I put off watching this show for various reasons, the first being that the trailer gave me major Goblin vibes and I couldn't shake off the feeling that the writer(s) wanted to ride on that show's brilliance. The cinematography, the story of two ill-fated lovers, and the FL (who I thought was just juxtaposed from the Goblin world to this show's world and asked to love Lee Gon now instead of Kim Shin).

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't prepared to be projected to a pretty flimsy plot. I knew what I was getting into. The plot chasms ( calling them holes would be too generous ), made it so difficult to follow the story many a times. And I need to mention the absolutely horrible way the episodes were linked. There seemed to be no sense or reason or pattern or explanation to connect the scenes. One moment you'd be watching an event in present day and the next you'd be suddenly taken back to a distant past (even a different world) with characters who were not even there in the present scene nor does the scene hold any relevance to current events! What am I, as a viewer, supposed to make of this. Now I just have information that I think might be useful but turns out to just be a filler. This was just one of the ways that the writer(s) tried too hard to make the show seem smarter than it was. It really wasn't. It was more or less a sad and unnecessary rip off of, yes you guessed it right - GOBLIN.

I liked the FL's work in Goblin, and was looking forward to seeing how she carries a more or less similar character. Absolute disappointment, although I doubt it had anything to do with her acting skills but rather just the way her character was written. But I also think there is always something an actor can do to liven up a dead script. I kept seeing flashes of Ji Eun Tak and I swear I wasn't even trying. The crying, the snarkiness, the love sick behavior, right down to her mannerisms. There were moments where I'd almost anticipate her to break into one her signature "Ahjussi!" Lee Min Ho is an absolute eye candy, and served the purpose of nudging me towards the end of the show. Let's be honest, he's not really one of the finest actors out there, but he still did a better job than Go Eun-ssi. I wouldn't give up on her altogether, maybe just chalk it up to bad writing, God knows how many ships that iceberg has sunk. I saved the best for the last. Woo Do Hwan. What a masterpiece that human is. I confess I fell in love with both his roles. I shed tears for his characters more than I shed for the lead pair (zero). There was a depth and a meaning to his characters, and he played them both brilliantly. If Lee Min Ho nudged me along to finish the show, it was Woo Do Hwan (Yeong, or Eun Seop, really) who's hand I wanted to grab and run off into the sunset with. I waited for him to appear on screen, but alas, the writer(s) by this point had probably just thrown all care or respect for the art of storytelling and sold their soul over to the advertisers.

Did this show even have music? The first time that guitar melody plays, I paused and stared at the screen in shock. Had they, had they really? Could they? HOW could they? Was pasting the same fall/winter aesthetics not enough? Really? And it didn't even sound good! I kept waiting for a good ost to play, or stick to my brain, and I'm still waiting, and probably will be waiting eternally. They really should have just played the Goblin OST and had some saving grace.

Will most definitely not rewatch this and do my duty as a responsible KDrama viewer to stop others from watching this too. Unless you're doing it for a case study. A case study of how not to rip off a successful drama and turn it into a circus; of how not to chart a love story; of how not to write flat characters; and basically how no matter the star cast, the production, the backbone of a show is the script and without it, it might take off spectacularly but then crash within a couple of episodes never to pick altitude again.

The intensity of my disappointment with this show far exceeds the intensity of the love that the leads shared which the writer(s) were trying to shove down the viewers' eyes. I get that these are two people who love each other very much, but for God's sake, pace it out. Although I do understand it would be very difficult for any sane woman to resist the charms of a man who looks and talks like Lee Min Ho for more than a minute, but that's besides the point. The love felt forced, the dialogues made my eyes roll far back into my head, the scenes which were orchestrated to make the viewer bawl left me staring awkwardly at the screen waiting for the cringe to be over with. I do need to mention the other relationships in this drama were far, far superior. The bromance was heartwarming. I was more invested in the friendships and bromance than I could manage to be with the lead pair.

The makers had a fine and easy on the eyes cast, a swanky budget too I'm sure, and could have made a memorable drama but sabotaged it all up with poor writing and poorer execution. The finale was the last nail on this coffin. I'm a sucker for fan service endings (forgive me as I wipe a tear recalling Crash Landing On You's end) BUT, that does not mean I will consume anything in the name of a happy ending. Theoretically my brain understands that these are two very very in love, and the rules of the world don't really hold any ground, since the story itself spans worlds and ages. But that doesn't take away the emotions and depth, which again the writers probably traded for product placements. "Here, take about a month long worth of bonding, and give me the milk tea latte with chewy tapioca seeds, which I should taste before stirring" "Ah, still, refreshing". Not.

My verdict would be to steer clear of this show for as long as you can. It's addictive in the wrong way, almost as if you want to watch how much more they can botch show. I will have to watch Goblin again to rinse my mind off of the badly recycled piece this show was. There are definitely better dramas out there, I'd skip this one if I had Manpasikjeok and could go back in time to stop my foolish self from watching this. Or maybe I was fated to watch it (and discover the brilliance that Woo Do Hwan is), and I'm fulfilling my destiny by writing this review and stopping others from watching it.