Mystic Pop Up Bar

 Mystic Pop Up Bar

7.5/10

Mystic Pop Up Bar

Genre:                                     Episodes: 12                      Year: 2020

Comedy

Melodrama

Synopsis:

Wol Joo is the owner of the mysterious Mystic Pop Up Bar, where customers, both living and dead, come to talk and have their wounds healed.

Cast:

Hwang Jung Em (Wol Joo)

Sungjae (Han Kang Bae)

Choi Won Young (Manager Gwi)

Jung Da Eun (Kang Yeo Rin)

Lee Joon Hyuk (Director Yeom)

Na In Woo (Kim Won Hyung)

Park Shi Eun (Wol Joo)

Song Geon Hee (Yi Heon)

General Thoughts:

I feel kind of weird scoring this drama so highly because when I look at all the parts separately it feels like this show should be a silly little mess. But instead its a hidden gem! I absolutely love stumbling upon great dramas when I least expect them, and this is definitely one of those times.

Hooray for an unexpected win!

All the aspects that make up this show don’t seem to spell success- the writer is a total newbie, the plot sounds cute but seems like it has the potential to just stall for long periods of time, and the cast is the weirdest mash of actors you could think to gather. We have Hwang Jung Eum who is known for her over exaggerated comedy, Choi Won Young who is a brilliant serious and dramatic actor, and Sungjae an idol who is known for his squishy puppy roles.

Supernatural is super fun

I just couldn’t fathom what sort of story would pull these three very different actors together into one place. Well, all I can say is shame on me for my lack of faith. These three made for one of the most delightful combos I have seen in K-Drama for quite some time. They all balanced each other well, and had such easy, relaxed chemistry that it was always so enjoyable to watch them interact on screen. They were given such layered and complex characters to portray, and each one of them did so in a believable and natural way. The storyline has the potential to go completely off the rails, but the writer managed to ground the mystical and supernatural elements with a simple and steady plot line. Nothing in the story was particularly groundbreaking, and it borrowed elements that we’ve seen in other dramas at other times, but it pulled everything together to form a really compelling plot. There was a subtle addictiveness to the show that kept me reaching out to play the next episode as soon as I was done with the last. Every episode had a hearty dose of both fun and emotional, and it was so easy to keep on watching. One of the more unique and unexpected elements of this drama was that it didn’t really centre around romance, as so many K-Dramas do. Even though Wol Joo’s whole story revolved around her romance with the Crown Prince, it wasn’t the main draw of the show. The heroine’s romantic partner wasn’t even the main male lead!

I mean there were love lines, but they certainly weren't the main focus

I went in fairly confident that Sungjae wouldn’t be getting paired up with Hwang Jung Eum (dat age gap), so it wasn’t super surprising that they didn’t have a love-line, but I was a little taken aback (but not in a bad way!) that they were still both the leads. They had engaging and satisfying love-lines with other characters, but these two were certainly the heart and soul of the show. I think this is my favourite role that I’ve ever seen Hwang Jung Eum in- I’ve liked her in other shows but there was something about Wol Joo’s character that just seemed to suit her better than anything she’s done before.

My favourite Hwang Jung Eum role so far

The writer gave Wol Joo a lot of quirks, and she was a delightful mix of sassy and playful- there were so many areas that Hwang Jung Eum could pour her energy into, and it gave us a really lively character that wasn't too loud or over the top. Wol Joo still felt slightly eccentric, but it stemmed more from her character having lived out 500 years listening to other people complain about their lives as opposed to being played by an over enthusiastic actress. Hwang Jung Eum gave Wol Joo a lot of heart, and was a great leading lady. Puppy Sungjae did great job at playing puppy Kang Bae. The role isn’t a huge jump from roles he’s taken on in the past, but hey- might as well take on those cute young-guy characters while you still can! While Kang Bae also had a love line of his own, the most important aspect of his character was the relationship he developed with Wol Joo and Manager Gwi. Sungjae did a great job at giving Kang Bae a sense of loneliness and really expressing Kang Bae’s secret desire to be unconditionally loved. I think this role had a slightly more goofier comedy than perhaps Sungjae is used to, so I could see his acting bit in some of the scenes, but it does feel like he’s taking gradual steps to grow as an actor- I kind of hope his next project will be something completely new and challenging for him though. And that leaves us with Choi Won Young who is just…fabulous in anything.

