Twenty Again

Twenty Again

7.5/10

Twenty Again

Genre: Episodes: 16 Year: 2015

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

At the age of 19, Ha No Ra gives birth after an unplanned pregnancy and marries the baby’s father, Kim Woo Chul. After 20 years of marriage, Woo Chul announces that he wants a divorce, which leads No Ra to the realisation that she has done nothing but raise her son and be a housewife her whole life. She decides to attend university secretly, and must hide from her son who is also a university student and her husband who is a professor. Cha Hyun Suk is also a professor at the same university. He was a classmate of No Ra’s in high school and has had feelings for her ever since.

Cast:

Choi Ji Woo (Ha No Ra)

Lee Sang Yoon (Cha Hyun Suk)

Choi Won Young (Kim Woo Chul)

Park Hyo Joo (Kim Yi Jin)

Kim Min Jae (Kim Min Soo)

Son Naeun (Oh Hye Mi)

No Young Hak (Na Soon Nam)

General Thoughts:

Don’t judge this drama by its first episode! I swear it gets better. The first episode is needed to set up the general world our heroine lives in and her basic interactions. From the start of episode two she starts to develop a lot more sass- which is wonderful and hilarious. The synopsis makes it sound like a weird, mildly boring series about middle-aged adults- but it actually turns out to be a rather insightful and endearing slice-of-life about regrets, growing up, and living in the moment.

It's like 'Angry Mom' but without all the angst

What really carried the show for me was Lee Sang Yoon’s performance. He was so quietly dynamic and was able to present his multi-layered character to perfection. He could be acting like the world’s biggest grumpypants- but one flash of those dimples and you fall for him all over again. Swoon. Swooooooooooooon.

Did I mention how swoon-worthy he was?

Lee Sang Yoon’s character, Cha Hyun Suk, is handled with a great deal of delicacy from both the actor and the writers. It was only after I finished watching the series that I thought to myself ‘Oh right, men like that don’t actually exist’. Hyun Suk has just enough pettiness in him to avoid appearing as this drastically unrealistic character (also it’s hilarious to watch), and also manages to make life-meddling and stalking look romantic. If a real man actually behaved the way Hyun Suk did- he’d probably be arrested. But as it is, our grumpy fairy Godmother is delightful and heartwarming, and I’m mad the show made him wait so long to get his happily ever after. I could take or leave Choi Ji Woo as Ha No Ra. I know she’s a super famous actress, but personally I don’t find her all that riveting to watch. It’s gotten to the stage where I can’t abide by Candy girls anymore (especially not Candy Ajummas), so I was less than enthusiastic to see Ha No Ra’s quiet, accepting, introverted character at the beginning. However, as the story progresses and Hyun Suk brings out more of her personality, she becomes more confident, secure in herself (slightly more sassy), and overall more enjoyable to watch. Choi Ji Woo did well to present a fluid progression of the unveiling of No Ra’s character and thoughts- but she never quite made Ha No Ra pop, as she tended to come across more cute than spunky.

Them acting like children totally trumped them acting like adults

The writers are probably also partly to blame for this cute rather than sass dynamic- as for the last couple of episodes No Ra seemed to be reverting back to her older character, which us viewers had been told was a facade all drama long. Why writers, why? Why couldn’t you keep her confident, kick-ass attitude to the end? The supporting cast were a hoot too- with each scene that passed, Kim Woo Chul (Choi Won Young) became more and more preposterous.

It's the woman that chooses the man- much as men would like to think otherwise

It’s hard to keep an antagonist from becoming completely dislikable- especially if he’s knocked-up a high school girl (while he was in college- eep), looked down on her for 20 years, and cheated on her. Yet by handling the character of Woo Chul with an air of ridiculousness, he becomes more laughable than dislikable, while still managing to garner sympathy for our heroine. However, the series did start to focus on Woo Chul a little too much towards the end- I don’t care if he’s feeling regretful or is getting his life destroyed by his ex-mistress who may or may not still love him. I just want to watch No Ra and Hyun Suk cuddle for the next three hours. Watching No Ra grow and develop friendships on her own, away from her family and Hyun Suk was probably one of the most rewarding parts of the show. It was heart-breaking to watch her be so downtrodden and prejudiced against because of her age, but it was endearing to see the way No Ra stuck at college life because it was what she wanted. The sadness and angst at the beginning was well worth it to see students around No Ra fall for her sweet, helpful, rather innocent self- and it was awesome that by the end she was everyone’s Unnie or Noona.

