Story
The drama’s tags: comedy, family, romance. One would expect a rom-com. First thoughts I had coming in, this is all a misunderstanding. Well it’s not. The drama starts on a comical note but quickly escalates to a proper melodrama. This is a drama about an extramarital affair; and while the base concept is that, the drama offers so much more than a story about infidelity. With us hardly realizing it, it widens its spectrum to relationships, marriage, friendship, career, family; ultimately aiming to show how in midst of our crazy hectic lives we forget and overlook the important things taking people and situations for granted, sacrificing our well-being over work and faceless responsibilities.
The drama is all about different perspectives. We get a wife who cheated on her husband. Is this just about a woman who cheated on her spouse, though? The show focuses on the husband/male lead but does a splendid job introducing every perspective; all we have to do is see them. Relationships are a two way street maybe it’s time we stopped looking solely at ourselves and our obligations, and take a look at those around us. We all hurt, and the best way we can heal is protect each other. The key point here is caring, showing it and ultimately communicating and showing affection. Nothing should be taken for granted!
What’s more, it introduces a 2nd adulterous story, which is mainly used as comedic relief but also wants us to compare the two stories, understand the different dynamics, the reasons and further grasp what is this thing called affair and what lies behind it. The 3rd wheel of the main cast is two loveable people expressing how difficult it is nowadays to love, become vulnerable and be self-confident giving an insight on the diversities between single and married life.
Simultaneously, the drama introduces the social spectrum on such a personal matter. Affairs are all about the couple; but in reality they are not, nothing is. We live in the public eye, technological wizardry aimed to make our lives easier but instead it confined us to our little phone and pc screens making us afraid to strike a normal conversation or even care. Talking to strangers suddenly feels safe, but it’s not. We get a glimpse of other random stories, demonstrating that there is no magical or general solution to this problem. The repercussions might be similar, the issue is one but the basis it grows on changes thus the solution shifts as well. When is it worth fighting, when it’s not? Is there always a solution, is there not? Valid questions with invalid answers.
What mostly shocked me were the comments people made all these weeks while watching. It actually made me think on several occasions that we’re probably watching different dramas, but this is why this drama is so special and why such dramas must be protected and celebrated. It is not about a cute story that we will all cheer upon and move on after it’s done. It triggers something in us, it puts our cognitive ability in motion, hons our critical thinking and eventually puts our entire beliefs in question. It’s a topic that opts for conversation. Of course this is not for everyone and this is why some people will resolve to unreasonable hate. People who refuse to see things from a different corner will hate this.
Bottom line, what the show wants to do is to negotiate what adultery really is; its reasons, its triggers and types; after that, on a second basis it gives an unconventional message that we need to open our eyes and our hearts to the people around us, the people we love, and protect them. Even if they seem fine, they’re not. Nobody is. Ultimately, see things from different perspectives and walk on other people’s shoes. Nothing in life is black and white. We all have it hard, but no one has it harder than the other person. Be considerate be open be respectful!
Acting
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t impressed deeply by the acting, but I might be biased because of how much the concept of the drama touched me.
Song Ji Hyo lived her role, and I appreciated the fact that she barely spoke and yet I felt the complete amount of feelings her character did. First time I saw her here, and I’ll be sure to check her older projects and look forward to the next. A round of applause to her for picking such a particular role and for pulling it off so immaculately
This was my first time seeing Lee Sun Gyun as well, and I didn’t regret it. I loved how people’s interpretation of his character varied, means he did a hell of a job, same goes for Song Ji Hyo. Another actor for me to look out for, especially during the later episodes his acting spiked becoming increasingly emotional and determined.
Special mention to my favourite –and I believe everyone’s favourite – duo BoA and Lee Sung Yeob. Loveable, quirky, funny and playful, they aced every part of their roles delivering an overall meaningful, enjoyable and luscious performance.
Lastly the fan favourite Ye Ji Won who was as charming as ever in this and deserved more screen time and the ludicrous but amusing Kim Hee Won gave a spectacular performance presenting the… ugly side of the affairs in the most entertaining way possible.
I feel inclined at this point to congratulate the writers. They delivered a great well-thought-out plot with several layers to entertain but also give us something meaningful and worthwhile. Thank you!