He's so cool!

I mean seriously, has he ever not been great in a drama? He’s been a psychopathic murderer, a cheating husband, and a supportive father, and here he gives us a wondrously selfless prince who would sacrifice everything for the woman he loves in every life he lives. Swoon. Not that we know this until the end of course. The drama, and Choi Won Young, do a brilliant job at keeping Manager Gwi’s character endearing and relatable, even while hiding his true identity as the Crown Prince. While I was pretty much 95% sure that Manager Gwi was some form of the Crown Prince, the writer did a great job at throwing enough hints over at Kang Bae, that I couldn’t be too certain.

Is one of these buffoons really royalty?

Some dramas really struggle with sacrificing character development in order for mystery, but ‘Mystic Pop Up Bar’ happily avoided doing this. Manager Gwi was developing a relationship with Kang Bae that was all kinds of adorable, and his character was still being developed through his interactions with Wol Joo. While Wol Joo was unaware that he was her Crown Prince, they developed a new sort of relationship that wasn’t based on the simple fact that they used to be in love. Manager Gwi had become a reliable friend to Wol Joo, which felt so much more nuanced and concrete than if the show had simply banked on them being past lovers.

Wol Joo only learns this part when we do

Manager Gwi may have known all the events of the past, but as Wol Joo had died before they took place, he was still having to learn and try to come to terms with Wol Joo’s perception of events. So while it wasn’t always obvious that the man Wol Joo was referring to was Manager Gwi, we still got to see Manager Gwi’s responses and emotional reactions to Wol Joo’s memories and interpretation of events. It was a delicate balance of developing Manager Gwi's character and keeping the mystery, and I think the writer managed to straddle the line absolutely perfectly. Kang Bae and Yeo Rin were surrounded in a similar sort of mystery that was unfolding at the same pace as Manager Gwi’s reveal. This lead to a great momentum in the story, as it gave us three different characters to unravel at the same time, which meant that the plot never felt drawn out or too slow. Because all of the main four characters were involved in the past some way, finding out something about one of them provided hints on the others. The grand reveal, while not completely surprising (I had guessed the Crown Prince and Tree reincarnation before the drama confirmed), they still managed to be completely satisfying. Because the story was so sure of its path and had solidified an end game right from the start, the final reveal made sense, and it was the characters’ reactions to these revelations that was the main focus, not so much the reveal itself.

Everyone gets to be connected!

I really liked the idea that Kang Bae and Yeo Rin cancelled out each others powers as it was a nice way to bring them closer together and tie them back to the past also. The supporting cast were a delightful bunch, and we had a rotating door of cameos that came in the form of the characters whose grudges Wol Joo settled. While none of these characters had a lot of time to be developed, the writer did a great job at picking relatable, modern issues so that the audience could refer to our own experiences and emotions to fill in the blanks that didn’t necessarily play out on screen.

Kinda wish Kang Bae got to use more of his tree magic though

The grudge of the week always had a way of relating back to the main storyline whether this was lovers being separated by death, or a mother’s sacrifice for her child, and often managed to pack a huge punch. The smaller stories managed to balance the feeling of grief, regret, love and hope so perfectly that each of them was a powerful and emotional watch. Because each of these stories was also wrapped up in the same episode it was introduced in, it also meant that the drama was able to keep a rather lighthearted tone despite having so many heavy emotional beats. Because all the issues were wrapped up within the hour, the show was never bogged down by too much angst. As a whole, the show was really pretty to watch. I feel a bit spoiled in a sense, as I have also just wrapped up watching ‘It’s Okay To Not Be Okay’ which is also a gorgeous drama- so many pretty, pretty things! Hwang Jung Eum’s costuming for me was a particular standout. Hanboks are so unique and so stunning, so I loved seeing how the drama kept Wol Joo in this traditional style of dress while also giving the look a sleek and modern feel- Wol Joo never felt like she was cosplaying a historical figure, and it was lovely to see modernised version of the hanboks. I think maybe they did this for Manager Gwi’s character a bit too, but I was honestly so dazzled by Hwang Jung Eum’s outfits that I didn’t really notice anyone else’s- she was absolutely stunning in ever scene she was in. 

