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Applause for effort
I am into more mature dramas so I was looking forward to this one that deals with infertility and adult relationships. However, it didn't go deep enough. It started with a very light and fluffy build-up, including the entertainingPark Byung Eun playing Jae Young, a single dad and his story, and a cute beginning of the relationship between Ha Ri the capable career woman and Yi Sang, the eligible bachelor with the good heart.
However, after that, things just fall flat. The challenges and hardships around infertility, single parenthood, career demands, discrimination against single females, and the pressures of balancing family and work, are glossed over. The main leads go through angsty motions which are grating considering their age and supposed maturity, and it just becomes fluff that leads to a predictable end.
Overall, it was an enjoyable start with some fun characters, and I like the energy of Jang Na Ra since this is the first drama I watched her in. I applaud the attempt to illustrate some mature subjects. I just wanted more.
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Amazingly thoughtful bromance
I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. It was heartfelt, with a great balance between showing us the internal struggles and thoughts of each character, and throwing in some plot elements that keep the story moving.At first, I wasn't super impressed with Je Hyuk and wondered whether the story would be more entertaining if it revolved around a different character. But after a few episodes it became clear that he was the glue that holds the ensemble together. I especially loved Jung Woong In as the experienced guard and Kang Gi Doong as a younger guard. Along with Jung Kyung Ho, they were simply fantastic.
The crew of prisoners was also impressive, especially Choi Moo Sung as Min Chul, the lifer with a heart, and of course Lee Kyu Hyung as Loony, who always kept us sympathetic to his plight. I also enjoyed Jung Min Sung as Doctor Go and wish his story had been fleshed out more.
The show isn't quite perfect though. For some reason, Kaist's story was dropped rather suddenly, leaving me to wonder if there was a budget reduction or last-minute scheduling conflict with Park Ho San. And the backrgound stories of the cellmates could have been expanded upon a bit more. A few more episodes would have fit the bill. And I know this show is about a male prison, but I feel there could have been some way to include more females in the cast, perhaps as the journalists, or as part of various flashbacks.
All in all, this would be a fantastic rewatch, full of stellar performances.
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Earnest feminism
This drama tries hard to address issues of feminism, including judging females by their appearance, females striving for rewarding careers and families, males treating females as inferior, and the effects of gossip and social media on the portrayal of females. Most of this is done through small, natural conversations and exchanges in a realistic way. It's one of the first shows I've seen that's a true slice of life. Not everything is tied up with a bow at the end, which adds to the realism. I also appreciate the multiple antagonists and how the main one was realistic and three dimensional. It was refreshing to see about the same number of females and males on the cast, which speaks to the actual value they hold on screen.I felt it could have gone a bit further with its message of equality and acceptance. For instance, there is variation in the personalities and appearance of the female characters, but they mostly dressed the same except for one. And the males that treated the women with disrespect didn't all get what they deserved. Also, a strong message in the second half of the show that says most people are more concerned with their own insecurities over criticizing you, is overshadowed by the fact that no matter where KS goes, people loudly comment about how handsome he is. It's excessive.
Furthermore, the males are still differentiated based upon appearance, so the 'good guys' are conventionally good looking while the two worst 'bad guys' aren't. I also feel the ups and downs could perhaps have been depicted with more dynamic energy so that the pace could stay more exciting. One strength and also weakness of the show is around how obvious the "lessons" are in this show. But at the same time, this innocent earnestness fits the feel of the show, but also makes it pretty predictable and a bit simplistic.
Finally, I wanted to explore the stories of the supporting cast further and their relationships and histories. Min Do Hee who plays Mi Rae's best friend, didn't get the screen time she deserved. She is a fantastic and interesting character that wasn't written the way she should have been. And the other female supporting cast members should have had more of a story about not dressing in the expected feminine ways or not being stick thin. It could easily have been 20 episodes.
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I must be missing something
With all the glowing reviews for this show, I must be missing something. I am drawn to watching slower paced, slice of life, dramatic shows about deep relationships and character growth. You can see this through my other reviews. I prefer these types of shows over fast paced plot driven ones, and I don't mind a lack of romance.So I'm confused as to why I dislike this show and cannot finish it. I enjoyed seeing the older gadgets, phones, clothing, and other props from the 80's (I am also a child of this this time), and on paper, the cast looks stellar. However, I found Lee Hye Ri's performance as Deok Sun to be quite cringey and uninteresting, and I simply didn't care about any of the other characters.
I may try again to watch it, but I'm just not sure why I can't get into it.
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Great chemistry, unfortunate lack of depth
The chemistry between Park Min Young and Kim Jae Wook was sizzling in this drama, and there was more skinship than in most dramas, which was a treat. The leads was really amazing together, but the first half of the story was filled with dumb misunderstandings with very little substance. I am not a fan of silly circumstantial humor and the first half was filled with it. What was really grating was that some serious dramatic revelations were introduced in the very last episodes. The show should have started with the end bits and established the deep histories and relationships from the beginning instead of relying on gimmicks. The huge dramatic revelation near the end that concerns Duk Mi was just glossed over because of the wasted time at the beginning. It was simply swept under the rug.Also, if we are to believe that Duk Mi is an intelligent, independent woman, then her side gig should have been something with substance, not being a fangirl. This didn't add much to the story, except for creating more silly circumstantial humor. We should have also explored her career and what made her successful as a curator instead of having Ryan's story take over. This had potential but the beginning was wasted.
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When the Camellia Blooms
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Unique combination executed well
I am a huge fan of Gong Hyo Jin and after watching this, I also admire Oh Jung Se as the bumbling town clown, Son Dam Bi as the tormented street-smart gal, and Yeom Hye Ran as the hard-on-the-outside accomplished woman. They all played absolutely amazing supporting characters.I have to give the writer and director so many kudos for this very unique combination of: rom-com, innocently chasing the girl romance, complex ex husband and family relationships, and thriller. I haven't seen it executed in this way. At the heart of it, I would call it a slice of life exploration of a single mom who feels empowered one moment and anxiously depressed the next. Some might criticize some of her choices, expecting the character to either be "always good" or "always needing to be rescued" as some dramas depict, but I feel that the variety of actions she takes make her very human and realistic. She makes mistakes like we all do.
It's a slow paced drama so you need to have a bit of patience to savor each step. I wouldn't say it's boring, but the pace kind of meanders but in a way that still fits the slightly mysterious feeling of the way the director and writer wanted it to go. You never feel completely confident that you understand where anything is going so you have to be OK with that when watching this drama.
The only thing I am a bit disappointed in is actually the main romance storyline. I think Kang Ha Neul played his role as Yong Shik well, but it was perhaps written a bit too innocently. You see glimpses that he truly understands all of the nuances of Dong Baek's life, but he doesn't get the chance to articulate it through effective script writing in the way I would have liked. I feel the other characters have more meaningful interactions with each other and Dong Baek than he does, even by the end of the drama.
Overall I have to applaud this unique execution of a realistic feeling mysterious drama. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it and would watch it again to catch all the nuances that I missed the first time.
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So disappointing
I absolutely love the acting talent of two main leads. I especially love GHJ. She is my favorite Korean actress/actor. And JJS is extremely charismatic in all of his roles. He just makes you want to keep watching as he fills the screen with energy.However, I had to drop this one. The beginning was so messy and confusing, with all three of the characters in the love triangle just yelling at each other constantly. There was no character development or exploration, only yelling. And there were so many sexist lines. It was over the top and immature. And there were too many silly misunderstandings, which is a trope I'm not into in dramas. I couldn't continue.
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