Extraordinary Attorney Woo

 Extraordinary Attorney Woo

6.5/10

Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Genre:                                 Episodes: 16                                  Year: 2022

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Woo Young Woo is a lawyer who has recently landed a job at a prestigious law firm. While she is incredibly intelligent, she has autism and struggles with her social skills. While working she faces discrimination and hardship, but is also able to use her unique skills and perspective when it comes to managing her cases. 

Cast:

Park Eun Bin (Woo Young Woo)

Kang Tae Oh (Lee Joon Ho)

Ha Yoon Kyung (Choi Soo Yeon)

Joo Jong Hyuk (Kwon Min Woo)

Kang Ki Young (Jung Myung Suk)

Jeon Bae Soo (Woo Hwang Ho)

Joo Hyun Young (Dong Geu Rami)

Jin Kyung (Tae Soo Mi)

General Thoughts:

I feel like I’m on the outs with this one. So, so, so, so, SO many people seem to love this show and I just…don’t. I was pulled into watching it as I saw a bunch of cute clips on Instagram and it made the show seem like a fun little romcom. Unfortunately for me all of those clips came from the same episode and a half, and that was about as much lovey dovey cuteness as we ever got.

I mean, it's really my own fault- I know I don't like law dramas

This show was a lot more law-y and work focused that I was really expecting it be. And honestly if there’s one thing that turns me off wanting to watch a drama it’s law. Lawyer, prosecutor, judge- these are all key-words that make me go ‘no thanks’ when reading a K-Drama synopsis. But the cute Instagram scenes. They lured me in. It’s not like it was all bad, I liked the show more than I disliked it and was quite on board for the first few episodes. But after a while all the episodes started to feel a bit the same and it just didn’t feel like the plot was going anywhere. I wasn’t getting the romcom vibes I was expecting and it left me feeling very unenthusiastic to watch the next episode. Of course I must commend the writers and the show as a whole for giving us such a unique heroine that is a part of a group of people who are not usually represented in a positive light in media.

I just wanted more cuteness guys, that's all

Having the main character be autistic was a bold choice, and one that I do think paid of well. Young Woo is a memorable character, and you can’t help but be happy thinking about all the people watching who have never seen a character like themselves on screen before.  I think they handled Young Woo’s autism in a tasteful and well balanced way- it didn’t entirely gloss over the challenges of autism or developmental delays, but it certainly didn’t demonise it either which is what we are all much more used to seeing in media. Unfortunately all the thought and consideration and development that went into Young Woo’s character didn’t make it into the other characters. There wasn’t a huge range of characters that were that integral to the story, and it was mainly just those that worked at Hanbada with Young Woo. Joon Ho had all the making of a sweet and charming leading man, and Kang Tae Oh certainly gave the character a lot of charisma and made him easy to like. But all we ever really learned about his character is that he’s a really nice guy. He’s just a good dude. Which is fine, but it doesn’t make the character super memorable, and meant Joon Ho never really had a sense of individuality- he was just kind of there being nice. And niceness alone isn’t really enough to make me route for a loveline. Similarly, Young Woo’s direct colleagues, Soo Yeon and Min Woo, weren’t developed much either.

Some more girl bonding moments wouldn't have gone astray either

Oh they tried to develop Min Woo but it was not done well at all. And like Joon Ho, Soo Yeon’s main quality was that she was, you guessed it, nice! Not that there’s anything wrong with having a drama full of nice people, I just need a bit more to really be able to fall in love with the characters. Everyone in this show (apart from Woo Young) just seemed to have been given one word personalities- Soo Yeon and Joon Ho were ‘nice’, Min Woo and Woo Young’s Mum were ‘ambitious’ and Geu Rami and Min Shik were ‘quirky’. The only character that seems to escape this vague characterisation was Myung Seok, and that’s really only because he had an entire plot line dedicated to his illness and resulting epiphany. But that let Kang Ki Young have more screen time so I am certainly not complaining- I think he’s a fabulous actor who is able to make side characters endearing and memorable, as is showcased here.

