The Cost of Love

I normally don’t like love triangles but this one was a little different. This drama shows the cost of love when good friends are involved. You meet a man who captures your imagination only to find out that he’s the fiancée of your good friend. What do you do? The normal response would be to ignore him from that point forward and tell your friend, but love and destiny are unpredictable. One-night changes the lives of three people and a fourth one that is yet to be born. This is not a happy story where everybody rides off into the sunset, but it is an interesting story. The acting is fantastic. The story is gripping and hard to take at times.

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Lost Potential

When I saw the genres Romance and Medical together, I was all-in. The drama started out fairly strong. The idea of a married woman (FL) being treated like a slave by her husband (ML), children and mother-in-law was a little hard to swallow, but I knew eventually she would fight back. When I found out her husband had a second family and cheated on her for 17 years, I felt certain he would pay the price. So, we waited, and we waited. Eventually she did fight back, and I tried to feel better, but the creepy husband was still around trying to keep his wife a slave.

Finally, the handsome doctor that treated her liver arrives on the scene and you would think. Here comes the romance. So, we waited, and we waited. But alas, no romance. I probably could have overlooked the awkward attempt at romance if there was any. Two women, two men all interacting with each other, you would expect something to happen. But the story takes a couple bizarre turns and fizzles out into the middle of nowhere. It took 15 and a half episodes for the FL lead to say she never really saw herself with the liver doctor. You could have fooled me. After 15 episodes of the ML being a monster (even if it was an attempt at comedy), the story, as predicted, tried to redeem him. It didn’t work.

Have you ever watched a drama and the last two or three episodes just don’t make any sense? Well sadly Doctor Cha is one of those dramas. The only sliver of romance was between Doctor Cha’s son and his female boss. There was no romance between the leads, and the terrible ending ruined the entire potential of the story.

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Relationship Heaven

I was a fan of Season 1, but this season was head and shoulders above that. It was interesting and fun to watch with raw emotions on display. The women were beautiful and the guys were handsome making for interesting matchups. One woman did draw a lot of attention, like last season, which made for a very exciting and emotional ending. Strangely enough one of the women got very little attention which surprised me since she was beautiful and one of the nicest women there. In a sense that’s what made this season so interesting. You just never know what makes feelings grow in a person or who will be attracted to who.

I really like the format but it lacked the visual satisfaction of seeing an individual relationship grow. Every conversation and activity was G rated with feelings held in check until the end. But overall it was interesting and worth the time.

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Kudos to a great writer who wrote a love story just for me

The danger of this type of storyline is destroying the male lead beyond redemption. If you tear him down you have to build him back up to make the story work. I’ve always said that anything beyond the half way point is the danger zone. So many potentially great dramas have suffered this fate. I could name them but that’s not the point of this review. Let’s just say that this great writer Shang Ming Lu writes as if she’s watching her drama unfold in front of her eyes.

Somewhere around the halfway point the ML looks at the FL, who is sleeping, and says, “I like you”. This was an amazing release of tension that was building up in me. The point of change that you have to look for. It came with emotion and the understanding that things will be different. I wasn’t disappointed because a beautiful romance unfolded like a flower from this point forward.

It’s the kind of romance that makes you feel good and beg for more. A couple that stays together against all odds in total support of each other. It takes a good writer to accomplish this and still have drama filled with suspense and a great villain. It was a perfect romance filled with love and passion.

Yes, I’m a romantic, my MDL name shows that. This is the kind of story that I constantly search for. I’m sad that it’s over but happy that I had the opportunity to watch it.

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Human Emotions and the behavior they cause

I like to watch these kind of shows because they have a romance/relationship foundation. Four broken couples agree to go on a two week trip where they will date other people. This is supposed to repair the damage in their relationships. Am I the only one that thinks this idea is risky at best?

The first thing that happens is you get to meet the commentators. Four people that are openly routing for the original couples to leave holding hands and walking into the sunset. At times I wondered if the commentators were even watching the same show.

