect others. She believes that diving headfirst into danger comes as the cost of her inhuman strength. Even though it doesn’t come easy for him, Min-hyuk accepts that his girlfriend will get into dangerous situations for the greater good because those are her morals, and that’s what will truly make her happy. He’ll be there for her when she calls and is so proud of her.
He’s also maybe the few people who realize that Bong-soon may be strong, but she is not invincible. Bong-soon is treated by her mother like she’s unbreakable, incapable of feeling any kind of hurt- emotional or physical. That sense of protectiveness despite being witness to many displays of Bong-soon’s strength and ability to look out for herself, made Min-hyuk stand out as character I won’t ever forget.
This show embraces the eccentricity of its characters and was so intentionally out-there that I couldn’t help but love it.
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