I will always have time for Kang Ki Young

As I mentioned before, the storyline of this show was really focused on the law firm and the cases that they were handling. It felt quite episodic with Woo Young’s team handling a new case each episode with each issue usually being introduced, explored and resolved within the hour. On the plus side this means that we have a revolving door of new characters to get to know and all the cases were examining different issues and ideas. There was also usually also a link between the case being worked on and Woo Young’s life- such as Woo Young contemplating her own ability to love and be loved after the case involving a mentally delayed woman and her ‘gigolo’ boyfriend. On the down side, it meant that all the episodes felt very samey. They all followed the same kind of formula, and there wasn’t really anything unexpected happening. With so many smaller issues being the sole focus of the show, it felt like it took away from the show as a whole- the pacing of the entire series felt very laboured and slow, and apart from the budding relationship between Woo Young and Joon Ho there wasn’t really an ongoing plotline. The final episode with the tension between Woo Young, her Mum and her half-brother was actually quite interesting and I kind of wish that there was some way that this plot point could have been an ongoing one throughout more of the episodes.

So much potential...

I felt like the potential jealousy (or lack thereof) of Tae Su Mi raising her son when she had abandoned Woo Young could have been a really interesting concept to explore, and I think I would have enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Woo Young and her half-brother. All in all, there were parts of ‘Attorney Woo’ that were quite good, but I just feel like there didn’t need to be 16 episodes of it. Honestly, I think the whole thing could have been super condensed down into a really fun movie of just over two hours. 

What Was Great:

Extraordinary Actor Park:

This was basically the Park Eun Bin show. Every character took a backseat to Young Woo, and likewise all other actors took a backseat to Park Eun Bin. She was phenomenal in this role. I think she approached the role of Young Woo with a seriousness and open-mindedness that really allowed the character to bloom into one that has undoubtably become one of the most well loved in 2022.

She was wonderful in every way

Of course a lot of credit must go to the writers for creating such a fabulous depiction of autism for Park Eun Bin to bring to life, but Park Eun Bin herself just really put the magical finishing touches on the character. Her mannerisms, movements, speech and even eye contact did a fabulous job at reflecting Young Woo's neurodiversity. I loved how Park Eun Bin was still able to show that Young Woo was thoughtful and considerate in her own way, even if the way she portrayed that and how she related to others was different to most people. It was obvious that Park Eun Bin approached the character with a sense of respect and fully embraced every aspect of Young Woo-the quirks and traits that made Young Woo unique and that were cues to her autism were realistic and consistent. Neither the writers nor Park Eun Bin would bring in a trait or a behaviour once before abandoning it just to wave a flag that said ‘autism’ in the face of the viewers- all Young Woo’s behaviours felt very well thought through and were evident from the first episode until the last. Throughout the whole show it just really felt like Park Eun Bin had  embodied the character of Young Woo, and she really did give an extraordinary performance in every episode.  

What Wasn’t:

Slow Development:

The pacing of this show was just really slow. Not necessarily the pacing of the episodes- the episodes themselves had a really good pace and balance. But the overall story. There wasn’t much overall story to begin with, and unfortunately there also just wasn’t a lot of character and relationship development to pad that out.

The whale obsession was fun though

Geu Rami and Min Shik are already established as Young Woo’s friends at the start of the show and they don’t really change that much throughout the drama’s duration. Similarly, Soo Yeon and Min Woo don’t really go through that much development either (until the last two episodes and then I hated the way that development went). So really what we are left with is the relationship between Young Woo and Joon Ho. It’s just. So slow.

