A Well-Balanced Romantic Show About Family and Community with a Side of Crime
This show is delightfully unique. At its core, you have a typical Kdrama, featuring a traditional love story that explores family values and community loyalty. And then, the show successfully embellishes these themes with some unconventional twists, such as featuring a single mother and a main plot about a criminal that is surprisingly well-done for a show whose main focus is love.The main story line and plot is relatively straightforward, yet it had me binging the series until I was done. Basically, you just have a mother who is struggling to carve out a life for herself and her son in a small town where everyone knows each other. And then, you add on some neighbors who ostensibly hate the main female lead, an annoyingly persistent policeman love interest, a former love interest, some side characters, and an unsolved mystery about a killer. Although it sounds like a mess, the pacing is so-on-point and plots are weaved together seamlessly. You may find an episode that is completely focused on one character, and yet all the other relationships and storylines are developed at the same time within that episode. I was really impressed at how clean the overall thematic feel of the show was.
I had some minor gripes that were blips that didn't decrease my enjoyment of the show, but were noticeable flaws for me: there are certain scenes where characters make some obviously dumb choices and walk into clearly dangerous situations that is similar to how a lead in a horror movie might intentionally walk into a dark room for no good reason. I found the male lead to be overly perfect sometimes: he has an unrelenting stubbornness that may be romantic but also took me out of the story sometimes because the characterization was just too perfect and unlike any person you would see in real life. I also found the female lead to be a tad annoying at times: she's struggling to be strong, yet there are a LOT of scenes where she is simply just crying.
However, the pros far outweigh the cons. Definitely give this one a watch: you can see why it won several Baeksang awards, including the grand prize.
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Picked this one up because it's got Gong Hyo Jin - I've always liked her style and the characters she plays. It's introduced me to Kang Ha Neul though who as the ML was excellent with a wide range in his character from the goofy to the dead serious and it all fit perfectly.
The story features a really good thriller element that literally right from the opening scene will have you puzzling, the story will misdirect, and also present you with straight facts, and you'll need to figure out what's right and what's misdirection, who did it? who's going to do it? I did wonder whether the thriller element might be weak in comparison to the usual romance elements but it gets equal footing in the story and is constantly there being worked on and developed throughout the story. The way it lays out motive for numerous people to take an action over the course of many episodes was really nicely done.
A key element of this story is about mothers, about the FL's mother, about the FL who is herself a mother, about the ML's mother, and about other mothers in the neighborhood, about the mother of the boys father, there's an overarching element in this story about the strength and power of mothers everywhere. I did find that, as a father, the story seemed a bit negative towards fathers - with abusive, ignorant, idle, absent, drunk fathers being pretty much the mainstay of the story but... i'm gonna let that pass because I know some single mums and i'm in constant awe of them, they should be celebrated. The message here is a good one. I particularly liked a quote in the story 'Mums exist because God can't be everywhere", how nice is that?
The romance is nicely done, with the FL showing exactly zero interest in the ML for a while and him goofing around and hanging around her all the time winding her up before things begin to progress. It does have the usual KDrama break-up but it's valid, not stupid, and in fact amusingly at one point the FL's mother does comment that she hates in tv shows when they say they're "breaking up because they love you" and how stupid it is :)
It has a light love triangle, but barely and not enough to annoy those who are turned off by them.
A great story, which keeps you guessing, gets you interested in the characters, rooting for their successes and feeling pains at their losses.
Nice music too, not listened to the OST separately but a few I was humming along to, which is a sign there'll be some nice tracks to listen to there I think.
Definitely recommended, the blend of the thriller and the romance makes it a bit different to the usual.
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The writer is really good at make a good quote and there are so many lines in this drama motivates me . This story maybe slow at first but i keep want to watch them. This drama i want them to keep airing and i want to see the cast story because it feel closer to us as viewer. Hope we got to watch many drama like this in the future.
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This drama is about a single mother and her struggles. How society views her and how she changes from a person who accept any insults to a person who stands up for herself.Our main ML is a police officer. His acting in this drama is just great. Whenever he comes on screen, you will automatically start to smile. He lit up the screen. Everything about him is so perfect. The way he handles the FL when she rejects him in the starting is really mature. He is the main star of this show.
