Relationships meltdown

While the drama is literally titled 'cheating spouse', it is more than just about infidelity. At the heart of the drama, it is about unhealthy relationships where there is a lot of love present. So rather than putting boundaries, confronting issues and taking accountability, much of it is swept under the carpet because of love. Once it crosses a point of no return, these characters are forced to confront the choices they made and the actions they took that also led to the demise of the marriages and relationships.
It was nuts but every episode had plot; there was never a dull moment! The characters were all surprisingly well written -- they were crazy but these felt like real people. These included the minor characters as well as the second leads. They all had depth and did act well. Everything is over the top in this drama and so are the characters and situations. Ultimately, the drama shows great examples of toxic relationships. Many of the characters actually grow while some just spiral out in crazy way. Definitely an engaging watch.

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I have no idea why I kept watching

This was not a revenge drama. Instead, it is about a dysfunctional family at its core. People who are selfish, ruthless and place a good deal importance on ambition.
Gemma was one of the lamest female lead I have seen. All she did was act like a teenager with a temper tauntrum. While she ranted and raved about 'revenge', she was in many ways just like her selfish parents. She also didn't really get her revenge at all and others instead did the work. Along the way, everyone she used, including hopping into fake/real relationship with three men, were magically onboard with poor old Gemma and no one was angry with her. Even though she was like a bad hurricane that just created havoc with her emotional yo-yo, characters still felt for Gemma -- but most of the viewers did not.
The drama was weirdly watchable mainly because of the veteran actors who really essayed a couple who both hate and love each other. For some 30 odd years, their relationship status has been "complicated". The star of the drama ends up being a late entry -- stepson Ju Hyung -- who had some hilariously witty caustic lines.
So if you are looking to see a drama about a dysfunctional family tearing each other apart, secrets coming out after years and cold ruthless people finally getting broken -- this is your drama.
There were some interesting questions and themes but it never really got fully explored. The main point of the writer seems to be -- unbridled ambition and greed can be devastating and the chickens will come to roost even if years later. The choices you make may come back to haunt you years later. Anger leads to more anger and revenge just creates more revenge. Better if people just communicate.
So fair warning to anyone thinking of watching -- it starts off interesting and then.... you have no idea why keep watching.

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Is it worth watching if you have seen the original kdrama version and loved that one? Yes! Some of the remakes in Lakorns often have this uneven feel especially in the beginning. It feels like the actors are trying to copy the original, the situations don't seem to quite fit and feel foreign.

However, here, the actors did a great job in taking the characters and filling it with their own energy. Also, the PD did a good job in adapting parts of the story to give it a more Thai flavour so it doesn't feel foreign. A good example would be using a cave tunnel instead of abandoned subway tunnel. A cave tunnel fits in with the natural geography and makes sense. So little details like that. This version had a really provincial feel to it as the PD used the backdrop of the province really well to set the mood. The main villains were creepy and you were rooting for our police to catch them and bring them to justice.

While it is not Choi Jin Hyuk warmth, the main lead Top did a good job giving an ordinary relatable feel to his character with splashes of humour. The other two leads, Johnny and Morakot interpreted the characters in a slightly different way but it was more accessible to me than in the kdrama version. Rather than cold, the two characters came across as reserved and also vulnerable. Instead of a subtle barely hinted romance, this version was fun as you see a budding romance which leads to some good laughs. Thanthai is quite taken with Danika and it is very obvious from the way he looks at her a little longer than necessary. At her end, she is aware and is also interested in him. Enjoyed the spots of humour that arose especially from the little romance.

So if you haven't seen the kdrama Tunnel in a while, then this version is a good watch. It is not often remakes are good enough to stand on their own. :)

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Such a load of laughs even when I re-watched. What makes this drama is really Anne's interpretation of the character Alin. Under an inferior actress, Alin would have come across as spoiled and annoyed but Anne made Alin a charming character who was hilariously vain as well as a feisty princess who could rescue herself. Alin had some of the funniest one liners and approach to any situation. How can you not laugh when Alin moans about her age and not having a scandal when younger actresses have divorced and moved on to another affair?