He just...he looks like he hates this

And I know that a part of that is to represent just how much time and how careful Young Woo and Joon Ho have to be as they navigate this new territory, but I’m sure there was a better way to get that across than just throwing in a few doe eyed looks and forced skinship in a couple of episodes. I really wish the show had dedicated more time to the good parts of Young Woo and Joon Ho’s relationship. We saw their struggles with Joon Ho’s family not being accepting and with Joon Ho feeling unimportant due to Young Woo’s fixation on her cases, so I feel like there really needed to be some super cute and happy moments to balance that out. And there just wasn’t. We got a few cute scenes early on when they decided to date and that was pretty much it. From that point onwards we really never got to see them being happy together. We sure heard about it- they told other people and each other how much they liked each other and wanted to be together but I just didn’t see it. During young Woo’s date ideas, such as dolphin protests, Joon Ho looked bored and embarrassed. And touch was an important part of the relationship for Joon Ho, but anytime they kissed or held hands Young Woo looked massively uncomfortable and that left Joon Ho feeling bad. I wanted to see their relationship succeed and it felt like the writers really wanted to make their relationship succeed but they just weren’t exactly sure how.

I just wasn't buying what they were selling

The drama took so long to get Young Woo and Joon Ho to the point that they were dating that their breakup and reconciliation at the end felt completely rushed and I was left feeling unsatisfied with the conclusion. I didn’t feel like enough of the relationship was developed and explored and so by the end I felt like Joon Ho would always be sacrificing what he wanted and compromising for Young Woo, and Young Woo would always be left wondering why he was frustrated and upset. And I wanted more than that for them.

Lame Lawyer Kwon:

I’m going to level with you. I hate Min Woo. I just really do. He embodies absolutely everything that I dislike in a person and in a character. He’s arrogant, hypocritical, selfish, petulant and has a whacky inferiority complex while at the same time acting so darn superior to everyone around him.

100% *sshat

The fact that he could even look at Young Woo, see (and then ignore) the challenges she has faced, and still have the gall to say she receives special treatment was just so frustrating. And I get it. That was the point. His character was supposed to evoke these sorts of feeling in the viewers because Min Woo’s attitude is not rare. It’s all around us. But because we aren’t directly involved, it doesn’t have much impact on us. But it does have an impact seeing that attitude directed towards a character that we are given understanding and insight to, and that we have come to love and care for. Which fine. I get it. But then the drama tries to…give him…a redemption arc?

Excuse me, drama- what the f*ck is this? Hard pass.

Yes, what the f*ck is the correct response to that, and it is also the response I had when the drama starting trying that sh*t on. Min Woo is the closest thing we have to an ongoing antagonist in this show and we’re just supposed to forgive him? For all his backstabbing and rudeness and entitlement? No thanks. What made this all worse was having Geu Rami have a crush on him and Soo Yeon eventually start to fall for him. Like, maybe Geu Rami can have a pass because I can just go ahead and assume that maybe Young Woo never told her about Min Woo’s attempts to sabotage her at work. But Soo Yeon has no excuse. I really liked Soo Yeon as a character, so for her to be just lumped in with Min Woo was incredibly aggravating. Soo Yeon has been shown to be a good friend and colleague to Young Woo, and was often shown as defending her. She was highly critical of not only the way Min Woo acted toward Woo Young, but the way he perceived her. It was literally the way Min Woo’s brain worked that made Soo Yeon dislike him. But then he buys some flowers and opens her beer while in Jeju (which is just totally unbelievable based off of what we have seen of his character right up until that point) and then she just likes him. Yup. Just like that. Lame lame lame. And then magically because Soo Yeon likes him, Min Woo just stops being a d*ck. The man who has been shown to care about nothing but advancing his own career suddenly develops a conscience thanks to the power of friendship.  

Recommend?

No, I don’t think so. There were parts to this show that were really great, but overall I just really don’t think it’s that impressive. People who are interested in law dramas (ie. not me) would probably like this one though.

I'm sorry to say that I just didn't find this show that extraordinary

2021 Jaybird Awards

2021 Jaybird Awards

As 2022 draws to a close I am increasingly aware that I never did a Jaybird Awards post for the K-Dramas of 2021. I’m sorry 2021. The main reason for this is just that I didn’t really watch that many dramas last year (and even less this year…) so it felt kind of superfluous, and also felt as though I wouldn’t be doing the dramas of 2021 any justice- because I had missed so many of them! So for 2021 and for 2022 when it comes to a close, rather than sticking to my usual structure of Awards, I’ll be giving every single drama I watched in 2021 an award (or at least a runner up). They won’t be the best or the worst out of all 2021 K-Dramas, only of the small handful I’ve managed to watch. Hopefully 2023 is less hectic and I’ll get more time to dedicate to watching K-Dramas and writing reviews.