Was I the only one totally onboard for a one-sided Noona Romance?

Especially Na Son Nam- because he was so against her at the beginning, yet couldn’t help but stand up for her even when he didn’t really want to. Every time he called her ‘Hoobae-nim’ or ‘Eternal Noona’ I died- it was so cute. As for the story…well, surprisingly it didn’t actually go anywhere. The drama chose to focus on No Ra’s emotional growth and development rather than how her world was changing around her- which surprisingly works well. It gave us a real look into our heroine’s life, and made it so much easier to root for her after watching her struggle so much in this one, small period of her life. I do wish the divorce had been hurried up a little though, as leaving it so late in the drama inevitably meant that the brakes were pulled on the romance. 

What Was Great:

Comedy:

I don’t know why it was so funny, but it was. The writers managed to strike just the right balance between fantasy and reality. Nothing in the drama appeared to be unrealistic, which only made the comedic situations that much funnier- because it’s totally plausible that it could happen.

Be petty forever, Cha Hyun Suk

Some of the best laughs came from the pettiness between No Ra and Hyun Suk. There’s something so innately enjoyable about watching grown adults act like children. Not in a silly, cutesy way- but because these supposedly functional adults can’t adequately express their feelings, so they resort to pigtail pulling. Or hat flipping. Or car kicking. The ongoing relationships between Min Soo and Hye Mi, and Woo Chul and Yi Jin were amusing as well. They seemed to be poking fun at other dramas that over exaggerate relationship problems, by making these supposedly huge issues seem small and ridiculous. 

Seriousness or Lack Thereof:

The show knew exactly how seriously to take itself- which is not very much. Sure, there were moments of significant character development and angst, but these moments were never overplayed.

These three amigos made for the cutest combo

They were presented as raw, emotional snippets of real life. Raw, emotional snippets of real life that were surrounded by an abundance of comedy. Even though the series didn’t take itself too seriously, it still managed to firmly ground itself in reality. The simple beauty of this drama is that it doesn’t overplay or exaggerate issues the way a lot of other dramas do.

I don't know why it's so funny to watch adults act like kids- it just is

Rather than getting all bent out of shape after No Ra’s cancer misdiagnosis, everyone just continues on with their lives. No one contacts the reposters, no one tries to sue the hospital- they’re all just pleased that No Ra’s not actually dying. Elements that other dramas tend to sell dramatically (like Woo Chul’s affair with the College Chairman’s daughter), this drama handles with a hint of satire- it all seems funny and stupid because these people are acting like they’re in a drama and not real life, and quite frankly no one (characters or viewers) give a rats about their shenanigans- which only makes their over-the-top secrecy seem even more ridiculous. 

No Ra’s Progress:

By focusing completely on our heroine for the whole story, us viewers are really able to identify and sympathise with No Ra. The show takes typical, everyday events, then applies them directly to our leading lady. Who hasn’t had one regret or another in their life? Who else wishes they could ignore the future and focus on living as well in the present as they can? Probably most people.

I'd marry then divorce a man just so Lee Sang Yoon would snuggle me

It was uplifting, and even a little inspirational, to watch No Ra make these steps in her life to accept the dreams and chances she’d missed and try and live her life in a way that prevented her from losing any more important opportunities that she would later regret. It was heart-breaking to watch how No Ra realised that what she considered to be romantic and chivalrous was actually just what was acknowledged as the basics.

What college is this and how do I enroll?

Her excitement at being asked her own opinion for the simplest things, like what she wanted to eat, was saddening, but at the same time rewarding- as it was the only way for No Ra to realise that her husband had never treated her properly or respected her as his partner. The progress may have been slow, but it was never boring as there was always enough going on with all the character developments. While the show focused primarily on No Ra, we were also given snippets on how our other characters were living their lives- such as Soon Nam’s conflict in standing up for No Ra, and his insecurities about following his dreams. That being said, I did find it a little disappointing to see how No Ra was choosing to live her life after the divorce was finalised. She seemed to snap right back into the mindset that she needed to prepare a secure future for her and her son- and even went as far as to give up going to college. This seemed like some major steps backward in her character growth, as the whole series had been about her living for herself and being in the moment- as the future will always be uncertain no matter how much you prepare for it.