Three of the four men were openly aggressive and controlling with there original partners but nice to the women they dated. They loved to demonstrate how they could aggressively talk their significant other into a corner and make them squirm. For example the math professor who treated his woman like a math problem. I found myself routing for all three of these couples to break up. But unfortunately two of the three women usually came crawling back to their aggressive controllers apologizing in humble obedience. The third woman who seemed to stand her ground.

The fourth couple I openly routed for. The only thing holding them back was his pending two year military requirement. Life interjecting itself in between a beautiful couple.

So one person would go on a date and when they returned their partners were presented with pictures of the date which brought on a multitude of responses. You were smiling too much. Were you touching him? We’re you leaning on his shoulder? You look so happy, you were never that happy with me. On and on it went driving me crazy, but I couldn’t stop watching. Trust was stretched to the limit. Patience and tolerance was non-existent. The commentators never called out the three men for their aggressive behavior.

The couple that stood out in my mind was Tae Wan and Hye Yeon. When they drove up in the beginning he quickly demonstrated his controlling behavior. Throughout the two weeks he pressed her with hateful language and a disrespectful attitude. In one case Tae Wan decided to go out and interrupt his partner who was on a date with another man. The show gave him the opportunity to do that for some reason. The commentators thought this was so sweet of him. I’m screaming, “are you kidding me”. As I expected it didn’t go well. He barged in on the date and sat there with his arrogant smile. His significant other wouldn’t even look at him. You could almost see the anger bleeding off her. He acts this way because he knows he can. I was so proud of her for standing her ground. Then at a date between the two of them he poured out his “feelings” and shed a few tears? Much to my surprise that seemed to work. She finally came back declaring that she was the problem in their relationship, although I could clearly see that she wasn’t. I was so disappointed that she came to that conclusion.

They are all peachy now and she is back in his clutches. He pats her on the head like a dog. Then he caught her with a text from a male friend of hers. Not a bad text, just a text from a male friend. He did an immediate 180 and wanted to breakup. He had the leverage he was looking for. She eventually came back to him begging. The creepy smile he had on his face was almost too much to watch. He had her, but did they stay together?

So if you want the see raw human behavior at its finest this one is for you. Jealousy on steroids. Heartaches and emotional ups and downs. I couldn’t stop watching.

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Seo Hyun Jin at her finest

This may have been Seo Hyun Jin’s finest performance. Her portrayal of Oh Soo Jae, the top lawyer at the TK law firm, was flawless. There was mystery, suspense, excitement and some romance. You will be captivated by her blend of strength, beauty and intelligence. From the moment she walks on the screen until the last moment she is in total control.

She portrayed a strong female character from start to finish. I love watching strong female leads and she didn’t disappoint me in this fantastic drama. I was captured by her presence on screen and I was totally immersed in the story. Each episode had interest and excitement so the episodes flew by for me.

I’m a romance junkie and Seo Hyun Jin is one of the best in the business showing on-screen romantic chemistry. Some feel the romance was unnecessary, but I disagree. It blended her betrayal from a flawed marriage into hope for the future. Romance wasn’t the focus of this melodrama so it gave the viewer a feeling that some happiness can be found when the world is swirling around you in chaos.

The story of people in power taking advantage of people weaker than them was well constructed and left you with thought provoking moments. Is the concept overused? No concept is overused if the script is well written. In my opinion, this drama was a masterpiece.

I couldn’t stop watching which is a pleasant indicator that I’m watching something good.

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A romance twisted 180 mid script … into a disaster.

I hate to comment negatively about a script or storyline in a drama but I’m going to in this case. The twisted love triangle ending just didn’t work. Lea Kang Jae played by Shin Dong Wook has zero romantic chemistry in my opinion. Raphael, played by Sung Hoon, was a shown as a caring, kind loving man, who looked good with Woori, by the way, until they twisted him in the end. They even ruined the character of Oh Woo Ri, played nicely by Im Soo Hyang, by having her do a romantic 180 mid script. Since the drama was only 14 episodes it reeked of development issues which are usually handled with some sort of forced ending that never works out. The romance was terrible but it might have worked if they didn’t twist the ending. It’s almost laughable that Woori ends up with the guy who did everything he could to keep her from having the baby. I wonder if the actors were even happy with this twisted mixed up story.