Recommend/Rewatch
Easy. If you’re of the mentality “You cheated, die you little slut” then steer clear of this drama for your own mental well-being mostly. If you’re willing to go out of your comfort zone, watch something that isn’t cute and playful, trouble yourself with what is right and wrong and you are open-minded as a person then do watch this. I’ll go ahead and say this is one the best dramas I’ve watched, but it demands a certain type of viewer. I will rewatch this at some point, certainly.
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I find it annoying that 16-20 episode dramas are always one or two episodes too long, unnecessarily stretching out the story just to fill space. However since there's only twelve episodes, not a moment is wasted here. Song Ji Hyo and velvet voiced, Lee Seon Gyun are amazing as the leads, portraying every emotion of a struggling couple from start to finish, but what's great about this drama is that even the side stories are just as interesting. I honestly loved the PD Ahn and Writer Kwon couple most. Lee Sang Yeob played PD Ahn so well you couldn't help but find him adorable and fall in love too.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Perfect Wife Not Complaining Her Overstretched Works to The Husband BUT Choosing to Cheat
I watched this drama quite late in 2021 and enjoyed it. The actings of Main Lead / Supporting actors and actresses were great. OST by Park Won and UrbanZakapa were also so emotional. I rewatched it again from the start to better understand the story to sympathize the cheating wife SY in this drama but it was hard to agree upon the (opened) happy ending story of this remade K-drama version.The Writer seemed to make the cheating wife SY looked like a Victim of her own affair whom had reasons to cheat her husband and deserved sympathy at the end. Her character, as written, was a thoughtful and beautiful career mom who kept things to herself and she wanted to please and make everyone happy although she was exhausted. Her husband HW was a good husband who “unintentionally” overlooked her burdens b/c he always thought that SY was a perfect wife. SY did her best to be a good mom and perfect housewife and then when a married man noticed her weakness and approached her, she felt happy when being with that man. The story showed us that she had ONCE slept with her lover and CHOSE to continue the affair relationship by secretly keeping it under her smiling face to her family since the affair started.
SY and her lover SW had their own lovely families and created their own WEIRD and SELFISH imagination that having an affair without divorcing in mind was the excuse to NOT destroy their own families - so it was acceptable to continue the affair. Her lover arranged an appointment to sleep with SY and she looked forward to being with him under her smiling and happy face. She “intentionally’” planned and lied to her husband about her office meeting activity such that she could have a spare time to commit adultery with her lover in a Hotel room. She had told her husband that she would be able to pick up her son at a Nursery school after her office meeting ended. So, it meant that the cheating wife did NOT care or feel any guilt in sleeping with another man and then went to see her son. However, her husband suspected and caught-up her affair red-handed in the Hotel before it happened.
The story did not clearly show that SY felt guilty after the affair was found out. She calmly told her husband that she would stop seeing her (presently) ex-lover “for now” rather than saying ““from now on”. The husband felt upset when hearing the “for now” wordings and she did not correct or clarify those words. These unclear statement might be interpreted that she just wanted to temporarily stop the relationship with her lover and possibly hoped to refresh their love again in future b/c both of them still met each other in the office.
The affair relationship and emotional feelings (Love VS Playing with Fire) between SY and her lover was so confusing and it was hard to understand their characters in the drama. After the affair was caught-up, during the three’s confrontation in a hotel room, her lover claimed in front of her husband’s face that he loved SY …. Even earlier, SY, herself, had dared to lie in front of her husband’s face to sleep with her lover and also lately admitted that she was happy when being with her lover and did not even to think to end the affair relationship.. From those scenes, Viewer would expect that their relationship was not the “Playing with Fire or One Night Stand”. Then the story portrayed that SY might want to temporarily stop her relationship with her ex-lover “for now”. SY did not think that her ex-lover would dump her BUT it was so surprising that she did not express her disappointing or upset feeling to her (now) ex-lover whom she forgot her family and was happy when being with him since the affair started for half a year BUT he now completely abandoned her. HOW did both SY and her lover, with their depth of emotion, break-up their relationship “so easily” and “too simply”? …. Anyway, the story seemed to show that SY started to feel guilty to the husband after her ex-lover did not want to contact her any more. She kept saying sorry endlessly to the husband throughout the show.