I'm so into everything this woman wears

What Was Great:

Family:

The strong theme of family interweaving all the episodes and tying everything together was really something that made this drama special. While the romance between Wol Joo and the Crown Prince, and Kang Bae and Yeo Rin were sweet, it was the scenes that highlighted the growing sense of family between our three main characters that really provided the show with depth. Having Wol Joo, Kang Bae and Manager Gwi grow close together as they worked to finish off Wol Joo’s 500 year punishment was just so enjoyable to watch.

Everybody workin' together

There were elements thrown in the story that just made these three feel like such a realistic and close family- such as Wol Joo and Manager Gwi doing a silly dance down the street after solving a grudge, or Kang Bae getting embarrassed when finding out that Wol Joo and Manager Gwi were past lovers. It was heartwarming to see Wol Joo and Manager Gwi become parental figures for Kang Bae, who had been lonely and constantly abandoned for so long. Wol Joo and Manager Gwi definitely provided a warm and safe space for Kang Bae, and the pop up bar really felt like more of Kang Bae’s home than his actual apartment.

This was unexpectedly sad

It was such a treat to see the small things that proved Kang Bae was becoming as important to Wol Joo and Manager Gwi as they were to him- such as Manager Gwi giving him an example of back scrubbing, or Wol Joo staying out all night to get fancy salt to fend off the spirits harassing Kag Bae. As the main mystery started coming together, there was a delightful tingle of hope that these two parent-like figures might actually be Kang Bae’s actual parents (albeit from a few of his lifetimes ago). The conclusion of the plot with both Wol Joo and Manager Gwi sacrificing themselves for Kang Bae was so bitter sweet, but brought about a lovely sense of completion. In the past it had been the parents who had (unknowingly) left behind their child, and the story was brought full circle with both the parents giving up their lives for their baby’s reincarnation. While I’ll admit that I don’t fully understand the mechanics of how Wol Joo was rescued from the staircase of oblivion that apparently has no bottom, or how Manager Gwi ended up not being in hell (what with the signing of that contract and all), I was too happy to see our three main characters reunited again and able to be the happy, loving family that they are that I was content to gloss over a few of the finer details. 

Steady Build:

I love 12 episode dramas. There should be more of them. Why, you ask? Because they get sh*t done, that’s why. This drama did not have a single slow patch or a single filler episode. And that’s absolutely amazing! It’s so rare for 16 episode dramas to do this, but dramas that limit themselves to 12 episodes (such as this one), seem to not need to stretch things out to bolster the episode count- they can just tell the story how they want and cram as much as they like into each episode.

Enough time for everyone to get their moment without being draggy

Every episode of ‘Mystic Pop Up Bar’ was rich with development and emotion. The smaller grudge of the hour stories padded out a fair chunk of the show’s runtime, but each smaller story brought us closer and closer to the main plotline, and revealed something more on one of our main characters. Every action, reaction and motivation for our characters was slowly building towards the final climax of Wol Joo discovering who Manager Gwi really was, and learning of her baby’s current identity. Every episode laid down some clues that lead us in the direction of the finale, and there was always a sense of building tension. By telling Wol Joo’s story backwards, we took some time to even realise that she and the Crown Prince had been romantically involved. First we are discovering what lead Wol Joo to committing suicide (the death of her mother), then we learn about her relationship with the Prince, and towards the later stages of the show we then learn that there was someone else that may have been involved in the past events- Won Hyung.

What do we say to Won Hyung trying to break up this cute 'lil family? Not today.

The introduction of Won Hyung was the drama’s way of announcing that it was entering its endgame, and the characters that had been circling each other from the start started drifting closer and closer together until they eventually collided. The pacing of the show was just brilliant, and you never had a second to be bored as there was always something going on. Even the smaller storylines were always completely new- we never repeated a story. The side characters all had different sadness and grievances that added a whole lot of interest, and allowed the show to have a bit of an excuse for some world building in the world of the Afterlife.

What Wasn’t:

He Just Wants To Be King I Guess?:

The one thing I will say that this show didn’t do particularly well was the development of its main villain. Won Hyung could have been a really intriguing and heart-wrenching villain (he had been besties with the Crown Prince after all), but I’m sad to say that he just sort of fell flat.