Best Mystery/Thriller:

Beyond Evil

This was by far one of the best dramas of 2021. I pride myself a fair bit on being able to guess twists and surprises in TV shows and movies, and I have to say, I just had no idea who was behind anything in ‘Beyond Evil’. And not in a confused, what the heck is happening, nothing makes sense way, but in a layered, everyone has something to hide way. The acting in this was PHENOMENAL. I haven’t seen Shin Ha Kyun in anything before but wow, that man can act. He perfectly balanced between being creepy and being desperate. The whole cast was fabulous and the storytelling was tight, well paced and addictive. It was a great mystery, a great thriller, and an all around great show.

Runner Up: The Silent Sea

 

Best RomCom:

Mr. Queen

It was one of the first dramas in 2021 that I watched, and I clearly remember thinking ‘jeez, it’s going to be hard to beat this one’. It was quirky without being ridiculous and low-stakes without being boring. The writers gave themselves plenty of space to bring in plot with palace politics, but thankfully never let the show get bogged down in too much angst or boring politicking which can often happen to romcoms in historical settings. This drama also gave us Shin Hye Sun doing comedy which was something I didn’t realise I needed in my life until ‘Mr Queen’.

Runner Up: Yumi’s Cells

 

Best Melodrama AND Jaybird’s Choice:

Navillera

I don’t usually like melodramas. I find them too slow and either too cringey or too depressing. But I adored ‘Navillera’. It was a beautiful story with wonderful characters and an extremely talented cast to back it up. Good dramas are the ones that make you feel something towards the story and the characters, and ‘Navillera’ did just that. It was a lovely story and I am glad that I took the time to experience this well-crafted show.

 

Cutest Cast:

Racket Boys

I nearly bowed out of this drama after the first episode because it was young, silly and nothing made sense. And then I realised that I had started on episode four which is why nothing made sense. After starting from the first episode the show was still young and silly, but it had a certain heart and warmth to it that made it an enjoyable watch. So much of this came from the group of young actors portraying the main cast. They brought a great energy to the show and did a great job at showcasing their growing talents as actors. ‘Racket Boys’ was a sweet story with a charming young ensemble.

 

Worst Second Male Lead:

Sunbae, Don’t Put On That Lipstick

Second male leads can be a tricky thing to navigate. You don’t want them to be too swoony otherwise they will overshadow the male lead and none of the viewers will be on board with the main romance. But you also don’t want them to be too terrible, because otherwise why is the heroine even considering them? Hitting that sweet spot in the middle where the second lead is fabulous but just not the right fit for the heroine is where every drama love-triangle aims to be. And that’s exactly where ‘Sunbae’ ISN’T. Lee Jae Shin was a long-term cheater, a liar, and all around *sshole. I didn’t want to watch him on my screen any more than was necessary, and I certainly didn’t want to watch that bulls*t redemption arc the show gave him. He’s just gross.

 

Most Popular:

Squid Game

‘Squid Game’ was a massive success. And rightly so- it was a great drama. I wouldn’t say it’s the best drama I’ve ever seen (I wouldn’t even say it’s the best drama I saw in 2021!), but it was by far the most talked about K-Drama I’ve ever seen. It was addictive and unique and massively appealing to both people who watch K-Dramas regularly, and those who don’t.

 

Most Depressing:

D.P

Objectively this was a good show. But did I like it? No. No I did not. I kind of don’t know why people make shows like this. I guess there’s something to be said about a drama showing realism in order to make social commentary, but to be honest I don’t want to watch characters get physically and emotionally abused in my free time. It’s just not fun. Nothing good happened in ‘D.P’- it was a dark show full of selfish and hateful people and an authority body that did nothing to protect the vulnerable from people who would take advantage of them. Low-key regret watching this one to be honest...

