onceiwaskingofspain
Heartwarming Spy-to-Sitter Journey with a Wack-A-Mole Espionage Thriller Tacked On
Good Things:
* The fashion. Apparently everyone in the intelligence community wears fabulous suits and has an obsession with designer handbags; very inconspicuous.
* The found family. ML takes on both a fraternal and paternal role with FL's children, and him slowly opening up and remembering how to live a life on normal terms is incredibly heartwarming. Likewise, FL's friendships with her nosy but supportive neighbors and fellow parents are squad goals.
* The parallel espionage plots. There are two spy agencies - NIS and KIS (the apartment's gossip mill/neighborhood watch) - that each deal with their own intrigues. When they cross purposes, it's a hilarious battle of wits as to who gets what information first.
Either-Or Things:
* The romance. It probably won't be satisfying for most viewers as it's entirely implied and not a major part of the plot. But it has some great dynamics like a mutually protective FL and ML who just want to take care of each other and a 'notice me, noona/sunbae!' SML vying for the attention of SFL.
Bad Things:
* The inept spy-craft. You don't have to be an agent of international espionage to pick out some very obvious flaws, most of which could have easily been better dealt with by the story.
* The tonal/narrative gulf. If it had committed to light-hearted parody with warm slice of life or serious espionage thriller with higher stakes it could have been a great drama, but skirting the line hurt both aspects of the story overall and the final 1/3 in particular.
* The whack-a-mole antics. It's very obvious who the bad guy is, which takes a lot of the thrill factor out of the spy side of things.
Interesting Things:
* There are a few famous scenes from international spy thrillers like Kingsman, Leon: The Professional, and James Bond re-framed on Kdrama terms.
It's a 7/10 as a whodunit spy thriller and a 8.5 as a cozy, domestic slice of life from me, so somewhere in the middle as a whole. If you're looking solely for a thriller, look elsewhere; but for the unique genre blend indicative of Kdramas it's definitely worth a watch.
* The fashion. Apparently everyone in the intelligence community wears fabulous suits and has an obsession with designer handbags; very inconspicuous.
* The found family. ML takes on both a fraternal and paternal role with FL's children, and him slowly opening up and remembering how to live a life on normal terms is incredibly heartwarming. Likewise, FL's friendships with her nosy but supportive neighbors and fellow parents are squad goals.
* The parallel espionage plots. There are two spy agencies - NIS and KIS (the apartment's gossip mill/neighborhood watch) - that each deal with their own intrigues. When they cross purposes, it's a hilarious battle of wits as to who gets what information first.
Either-Or Things:
* The romance. It probably won't be satisfying for most viewers as it's entirely implied and not a major part of the plot. But it has some great dynamics like a mutually protective FL and ML who just want to take care of each other and a 'notice me, noona/sunbae!' SML vying for the attention of SFL.
Bad Things:
* The inept spy-craft. You don't have to be an agent of international espionage to pick out some very obvious flaws, most of which could have easily been better dealt with by the story.
* The tonal/narrative gulf. If it had committed to light-hearted parody with warm slice of life or serious espionage thriller with higher stakes it could have been a great drama, but skirting the line hurt both aspects of the story overall and the final 1/3 in particular.
* The whack-a-mole antics. It's very obvious who the bad guy is, which takes a lot of the thrill factor out of the spy side of things.
Interesting Things:
* There are a few famous scenes from international spy thrillers like Kingsman, Leon: The Professional, and James Bond re-framed on Kdrama terms.
It's a 7/10 as a whodunit spy thriller and a 8.5 as a cozy, domestic slice of life from me, so somewhere in the middle as a whole. If you're looking solely for a thriller, look elsewhere; but for the unique genre blend indicative of Kdramas it's definitely worth a watch.
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