Such a vanilla villain

His motivations for coming after Wol Joo and the Crown Prince both in the past and in the present were so superficial and one-dimensional. He just wants…power? And then revenge? It was hard to understand why Won Hyung thought he was doing what was in the best interests of the Kingdom (if that’s even what he thought anyway or if that was just an excuse for his uprising), and his method of getting revenge against Wol Joo and Manager Gwi just wasn’t that nefarious. I mean, he didn’t even know Kang Bae was their kid until after Wol Joo and Manager Gwi found out themselves. Despite being shown to be an insanely powerful spirit who can destroy and possess workers of the Afterlife, he didn’t really do anything. Sure, he killed some characters that weren’t that important to the plot, but beyond that…nothing really. Though he did get to have a pretty fabulous fight scene with Manager Gwi at the end there. But seriously, you would think this guy would have some really good motivation for betraying his best friend and attempting to murder his mate's girlfriend- actions that resulted in all their deaths, but he just didn’t. I mean, I think he wanted to be King maybe? But then why was he marrying his sister off to the Prince while gathering arms for a coup/revolt? Seems a bit counterproductive. His character felt extremely bland and lifeless when we looked at it compared to the detailed and thoughtful character constructions that Wol Joo, Kang Bae and Manager Gwi got.

He sure didn't do much for how powerful he was meant to be

Na In Woo had about one scene where he got to actually have emotions (the scene right before he possessed his father), and it seems like he’s pretty capable of delivering on the hard hitting emotions, so it’s a shame the role didn’t really get much of a chance to explore that. 

Recommend?

Absolutely- I think the synopsis and the casting would make most people think that this is a whacky comedy (which at some points it is), but there is so much heart and warmth wrapped up in this little show and I wholeheartedly recommend people give it a chance.

Cute and fun and worth a shot

My Unfamiliar Family

 My Unfamiliar Family

7.5/10

My Unfamiliar Family

Genre:                                     Episodes: 16                         Year: 2020

Melodrama

Synopsis:

Kim Eun Hee is the middle child in a family that is starting to drift apart. Her older sister is a former attorney, and her younger brother still lives at home. Her father is often distant, which has left her mother wanting to separate and live on her own.

Cast:

Han Ye Ri (Kim Eun Hee)

Choo Ja Hyun (Kim Eun Joo)

Kim Ji Suk (Park Chan Hyuk)

Shin Jae Ha (Kim Ji Woo)

Jung Jin Young (Kim Sang Shik)

Won Mi Kyung (Lee Jin Sook)

Kim Tae Hoon (Yoon Tae Hyung)

Shin Dong Wook (Im Gun Joo)

General Thoughts: This is an interesting and mostly enjoyable little show. It’s an odd mix of slice-of-life and makjang, with the birth secrets and crazy plot-twists presented in such a natural, normal way that they felt very much like a part of real life.

I don't think I've ever seen a realistic makjang before

While the situations occurring in the show were often highly dramatic, it was the very realistic characters that helped ground the drama and make it feel like something inherently relatable- even though most of us have probably not had issues with secret second families or closeted husbands. The pacing of the show was a bit on the slow side, but the drama itself never felt slow. Rather than feeling draggy, it was more like the writers gave the issues presented in the show time to breathe, and gave all our characters ample time to react and respond.

Slow but not boring

Because our characters’ thoughts were always presented in a clear and concise way, we never felt cut-off from how they were responding to each situation- even if there response was to stay silent and act as normal, us viewers still knew that this was a calculated and deliberate action on our characters’ part, which negated feeling like our characters were doing nothing and were wasting time. Even though the events of the show were a bit whack, such as the Dad losing his memories and reverting back to his 22 year old self, the storytelling felt thoughtful and introspective, and used these situations as tools to help us understand our characters, their thoughts, their motivations, and their relationships. I think it’s a great testament to the writer that they were able to develop these kinds of detailed, layered characters and present them to the audience in such an understandable way- I was never really truly baffled by a characters actions in this show, which is an amazing thing in and of itself. I disagreed with certain characters’ actions and how they handled situations- I even thought their actions totally stupid on occasion, but I never wondered why the character chose to act that way. As for the plot, I’m glad that the show threw in extra issues right away, because to be honest, I didn’t really care about whether Mum and Dad ‘graduated’ from their marriage or not.