After SY’s affair was caught up, when both she and her husband firstly talked at home, she acted so calmly and was trying to lie to him saying that she did not want to deceive him and was sorry for what she had done. SY also added that she did not have an affair to divorce him. When they were talking, she did not openly talk and wanted to deny her husband’s question if she had yet slept with her lover. But when her husband did push her the question, she could not deny the fact but expressed her upset feeling when replied to him that she and her lover had already slept together and she missed that man so much. If she felt guilty, how could she encounter her husband that she thought of another man all the times?
The Lyrics said that SY did NOT have an affair b/c she loved her lover. However, the written story showed so DIFFERENTLY. She expressed her smiling and happy face when being with her lover and also later admitted that she did not think to end her affair relationship if her husband did not find out. There was a short scene during the three’s confrontation in the hotel room when the husband pushed her the question if she actually loved and felt seriously with her lover. She was reluctant to answer and SW quickly jumped-in saying that they were playing with fire. Her lover’s quick reaction and her reluctance meant that the cheating wife could not tell the truth that she was also in love with another man. SY also disclosed later that she did not have time to be herself or even had time to fix her worn shoes ….. BUT it was so surprising as shown in the drama that after she started having an affair with another man, she could then magically find her (not enough) times to meet her lover at any cafeteria and later to be with him in a hotel room rather than spending that time with her husband and family. SY’s character was not a flirtatious woman type. So if she intentionally planned and repeated the same affair mistake in having another man take her cloth off and touch her body, it meant that she passionately loved that man.
There were so many scenes in the drama obviously showed SY’s expressions that she was in LOVE with that married man SW such as wearing beautiful dresses when seeing him; preparing her colorful lingeries to show to SW when being together in a hotel room, kissing her hand given to SW; planning and intentional lying about her office meeting activity to sleep with him; taking her wedding ring off when being with SW; thinking to temporarily stop seeing SW after the affair was found out; later sharing her story that she forgot her family, her husband, son, etc and did not feel sorry and guilty about the affair when being with SW and lastly sharing her feeling like a kid chasing after a balloon which implied that she would continue the affair it her husband did not find out. All of these seemed to show that SW might love another man much more than her husband during the affair period and she seemed to be ready to leave her husband if SW decided to divorce his wife.
The cheating wife’s intentional affair mistake was so MUCH MUCH WORSE than her husband’s unintentional overlooking her stresses. He was a good husband but not a mind reader. Although the story tried to show that SY felt remorseful and kept crying, there was not much scene showing her enough growth to gain her husband’s trust or showing how much she loved her husband. I understand that this drama was the story of the husband HW to grow maturely and improve himself. So, it did not show much story about SY while her ‘intentional’ mistake and repeatedly lying was much worse. It was hard for me to be sympathetic from the given story that SY would deserve the happiness ending.
This K-drama’s story for the husband is that Forgiving can be done BUT Forgetting is harder. The story presented that HW’s character was an indecisive person and he always thought a lot before making any decision. He felt pain and struggled to force himself to hug his wife b/c he could not get rid of his vision that of her ex-lover being with her. Actually what was in his head was that his wife was hold and physically touched by another man which much hurt him and was the “key” reason that led to the divorce. It did NOT make any sense at all that the divorce erased his painful memory in such a SHORT PERIOD and he walked back to restart husband/wife relationship again !! Forget such kind of emotional hurt feeling due to affair takes times even years or forever. If they returned back, they would divorce again.
DRAMA is still a DRAMA.
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On a special note:
Acting/Cast: Casting was superb in this drama. Everyone played their part well enough for you to either hate or love them. One thing I noticed is that Lee Sun-Kyun has played a similar role in All About My Wife (also a good one as well)
More please!
I would have loved to know more about Kim Young-Ok's character's story. Also, more exploration of Ye Ji-Won's character - she was hyper aware of her surroundings.
Honorable mentions: Kim Hee-Won for providing comic relief and Lee Sang-Yeob for his relationship with both Kim Hee Won and Lee Sun-Kyun. Jung Ji-Ahn, you go girl!
Would I re-watch?
Yes, especially as I patiently wait for Goblin episodes - lol.
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Acting:
The entire cast has played their role so well! This is evident in the amazing chemistry between all of them. Especially loved the two main leads. Not for a second did I ever think of them as Song Ji Hyo or Lee Sun Gyun. That's how immersed in this drama their acting made me.
Music:
Great songs overall and 2 I instantly fell in love with are- Mistake by Park Won & That Kind of Night by Urban Zakapa.
