Our main couple is adorable! I love how they started with almost hating each other. This is my first drama with actress/singer,Kim Da Sum. Honestly, I liked her in this and I think she is a great actress.
When I found out Ryu Soo Young (I first saw him in Ojakgyo Brothers) was going to be in this I was happy. He did an awesome job of portraying the slightly introverted, genius, Cha Myeong Suk.
Our main ladies: The two mother-in-laws, played by Go Doo Shim and Kim Bo Yun respectfully, embody so many flaws that you find yourself hating them at first. However, Yang Chun Ja shows character development that I rarely see for a mother-in-law in a traditional family. One thing I love about this character is her forgiving heart.
The second mother-in-law, Jang Mi Hee, is clingy, selfish, and stubborn. In fact, I sympathize with her daughter-in-law for dealing with her. Her character has no development whatsoever, except maybe halfway through the last episode where she gains some redemption points.
Speaking of her daughter-in-law, Cha Yeong Ha, her overall character annoyed me more than I'd like to admit. Cha Yeong Ha has a really good heart, but she is way too naive. Her husband,Ki Tae Young, is a two-faced character - acts all tough in the workplace but can't even say no to his mom, although he knows she is crossing boundaries. However, "justification" for his behavior is revealed in the end when he finally confronts his mother about her negative behavior. Was it enough?
Kim Se Mi, on the other hand, is too prideful and because of that I see the value of the plot twist she goes through in the drama. Her husband, Cha Dong Seok, is a childish, comic relief who stands out because of his undying optimism. Se Mi and her husband are my favorite side couple, mostly because they aren't a "traditional" family living in a traditional house-hold (an explanatory summary why they got on Yang Chun Ja's nerves 90% of the time).
That is all I'm saying for the characters.
Honestly, I was surprised that this drama was only 12 episodes since a typical family drama can be a min. of 20 episodes till a 100+ episodes. Watching it now, I'm glad they didn't extend it that far. It would have dragged on and become unbearable. Maybe one more episode just to nicely space out the resolutions that piled up in episodes 11 and 12.
Overall, I liked this drama but not enough to watch it again in the near future.
P.S.
I love the music in this. I can't help but dance whenever I hear the theme song.
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Story:
Nothing special here. It is a story we've seen many times before. The pacing works from start to finish, but as in all family dramas there are some side character story arcs that you might not be interested in.
Acting/Cast:
I personally like the male lead, Ryo Soo Young, but in this drama I felt like he was the expensive sashimi placed on a plate of cheap fish sticks. The female lead, Kim Da Som, was a refreshing change from the classic kdrama female. She seems like a normal person and that fit her character quite well. The mother-in-law was played by Go Doo Shim who is practically a staple of kdramas. She does an awesome job in this drama as well. There were some side characters who dampen things a bit... making the overall experience a bit cheap.
Music:
I can't remember a single song although I finished the drama yesterday. That means that the music is not going to bother you, but it's not going to deliver any FEELS eiter.
Rewatch Value:
It's so short and basic that I can't see myself ever watching this again.
Overall:
In the end I definitely do not regret watching this drama. There are so many better dramas out there, but I was craving for a bucket of cheesy romance and this drama delivers that. If you are after a few romantic scenes and cheesiness then this is for you. If you instead crave a complicated, challenging plot and high production values stay away.
Edit:
I need to point out that before watching this I had just watched some pretty damn bad dramas, so my review might be a bit lenient. Just watch the first episode, if you hate it then you will hate the entire series.
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I finished this drama maybe about a month ago and I've been meaning to write this review, so when I finally looked to see what I had rated it, I was surprised. Until I started remembering the audacity of some of the characters. The unbelief and frustration I felt was too overwhelming for me to rate this drama any higher than a 7.5.
The Eccentric Daughter-in-Law is about this female idol named Oh In Yeong who's popularity is seriously declining. So the CEO of her agency decides to put her in a reality show about fake mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws. They fake marry her off to this math professor (who's gotta be in his mid-thirties), named Cha Myeong Seok. In Yeong and Myeong Seok don't like each other at first, but obviously end up falling in love, and obviously the mother is opposed. Now, all of this is fine and dandy, it makes for a good rom-com setup. BUT, this drama is filled with hypocrisies tht I just cannot accept.
Before I even address the hypocrisies, let me focus in on the two other stories being told throughout this. The CEO of In Yeong's agency is married to Myeong Seok's sister, and his own mother is the reason my rating is not significantly higher. His mother has got to be the worst mother-in-law I've ever seen, and his wife is so passive that it gets to be too ridiculous to handle. Not to mention tht he's a terrible husband to boot. The other story is of Myeong Seok's brother and his wife, and how the wife didn't want to be a housewife anymore (and I LOVED tht story, until they made it about how the wife was a terrible wife and mother).
Anyways, when I mentioned hypocrisies, I meant those of the mother-in-laws. Ok, so this drama focuses in on two mother-in-laws, the first being In Yeong's fake mother-in-law, and the second being her agency's CEO's mother. They are both HORRIBLE to their daughter-in-laws, especially the latter. Another unlikable trait of this drama are the male characters. Like, why are they so lame?! The male lead is in his mid-thirties, yet he still lives at home with his mother, and he still needs her permission of who he's allowed to marry. It's unbelievable. And his brother, who is basically living off his wife, is made to look pitiful, while really he's just a loser. The CEO guy has got to be the most unlikable of all the male leads, because he only listens to his mommy, who he knows is terrible to his wife. All these things really frustrate me and bring down the rating to an otherwise pretty good rom-com.
Oh, I forgot to mention how the characters have NO CHEMISTRY. None whatsoever. I mean, some of the scenes are cute, but the chemistry is seriously lacking. Not one character has any romantic chemistry with one another. I thought Dasom was great as In Yeong tho, she did a really good job. The girl who played the real daughter-in-law was good too, and the mother-in-law was alright, but other than tht i didn't like the casting very much. On a positive note, this drama is really funny. And I do think it's marathon-worthy (it's only 12 episodes).
All in all, the Eccentric Daughter-in-Law is not a terrible drama, it's just really frustrating. Definitely not a must-watch, but if you like Dasom from Sistar or just rom-coms in general, then I'd say give it a shot.
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Story: BE WARNED- if you're not a fan of the overbearing and manipulating in-law theme, then don't even bother with this drama. The entire plot is based around the mother-and-daughter-in-law relationship. While it was funny and a bit annoying to watch in the beginning it just became downright disappointing to watch the daughter-in-laws get treated as badly as they do and take it, while the sons are easily let off the hook. I will say that it all works out in the end for all of the story lines and the mothers learn their lessons (kinda) but boy was it a LONG 12 episodes to sit through and watch because of it. It helped that In Yeong helps check everyone from time to time, but the relationship between Kang Jun Su's mom and wife was just sad and unbearable.
Acting/Cast: Awesome. I can say that because I really believed in Ryu Soo Young's nerdy but lovable character Myeong Seok (which is saying a lot since I'm used to him being the bad guy from other dramas). And even though I hated some characters my heart still melted when they found forgiveness ;-)
Music: Cute and on trend. Especially for whenever Oh In Yeong was supposed to perform. Hilarious, catchy and cute.
Rewatch Value: Go for it! My favorite part to rewatch about a rom-com is the falling-in-love part. I'd happily skip over the overbearing mothers-in-law. (I mean seriously?! Right up until the last episode....)
Overall: You have to be in the right mood to appreciate this one (a happy, love-dovey, cheesy mood). At 12 episodes its perfect for a weekend drama-thon.
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