Under an inferior actor, the character of Din would have been a shadow in comparison to Alin but Ken brought a sweetness along with a vulnerability. We see a sweet man who is passionate and driven as a chef but struggles with feeling like he is not enough because of his background. It is fun to see him both charmed by Alin and taking a strong hand while dealing with her tantrums. While soft spoken, he cannot be pushed by Alin's tantrums and is the perfect foil for her flightiness. He grounds her while she makes him laugh despite himself.

The love story happens in small steps as they get to know each other and it is both funny and sweet on how they learn to appreciate each other. What I really enjoyed is the idea of love vs perfection. Do you love someone who is perfect? Or someone who is imperfect but becomes perfect for you as you love them? What happens to your wish list when you find the perfect person is not that perfect at all? What happens to your wish list when a good man doesn't quite fit your requirements? The drama stands out as it explores these real life questions in a fun, quirky manner. A hilarious gem!

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Omo, the chemistry, omo! So there are parts of the story that makes no sense but you are so entranced by the chemistry between the two characters and their love story that you can ignore all those illogical plot holes. Who cares about a lapse in logic when these two gaze at each other with such bubbling passion? As it is set in the 50's, you not only have great costumes but these lovely romantic moments where these two dance. As the music swirls, the moon hangs full in the night sky, the waves roll by and these two dance to the faint lullaby of a gramophone on the beach -- absolutely romantic! There is a Romeo-Juliet vibe as the leads find out that their families really hate each other. There is a lot of business wrangling over bird nests but it is really the characters, sets and costumes that shine. Loved that the director chose to use more period-style music which gives the drama a vibe of a setting further in time.

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A nice laidback family drama gem

So this isn't one of those dramas where there is a lot of plot that happens -- by that I mean, some overarching drama plot like revenge from an event 30 years ago. Instead, it just shows two familes with adults blending together to become one large family. In the process, many of the relationships are strengthened and characters are better shaped. Many of the conflicts and feelings were very realistic but at the same, it wasn't depressing to watch. It was a perfect watch for these pandemic times. Would highly recommend for those looking for something to watch with multiple generations.

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First time I watched this drama I was in a rather depressed mood but the first four episodes had me rolling in laughter. It was a great family drama filled with characters that were funny and quirky and yet still real and grounded. Their reactions made you laugh as well as cheer them on in their journeys. The comedy was balanced by heart warming moments that made you really like these characters. It is the kind of drama you watch when you want to relax and want something to pick you up. For fans of Ji Chang Wook, he has a smaller role as a younger brother but it was sweet to see the character's journey as he matures and becomes an adult. This was one of his early dramas where he first got noticed and started to get CFs.

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Not your typical lakorn - maybe a good fit for those find lakorns a bit strange

Lakorns have a certain unique flavour. For those of us who have watched a few, we expect certain elements -- over the top dramatic, silly, a bit flaky and at times really cheesy. Not that these are bad things but they are absurdly entertaining when done right. We don't typically sit and watch lakorn for deep characters or writing (or at least I don't! LOL). There will be random screamer characters whose sole job is to take up space and fill up time so that the lakorn is 1.5 hours. Usually these are the servant or side characters. There will be scowling bushy-eyed characters whose sole job is to huff and puff and create havoc on the main leads. They might throw in a few slaps and maybe some juice or water around. There will be random kisses and falls leading to kisses just cause the director needs to fulfill the romance quotient for the audience. Then randomly, the characters will take a field trip to rural Thailand somewhere in a forest where the main leads will dress in traditional clothes and live in rustic environment just ..... cause? hahhahahah... you get the picture right? We are used to seeing such tropes that it took me aback to not find any of these typical elements in this lakorn LOL.