22 year old Dad was kinda fun though

Perhaps it’s because I’m still young(ish) and not a parent, but I just found the younger characters more engaging, relatable, and just straight up more likeable. I warmed up to the parents once they entered their sort of dating phase, as it was cute and they seemed to be making more of an effort, but then they lost me again a bit at the end. The kids however, were always interesting to watch, and had much more engaging (in my opinion) dilemmas to navigate.

Great character, great acting- perfect combo

The casting was absolutely spot on. Han Ye Ri is amazing and I’ve loved her in everything I’ve seen her in. She gives her characters such heart, and always delivers an astoundingly natural performance- she never over or under acts, and you never feel like her own characteristics are pushing through the character. She just IS whoever she is portraying. And that was certainly the case here- Han Ye Ri just WAS Eun Hee. I cannot imagine another actress playing Eun Hee. She filled her with so much charm and an endearing level of goofiness- the character absolutely sparkled with Han Ye Ri’s performance behind her. She has a natural and comfortable chemistry with Kim Ji Suk, and they made for one delightful couple. The two had a good rapport, and their silly, friendly banter seemed so, so natural and not at all scripted. Kim Ji Suk himself gave a dazzling performance as the Kim Family Secret Keeper. Choo Ja Hyun was another absolute standout in the cast. At first I thought Eun Joo was going to be a difficult character to like. She was icy and appeared unsupportive of her family. However, as the story progressed and we got to know more about Eun Joo and her relationships, she became a character that was easy to root for. I adore that Eun Joo who was a strong, capable woman who didn’t mince her words was presented as a ‘good’ character- so often characters with those traits and straightforward personalities are delegated to ‘snarky second female lead’ roles, while characters more similar to Eun Hee (bright, bubbly, considerate) are delegated as the loveable leads.

She's an ice queen and I love it

Eun Joo must have been a hard character to portray, as she never really voiced her emotions that often. Instead Choo Ja Hyun had to rely on tiny facial changes or slight shifts in body language to emote Eun Joo’s reactions and thought processes. And she did this wonderfully. It helped that Eun Hee was also relearning about how to read Eun Joo after their falling out, as it felt like she was learning about Eun Joo at the same pace us viewers were. Having Eun Hee as a guide on how to interpret Eun Joo’s responses was helpful, and Choo Ja Hyun just did such a beautiful job giving us a multifaceted character for us to love.

And I am 100% onboard with the hinted romance between Eun Joo and Male Eun Hee

The relationships the two girls had with their partners were also super interesting to watch develop. While Eun Joo's marriage was breaking down, her and Tae Hyung actually opened up their communication styles and explored so much about each other and how their relationship had fallen apart (you know, beyond Tae Hyung not liking women).

What a crummy situation for them both

It was so heartbreaking to watch them both struggle, but it was the hurt they needed to get through in order to begin to heal. They had both hurt each other so much through the course of their marriage, and it was so fascinating to watch how they came full circle with each other- still having a lot of love and affection for the other, but having to sort through all the anger and resentment to realise what they were doing to each other. Eun Hee's relationship was a bit more simple and sweet, but it was no less engaging to watch play out on screen. The two circled each other for a long time, slowly building back the friendship that they had lost after their falling out. It was a big step for each of them to make forward, as risking their friendship was a massive gamble. They were slow and uncertain, but they slowly and surely made gradual steps towards each other, building trust as they went. While their interactions were mostly easy and fun, there was enough tension between the two of them that it remained engaging to watch. With a lot of pretty serious drama going on in Eun Hee's family, the show really needed a lighter aspect to it, and Eun Hee and Chan Hyuk's blossoming romance was definitely the sweetness the show needed to balance out all the heavy emotions pouring out of the other family members.

Every drama needs an adorable love-line

While I didn’t particularly like the parents all that much, Jung Jin Young and Won Mi Kyung did a brilliant job as the Mum and Dad of our central family. Jung Jin Young particularly did fantastically when his character reverted back to his 22 year old self. There was a dramatic difference in the way he held his face, so free of tension, that it was so easy to know which mindset the character was in. Even as Sang Shik lied and told Jin Sook that he had regained his memories, as the audience it was easy to tell that this wasn’t necessarily the case.