Runner Up: One Ordinary Day

 

Most Forgettable:

The Veil

Apparently I watched this? I remember seeing Namgoong Min in a revenge mystery/thriller and this must be it. I do not remember anything that happened. I think there were some good fight scenes though, and I’ also pretty sure I remember thinking that all the hero’s problems would have been solved if he’d just never given himself amnesia in the first place? But yeah, that’s pretty much it. It’s a show. That I did indeed watch.

Runner Up: The Witch’s Diner

 

Least Convincing Couple AND Biggest Disappointment:

Doom At Your Service

I disliked this show. I disliked it quite a bit. There were so many things wrong with it. But there were so many things that should have been right with it- which is why it ended up feeling like such a massive disappointment. My expectations were far too high. It had Park Bo Young and Seo In Guk- the chemistry should have been so intense it was short-circuiting my laptop! Instead we got barely a fizzle. The whole plotline had varying levels of frustration throughout, and the story just didn’t really incorporate the fantasy elements very well. It ended up being quite a struggle to get through all the episodes this drama had as it was so slow moving, and really, I just didn't care after a certain point.

 

Highest Body Count:

Mouse

K-Drama loves a good serial killer storyline. Even romcoms can’t get away from it. I guess nothing heightens the tension in a show quite like the possibility that anyone could die- regardless of if it fits the genre or not. And ‘Mouse’ had not one but TWO serial killers! Such tension! (I mean not really, the whole show felt strangely both too confusing and too predictable at the same time). But boy were there a lot of deaths. And I mean a LOT. People were dying left, right and centre. Strangers, family members, main characters- no one was safe. I think all in all the drama could have come together better than it did, but boy the writers did not care about who they killed off and in a world that is filled to the brim of characters protected by plot armour, it's a pretty refreshing direction for a drama to take.

 

Best Sequel:

Hospital Playlist 2

This is basically a continuation of the first season- you could go through watching the last episode of Season 1 to the first episode of Season 2 and probably not even know you had entered a new season. The show gave viewers everything they loved about the first season, but just changed up the development and the main plot points a bit so we weren’t given an exact replica. The cast and characters remained delightful and the story remained engaging and heartfelt. A win all around.

 

Most Haunted:

Sell Your Haunted House

Was this the only show I watched with ghosts in it in 2021? Maybe. Do I remember much about the ghosts? Not really. Jang Nara gave a wonderful performance and I appreciated her taking on a darker role that her usual chipper, baby faced, loveable heroines. Jung Yong Hwa was passable in his role. There were ghosts and possession and a mystery that centred around the death of our heroine’s Mum, and it was a pretty good ghost show all things considered.

Yumi's Cells 2

Yumi’s Cells 2

6/10

Yumi's Cells 2

Genre:                                      Episodes: 14                          Year: 2022

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

After breaking up with her boyfriend, Yumi starts a new relationship with her coworker, Yoo Bobby.

Cast:

Kim Go Eun (Kim Yumi)

Jinyoung (Yoo Bobby)

Ahn Bo Hyun (Goo Woong)

Lee Yoo Bi (Ruby)

P.O (Control Z)

Joon Suk Ho (Ahn Dae Young)

General Thoughts:

This was a bit of an interesting show for me. I liked it, but I don’t love it. And yet I feel like it delivered exactly what it promised to deliver- exactly what it gave you in the first Season of ‘Yumi’s Cells’.

More of the same- take that as you will

Honestly, there’s not a lot of difference- it almost felt like a bit of a copy paste job. That’s not to say it was a bad move- it stuck to the recipe that worked out so well in the first season. The show didn’t take any risks that might upset people who loved Season 1, and just kept going with what people were enjoying. Which is great in it’s own way. Kim Go Eun is fabulous as the slightly awkward but ever endearing Yumi and brought a real sense of relatableness to the character.