The character of landlord and his wife is also good. The landlord provides comical relief also. Even though he tries to gain attention of FL, we know that he is just naive but not really bad.
The ex BF's character is just a filler. Even if we remove him storyline will not be affected that much. One benefit would be number of episodes might be less.
And what can I say abt Hyang Mi. She is the worst character. She is so so so much annoying.
Storyline is good. Rom com mix with serial killer genre.
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I found the plot very interesting
This is one of those dramas that starts naturally and you think you should go on or not? But as you continue with it, you find yourself in love with it. .(It's about a single mother who starts out with "Camelia" (the name of the bar she owns). She works hard at the bar and takes care of her son on her own. She wears elegant clothes and does her makeup well. She moves to a new neighborhood that women in the area hate for being single with no husband and there she is. Meanwhile, a young policeman falls in love with her but she hesitates at first due to her complicated situation and there are also murders somehow linked to the serial killer. The series is full of life lessons about the unconditional love of parents, how children feel from parents' words and actions and how people's prejudices affect life, about tolerance Acceptance, self-esteem, kindness, generosity, determination, friendship and marital relationship.
**characters***:!!!!
The Policeman: He is an innocent, well-willed, funny and very lively, a very cute romantic guy who will melt your heart with his kindness. Watching him really lift my mood The heroine's performance was also great, showing her weakness as a single working mother and at the same time her strength while overcoming all obstacles in her life. (No wonder they both won Best Actor Awards).
***My favorite quotes from the drama***:!!!!
If you save your food to eat later, it will taste bad, it is better to eat it all while you are hungry, so be diligent and be happy when you can eat it than to save it for later. / We can be a miracle to others.
****my advice****:!!!!
Remember that no one is weak. We are all just seeds, drifting away and struggling to seed ourselves and take root, hoping that we will eventually blossom and bloom. Give yourself a chance.
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Love the "Squad"
If you're on the fence about watching this drama - just over it and land on this one! It was fantastic right from the get go - the main female lead starts out - I'm thinking what a push over- boy does she prove me wrong. Her strength and just her over all stoic behaviour was just the perfect and so well portrayed. The main male lead was so funny and goofy - but strong when needed. (I just loved the way he spoke Korean! So wish I knew this language!)The story does not drag - there is a perfect balance between, friends, family, suspense, drama and love. Oh we can't forget the 'squad' I'm sure there is a squad like this in everyone's neighbourhood. But not this kind what a group of women! They nailed it! tough love at its finest - but they knew when to band together to protect their own. Kim Sun-young is such a great supporting actress that at times she steals the scene from the main lead. Last but certainly not least I'm a sucker for shows with Children and Kim Kang-hoon was perfect. His emotions were so realistic that at times you forgot you were only watching a drama.
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Slow pace, but great acting
Some friends told me that this drama was too slow and boring. But I just thought I had to watch it since Gong Hyo-Jin and Kang Ha-neul are two of my favourite Korean actors/actresses.Yes, I do think that 20 episodes seem to be too long and drags on with unnecessary moments to add to the storyline. They could have made it into just 16 episodes (the usual case) or even less than that.
What I did like about this drama, is about life in a small-town (not Seoul) and the struggles of being a single, unwed mother. The child actor who took the role as Pil-Gu was so great. I've seen him in other dramas too but usually only for flashbacks of the main lead. Here he had a more important role and is a great, promising actor. I'm looking forward to seeing him act as a teenager or adult one day in the future.
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This drama is definitely refreshing. The character is not the usual damsel in distress female lead, handsome-but-cold CEO, and so on. The character is realistic and well-grounded, we can find a single mom who was struggling to make ends meet while the society criticized her, a country bumpkin police officer with childlike attitude, even a group of ahjummas who spend their time gossiping but yet caring and helpful anywhere. (Well, the joker storyline is not that realistic but it spices up the drama so why not). I laughed, I cried, being on fire, angry, hurt together with them. This is definitely climbing up to my most favorite drama list of the year!