Kinda a shame he needed amnesia to force him into being a good Dad

Sang Shik’s scowl had been such a ingrained part of his character, that when this was lifted by his memory loss, it really opened up Jung Jin Young’s face, and was an excellent way to show the viewers that something about the character had changed. Similarly, even when Sang Shik’s memories returned, Jung Jin Young’s expression changed back to being more of his original scowl, but with an added sadness and slight openness to his features that suggested he had learned much during his memory regression that changed the way he viewed his wife and his memories of their time together. Won Mi Kyung also did a great job as Sang Shik’s wife. As her character was also similarly introspective rather than dialogue driven, she had to do much of her communication through her expressions. Small eyebrow movements and the tension in her mouth clued us into what her character was thinking and feeling, and never left us in the dark about what was going through her character’s mind. Wrapping up our family was Shin Jae Ha- he does a great job at acting the loveable, slightly goofy youngest child, but his character wasn’t given as much emotional heavy lifting as I was hoping for. I know Shin Jae Ha can really deliver on emotions, so it was a bit of a bummer when he was essentially relegated to a side character.

Was still a cute maknae though

The production of this drama was done really well, with shots that lingered to really draw out the emotions in each of the scenes. It allowed the characters room to breathe and react appropriately, rather than forcing a quick break down and then moving onto the next scene. The dialogue between the characters was also excellent- usually I find characters tend to overshare their thoughts,

And Chan Hyuk was such an adorably good friend to everyone

as we can’t read their thoughts so can only gain insight into their character through what they say and do. In this case though, I thought the characters hit that perfect balance of expressing themselves to other characters, but also holding back- they didn’t just say whatever was on their mind at the time. It actually did wonders for developing the characters, as not only did we gain information on them through what they said, but also what they didn’t say. While Eun Joo acted tough and indifferent, she would often keep her struggles to herself choosing not to burden her husband or her family with her issues. While she stated that she didn’t want to be a part of the family, by her holding back it showed how much she actually treasured her family- she didn’t want them to have to deal with anything extra if she could prevent it, and still remained protective of her younger siblings. By having her open up towards the end and lean more on Eun Hee for support, we could really see her relationship with her sister improving- because there was more dialogue, there was more trust. Lastly, I think the soundtrack was really pleasant. It wasn’t too in your face, and supported the rest of the show nicely.

What Was Great:

Sisters:

Despite the title implying that this drama was about a whole family (which to be honest it was), the main development really happened between the two sisters- both individually and the relationship between them. A lot of the show really focused on the two women coming to understand more about each other.

They were really complete opposites

While previously they were hyper aware of each other's flaws and had hurt each other badly in the past, in the duration of the show they both came to understand more about each others strengths- even as those strengths were so closely tied to their flaws. Eun Joo appeared hard and cold, and her ambivalent attitude towards Eun Hee had really hurt her in the past. However as their relationship starts to grow again, Eun Hee realises that what she needs when she is feeling defeated and down is not pity or sympathy, but Eun Joo’s calm, rational and factual insight that the issue isn’t the end of the world and that Eun Hee will bounce back.

Two thumbs up for sister love

Eun Hee acknowledges that Eun Joo is not incorrect in her assessment of her shortcomings, and while it hurts to hear, Eun Hee then starts to learn more about herself and gains the strength to do things she might not ordinarily have been able to do. Similarly, while Eun Joo previously thought of Eun Hee as frivolous and unsubstantial in her relationships, as they grow closer it’s that exact warmth and endlessly forgiving nature of Eun Hee's that becomes such a great support for Eun Joo as she is going through such a difficult time. Eun Joo learned so much about herself and her relationship with her husband throughout the show, and it was wonderful to gain insight into her character. She really was such a unique character to have on screen, and so unlike the K-Drama heroines we are usually given. It was a delight to be taken on her journey and see how she grew, but also to see how she had always been the protector of her family. New challenges that revealed more about Eun Joo’s character also provided insight into her actions in the past, and helped us understand how she viewed the world. Eun Hee, on the other hand, was a much more typical K-Drama heroine type character. She was bright and bubbly and friendly- but even the drama managed to flip that on its head. Rather than having Eun Hee just be a simple character that was easy to like, the drama really delved into showing how Eun Hee constructed this persona.