Ohhhh my God just get divorced already

The last episode did an okay job at summing up her choices in a way that didn’t conflict too much with her newly developed mindset, but I wished we’d had the monologue that explained her choices earlier. We’d spent all series long being right in the middle of all No Ra’s thoughts and choices, so it felt odd and wrong to suddenly be looking at it from the outside, with no idea what thought processes motivated her actions. 

What Wasn’t:

Lack of Romance:

We got a lot of hints at romance, and there sure were a lot of adorable pre-dating moments- but we actually only got half an episode where our main couple were actually dating.

You can be dating without being totally dependent- there is a happy medium, you know?

Running low on the smoochy, cuddly romance is always a risk going into a drama where our heroine starts off the series with another man- because we all know the writers won’t want to have her looking like a giant tart. If only the divorce had been wrapped up earlier so that we could have had some more romantic payoff.

JUST LET OUR DIMPLED ANGEL BE HAPPY DAMMIT

No Ra and Hyun Suk’s pettiness was unbelievably enjoyable to watch, and even Hyun Suk teasing No Ra when she was in denial about her feelings was pretty cute. However, No Ra’s constant rejection of Hyun Suk got pretty old pretty fast. Even though I loved No Ra as a heroine, I loved our grumpy, dimpled miracle worker who loved her quietly from the shadows all this time (without asking for anything in return) just that little bit more. When our main man is aware of the heroine’s feelings, and the heroine herself admits her feelings to a friend- it’s just plain annoying to have her continue to reject this marvellous miracle man.

Focusing on Ex:

The last couple of episodes focused heavily on No Ra’s ex-husband. And we just weren’t interested in that. Regardless of how great an antagonist Woo Chul has been- what we were wanting to see at the end of our drama was our main lady getting wrapped up in happiness with her new squeeze.

Trust me- if I could give less than zero f*cks, I totally would

Not Professor Narcissistic getting almost screwed over but not quite and then making up with his mistress. The beauty of Woo Chul’s character was his small doses. Giving him limited screen time kept him in the realm of being funny rather than annoying. I appreciate that he needed a little extra time at the end to further illustrate how No Ra became the way she was- what with him hiding her in a foreign country where he was the only person she could communicate with and all. But I found the blackmail and threats from the mistress uncalled for. Realising that he’d truly had feelings for No Ra and that he was the one to weaken and ultimately destroy her true character, forcing her to make the decision to leave him was retribution enough for his character.

Ahh, poor naiive men- forever thinking whoever wins the fight wins the girl

He realised all too late what he needed to do to keep the woman he loved. That was all that was needed- adding the extra blackmail story was just too much and made him too irritating.

Sporadic Min Soo:

I really enjoyed Min Soo as a character and it bothered me that he was so absent from the drama. Considering that No Ra essentially gave up her dreams (and to an extent her life) to raise him, you would think that the mother-son relationship would be one of the prominent aspects of the show. But you’d be wrong.

Did anyone actually care about this romance? Anyone?

His relationship with Hye Mi was meh and I know what a lot of us wanted to see more of was how his attitude towards his parents changed and how the divorce was impacting on him. Sadly, we only get one real emotional scene with No Ra when he realises what his mother had been going through alone, and what a poor son he had been.

Most tame reaction ever seeing as he just found out his Dad is a total butt

But after that, while his attitude to No Ra appeared to have changed, his actions didn’t seem to differ at all. On the bright side, the scenes where he stuck it to his father on behalf of No Ra were ever so satisfying to watch. But the divorce, my goodness that poor kid. No Ra and Woo Chul couldn’t have handled it worse if they’d tried. Finding out from a hidden document is pretty brutal. Not only that, but I don’t think there’s a single moment when No Ra specifically states that it’s not his fault. Which it totally isn’t. How is it his fault she missed out on her youth because she got knocked-up in high school and had to raise him? C’mon No Ra, don’t be a lazy mum now.

Re-watch?

Probably not. It was a strangely interesting watch, but doesn’t stand head and shoulders above other dramas. However, what the show lacked in plot development (which didn’t actually matter too much), it made up for in emotional payoff.

Oh romance, you have no idea how long we waited for you