WATCH IT !
loved it!It's been a while since I binge-watched a show because I'm not enjoying it as much as I used to. but this brought the k-drama magic back for me.
I have loved the actress Gong Hyo Jin since watching Jalousy incarnate (don't dare to dream), and again, her performance was amazing!
Something I loved the most about this drama was the character, Hwang Yong Shik's personality. I would be so lucky if I get a man who would act and show me his love for me, like Hwang Yong Shik.
If you haven't watched it yet, you definitely should!and my concern before watching was that I had a bad ending or that it was too dark. But no, it has a happy ending, and there is crime, but the episodes are still not dark and have a good vibe.
My only complaint is that the ending wasn't rushed, but I just would have loved to see them more because I really liked it.
A funny thing is that it took me two days to finish the last episodes because I was procrastinating them because I didn't want them to end.It took me 2 days to watch 18 episodes, but 2 days for only the last 2 haha.
But again, go watch it if you haven't!
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Piece of life Genre...
It's funny and at the same time angst. The balance between comedy, mystery and crime is drawn very well. The characters are real and there is no flawless know-it-all hero or heroine here. This is such a beautiful drama . Truly a piece of life genre . Very simplistic drama , starts off as a regular drama . But with every passing episode it gets better , places where you get you feel and live every characteristic's view point. The characters development is dynamic!Not the typical romcom you'd expect ! But a very mind blowing drama! Highly recommended, a sweet worthwhile drama.
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A Well-Balanced Romantic Show About Family and Community with a Side of Crime
This show is delightfully unique. At its core, you have a typical Kdrama, featuring a traditional love story that explores family values and community loyalty. And then, the show successfully embellishes these themes with some unconventional twists, such as featuring a single mother and a main plot about a criminal that is surprisingly well-done for a show whose main focus is love.The main story line and plot is relatively straightforward, yet it had me binging the series until I was done. Basically, you just have a mother who is struggling to carve out a life for herself and her son in a small town where everyone knows each other. And then, you add on some neighbors who ostensibly hate the main female lead, an annoyingly persistent policeman love interest, a former love interest, some side characters, and an unsolved mystery about a killer. Although it sounds like a mess, the pacing is so-on-point and plots are weaved together seamlessly. You may find an episode that is completely focused on one character, and yet all the other relationships and storylines are developed at the same time within that episode. I was really impressed at how clean the overall thematic feel of the show was.
I had some minor gripes that were blips that didn't decrease my enjoyment of the show, but were noticeable flaws for me: there are certain scenes where characters make some obviously dumb choices and walk into clearly dangerous situations that is similar to how a lead in a horror movie might intentionally walk into a dark room for no good reason. I found the male lead to be overly perfect sometimes: he has an unrelenting stubbornness that may be romantic but also took me out of the story sometimes because the characterization was just too perfect and unlike any person you would see in real life. I also found the female lead to be a tad annoying at times: she's struggling to be strong, yet there are a LOT of scenes where she is simply just crying.
However, the pros far outweigh the cons. Definitely give this one a watch: you can see why it won several Baeksang awards, including the grand prize.
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Detail:
Picked this one up because it's got Gong Hyo Jin - I've always liked her style and the characters she plays. It's introduced me to Kang Ha Neul though who as the ML was excellent with a wide range in his character from the goofy to the dead serious and it all fit perfectly.
The story features a really good thriller element that literally right from the opening scene will have you puzzling, the story will misdirect, and also present you with straight facts, and you'll need to figure out what's right and what's misdirection, who did it? who's going to do it? I did wonder whether the thriller element might be weak in comparison to the usual romance elements but it gets equal footing in the story and is constantly there being worked on and developed throughout the story. The way it lays out motive for numerous people to take an action over the course of many episodes was really nicely done.
A key element of this story is about mothers, about the FL's mother, about the FL who is herself a mother, about the ML's mother, and about other mothers in the neighborhood, about the mother of the boys father, there's an overarching element in this story about the strength and power of mothers everywhere. I did find that, as a father, the story seemed a bit negative towards fathers - with abusive, ignorant, idle, absent, drunk fathers being pretty much the mainstay of the story but... i'm gonna let that pass because I know some single mums and i'm in constant awe of them, they should be celebrated. The message here is a good one. I particularly liked a quote in the story 'Mums exist because God can't be everywhere", how nice is that?
