About Time

About Time

3/10

About Time

Genre:                                                    Episodes: 16                                   Year: 2018

Romance

Melodrama

Synopsis:

Choi Michaela has the ability to see how long people have left to live as a clock that counts backwards. She herself has only three months left to live when she meets Lee Do Ha, a man who causes her life-clock to stop when he is near her.

Cast:

Lee Sung Kyung (Choi Michaela)

Lee Sang Yoon (Lee Do Ha)

Kim Hae Sook (Oh So Nyeo)

Kim Dong Joon (Jo Jae Yoo)

Im Se Mi (Bae Soo Bong)

Han Seung Yeon (Jeon Sung Hee)

Ro Woon (Choi Hwi Jin)

Min Sung Wook (Lee Do Bin)

Kang Ki Doong (Park Woo Jin)

Tae In Ho (Park Sung Bin)

General Thoughts:

This drama basically took everything that has ever annoyed me in all the K-Dramas I've watched, and condensed it into one package. This has got to be one of the most stupid, pointless, and irritating dramas I have watched ever. Not just in my K-Drama watching career. I mean, ever. Even the weird shows my baby cousins watch that are just people playing with toys make more sense than this sad excuse for entertainment.

I swear this drama caused me actual physical pain

I feel bad saying it, because I know it sounds harsh- but it isn’t. This drama is just unbelievably bad, and everyone involved in its making needs to know so that they can never make some something like this again. From what I can tell, this is the writer’s first ever drama, and that’s really where all the problems start.

Whine on

I usually say that I find dramas that are character based more emotional and interesting than those that are plot driven. ‘About Time’ is an example of a drama that is trying to be character driven but just fails. There is nothing going on in the plot, and the characters can’t make the show interesting because they basically just suck. Well no, to be fair it’s really only Mi Ka that sucks, but seeing as she takes up 98% of all screen time, it does often feel like she’s the only character in this show. Essentially what this drama had was a great premise and no idea what to do with it. The idea of the heroine seeing lifespan as ticking clocks was cool in a creepy kind of way, and was ripe for all sorts of adventures. But not long after the start of the show it became evident that the life-clocks were no more than a quick gimmick to get people to tune in. There was no plan for what happened after. The life clocks were largely ignored as a whole, and were only used as a plot device to get Mi Ka and Do Ha into contact with each other, and then provide an excuse for them to separate. The life clocks were given no thought whatsoever. The reason Mi Ka and So Nyeo could see them was never explained, nor was it ever explained why Mi Ka was able to take time from Do Ha’s clock and add it to hers.

This could have been super cool, instead it was just super annoying

Then, of course, no explanation was given at the end when neither of the leads died, and Mi Ka suddenly stopped seeing life clocks. It was the central point of the show, and it was just swept under the rug, as if we haven’t just watched hours upon hours of this girl running away from this guy cuz she doesn’t want to steal his time. Then poof she can’t see the clocks and suddenly everything is fixed and they live happily ever after. Um, what? The addition of Mi Ka being a musical actress was kind of bizarre, and while I get that it was a part of her character and whatnot, I felt like the musical was squished into this drama in an awkward way that Do Ha’s super lame business plan just didn’t fix.

Everything about the musical was kinda cringey

His big business plan for his father’s multimillion dollar company is…a musical? It just didn’t make sense, and frankly the to-and-froing with the Chinese investor was confusing and boring. Thank goodness the writer at least had the good sense to keep the business/Chaebol side of things to a bare minimum.

