All that glitters is not gold.
"Beautiful and splendid show window... It's open for everyone to see, but once the spotlights go out and the curtains are drawn, no one can ever know what's going on inside." ~ A minor character from the drama said this.In a world where people care about the vaunting virtue more than one's inner beauty, we have developed ways to showcase what we wish to swank about. But what happens behind the walls, is always more than the alluring self, which most of us don't bother to care about. Show window is one of the most effective way in that regards but little do we know about the camouflaged matters that can either ruin us or shape us for good.
As you already know, this is a makjang, undoubtedly with toxic elements and nerve-racking characters in it. The question should be, "is this worth checking out?" . Well, yes, in my opinion, I would send you a positive nod. It's not something sort of a must watch but if you're fond of the genre, it surely is an enjoyable watch.
I will tell you a simple plotline, differently from the synopsis given everywhere. There is a happy family of four people and one day the husband is caught cheating on the wife. The wife scared of hurting her children by separating from her husband, pushes herself to save the family and simultaneously tries to get rid of the third person. The husband with high ambitions to own his mother-in-law's company doesn't wanna leave his family, nor does he want to abandon his extramarital lover. The story leads towards the unveiling the husband's true self and establish harmony.
This sounds very simple and typical, right? Well because, it is an usual Kdrama makjang storyline with cliché elements but not to spoil the actual plot, the way of occurrence, screenplay and execution are different from what you'll be able to perceive from the above paragraph. And that's why it's a good watch and to mention, it's for those who are into mild makjang stories accompanied by corporate thrillers, i. e. fight for power and hierarchy.
Song Yoon Ah as Han Sun Joo is considered the Queen who has achieved perfection from every aspect and is ideal to many women; born into a wealthy family, she can pull on anything and marries to a capable & devoted man, now having a loving family. Lee Sung Jae as Shin Myung Seop is a highly ambitious man who with his dedication plus wife's support has been able to climb the hierarchial ladder in Lahen group that belongs to his mother in law. Jeon So Min as Yoon Mi Ra is a lady deprived of love and seeks constant attention from the one she loves. She falls for Myung Sup and they immediately get into a mutually reciprocating relationship. Hwang Chan Sung as Han Jung Won is a warm-hearted guy who loves his sister Sun Joo and despite being slow-witted, knows how to deal with situations.
Some other good actors in major roles are: Moon Hee Kyung (Kim Kang Im) as Sun Joo's mother & Lahen's chairperson, Kim Sung Soo (Cha Young Hoon) as Sun Joo's close friend, Kim Byung Ok (Kim Dae Wook) as the Chief Detective. Shin Yi Joon (Shin Tae Hee) and Park Sang Hoon (Shin Tae Yong) play the children of Sun Joo and Myung Sup.
Only the above mentioned 9 characters are of essence while some others in major characters didn't show any sort of notable acting, in fact, many of the characters, to me, felt very unnecessary fillers. They weren't required for the story; especially all of the residents of the town residency complex who were there to just gossip and even so, the amount of gossiping was absolutely useless for a drama.
I have mixed opinions about the plot development of this drama; it is both good and bad, not both at the same, obviously. The first episode, as an introductory wasn't that impressive but as usual, I decided not to judge it that soon. But what I was already loving was the way initial base of the story was being established as the episodes furthered. The screenplay is gripping, intensively appealing and definitely something catchy. But then there's a leap which is not distinctly shown but yeah, things somehow change and there starts another mood of the drama. It becomes even more interesting and makes you expect, which lasts for about next 2 episodes. And that's when the show starts going downhill.
Well, it doesn't really turn bad or suddenly becomes uninteresting but they start attempting to exaggerate the plot to an extent and while doing that, they include some awfully unnecessary elements and morever, they repeat some of them which was clearly visible. What saved it from a probable backlash was the fact that tbe quality starts degrading much later the interval, which in my opinion is a key time period to evaluate a show, hence, I've tried to reflect it through my ratings.
I am very surprised to have come to know that the makers of the drama are both rookies. Not sure if they've worked as assistants before but this definitely seems to be their creation as frontline director and writer and they've undoubtedly done a very commendable job given their experiences. The drama isn't something very wowish but it was surely a decent watch even when you're not into makjangs. The direction was up to par, starting from screenplay management, synchronising various time scales, screen-editing were taken care of very well. The pacing wasn't consistent after 10th episode, still manageable. The cinematography was surely good; the dark yet flashy pallettes with momentary yellow as well as natural delineations were persuading. The writing was lacking, it was a good plot but progression was not well executed. But given that both the director and writer have debuted through this, this is quite well-delivered, no?