Nonetheless, the one actor that impressed me the most is definitely kang ha-neul. I watched him on Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, but it was not that memorable to me, he was fine but that's just about all. But in WTCB, Yong Sik stole my heart to bits, the character is so well written (and so non-existent). He is not a perfect character, but how Yong Sik treats Dong Baek amazes me. He never bothered with the fact that Dong Baek was never married and has a child, but continually supports Dong Baek and boosts her confidence. Whenever Dong Baek pushes him away because of her own insecurities, he never backs down and always pushes her out of her insecurities and indecisiveness. However, when it is time for him to stop holding on to her for her sake, he is willing to do it without keeping his ego and desires. The relationship was very raw and honest. Yong sik is such a refreshing and well-written character and I can't imagine anyone else playing Yong sik but Ha-neul. He made the character his own.
There is no need to talk about how great Gong Hyo-jin is. She is definitely one of the best actresses in this era, she delivers any character given to her exceptionally.
I believe this drama is super well written, well-acted, very interesting, and does not have a dull moment. I love this drama so much, I will definitely go back and rewatch WTCB.
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Good drama but not re-watchable
I added this drama to my watch list because of all of the high reviews. Initially, I didn’t want to watch because the title and trailer just seemed boring to me. However, I’m happy that I took a chance but this is not a drama that I’d consider re-watchable. It was good while it lasted but I’m glad it’s over.1. This drama seemed to be heartwarming and sweet, especially because of the super innocent and doting ML. I loved how he knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to let FL know how he felt.
2. I didn’t mind the abandoned child turned single mother storyline but the way the community treated FL like a pariah who should be banished to hell, especially by ML’s mother who was a widow with 2 young children and a newborn, got on my nerves. ML’s mother was best friends with FL until she found out her son, whom she raised to be a warm and loving person, was warm and loving on the “wrong” person.
3. I felt bad for Jeong-ryeol because after 8 years, he finds out he has a son but his mother wants to keep them apart. Excuse me?!
4. I liked that Dongbaek’s mother came back and after hearing what she wrote when she thought she was going to die, I felt really bad for her. But I do not understand why she pretended to have dementia. That was very strange and did not fit into the storyline well at all.
5. I liked Pil-gu but did not like how FL just let him control everything about her life. Dongbaek is the adult and Pil-gu is the child. I don’t know why she just could not explain to him that she is not abandoning him by being with ML. She chose to look sheepish and give up on her own happiness to appease her 8 year old. I’m glad ML’s mother came to her own senses and knocked some sense into Dongbaek.
6. Overall, the drama was pretty good but FL’s “woe is me” attitude got on my nerves and ML’s puppy energy became a bit too much for me.
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the story of a naive but storng woman that bring a child on her own as a single mom, without the father knowlage. she open a bar by herself while rising a baby . she doesn't tell the father because she want to raise the baby on her own, she doesn't want his support, she can do it, she also doesn't want him to give her any support after he found out about the child, she also forgive her mother after abonded her and take care of her, her mother has being forgiven because she is ill, she also very storng and not firghtening to live in dark bar with her baby for more than 6 year while a murderer want to kill her and made her as a target. when you think of this description you already become familier about the South korean biggest obsession of all:
------------------Woman must be superhero and a saint /angle -------------------------
she is literally saint super hero.
while in reality women in day life struggle to earn money to themself, when they have a baby as single mom they are barly live, they need finance help, or they become prostitute to bring income or sending the baby to adopted family.
even single person without a support can't open a bar, but here we see an single mother orphan that open a bar...it's quite amazing don't you think? more as a super hero than a real human, espesialy in South Korea,
the thing is that in korea there are a lot of prastitude women but they don't talk about it, they don't even dare to show it in their "clean" "rich" Kdramas , the woman is always perfect even if she is poor , the main lead i mean.
if she is a side support role actress she can be aweful, but than she got murdered by the joker, so she not even allowed to live\ i am talking now on the waiter that worked in camellia bar. she suppose to be the real main actress, the main character also, but yet...she is only the "support" actress.
she is so human, to compare to Camelia...yet she satying alwayes the supporting role//
she is not pritty enough, she is not good enough,.she just need to die!
that how they see women in general in their society.
you don't understand it until you watch in a decate full of Kdrama, and than you understand theres a lot of prastitude on the streets and you want to cry...why can't be a prastitude them main lead, why she is not human in their eyes, why women have to be perfect saint all the time,
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