Overall impressions -- What is different? The plot itself was a bit different. When I read soul swap, I usually think of comedy dramas. Here, the writer has chosen for a very different approach. It really explored the confusion, hurt and turmoil that such an event would cause in not only the two guys but those around them. So the feel of the drama is consistently melodramatic. If you had to sum up the drama, it would be this piece of dialogue that stood out to me -- "Do you think you can take someone else's life just because you are unhappy with yours? Is it a good idea to waste your life just because you weren't loved? You get to decide where your life takes you, not other people... "

Pluses -- The writing and pacing is top notch. The twists and turns keep coming and the audience gets taken for a ride just as the characters. None of them act so stupid that you want to slap them through the screen. Instead, the characters act as per their growth and sketch. At times, the writing was really honest and meaningful where the characters are open about the havoc this event has caused. The acting was excellent and not a single actor did a bad job. Even the side characters and villains who I normally side eye brought their A game to the emotional scenes.

Background music was fantastic and they fitted the mood and brought out the emotions more. . Lighting was absolutely superb and I loved the director use of natural sunlight. Everything looked so beautiful during the day. The sets were amazing. They chose really beautiful properties to film in and the decors were great.

Minuses -- While the music was great, I thought editing of the music could have been better. There were certain abrupt transitions. The ending! So I didn't hate the ending but I didn't love it either. I like it but practical part of me was like "okaaaaaay... how will this work out? I don't get it." But that didn't take away from the feeling that I liked the lakorn overall and had fun watching it.

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Surprisingly good! Since it is a daily drama, it can be too much to binge watch but it is great viewing experience if you are just watching few episodes a time or one a day. The drama surprised me especially as it neared the end as the villain's journey became very interesting. It was unexpected and actually quite moving as you see her change, evolve and accept the mistakes she made.

The drama's title is "I'm also a mother" and it explores different facets of motherhood. Women who resent their mothers, who don't want to be mothers, who feel compelled to be mothers by societal pressure, who want children but cannot have, who are not sure if they want to raise a child with a partner, who have lost a child, who have broken their relationship with their child, who have fostered a child... The drama covers both good, bad and okay mothers and the different journeys these women take. Didn't expect to enjoy the drama but I really did. Worth a watch and it has got some good OST for a daily drama.

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No comparison to the original - this is just bad

I loved the original and was really looking forward to this. Initial episodes stuck close to the original and then just went off on its own strange track. The female came across as a diabolical, conniving, materialistic, selfish woman and I had more sympathy for the villains. The second lead was sort of interesting in the beginning and then later came across as entitled and utter brat.

There was so much drama off-screen as well. The main male lead quit and was written off. So was the second female lead. The PD changed and at one point, additional writer was brought in. The writer threatened to quit but then stuck on and said would work with production. The second male lead became the main lead. The ratings reflect the mess.

It got so boring that I dropped it halfway through. I know several other daily drama regular viewers who have stopped watching as well and called it the worst daily they have encountered. If I could, I would rate this less than 1 star but that is the lowest you can give.

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One of the first kdramas that I watched. At the time, it had 40%+ ratings!!!! Perhaps, it was a reflection of the hard economy at the time, so the drama deals with the fallout of losing all your wealth and starting over. Despite the financial difficulties and back stabbing, there is a cheerful, fighting spirit to the characters which makes the drama endearing. This is the sort of drama that you watch during a bad day and you feel encouraged. Both Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara are not that polished as this was one of their first dramas and it was a hit! The chemistry is endearing as the situations are unexpected and unique in many ways. Have seen many dramas over the years but some of the reactions & scenes ehre have not been copied. They have a fun, cute chemistry here and they reunited years later in Fated to Love you.

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Fluffy and funny but with hidden depth -- some unique real life themes

I rewatch the drama after several years and it was a fun ride. 