OSTs are composed by Kim Jong Chun and I must say all of them are catchy and captivating at the same time. There are total 7 tracks. My most favourite is "Hello' by Hickee which is the main theme song and is very intriguing. It followed by "Heaven Made" by Elsie Bay which was soothing and tragic at the same time, demanding escape towards happiness. The vocals of Ha Domg Qn in "Cry me a river" gave me goosebumps. "Fallin' by HARU, "just myself" by Kim Dong Hee, "Why i cry" Sin Ye Young and "Tears" by Onestar are the other ones which are quite likable and beautifully written as well as composed.
What I liked...
# Despite having a typical story, the screenplay was engaging and entertaining.
# The performance from the main cast was stupendous as they're old and immensely experienced, except Chan Sung and So Min. Well, they weren't that good but did a decent delivery.
# The drama not being a complete makjang. The simultaneous power fight was intriguing tho that plot went downhill and became repetitive in the 2nd half
# The kids not being typical makjang stupidass spoiled brats.
# The portrayal of present scenario in the beginning and ending of each episode and using it to unfold the past through detailed storytelling.
What I didn't like...
# So many unnecessary supporting characters as fillers and their extended scenes just to fill the 16 eps quota.
# The decent plot development that goes downhill starting from 10th episode. The pacing was still okay yet repetitive. They had many instances to finish the drama with a clear-cut ending, but duh!
# Underutilization of Chan Sung and Seung Soo. Their characters didn't have the impressive dynamics that I was expecting. Chang Sung is improving with dramas but Seung Soo is more than just skilled.
# Not to spoil, the thing involving both Jungwon and Mira could have lasted longer with some stirring outcomes but it felt like there was no need if it were gonna be that simple.
# So many kisses, haha. I'm not genophobic or against inclusion of explicit contents but the first half of the show has so many unnecessary making out scenes.
Final remarks.... Show Window 2021-22 isn't really a good show with intriguing plot, star-studded cast and amazing execution but given it's genre, for me, it was an enjoyable and entertaining watch with fabulous performance though the final delivery was average and wasn't pleasing. A fair one time watch.
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Underwhelming
Calling this drama underwhelming is an understatement. I can't express how disappointed I am with this drama..A rich female lead, a money hungry cheating husband, a psychotic mistress, a loyal brother.. Well it definitely had all the right characters and basic plot to make it a perfect drama.. But sadly it lacks a good writer. The plot had so much potential but was executed terribly. It feels like the narrative is being told to maximise tension for the viewer, rather than playing out in a naturalistic way. The more one sees the main characters, the less appealing they become. Female lead is so weak that it will infuriate you. The fact that she is a heiress and can do nothing but watch as her penniless cheating husband keeps a mistress and is trying to take over her company is so crazy. Her husband is gullible and not even that smart (except on few occasions) and this makes the fl's character even more weak. The mistress on the other hand is the most powerful character in the entire drama. She is strong, revengeful and does anything and everything to get what she wants. Now coming to the fl's brother, he is fiercely loyal to his sister but somehow his character is kind of dull and not used to it's full potential. He tries but never truly rises to the occasion. Well atleast his character does better than the fl. Throughout the drama you will keep thinking the revenge and mindgames will start now but nothing really happens which will frustrate you further. By the end of the drama it’s hard to not think that the plot resolution is a bit, well…silly and convenient. The mistress is both the villainess and the heroine towards the end. It's like she is the only one who is taking action throughout. If there are any penthouse fans I suggest you stay away from this drama(esp if you are expecting the wife to rise to the occasion and become smart like shim soo ryun).Now coming to the acting part, I think all the actors did well which was the main reason I could keep going on. In fact I think this must be Jeon somi's career best performance.. Her acting was brilliant. OST of the drama was good.. Watch this drama limiting your expectations then you might enjoy it.
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Had the potential but got ruined
My rating went from 10 to 7.5 after the last 2 episodes.It went from being The Penthouse material to getting thrown down the dumpster.
What moral of the story are they getting at? That its Sun Joo and Mira's fault for being too materialistic and always showing off with the newest high heels, and that they changed and became normal by wearing comfortable shoes??
I had high expectations for this drama, I'm disappointed. I thought if it won't be as good as The Penthouse then it could at least be as good as High Class but damn was I wrong
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lazy
Low effort makjang. A random makjang drama from early 2000s would make a better watch than whatever this was. One of the most crucial elements in makjang is creating tension and this one kept failing in that regard. The tiny teasers at the beginning and end of every episode were nothing but cheap tacky fillers.Was this review helpful to you?