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Great drama, Superb acting, Don’t Miss this one.

A beautiful fun show to watch. The story was easy to follow with side stories that fit in with the drama. Both the FL and the ML were great. Shin Min Ah’s portrayal of Joo Eun the overweight lawyer was perfect. The comedy was funny and there was enough emotion to go around. So Ji Sub was also great as Young Ho/John Kim. He performed a lot of difficult physical scenes that were all well done.

What I liked best about this drama was the romance. A beautiful on-screen romance between two adults. When the romance was committed they was no wavering on either side. I like that in a drama. The chemistry between the two was sweet and believable. The romance progressed in natural ways as the drama unfolded with the physical side of love. The journey through the difficult injuries was heart wrenching and emotional.

A great drama that will keep you watching. It held my attention for all 16 episodes which is not easy with me.

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A historical drama

If you’re looking for a historical drama with court politics and war then this is that and more. The thing that makes this drama interesting is the focus on one man, General Gye Baek, a powerful general that never loses a battle. He is bigger than life but unfortunately he makes decisions, as do most of the other characters, that just don’t make sense. The storyline has twists and turns that take characters in directions that a sane person would never take. However I must say, the story does have a certain draw that kept me watching.

The main problem with this one was the twisted and sometimes creepy relationships between the King, Gye Baek and the women in their lives. There was no real romance like the genre says, it was just strange interactions between two people of the opposite sex, with zero chemistry. Just when you think things have a least shown some normality the General does the unthinkable to his family in the end. Did the writer think that would bring some realism into the story? I didn’t care what happen to Gye Baek after that and it lessened the value of the entire drama to me. But, that’s just me.

A convoluted story with a strange appeal and a terrible ending. Very few, if any, happy moments.

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Couple matching with a twist

People looking for love (or money) try to couple up with another person looking for love (or money). If they succeed they get $10,000. The problem they face is that two real couples (called mafia) that are mixed in with the group. If they happen to pair up with a mafia person the mafia person gets the money. However, if a mafia person couples up with another mafia person they get nothing.

It sounds simple but it proved to be harder than they thought and truthfully much more entertaining for the viewer. They even get one chance to eliminate people, hopefully the mafia people, but even that can be difficult. The one episode series was not quite 2 hours long and it was fun to watch. There were areas that could be tweaked to make it a little more entertaining and I would liked to have seen a secret vote on the people suspected of being mafia.

There wasn’t much time to get to know the people but it was enough to to bring suspense to the reveal of the pairings. I was surprised by some of the reveals. So if you like this sort of thing, as I do, give it a try.

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From A Short Romantic Drama into the Penthouse

I hesitated on writing a review on this one because it was like a short romantic novel. However the romantic side of me couldn’t resist. In Young married Yoon Soo to have a place to live, he married her for revenge. Neither of them married for love but both of them found love. That should have been the deciding factor and I was happy to see that love prevailed. I sure didn’t feel sorry for Chan Hee. Some mistakes you can never come back from.

I think Jo Soo Min did an excellent job. You can tell she has plenty of acting experience. She is good at displaying emotions and seems to float through the difficult emotional scenes. When it came to the kissing and touching parts she seemed a little awkward. As I’ve said so many times, romance, aka romantic chemistry, is sealed with a kiss. She needs to learn that it’s ok to move your lips when you kiss. Her future is wide open as she steps into the Penthouse…

This is a cute, easy to watch drama give it a try.

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Love or Friendship?

You can read my profile and know that I would like this reality series. It was all about finding romance and how to win the affection of the person you like. The time line was a little short to get to know each other and make a decision on how you feel about a person. However, I thought the concept of choosing who you liked and who you wanted to go to Paradise was unique and interesting. In the end it worked, sort of.

As you watch you immediately find yourself picking who you like. I did that but changed my mind during the 8 days on the island. Other than seeing them eat and talk a little bit, we didn’t see much of them in Paradise so it was definitely G-rated. The only kiss in 8 days was a tiny peck on a cheek. So, it leaves you a little confused but you do see relationship form. How long they will last who knows. Maybe we’ll find out in Season 2.