Kim Go Eun does a great job with this character

 It’s sort of one of those iconic roles where I think I will now always associate Kim Go Eun with the character of Yumi. She does such a brilliant job at bringing the slightly awkward but easily loveable character to life, and it was fun to watch her reprise her role here. Jinyoung got much more screen time than he did in season one, even though his character didn’t have all that much to do- his role was basically smile cutely, be kind, and act supportive. All of which he did brilliantly. Yoo Bobby was a very swoon worthy character and a great male lead to have, and Jinyoung was appropriately swoon-worthy and charming in his delivery of the character. Jinyoung and Kim Go Eun had okay chemistry (certainly nothing outstanding) and they didn’t seem to have as much energy between them as Kim Go Eun and Ann Bo Hyun had last season. Though I do wonder if that was slightly intentional? Perhaps Bobby was supposed to be the man that looks great on paper and ticks all the boxes, but is just missing that certain spark that someone like Woong had with Yumi. Maybe a part of this lack of chemistry was also due to the fact that this season focused a lot more on Yumi’s work and her chasing her dream of becoming a writer. Her love life was still a prominent part of the story, but while last season felt like the story of Yumi and Woong, this season felt like the story of Yumi and Bobby was kind of a supporting role. At first I didn’t really like the direction the show was going in when Yumi quit her job to pursue writing.

Anyone who quits their job with no new job or backup plan is just...not thinking things through

It felt quite out of character and very risky- she had no income and was just eating through her savings! But putting that aspect of it aside, I did appreciate how it allowed Yumi space to grow. Her confidence and her independence started to increase the more successful her writing became. In a story so focused on one character alone it was totally necessary for Yumi to change and grow as a character and I think this was a great catalyst for the transformation Yumi went through this season.

Stop thinking and just be happy

The pacing of the show was pretty consistent from start to finish- there weren’t really any high stakes conflicts, and yet the story didn’t really feel like it was dragging that much. Some episodes felt slower than others, and I do feel like occasionally the lack of any real issues made it feel a bit like Yumi was going out of her way to create problems for herself- particularly in regards to her relationship with Bobby. This kind of made Yumi a bit of a frustrating character at points as she became a little hard to relate to when she was constantly getting too much inside her own head (even though of course a whole portion of the show takes place in her head) and making issues out of seemingly nothing. Overall the show was enjoyable to watch as it did a lot of things right- it did just sort of feel like all the things the show was doing right were things it had already done before last season. And so the irritating or frustrating parts of the show (which were not done last season) felt a little more prominent than all the other things the drama had going for it.

What Was Great:

Uniqueness of Cells:

Similarly to the first season, what made ‘Yumi’s Cells 2’ so unique was it’s inclusion of the CGI cells that represented Yumi’s thought processes. While these cells are certainly the draw of both seasons and a primary part of how the show functions, I will admit that I found them to be utilised a little too much in Season One. This time around I felt that we hit a far better balance on what was going on in the real world and what was going on inside Yumi’s head.

Was low-key glad when Love got booted out of Prime Cell position

It made the scenes where the cells did appear feel much funnier as they weren’t used in every second scene. We also explored a few more cells and functions than we did in Season One which was fun too. The scene of the cells landing on another planet (ie- Bobby’s butt) is a fabulous example of the well balanced humour the show was able to hit when incorporating the cells.

10/10- Peak comedy

Unlike last season, this time we didn’t get as much insight into the inner workings of the main love interest. We were given a little look at Bobby’s cells, but not in nearly as much detail as when we saw Woong’s. Perhaps a part of this was meant to reflect that Yumi didn’t feel as though she knew Bobby in as much depth? Honestly, I wouldn’t even be able to tell you what Bobby’s primary cell was! But the scenes we got with Bobby’s cells were still able to bring a new dimension to the show. Unlike Yumi’s cells that were predominantly used for comedic effect, Bobby’s cells came into play during the more serious moments of Yumi and Bobby’s relationship- such as showing Bobby’s hesitation when talking about his junior at work with a crush on him. It was a great way to show the difference between Bobby and Yumi’s approach to relationships and problem solving. While talking about the cells, I must of course also make sure to note the cells of Editor Ahn Dae Young. Were they essential to the story? Absolutely not. Where they a fun time? Yes, yes they were.

