Was this review helpful to you?
Promising story but failed to live up to the idea
I just finished watching Marriage Contract, and I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it. The emotional rollercoaster this drama takes you on is both compelling and frustrating.Let’s start with the lead male. At first, I absolutely hated him. His actions seemed inhumane, making it hard to root for him. However, as the story unfolded, my feelings shifted. I found myself pitying him for the way he genuinely cared for the lead female. His complexity as a character added depth to the narrative.
Then there’s the lead female. I initially felt sympathy for her; her life was so miserable and desperate. But as the plot progressed, I started to dislike her for being so clueless and stubborn with the male lead, especially when it came to accepting his love and care. It was frustrating to watch her struggle.
By the end of the series, I was left in a state of confusion about my overall feelings. Did I like the drama? I’m still not sure. The characters had their moments of growth, but their flaws made it hard for me to fully embrace the story. If you’re ready for an emotional journey, Marriage Contract is a must-watch—but keep the tissues close!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Tearjerker
The ending of this drama is both beautiful and frustratingly sad, but it is sad in a happy way.Recommend this only if you enjoy getting your heart torn out of your chest.
One thing that wasn’t the best was the sometimes poor explanation of characters and open ended threads, but i did rate this highly due to the absolutely great way they showed the relationship between the main leads.
For example, why did Hye-su’s mother in law blame her for the death of her son? Why does she suddenly have a change of heart?
WhT happened to the plot line with Seung-joo? It was completely abandoned, and not to mention the head chef, who was a great character, just extraneous.
We all need a friend like Ju-yoon but honestly have no idea why she suddenly changed her mind about Mr. Han’s subordinate in the last episode.
Just little holes in the plot, otherwise great, but can get a little repetitive. This would have been better as a 12 episode drama rather than 16.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Extremely sad but beautiful show, nothing prepared me for this
I was not ready for this because none of the comments or reviews here prepared me for this. This has impacted my mental health and while this is a very well-done show and beautifully narrated and enacted, it is WAY TOO sad, like EXTREMELY sad. So I feel it is important for me to say that out because every good show is not meant for you like this was clearly not meant for me. and it's not even like it's just a sad end, because technically it's not, it's just that it's sad throughout. I can't recall one episode where I'm not crying or one whole episode that is just happiness and all smiles. The show is INTRINSICALLY sad and it is okay to accept that it is not meant for you. Like I acknowledge it was not meant for me.Having said that, I do agree that it's a wonderful storyline with top-class acting by Seo Jin and Rin Ah. For me, Uee did not shine and I felt like she had no expressions most of the time but I had no time to focus on her with the spectacular skills shown by Seo Jin. I'm so so surprised because I was not expecting much of him going into the show. The story, though sad, is well-written and equally well-portrayed. The actors have done justice to the role and the story and delivered it so well.
I also like how they show the reality. They do not find some magic cure out of the blue making it an unnecessarily happy ending. And how spectacularly they have portrayed some semblance of happiness even with that open ending, it's amazing. Absolutely loved these aspects of the show. It's just how heavy it is, that is does not sit well with me. I was not in the correct mental space to take on this show right now. And hence, it leaves me with more sadness than happiness.
Was this review helpful to you?
Tell your heart to buckle up for this one!
Started watching Marriage Contract as a filler in between Reborn Rich and Summer Strike episodes.I'll start with the negatives!
1. Lee Seo Jin's character's family on his father's side are THE WORST!! I just wanted someone to kick the dad and brother in the nuts!
2. BMW badges are missing for half the series. Nitpicking here, but it's probably the easiest car brand to identify.
OK, now that's out of the way - on to the positives. This was a rollercoaster of emotions and if you like that kind of thing, then please watch it. I does have a bit of a daytime soap feel but unlike something like Young Lady and Gentleman, it's only 16 episodes and the production value stays consistent throughout.
The real stand out was the girl who plays the daughter, Eun Sung - an incredible actor. I was really impressed with Uee and having not watched anything with her or Lee Seo Jin before, I'd be tempted to watch some of their other work following this.
The main characters have a real developmental arc which makes you get sucked into the emotions and really feel for our leed, Uee. Like I said if you like that (and getting your heart ripped out and put back again) then watch this drama. I stuck it on 1.5x speed and binged it in a few days.
Was this review helpful to you?
A More In Depth Review:
From a filmmaking stand point, this drama makes me love it more. There is a distinct color scheme (try to figure out what it is!), the lighting is beautifully done, THE SCORE!!, scenes are writing to reveal genuine themes (no pandering!), and the editing is also extremely effective as it utilize moments of silence and it also doesn't cut away at the most rawest moments of the characters.
Speaking of characters, the main actors freaking nailed it! This drama is beautifully acted, and I feel as though this drama was truly Uee's baby! She portrays a role I have never seen her in and really meets its challenge! When I previously stated this drama not cutting away on the character's rawest moments, it's usually Uee's character, Kang Hye Soo. Lee Seo jin did fantastic as well but lets be honest the real star is that cute little girl, Sin Rin Ah that plays Uee's daughter in the drama, who gives Marriage Contract this heart warming quality. Very fine acting from supporting cast as well.