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An unbreakable romance and a well written story. Love at it’s best.

One of the best romantic comedies I’ve ever experienced. It had drama that will move your senses and romance that will warm your heart. They threw in a sneaky ending to give you a little romantic suspense and it made the drama perfect. The mix of Park Gyu Young as Kim Da Li, the Curator of an art gallery, with Kim Min Jae as Jin Mo Hak, the managing director of a restaurant chain, was priceless. People from two different worlds falling into a love that held together and shined like all the stars in the sky. They shared a romantic chemistry and an unbreakable love. You don’t see that often in dramas and when you do it’s beautiful.

The acting was what made this story great. The comedy was funny and didn’t interfere with the beauty of what was unfolding in the drama. The side stories were interesting and brought meaning to the main plot.

I could step through what I liked but the problem is, I liked everything. If you like romance, this is a gem. This is a fantastic and well written drama that is worth your time.

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Melancholy romance, Parental control/abuse

A strange drama from start to finish. I can understand why it might get bad reviews because if you skip any of it you will definitely get lost. It feels like someone had a book of parables and wrote a script from it. Overall it wasn’t so bad although it had plenty of holes in the plot. There wasn’t a good ending which I don’t like. In fact, I didn’t understand the ending even after watching it twice. It was just horrible. The romance was morose and unrewarding. Needless parental control and abuse was front and center. However, above all that the acting was good, keeping in mind they don’t write the script.

The concept that breaking up is a necessity of life is ridiculous. Breaking up is a choice you make and live with the consequences or somebody else makes and you live with the aftermath. In this drama she did the breaking up and could care less about the consequences. He lived with the aftermath because he had no choice.

Most of the drama was spent talking about breaking up.

In the story she meets him at the airport and he looks hopeful, but she doesn’t go with him to Paris even though he asked her many times. They are officially broken up. She professes her love for him and thanks him for all his wasted effort. Then leaves to do her thing. When she gets home she comes up with this thought (parable): “Sadness comes by for a short while and loneliness brushes by like the wind in your life.” (Who comes up with this stuff?) I guess breaking up didn’t make her feel too bad.

She goes back and completes her resignation from The One. As she leaves she has these final thoughts: “I met someone, I loved someone, but we just can’t be together. That love has made a path and I walk down that path with love. The love that will come true. The love that will last forever. This is what those are.”
Omg, Really? That’s the way you feel after breaking up with someone you love?

I truly believe in the choices we make in life and the path that faces us because of those choices. However, you have to be smart enough to realize that each choice you make may lead you down a path that you really didn’t have to take to begin with.

The parental control issue, which by nature manifests itself into parental abuse was a little over the top. Young Eun is a 38 year old professional with a career and a good income. Her mother is a controlling, psychotic person that could care less about her daughter’s happiness and hates her husband. What right does she have to tell her daughter anything. Giving birth doesn’t give ownership. I realize the Korean society is different than what I’m used to, but it is 2021 in this drama. Young Eun was able to help everyone in the drama with her great insight on life but she can’t help herself by telling her mother to mind her own business? Jae Gook’s mother was every bit as bad. She’s not even Jae Gook’s biological mother but that doesn’t stop her from being a hateful controlling woman. Forgive me, but parental control/abuse has always been one of my least favorite aspects of KDramas, although I’m doing my best to get used to it.

The romance was awkward most of the time. The facial expressions were there but something was missing from the one on one chemistry. Maybe it was because she couldn’t think about anything other than breaking up. It’s really not their fault, the script was as strange as it gets. For example you love someone you have to leave them? What kind of creativity is that? The last time I heard that was in Record of Youth which was another strange drama.

In closing, I followed every word in this drama. If I misunderstood anything forgive me. My opinions are just that, mine and mine alone. I want to say that I liked the story concept which is the reason I didn’t rate it lower. Why couldn’t they come up with a better ending? Who even starts a script that has that kind of closure? Did they think it was thought provoking and insightful? Who knows, give it a try and tell me what you think.

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