This was one of the best drama experiences of this year and I hope many many more people can enjoy it too. For all those people who're unsure if they should start this drama, please definitely give it a try. Whatever your views on cheating, I'm sure you'll discover something new about yourself and about the complexities of human relationships after watching this.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Promising Premise with a very weak ending (very light spoilers)
A rider. This series COULD be aimed primarily at female audiences. Thus, showing a weak hero within the premise might be satisfactory to some. Thus, IF you are a woman audience, you might find this drama interesting. This review might not be for you. However I did find the ending most disappointing. In fact it becomes disappointing much before midway. How and why so? Is it cos I am a male? I wouldn't like to think so, cos the philandering male is justly punished and that was satisfactory.Irrespective of however 'realistic' some might find the drama to be, in real terms any narrative has to fulfil the dramatic needs of drama mechanics. By which one makes a purchase into the drama. The premise is possibly the best part of this drama. A man discovers a message which seems to indicate a ticking time bomb in his otherwise perfect domestic life. It could be true. It could be a misinterpretation. This sets up a novel engrossing story engine which readily propels the narrative forward for at least the first four episodes. However, even in this, the male protagonist, essentially on whom the show is based, comes out as a whimpering pansy. Now, there's nothing to suggest a person CAN'T be a whimpering pansy and will NOT deserve the audience's sympathy. ONLY, such a person is rarely a protagonist. WHY? Cos for the audience to purchase into a tale, the protagonist, whether male or female, HAS to be proactive and willing to take on the curveball life or circumstance throws in his/her way and through that grow from it. This gives the person a character arc. We see this same arc being enacted in VIP, in The World of the Married, etc. You might not like the curveball sent your way, BUT you accept it for what it is and instead of pining for the past, grow, evolve into a better perspective, understanding, change of personal pattern and leaving the past behind, grow from it. None of this happens in this drama. It is essentially a tale of the person slinking back to a past in the future glossing over what happened. One might argue that he evolves to becoming more compassionate and attentive. BUT, an abrasive person becoming attentive and compassionate is a growth curve. A self indulgent wimp becoming 'attentive and compassionate' is degrading from one delusional self aggrandisement to another, without addressing the core factor of wimpiness/indecisiveness. Of being reactive to life instead of embracing change for all its pain and becoming proactive. in THIS factor the drama, despite its very promising set up, gloriously fails.
Most of the Korean Script writers are women. The characters tend to be nuanced and deep, the premise interesting and novel, the story non-linear, the drama involved and intense. The issue is, when the adulter is man, he's invariably cast away or lives to repent AFTER being divorced. In this same drama, the lead story, the guy finally ends up not being able to leave his cheating wife. BUT, if the adulterous one is woman, then the man either can't live without her or goes on to commit a greater crime. In one of the dramas, in the B story, when the guy is the adulter he ends up being discarded, divorced, penniless, repentant...you name it. Take MISTY as an example. I am left wondering, is this some nascent sexism which is evolving?
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I really liked how the show managed to balance the plot and depth of character between main and side characters. It tried to maintain a good balance between the heavy content and humour. And the depiction of netizens and the internet was especially powerful. In this age where technology is so rapid and people can just comment on whatever they want to, this drama shows the power of the rapid internet and how it can make or break a person in just several clicks.
Stellar performance from all actors especially Song Ji-hyo (imo). I'm more used to associating her with more bubbly roles but I feel like she couldn't have handled this character better. Overall it was a great watch!
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This review may contain spoilers
stay away from this drama
In a whirlwind of emotions, "My Wife’s Having an Affair This Week" managed to be painfully captivating, only to end in a train wreck of epic proportions. The journey through its tumultuous plot twists felt like being caught in a storm, with Episode 11 offering a glimmer of redemption. But alas, the finale slapped viewers with an open ending that left me wanting to hunt down the writer responsible.Episodic anticipation turned to bitter disillusionment as the show's closing moments unfolded. A simple ending was all that was needed – the wife realizing her mistakes, earnestly striving to earn back her shattered marriage. Instead, the creators cruelly chose to glorify her infidelity, crafting an ending that defied logic, morality, and basic storytelling sensibilities.
What baffles the most is the audacity to champion a narrative that essentially condones betrayal and deceit. The wife's brazen affair, coupled with her web of lies, painted a portrait of moral bankruptcy. And yet, in the eleventh hour, the husband's sudden dash towards forgiveness defies not only reason but also the emotional depth that the series initially promised.