Kind of makes our heroine a bit of a home wrecker

The one Chaebol aspect that did get focused on a lot was the arranged marriage. At first Soo Bong seemed like an interesting second lead, as she didn’t take issue with Do Ha seeing Mi Ka as she was under the impression that their marriage would still be going ahead. I must admit, that giving Do Ha a fiancé didn’t make Mi Ka look that great. Sure, Do Ha didn’t love Soo Bong or anything, but Mi Ka didn’t know that. The excuse for being near him was fair enough, but to start developing feelings for a guy that was going to get married is always a low move. It’s not even like Do Ha and Soo Bong disliked each other- they had a fairly good friendship, and until Mi Ka’s appearance Do Ha was pretty keen to get married to Soo Bong. It really felt as if Soo Bong was the one getting screwed over in that equation- which is probably why the drama decided to make her the classic spurned lover who is all but evil and will do anything to get what she wants. Even Soo Bong’s ‘I’ll break him if it means I can have him’ attitude was kind of interesting because, unlike most K-Drama villainous second female leads, it meant she knew exactly what she was doing. Her boring wind up (complete with attempt at revenge suicide) was honestly a bit of a let down for her character, and meant that Do Ha and Mi Ka didn’t actually have to do anything about the problem of the crazy fiancé because Soo Bong sorted out all her issues on her own.

Why would you even keep meeting up with the girl whose fiancé you stole? That seems like a poor plan

While I initially liked So Nyeo, the older lady Mi Ka was friends with, by the time the drama came to a close I honestly did not understand why she was included in the story at all. At first she’s just a cute friend for Mi Ka, but then it’s revealed that So Nyeo can also see life clocks, and she’s presented as a source of wisdom for Mi Ka, as she’s lived her whole life with the clock issue and should supposedly know some helpful hints.

Yes, yes, run away from your problems- that'll fix everything

Only when Mi Ka’s course of action is to ditch Do Ha and find a nice quiet corner to die in, So Nyeo thinks this is a fab plan. So much for her previous position that love and happiness are the most important. In fact, that was an issue I had with this drama as a whole. It kept presenting the idea that love was worth the risk, only our heroine never actually risked anything for love. She spent the whole drama running away, so when she was rewarded at the end with a miracle where everybody lived I was a little miffed. Because Mi Ka did absolutely nothing to earn that happy ending. I was so fed up and annoyed at this drama that I was out for blood- I wanted one of the two leads to die. Morbid? Probably, but still. I wanted Mi Ka to have to live with what she chose. I wanted Do Ha to ignore her and get on with his life, and for her to die regretting that she hadn’t tried to make things work. Because d*mn that girl was annoying and it made me mad that she gets out of the whole thing thinking she made the right calls, cuz she didn’t. Unlike the plot and the characters, the acting wasn’t too bad. In fact, it was pretty good. 

It did feel a bit like Lee Sang Yoon did most of the work- but maybe that's just because Mi Ka was a sucky character

Lee Sang Yoon is always delightful and loveable, and he brought his usual charms to Do Ha, and made him a sweet and likeable man. I’ve always thought Lee Sung Kyung is an acting powerhouse. She brought the emotions in the sadder scenes really well (even if I had emotionally checked out of the drama episodes ago), and despite thinking that Mi Ka is the stupidest most annoying person on the planet, Lee Sung Kyung at least made me believe that the character herself felt like she was making the right calls.

Sadly the chemistry didn't pop as much as I thought it would

Mi Ka felt a little less sporadic due to Lee Sung Kyung’s great performance, but even her amazing acting couldn’t make such an irritating character likeable. Unfortunately good acting alone isn’t enough to make a compelling story. 

What Was Great:

Smaller Roles:

There were a couple of characters sprinkled throughout the show that brought me actual enjoyment. I wouldn’t go as far as saying that the drama was worth watching for these characters alone, but when they were on my screen at least I could think that this drama wasn’t all bad. One such character was Do Ha’s secretary, Woo Jin, played by Kang Ki Doong.

This man is delightfully hilarious

I thought Kang Ki Doong was delightful as one of the officers in ‘Smart Prison Living’, but I honestly found him so charming and hilarious here. He truly made the role his own, and brought all his cute quirks to set to make a character that was just completely fun to watch. Kang Ki Doong has a kind of nervous energy that can make submissive characters so funny when paired with quiet comebacks and comments. Woo Jin rapidly became by favourite character, and I adored any interactions that went on between him and Do Ha. The noona romance between Mi Ka’s younger brother and her best friend was also an aspect of the show that I found fun to watch. While I don’t really like Ro Woon that much (I saw him on some variety show somewhere and he just seemed so full of himself), I will admit that he’s on his way to becoming a pretty decent actor. He nailed the role of the cheeky younger brother, but could also bring in a more serious vibe for the scenes that called for it. I’ve seen Seung Yeon act better than she did in this drama, but I still thought that she had good chemistry with Ro Woon, and enjoyed watching to see how their romance would play out.

