This review may contain spoilers
"Woman of Dignity became one of the highest rated Korean dramas in cable television history"to be honest when I first read this title it didn't really affect me because I never believed that high ratings = great drama but since I love KHS I thought why not watch at least I'll enjoy KHS beauty & I'm happy I didn't miss this great drama I'll get into details with no spoilers at all so read it with no worries :)
What I liked about this drama:
1- It's not your typical drama in terms of story, acting or even characters. we have two female leads that are the main story in the drama with supporting characters that each have a story of their own just as fun as the main story with everything connected to each other I usually get bored of dramas that focus mainly on the female & male leads so this was such a fun drama for me.
2- It gets better with time, 20 Ep was a scary thing for me since usually the last episodes would get draggy but that wasn't the case with this drama thankfully, it gets better and it's just so fun that you won't be skipping anything.
3- I liked the light comedy that was added to the story mainly by Jung Sang Hoon, the humor was such a breath of fresh air in this somehow tense drama
I feel like if I write more I would end up with spoiler so that's it a small review about Woman of Dignity I hope you enjoyed reading it .
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I was a bit surprised reading the reviews of the show here on MDL, but it might be because I interpreted it differently than some other viewers.
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A highly stylish macabre take on the rich and shameless but .....
If you are looking for a coffee bean to your palette of sweet scented dramas then this is a Colombian coffee bean sure to cleanse . One can trust a JTBC production to be nuanced , elusive and clinical and this sure is it . However , excellence , is unfortunately not on the palette.Woman of Diginity is very dark and very different especially in contrast to my regular palette . I found the Gothic style quite appealing as it’s a macabre story centering on a violent incident. The social commentary was also quite an education. The take on the rich moms of Gangnam and their “sh*t show” lives as narrated by Park Bok Ja was highly insightful and full of poignant quotes. It was also quite a hilarious watch and I found myself chuckling at the pathetic sceneraios .It was a story that embraced pathetic characters that called for contemptuous pity.
I particularly find supporting cast story lines tedious but I quite liked their story lines . However - I failed to connect with the overall story and I only plodded along because of macabre curiosity but not because it was a story I connected with nor did I find it entertaining. The story lacked strength in a lot of ways and failed to actualise it’s virtues which were plentiful but could have been economically done to make Woman of Dignity a truly profound piece. I critique especially the lack of dynamism in the plot point of the women of Gangnam which could have been better done in my opinion . Moreover, dialogue was way too prolonged and very repetitive.
As for the cast - well , I especially loved the acting of the Ahn family. They gelled well together and were quite dynamic as a whole. Kim Hee Sun was elegant and Kim Sun Ah was , yet again , iconic . Seriously - can she do no wrong ? Her character as Park Bok Ja is so conflicting - it’s a yes from me! The characters in this show must have been a challenge for the actors to bring to life and they did quite well . I liked Ja Sang Hoon’s Jae Sok who was hilarious and I appreciated Han Jae Young’s performance as the eldest son . It was mysterious and well done.
Costume design was excellent !Breathtaking outfits and gorgeous style which aptly portrayed the intensity of the show . The stylist of this show could give Sex and the City’s costume designer a serious run for their money !
As for music- I have a serious problem with the music. Why were there no classical pieces ? They spoke of all this art and wine but failed to insert Rachmaninov? Tchaikovsky? A sonata ? Something ? Missed opportunity there .
As for rewatch value - I wouldn’t at all . It was super stylish to watch but not at all iconic . I nearly dropped the show .
Overall- it was a commendable watch . Stylish but this is where I should say things like “witty , poignant , profound “ etc but I cannot . It just really fell short.
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gives insight on the "perfect life"
The storyline is different from what I normally look for in a drama. I don't find the parenthood life very appealing in dramas. However, it's more than just a drama about some adults being married and going through issues. It gets dark at times, but it wouldn't be a thriller/mystery without it. Woman of Dignity focuses on a familial life as well as a luxurious lifestyle with lots of tea. I appreciate that all the characters had their flaws and troubles, including the main female lead.The acting was great because I really hated the first female lead's husband. Alongside with that, the second female lead did a great job as well. She portrays the desire for a perfect and luxurious life that people get sometimes, except she goes to the extreme.