It's a slap in the face to anyone who invested emotions and empathy into the characters. The show trudged through episodes of pain, anguish, and growth, only to discard its own internal logic for the sake of a cheap shock ending. It's as if the creators reveled in overturning the emotional journey they had carefully built.
The open ending, with its gaping lack of resolution, is an affront to storytelling integrity. The wife's despicable actions warranted a fitting conclusion that reflects real consequences. Instead, she's rewarded with a happy ending, leaving viewers questioning the moral compass of the narrative.
In the end, "My Wife’s Having an Affair This Week" betrayed the very essence of its narrative. It's an insult to those who value storytelling that respects character development and the consequences of one's actions. This isn't about a nuanced exploration of complex relationships; it's a travesty that glamourizes deceit and discounts the emotional investment of its audience.
What could have been a poignant portrayal of human frailty devolved into a glorification of betrayal. This show isn't a cautionary tale; it's a bitter taste of narrative manipulation that trivializes trust and commitment. In its final moments, it cemented itself as a masterclass in how not to conclude a story, leaving viewers like me questioning why we invested our time at all.
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I was emotionally attached?
One of the rare dramas which I was excited to keep watching and wanting more of even though it has ended. It explored the variation of love and infidelity among couples. The story didn't have perfect characters but flawed human beings which we all are. That truly helps people relate to situations. Only downside I would say is that this show somewhat has a main story and 2 side stories. One of which got somewhat repetitive and annoying at times, but I guess that was some of the comic relief. For me, a great show is a show which I only need to watch once because I was so engrossed into the story. It was clear and understanding. I would say it makes viewers empathetic towards all the characters which brings us in a rollercoaster of emotions.*Spoilers below?*
The entire beginning I had the same idea a the male lead in that he had the "perfect wife". As the show progressed and started to dive into with wife's struggle and most likely every other working wife/mother out in the world I start to have empathy towards her actions.
The ending of course was controversial but I still greatly enjoyed. Some people are saying it seemed unrealistic, but if you take a closer look at it, nothing was for certain. It was still left up to the viewers on if they got back together or not. Yes, he went to meet his ex-wife and it ends off there. They have options of "dating" again or even remarrying, but we aren't for sure. Yes, both leads still love each other, but it is always easier to forgive than to forget, especially for something like an affair. What both characters will never get back was how their lives were before and that will always be their struggle and the two of them will always have this burden.
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This review may contain spoilers
I loved the acting. Song Ji Hyo does crying scenes so well and I love Lee Sun Kyun, he is one of my favorite ahjussi actors. Even the side characters were great. I love Lee Sang Yeob from Running Man and he was just as funny and cute here. I loooved Kwon BoA who I didn't realize was THE BoA until I saw the cast!!! Kim Hee Won's character was trash but he played it so well! And Ye Ji Won is a queen! My favorite though was baby Kim Kang Hoon 🥺🥺
The characters were written really well. Very flawed and real.
The story was good up until the end where *spoiler* the main couple got divorced for no reason other than the wife wanted to because she felt guilty. And then just as it was shown that the husband was moving forward, they got back together? It felt like that was just added to stretch the story more, which was annoying. This drama already had fewer than usual episodes (12 instead of 16) and yet they needed to add fillers. It could have ended at episode 10. The side stories were awesome though! Ah Ra's revenge arc and Jun Young, Bo Yeong couple 👌🏻
The direction & production was so bad. I wouldn't have noticed it a few years back, but now I do notice such stuff and it felt like the directors and editors just could not decide which style they wanted to go with. They switched so many styles in a single scene that it got annoying.
Overall it was a good watch. Worth it for the life lessons and baby Joon Soo.
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No excuses for an affair
Rating this higher not because of the overall quality of the drama, but how it made me feel. Except last few mins and the over the top affair couple arc, the drama feels way too realistic wrt the introspection part.I still feel they did not try to justify the affair or make the husband the reason for such behaviour but made us understand why things ended up they the way they did. If only they let wife feel guilty the way husband expected in the beginning after she came down to the ground from the dream and avoided immediate happy ending, it would have been even better. I cannot digest the fact that wife did not get punished enough for her actions, hopefully her her gets to know about it in the future.
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