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Lia

Under the blankets

Lia

Under the blankets
Forest korean drama review
Completed
Forest
9 people found this review helpful
by Lia
May 20, 2020
32 of 32 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 4.5
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers
It's actually been a while since I finished the drama. Started it when it was airing... And couldn't bear to keep watching the debacle that it was.
Going through the reviews, it was shocking to me how many people enjoyed it. And I can see the visual appeal, for all its faults the drama is gorgeous. I didn't search for the place the drama was shot - because everything surrounding this watching experience is downright traumatic at this point - but it really is stunning. The synopsis was also quite interesting and promising. The story was simply not what we had been expecting.

First off, so many things were unrealistic. The Main Lead, for example, is supposed to be CEO (from what I remember) and becomes a firefighter while still having the same responsibilities ? I get that Miryeong was part of his new project but that doesn't mean he has the time to have an entire other job, right ? Speaking of the Miryeong Project, it seemed only very briefly explained for the major part of the drama, when it was the main point of the story. Worse, the main character put everything on the line for it, when he didn't himself know what they were after - the discovery comes much, much later on in the story. But maybe that's just me not remembering correctly, I'll let it slide.
Aside from that, throughout the entire drama, plotlines were dropped and picked up episodes later, when we have forgotten why it's important in the first place. If it is that essential to the situation, why not show it to the viewer ? Instead, it was put to the side for when there might be a use to it, it felt very unnatural to watch.
Not to mention the introduction of new characters we are expected to care for in the last part of the story. Characters who were essential to the story. The main reason San Hyuk was bearing a trauma was the death of his sister. We learned that in the last episodes. Instead of being uncovered gradually, the trauma plot line was dropped for a while and came back for the last part. Does it sound terrible to you ? Because it is.

Let's move on to the characters. Which, for the most part, were majorly dislikable. I don't remember being particularly impressed by the acting, but it's been a while so I won't say anything about that.
I found both of the leads very prideful and pretentious. Young Jae was at times completely dismissive of other people's feelings, or traumas. San Hyuk was appallingly manipulative throughout the whole story, put his business project before anything else ; and stayed that way until maybe the very end of the drama. The whole purpose of this kind of story is to show the character's evolution, their thought process slowly shifting. We didn't get that, and it's a pity because it would have made a huge impact on the story.
Doctor Park - who worked at Miryeong hospital - was despicable, continuously refused to treat his patients, was filled with jealousy towards Young Jae and treated her badly for, well, basically being there.
The two likable characters would be Oh Bo Mi and Choi Chang. From what I remember their story line was cute, and it was a much needed breath of fresh air in the drama.

Finally, we come to the last episodes. Where their traumas simply disappear and are never heard of again. Granted, I don't work in the medical field. I'm just, you know, an average educated citizen who knows that psychology doesn't work that way. Facing your trauma doesn't mean it will magically disappear in a day. It takes work, effort, and a lot of patience. And even in the best case scenario, you would still have traces of it. They threw logic out of the window to prioritize the rebirth idea, which can work fine for other viewers, I understand that completely, but it honestly pissed me off.

I'll end with the one positive thing about the drama - aside from the seriously stunning scenery. The OST was quite nice, and I applaud the artists involved for uplifting the drama a bit. I only remember the main track if I'm being honest, but I'll just do myself a favor and presume the whole track list was fire.

I understand people wanting to give it a go, and there are a lot who seem to be enjoying it so it's a matter of opinion I guess. To me it was unbearable, the same way another drama I enjoyed would be terrible to someone else. What I can recommend, though, is that you give it a try and if you feel it's not your thing, then it's okay, you can just move on to another story which will be much more compelling to you.
I also applaud the co-watchers who were in as much pain as I was. Their comments were gold, and maybe the reason why I stuck with this drama.
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