The romance is nicely done, with the FL showing exactly zero interest in the ML for a while and him goofing around and hanging around her all the time winding her up before things begin to progress. It does have the usual KDrama break-up but it's valid, not stupid, and in fact amusingly at one point the FL's mother does comment that she hates in tv shows when they say they're "breaking up because they love you" and how stupid it is :)
It has a light love triangle, but barely and not enough to annoy those who are turned off by them.
A great story, which keeps you guessing, gets you interested in the characters, rooting for their successes and feeling pains at their losses.
Nice music too, not listened to the OST separately but a few I was humming along to, which is a sign there'll be some nice tracks to listen to there I think.
Definitely recommended, the blend of the thriller and the romance makes it a bit different to the usual.
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The writer is really good at make a good quote and there are so many lines in this drama motivates me . This story maybe slow at first but i keep want to watch them. This drama i want them to keep airing and i want to see the cast story because it feel closer to us as viewer. Hope we got to watch many drama like this in the future.
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Unlikely blend of romance and mystery
I'll admit I gave up on this show twice when it first aired. That's because I didn't even get through the first episode. I only returned to it 3 years later when it was on Netflix and I had run out of things to watch.First off, the synopses found online for the show really don't do it justice. The drama is an unlikely mix of romance, underdog, and murder mystery. The real hook (for me) is the serial murder angle, which only appears right at the end of episode 1. Just based on the dongseng-noona romance alone, it's not my type of show even though I really like both Gong Hyo Jin and Kang Ha Neul. They're both excellent actors. However, the unlikely pairing of the romance with the undercurrent of a serial murder hooked me because the killer isn't revealed right until very nearly the end. I hate similar cop-serial murder mysteries of late where you know exactly who the serial killer is and part of the appeal of those dramas involves seeing it through their eyes.
All the characters in the village are loveable even though they don't start off that way. I like the folksy vibe and country-side setting of this and similar shows such as Hometown Cha Cha Cha and Our Blues . If you enjoy serial killer shows, suspend your skepticism and give this a try because it's not a straight cat-and-mouse show but also has romance and underdog drama, with a small slice of comedy thrown in. This show has something for everyone!
I deducted 1.5 stars because I felt the last 4 episodes were unnecessary. They dragged the show out beyond 16 episodes and went in a ridiculous direction.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama is about a single mother and her struggles. How society views her and how she changes from a person who accept any insults to a person who stands up for herself.Our main ML is a police officer. His acting in this drama is just great. Whenever he comes on screen, you will automatically start to smile. He lit up the screen. Everything about him is so perfect. The way he handles the FL when she rejects him in the starting is really mature. He is the main star of this show.
The character of landlord and his wife is also good. The landlord provides comical relief also. Even though he tries to gain attention of FL, we know that he is just naive but not really bad.
The ex BF's character is just a filler. Even if we remove him storyline will not be affected that much. One benefit would be number of episodes might be less.
And what can I say abt Hyang Mi. She is the worst character. She is so so so much annoying.
Storyline is good. Rom com mix with serial killer genre.
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I found the plot very interesting
This is one of those dramas that starts naturally and you think you should go on or not? But as you continue with it, you find yourself in love with it. .(It's about a single mother who starts out with "Camelia" (the name of the bar she owns). She works hard at the bar and takes care of her son on her own. She wears elegant clothes and does her makeup well. She moves to a new neighborhood that women in the area hate for being single with no husband and there she is. Meanwhile, a young policeman falls in love with her but she hesitates at first due to her complicated situation and there are also murders somehow linked to the serial killer. The series is full of life lessons about the unconditional love of parents, how children feel from parents' words and actions and how people's prejudices affect life, about tolerance Acceptance, self-esteem, kindness, generosity, determination, friendship and marital relationship.
**characters***:!!!!
The Policeman: He is an innocent, well-willed, funny and very lively, a very cute romantic guy who will melt your heart with his kindness. Watching him really lift my mood The heroine's performance was also great, showing her weakness as a single working mother and at the same time her strength while overcoming all obstacles in her life. (No wonder they both won Best Actor Awards).