#whoops

Then the drama did something truly delightful- even if it was only for a short time. It teased a love triangle between Woo Jin, Sung Hee and Hwi Jin. Yes, yes, and more yes. It was hilarious. Woo Jin and Sung Hee actually had really cute, awkward chemistry together, and before I knew what was happening I was shipping them. Add in the hot headed younger guy who gets insanely jealous and the whole situation was just delightful.

This love triangle > whatever stupidity is going on in the main storyline

I was pretty sad that we only got to see such a small amount of Woo Jin and Sung Hee together, and can’t help but wish that the drama had spent less time focusing on the leads not being together, and more time focusing on the beautifully hilarious situation going on with the side characters.

What Wasn’t:

Noble Idiocy in Overdrive:

I hate noble idiocy. I hate it. With the fire of a thousands suns. I don’t think I have ever sat down and watched some noble idiocy and thought ‘yeah, you know what, that seems like a logical and fair plan’. Except maybe ‘7 Day Queen’, but that was countered out by the amazing communication that went on between the leads.

Boy, save yourself a lot of energy and just walk away now

The leads here had very poor communication skills. Well, Do Ha’s weren’t bad, but Mi Ka seemed almost obsessed with keeping secrets and trying to do things on her own while leaving Do Ha out in the dark. She told Do Ha pretty early on about the life clocks, as it was her way of trying to convince him to let her stay with him. Then they fall in love in the span of about two seconds. Not long after this Mi Ka realised that she’s stealing Do Ha’s time and naturally decides to break up with him. Break Up 1- I don’t love you anymore so I’m leaving. Obviously a lie, and not a very good one, and in no way going to hurt Do Ha less than the truth. Break Up 2- You are stealing my time, and I want to live so I’m leaving. Slightly more believable, but still going to hurt Do Ha. The problem I have with this lie is that it then makes Do Ha look like a bit of a clown for continuously following Mi Ka around and asking her to stay with him. I guess the writer assumed that because we knew the truth we’d give him a pass, but if he actually was shortening her life it’s completely her call whether she wants to stay in the relationship or not, and following her around is totally not cool. Break Up 3- I’m stealing your time and I don’t want to live if it means killing you so I’m leaving.

If you're going to break up do it properly and f*ck off for good!

Finally the truth. Took us long enough to get there. The problem at this point is that Mi Ka still doesn’t feel the need to talk things out with Do Ha. She can only see things from her own perspective and don’t even give him a chance to explain what might be on his mind. She makes all the decisions in the relationship, and disappears whenever she likes.

I'm kinda bummed she didn't die so that he could get a new (better) girlfriend

Even during their brief reconciliation after she told him the truth, she was lying to him and plotting ways to run off on her own. It was exhausting and exasperating, and took up almost all of the drama's screen time. Cliche though it may be, what I was wanting from these two characters was for them (mainly Mi Ka) to realise that it is the happiness of a life, not its length, that is the most important, and for them to spend their days giving and receiving as much love as they can before their potentially tragic ending. What we got was Mi Ka constantly finding excuses to run away from Do Ha before being given a magic, unexplainable happy ending where the life clocks don’t matter and they both get to live. Like, what was the bloody point then? Answer- there was none. Also, on a side note, Mi Ka's Mum was just as stupid and annoying as Mi Ka. I mean, what kind of useless woman doesn't get a job to support her children, spends her daughter's savings, and then whines about her daughter getting mad about it. I guess it explains where all Mi Ka's annoyingness came from- it's hereditary.

Recommend?

Not even if I was dying and the only way to live was to get someone else to watch this drama. 

Don't let the pretty pictures you see online fool you- this drama sucks major donkey balls

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