One critique about this drama is the end, which ends abruptly and with a cheap voice over; however, it is still a great end as the main character's goals are met with and every character have their own resolution that is meaningful, psychically and emotionally. There are no lose ends.
Another critique is that I wish they explored some character's relationship a little more, the ones I mean are Ji Hoon's mother and her brother; also Ji hoon and So Na Yoon's relationship. They go into them quite briefly and that is why the character development of Ji Hoon's Uncle and Na Yoon's are so sudden and leave's you going 'wait how did they come to that resolution?' so abruptly. However for me personally I like that there wasn't that much of a focus on Na Yoon, as no one likes to hate the second leads because they steal too much spotlight from the main characters (which Na Yoon doesn't!). There is absolutely no second lead syndrome here, another reason why I love this drama!
Overall a 10/10 (which is high as I usually drop Kdramas at episode 7 as they tend to drag on, but not this one!)
Was this review helpful to you?
I knew Marriage Contract was worth watching based on the rave reviews I found online but it exceeded my expectations. The main thing that makes it special in my eyes is the chemistry between Hye Soo and Ji Hoon and not to mention the performance of Eun Sung. Although there were some typical Kdrama machinations (I especially disliked the chairman's useless legitimate son), I loved how Ji Hoon slowly fell for Hye Soo and Eun Sung (and vice versa!). It was a delight seeing them as a "family." They fit perfectly together.
Fair warning to all: I had to have a box of tissues beside me as I watched this. Hye Soo's breakdowns and carefully concealed tears at her life going up in flames and her not being able to be there for those she loves me tear up. The relationship between Ji Hoon and Hye Soo in the last 6 episodes is especially touching. I have an aunt who recently died of cancer, so death and saying goodbye is still a raw subject for me.
Was this review helpful to you?
Lee Seo Jin has always been one of my favourite actors. And he reminds me again and again in this drama how good he is in emotional scenes. I always love his speaking voice and even when he’s jerk, I find myself rewinding his scenes just to hear his voice lol. And UEE really outdid herself in this role – I thought she is really amazing. It seemed like she truly become Hye Soo and completely transformed herself into the character by the time the drama reached the end. And the girl who played UEE’s daughter in the drama is so cute! I thought how that little body can cry so well? I’m very impressed.
And the chemistry between Lee Seo Jin & UEE is just magnificent. They really look like a couple and all their heartbreaking scenes are very good. I find myself keep watching the last 2 episodes over and over again since it is full of their scenes together. And the scene where UEE sit on the floor after she burnt her hand while cooking is just very well done.
I give this drama 9/10. The leads are beyond awesome and I love the story, acting, pacing, editing, directing, basically everything. The ratings were great and it really shows in the drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
As for the songs, they were great. The story is unique because it shows life in many aspects, such as family love, divorce, husband's death, illness and suffering ..
Also the story was impressive because despite the heroine’s illness, but the drama dealt with several issues and problems, and in the end the director returned to show the heroine’s suffering from the disease .. I think related to the story a lot .. How special was this drama I advise you to follow up ..^^
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Pulls the heartstrings!
First off... if you are not wanting a tear jerker with almost every episode, don’t watch this show. I am not one to watch them much but for some reason I had to see what this was all about. It was not what I expected but it was a really good show.I marked “rewatch” down some because I would personally not watch it often because it is a sad heartwarming show. I do like that it teaches us that money and power is not everything. Love and family is.❤️
Storyline - well written and well acted.
The father is a jerk! I felt bad for him because, even up to the end, he still could not see past his money! Even after his entire family left him. I really REALLY wanted to beat him to death when he told the FL to take all responsibility for the contract and organ issue! He told her she was going to die anyway so just do it! I really hated him then and realized he was not going to change even in the end!
This story was kind of close to my heart in the fact that she had a brain tumor. Been there, done that, and deal with it everyday of my life. I am thankful mine was operable. So I can relate to the FL. I think she did an awesome job. And I love that the ML stuck by her no matter what anyone said! I also am thankful it was a somewhat happy ending in that they did not show her dying. They left it up to us to imagine how long they were together. It ended just right.
Acting/Cast - I have seen Kim Yong Gun in many dramas. He really pulls off his acting for a mean guy lol. He did a great job making me hate him!? The ML and FL did an awesome job in their roles. They had me crying half the time.
Music - was really good. Hope I can find it to listen to.
Rewatch - when I want a tear jerker, then yes! I would watch it again. It is good enough to see at least once. Just make sure you have a box of tissue handy.?
Was this review helpful to you?
The underlying message of this drama is that money and fame are meaningless when it comes to attaining happiness, and love is the only salvation for people.
Was this review helpful to you?
This drama would have felt way better as a 3 hours movie I think, the story was super stretched it felt like only one event happened per episode (1h), with all that stretching the ending was unsatisfying, bad people not punished enough.
I loved the cast and how much feelings they convey with their silent eyes, especially Uee, new fan! The daughter was super cute and smart too.
All in all I think I would have rated this drama 10/10 if the manchild brother didn't exist and they could have wrapped the story in 8 episodes.
Was this review helpful to you?