An extra two thumbs up for amazing character growth

Due to her family and her situation she became the sunny child in order to be the foil to her icy sister- she used this bright personality as a shield and also as a way to try and gain the love she so desperately craved- from her family, from her colleagues, and from her romantic partners. I adored that the show really explored these aspects of Eun Hee’s character and made her so much more thann a cookie cutter ‘nice’ heroine. 

What Wasn’t:

Mum and Dad:

While they were pivotal to the story and a lot of the different characters’ developments, I just didn’t like Sang Shik and Jin Sook. I could understand their though processes and their motivations, but I just found them so inherently irritating. The show’s focus on the parents was a nice change of pace, as K-Dramas are usually centred on characters in their 20s and 30s, but I really struggled to connect emotionally to these two.

I cared about their story, but less so for the actual characters themselves

Perhaps it was because so much was held back from them in order to create mystery and intrigue (was Sang Shik cheating, what had made Jin Sook want to separate), but I just couldn’t find myself liking them. Weak isn’t really the word I’m looking for but the both seemed so…I don’t know…unsupportive? They both seemed to pour all their energy into the wrong places, and despite saying that they had loved each other and wanted to make things work, every action that they took showed the opposite.

Like why...why would you think not telling your wife about your
semi-adopted child was the best way to go?

I understand that they were run down and emotionally exhausted early, but their steadfast desire to just NOT communicate with each other felt so very, very stupid, and it was incomprehensible that either of them thought that was the best way forward. It was a little exhausting learning their history and finding out that literally all their problems stemmed from them just not talking to each other. Perhaps this wouldn’t have seemed so annoying if it had just been between the two of them, but the way they responded to the issues in their marriage was directly detrimental to their children- Ji Woo basically never saw his father growing up (because he was off raising some other kid that he had taken responsibly for), Eun Joo believed her parents hated her after Jin Sook took her away from home for days and seemly tried to poison her, and Eun Hee was left stuck in the middle trying to hold together a family that was so obviously falling apart. While it was cute to see Sang Shik and Jin Sook start to rebuild their relationship, I just didn’t feel super emotionally connected to them. Despite them suffering and sacrificing for their children, they still just came across as incredibly selfish people, and it almost felt like they were sabotaging their relationship and were just too self-focused to notice.

It's almost like they were trying to misunderstand each other

I especially hated the way Jin Sook just took off at the end. While I 100% agree that mothers deserve to step away and get time for themselves, I just couldn’t get onboard with Jin Sook blaming her children for her emotional distress (when so much of that was her own fault for not communicating with her husband), and blaming them for putting HER through so much stress- seemingly completely oblivious to all the hurt and turmoil she had put her own children through by having a pretty crummy relationship modelled to them,

Maybe try TALKING to your family once in a while

being simmeringly hostile towards her husband for much of her children’s lives, and then dropping the bombshell on these kids that she wanted to leave their Dad. The way it played out was just tooooo selfish and short-sighted for me to sympathise with- particularly when you add in that she went no contact with her kids during her time away. If my Mum went no contact with me for a whole bloody year you can bet that I’d be no contact with her when she got back. Like, I get that Jin Sook needed her space to find herself and whatnot, but I don’t think a few ‘I am going well, hope you are all fine’ text messages would have prevented that. While the children were all learning about themselves and about each other (yes, even coming to understandings about their parents and their situations) Sang Shik and Jin Sook seemed to only be learning about each other and all the miscommunications they had. Even as Eun Joo was getting divorced I never really felt either of her parents could step outside their own selves to try and understand her and comfort her. Jin Sook’s reaction was literally ‘Eun Joo, did you really hate your family?’ as she cries- ah yes, so selfless during her child’s crisis. While Shang Shik and Jin Sook were both interesting and engaging characters, I just didn’t like them the way I liked Eun Joo, Eun Hee and Ji Woo.

Recommend? Sure- especially if you liked dramas such as ‘Age of Youth’, ‘Because This Life is My First’, or even ‘Angry Mom’. It has a similar pacing and vibe, and if you enjoy slower paced dramas with less action, this would be a great watch for you.

Interesting characters sure do make for a great show