I really loved watching this drama. I've seen it multiple times and I won't get tired of it any time soon. I recommend giving it a try if you like watching everything unroll in a drama.
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The plot was okay. It got predictable at times. The chemistry between the main ladies, the transformation/adjustment of Kim Sun Ah's character into a different class and the wisdom of Lee Chae Mi's character Ahn Ji Hu were the highlights of this drama for me personally. The cheating and all that was difficult to watch but it should be. The whole mystery element of 'whodunnit' was way too stretched by the last episode and I wasn't happy with who it turned out to be. The motive was weaker in comparison to other suspects and I felt like the drama was just trying to over glorify and humanize everyone we were supposed to hate by that point. There were plot holes and things left unexplained, hence it's safe to say please don't expect too much from the plot.
As far as music goes, I felt like at times it made the situations appear less serious or more jovial than they were supposed to be. It made watching the cheating tolerable but also reduced the impact of certain events (which I won't mention because no one likes spoilers but if you watch the show you'll understand).
This was a little difficult for me to watch just because of the way the plot was carried out. It took me a while to finish but I kept at it. The casting was amazing! This is my first time watching Kim Hee Sun or Kim Sun Ah, but holy smokes both ladies did an amazing job! I confused Kim Hee Sun with Nam Sang Mi initially but I'm so glad to have come across her! She's a top notch actress, so versatile and elegant! Given her talent though, by the end of the show I was more frustrated with the way the show was carried out. Their full potentials weren't really explored and a lot more depth to the main 2 characters could have been added via more of their interactions. "The big transformation that never went anywhere" for example - just felt half-hearted and half-finished. That was my biggest complaint.
All things said, the comedic relief was really well constructed. This was a light hearted mystery show with great actors and a beautiful integration of side stories that made you really think about the 'upper vs lower' class situation in general. Also, these are just my reasons to like/dislike the show, you don't have to agree or disagree but I'm open to discussions about it!
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Could have been better
The story started great and had so much potential. It was fun, entertaining, gripping in the beginning. The story developed also quite well however, the last three/four episodes were major disappointment.Park Bok ja was too great of a character to be killed off like that. In fact, in front of her even Woo Ah jin looked weak. Her story could have been developed so much more but instead of giving her a good suitable redemption arc, they just killed her off.
Her ending couldn't even justify her character.
Woo Ah jin character just got everything way too easy. It looked like the only hardship she faced in her life was her husband's cheating. She could have played an important, critical role in the problem her family was facing but the writer just took the "I am not divorced so I don't have to deal with your problem even though I brought the problem in the first place" approach.
Rest all of the characters were practically useless, especially the three siblings. They could have easily done this show without introducing Oh Na Ra's character.
In terms of plotholes, I feel the writer did not go into depth with Oh Poong sook's and that CEO's role. It's like they played such a huge role in destabilizing the whole family, yet their stories were left kinda incomplete.
Overall I had such high expectations from the drama but was absolutely let down by the last three/four episodes.
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This review may contain spoilers
Just finished watching this drama, was dragging on a bit but was funny, sorrowful and unbelievable at times. Supposed to be based on a true story but I am not sure. It starts out a bit slow which I have found is the norm for Korean dramas. Had some characters that were not too believable in the drama but they were supporting cast. The daughter's role was very mature and intellectual. One part that I disliked totally was the "sleaze-bag" lawyer. He was a total con artist from the beginning.Spoiler Alert:
The mystery was a total surprise at the end, although they didn't give the clue until half way through the final episode. I found the lawyer's role (male) to be very pathetic, although all the main lead friends were cheating on their husbands it's no reason for her to assume this role as well. The lawyer convinces other not to divorce but he insists the female lead divorce her husband. He had a conflict of interest at the very beginning. What a total loser character as he ends up with the lead female in the end. And automatically the daughter accepts. This could have been written better into the script, the female lead could have stayed single to operate her business and keep the relationship with the lawyer professional.
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