It was interesting to watch the drama's theme especially in today's social media context where things happen even more quickly:
- How are images constructed and how a single event can drop the person's influencer status.
- How someone can go from the height of popularity to being the bottom of the pile.
One thing the drama didn't delve too much is why the general public are so mean over social media. We see the people making terrible comments turning out to be very ordinary folks and mostly teenagers. However, what is that drives people to log in and make awful comments directly? It is one thing to be critical of a drama but another to personally attack the actor; but that is today's audience. Why do we struggle with drawing a line and what should be government policy? Should there be better guidelines? How should guidelines be implemented? Is the platform responsible for those making comments? Can those running the platforms be held criminally responsible? (Not to bore people but these are real policy questions and debated by IT ministry and policy makers in my place.) So those were the serious kind of thoughts that the drama reminded me of given today's context.

It is interesting to see that the drama was written in 2011 when these issues were in its infancy and far less toxic. This drama was first and foremost meant to be a romance fluff and it is credit to the writers that they managed to weave in some interesting serious insightful themes about entertainment and social media without getting too serious. These days, it feels like dramas that want to say something are frankly a bore. They preach to the audience that I just fall asleep. So it is great to see the drama focused entirely on bringing the entertainment quotient while weaving in lightly the more serious themes. 

In terms of romance, it reallly felt like an adult romance. We often have this misconception that there is no risk involved in some decisions but the truth is even safe decisions (whether it is investment or other areas of life) carries some amount of risk. The question is if you are okay with that risk and willing to accept the lows. So we have two adults who constantly debate the risks. For Ae Jeong, she is very clear that she will not involve herself in a short term relationship as the fallouts are simply not worth it and her pride will not allow herself to be used. Despite all the negative criticisms, it is her pride and her sense of protecting those she loves has kept her going. As she sees no future, she would rather not start something. 

With Dokko, initially he would prefer something short-term so that he can get it out of his system and not have it disrupt his life. He is hilariously vain that it does pain him that his heart is leading him to a relationship where there seems to be more risk (public backlash) than reward (love). It is interesting to see that Dokko actually becomes quite serious really early on but Ae Jeong is very slow to catch that because Dokko is way too comical that it is hard to take him seriously. So, there is a slew of confusion and conflicts that essentially have these characters determine if the reward is worth the risk for this relationship.

Really enjoyed that neither Dokko or Ae Jeong change much and actually remain the same people. Dokko's vanity hilariously helps him tide over the negative backlash because he is supremely confident in his ability to bounce back. Ae Jeong's perseverance and tough hide means she takes the backlash about their relationship without really affecting her. She sticks to her ethics and protects those she loves. 

In some ways, this is a typical 'modern romance' but thank goodness, it was on MBC. If it was on some cable channel, we would have darl lighting, long shots without any dialogues, them staring at each other for minutes on end, tons of boring existential dialogues, really slow  episodes that can be basically FF and watched in ten minutes or less; or even better, just watch the preview - basically cardboard characters that look pretty and pretend to have depth. 

So it was great to see a 'modern love' type romance with real teeth but also real fluff. This is actually a tough balance because fluffy romance these days are a bore because it is way too sweet and unrealistic whereas real romance are such a bore that documentaries on disease are far more entertaining. At no point, does this drama get so serious that it becomes super boring and made me fall asleep. At no point does this drama become so fluffy that it made me get teeth ache. Definitely a fun re-watch!

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Have you ever felt so moved by the second lead that you are cheering and hoping he will get the girl? Well this is the drama where it happened! Back in the day, Lee Byung Hun was actually meant to be the second lead in this drama. He wasn't the bigger actor and his arc was supposed to be a kind of anti-hero/villain kind of role. He was not supposed to get the girl but due to popular demand, he ends up with Choi Ji Woo. Also, she was supposed to die but again, due to popular demand, the writer changed the original story a bit to give it a happy ending. So full on old school melo with a great background OST and actors who have gone on to bigger roles.

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