"Marriage is war without guns"
Angsty domestic drama doesn't get any better than this. I loved how this was able to deliver jaw dropping twists and capital D drama while also providing the audience nuanced characters and enthrallingly thorny, complex relationships. You also get excellent SKY Castle-esque social commentary about how soul destroying it can be to have to constantly maintain the facade of perfection, the "show window" life.I would feel shock and excitement but at the same time each character's behavior was always understandable given their psychological make up and background. Since the characters remain in constant forced proximity at home and work and can't just switch off their emotional and logistical ties to each other no matter how badly things go awry, so many scenes crackle with tension. The dialogue is sophisticated and clever but what remains unsaid as the leads try to retain some element of public decorum is also powerful. Even the corporate maneuvering is riveting.
I loved everything about this and can't recommend it highly enough.
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Not a New Story, but a Different Story
I agree that there are a lot of Kdramas about betrayal, but "Show Window: The Queen's House" tries to tell you a different story.It tells the story of a family that other people think they are happy cause they show themselves happy, but in fact, they aren't.
This drama shows a couple that the woman sacrifices herself for her family to be happy, but his husband is selfish and he just pays attention to himself. He tries to be the leader of the Lareine Group and he's not afraid of doing anything. Although he tries to show that he is the best father and husband!
On the other hand, Youn Mi Ra is a woman that experienced a lot of problems in her life. She wants to find true love with this man. She does everything to achieve him.
On the whole, I enjoyed watching "Show Window: The Queen's House". All of the actors and actresses played great. Also, its great story made me eager for each episode until the end cause I wanted to know what will happen next.
Through this drama, I've learned I should be aware of what I do in my life cause it can have negative effects on other people's life.
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This review may contain spoilers
Pat & Mat
The one who caused the most problems was the FL herself, acting like Pat & Mat(if you see this stop-motion animated series)If you like this animation or if you think that a dog Goes around to looking for its tail, It is funny, So you should see this drama!!
Talk and talk, About the game of chess,
They want to refer to attack and counter-attack and intellectual game in some way, But nothing is seen from the FL.
From the beginning to the middle, the FL's Mother tells about her son-in-law's betrayal, Again, nothing is seen and she talks about it without evidence.
And she gets sick just when she has to go to the hospital because the writer needs it.
From the first until the end all actions of FL is meaningless.
The very meaningless action she did in episodes 6 and 7,
After realizing that mistress had deceived her brother,
Why did she bring her to the next house? And remained silent
Despite the fact that her brother will be hit hard by this
Having a remarriage party, which was very pointless and provoked the mistress and Husband, and what happened this night.
The murder document(the knife) was right in front of her and mistress was alive and they could hand him over to the police
But she did not use it and plotted to kill her husband.
Why Killing him?!!
we see in many drama very very bad guy but eventually all say forgive him or they maybe after much hard work to collect evidence to apprehend, send him to court.
But why here immediately want to kill him!!?
.
.
.
But do not get me wrong, as I said at the beginning,
if you like that cartoon and funny dog, So be sure to watch it.
This drama is entertaining,
But know that all FL's doing is meaningless and is Just to move the story forward.
As the first work, the writer and director were not bad and showed that they are talented, but their work was very flawed and not cooked at all.
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This review may contain spoilers
Another cheating drama trope
Let's face it, themes like these are all too common in kdramas these days. And while it may seem to be the same old, same old; there is still something about these dramas that make me want to see it through until the end. (Despite the flaws)Casting wise, this is my first time seeing the ML and FLs. The mistress does a good job of making you hate her character that sometimes I want to slap her silly. The ML, doesn't seem to fit the typical ML mould. He doesn't have that strong of an impact for me. The character reminds me of my sister in law's personality. Greedy to the max
The extra characters, nosy neighbors???? Very poor acting. What is it with that woman who gets physically abused and yet acts as if it is a normal thing??? Their poor attempts to add a lighter note to the drama by providing "comedic" relief is laughable, and not in a good way. I know that there are always these extra characters every time, but this group does nothing for the drama and are better written off.
P.S. The only thing I admire in these chaebol lives is their houses. The setting and interiors are almost always really unique.
So, if you are into these type of dramas, you can give this a go and hopefully not fall asleep.
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#ShowWindow- The Queen's house....just go for it.
Episode by Episode this drama is raising my standards high for the drama. I started watching for Chansung, but the plot is so compelling that I can't stop watching. The OST is highlight to the drama. BGM actually setting the mood. There are numerous intriguing aspects to it that make us want to learn more about the individuals' true personalities. So, while so min is attractive and capable, why does she feel the need to lure a married man? Is there a particular explanation for this? Sung jae may have married the most gorgeous, wealthy, and compassionate woman in the world, so why is he having an affair with So min simply because she is young and attractive? Though they appear to be enjoying their alone time, they do not appear to be totally content. I'm looking forward to seeing how the plot develops in the following episodes.. Not just the plot and actors acting , their outfits are also Charming.Was this review helpful to you?