***My favorite quotes from the drama***:!!!!
If you save your food to eat later, it will taste bad, it is better to eat it all while you are hungry, so be diligent and be happy when you can eat it than to save it for later. / We can be a miracle to others.
****my advice****:!!!!
Remember that no one is weak. We are all just seeds, drifting away and struggling to seed ourselves and take root, hoping that we will eventually blossom and bloom. Give yourself a chance.
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Love the "Squad"
If you're on the fence about watching this drama - just over it and land on this one! It was fantastic right from the get go - the main female lead starts out - I'm thinking what a push over- boy does she prove me wrong. Her strength and just her over all stoic behaviour was just the perfect and so well portrayed. The main male lead was so funny and goofy - but strong when needed. (I just loved the way he spoke Korean! So wish I knew this language!)The story does not drag - there is a perfect balance between, friends, family, suspense, drama and love. Oh we can't forget the 'squad' I'm sure there is a squad like this in everyone's neighbourhood. But not this kind what a group of women! They nailed it! tough love at its finest - but they knew when to band together to protect their own. Kim Sun-young is such a great supporting actress that at times she steals the scene from the main lead. Last but certainly not least I'm a sucker for shows with Children and Kim Kang-hoon was perfect. His emotions were so realistic that at times you forgot you were only watching a drama.
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Slow pace, but great acting
Some friends told me that this drama was too slow and boring. But I just thought I had to watch it since Gong Hyo-Jin and Kang Ha-neul are two of my favourite Korean actors/actresses.Yes, I do think that 20 episodes seem to be too long and drags on with unnecessary moments to add to the storyline. They could have made it into just 16 episodes (the usual case) or even less than that.
What I did like about this drama, is about life in a small-town (not Seoul) and the struggles of being a single, unwed mother. The child actor who took the role as Pil-Gu was so great. I've seen him in other dramas too but usually only for flashbacks of the main lead. Here he had a more important role and is a great, promising actor. I'm looking forward to seeing him act as a teenager or adult one day in the future.
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You will need tissues
I will admit that it took me a long time to progress from episode 1 to episode 2 cause I couldn't just get into the story. I was a little unsure of what to think about it. But then I actually said "I'm going to finish this" and for me it took a couple more episodes before I was able to be fully invested and by then... there was no turning back.Like the headline says, you will need tissues because you will cry/tear up multiple times through watching, especially in the latter half. I love the combination of romance with drama with crime investigation.
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This drama is definitely refreshing. The character is not the usual damsel in distress female lead, handsome-but-cold CEO, and so on. The character is realistic and well-grounded, we can find a single mom who was struggling to make ends meet while the society criticized her, a country bumpkin police officer with childlike attitude, even a group of ahjummas who spend their time gossiping but yet caring and helpful anywhere. (Well, the joker storyline is not that realistic but it spices up the drama so why not). I laughed, I cried, being on fire, angry, hurt together with them. This is definitely climbing up to my most favorite drama list of the year!
Nonetheless, the one actor that impressed me the most is definitely kang ha-neul. I watched him on Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, but it was not that memorable to me, he was fine but that's just about all. But in WTCB, Yong Sik stole my heart to bits, the character is so well written (and so non-existent). He is not a perfect character, but how Yong Sik treats Dong Baek amazes me. He never bothered with the fact that Dong Baek was never married and has a child, but continually supports Dong Baek and boosts her confidence. Whenever Dong Baek pushes him away because of her own insecurities, he never backs down and always pushes her out of her insecurities and indecisiveness. However, when it is time for him to stop holding on to her for her sake, he is willing to do it without keeping his ego and desires. The relationship was very raw and honest. Yong sik is such a refreshing and well-written character and I can't imagine anyone else playing Yong sik but Ha-neul. He made the character his own.
There is no need to talk about how great Gong Hyo-jin is. She is definitely one of the best actresses in this era, she delivers any character given to her exceptionally.
I believe this drama is super well written, well-acted, very interesting, and does not have a dull moment. I love this drama so much, I will definitely go back and rewatch WTCB.
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