What Wasn’t:

What’s The Point?:

I think my main frustrations at this drama is that I’m not really sure what to point of it all was. Why is the writer telling this story? What is this story actually about? It felt sort of like a story about Yumi’s growth, but then also a story about a love triangle but also a story about a doomed relationship. It’s like the drama tried so hard to make the show all about Yumi, but then at every turn it defined Yumi by her relationship with Woong or her relationship with Bobby. Even at the end the hint of Yumi’s happiness was tied to a new potential suitor rather than Yumi’s growth or success.

I mean, how many dang seasons of this are they trying to squeeze out?

Season 1 of ‘Yumi’s Cells’ worked really well because Yumi was the heart and soul of the show. Woong was an important part of it, but the whole show centred around how Yumi perceived and reacted to situations. And I just feel like that was missing in the second season. Perhaps if I had been more on board with the love triangle situation I would have enjoyed the show a little more, but after Season 1 so perfectly showed why Yumi and Woong weren’t right for each other, it was hard to even view him as a viable contester for Yumi’s heart. Particularly when Yumi’s main reservation about dating Bobby long-term was that they had already broken up. Like, hello? She has broken up with Woong also? Just because it happened last season doesn’t mean I forgot.

Like, not to be rude to Woong, but I know which one I'd pick

I weirdly kind of liked where the show ended, with Yumi on her own reflecting back on how much she has grown and how much of that growth was due to the love and support she received from Bobby and Woong. I just didn’t like how we got there. It felt so drawn out at the start and then far too rushed at the end with time skips that felt unnecessary. The story just didn’t feel cohesive and it feels a little like the story was sacrificed a bit to leave a hope of a third season. Which I probably wouldn’t watch. 

Bobby As A Plot Device:

Doing some more comparisons to Season 1 here. Woong was a great character in the first season (I honestly quite liked him as a character in this season too but that’s not the point). He was fleshed out and had a detailed history and had both charms and flaws. Then we have Bobby who is just…perfect. And I’m not complaining- I really like Bobby! He’s attractive (duh) and swoony and it’s so easy to root for his relationship with Yumi to work out. 

So sweet, so cute, somewhat bland

And then it doesn’t. For reasons. All of season 1 was Yumi trying to work things through with Woong, find compromises and communicate and work together towards building a strong relationship. With Bobby it just felt like she wasn’t trying. Bobby was depicted as being the perfect boyfriend. His one fault that was expressed in the show was that he felt a little something for Da Hye. Which isn’t ideal, but he recognised what was happening and took steps to make sure he was protecting his relationship with Yumi, put hard boundaries in place with Da Hye, and never cheated on Yumi emotionally or otherwise. But this was just unacceptable for Yumi? It was frustrating because there was no communication on Yumi’s end. Just ‘I’m hurt, you hurt me, we’re over’. It felt like a thousand steps backwards from where she should have been. Then she gets back together with him for a while before dumping him AGAIN. Then in the last episodes Yumi is looking back on her relationships and acknowledging how she couldn’t have gotten to where she is without the support and encouragement of Bobby. Which is a sweet sentiment and I do like the idea, but the execution was just off. Bobby should have been given some real flaws and there should have been some actual conflict and difficulties in his relationship with Yumi. As it stands it just feels like the only reason he was in the show at all was to encourage Yumi to become a writer.

We hardly got any of Bobby's cells doing anything

It didn’t really feel like he had any identity or purpose outside of that- he was just a means to an ends. Which is a really disappointing end for a character that had so much potential and was so well liked. 

Recommend?

Nah, not really. I don’t think I’d really recommend even the first season so it’s hard to recommend the second one. I feel like most people who watched Season 1 will probably watch this season anyway, and I suppose I wouldn’t go out of my way to tell people not to watch it.

The real question is, if a Season 3 comes out will I watch it?