Graceful Family (2019)

As Graceful everything was, it still had flaws

Graceful Family was something I watched after it was the only one left in my watchlist, and Im not even dissapointed.

As someone picky with dramas, its not dissapointing. But it isnt really something iconic or extravegant too.

The plot was half what carried the story, it had decent plot twists and mysteries to carry out the whole 16 EP drama. Although it lacked with emphasis at some mysteries and aspects, either or neither explaining some of the mysteries (this in my opinion, was either the mystery didnt really make sense or it was just ???), it was still easy to overlook with the character writing.

Its one of the best aspects of this show. No character is useless/out of the blue wether actually contributing to the plot or not. The Main Character, Mo Seokhee was one of the best MC ever. She wasnt tHat kind of badass character that pulls everyones hair that already got clichè, but rather a strong and independent one while in keeping her feminine side.

Last thing about the story, it had its share of empty scenes. The final twist wasnt really essential to the plot, and rather felt forced (since it was revealed at the finale). I really wished it had more explanations of the antagonist's character and actual ambitions. Maybe a 17th episode could have been done as finale, because despite the action-packed and yet somehow empty movie length finale, it wasnt enough to cover all.

Another backbone of the drama was the acting. I never thought of Im Soo Hyang as someone to portray this kind of character, but she indeed suprised me. She slayed and gave justice to the character, it was shaped and modeled for her ngl. Lee Jang woo's portrayal of Heo Yun do was somehow oKay and justified, but I feel like more effort could have been done. They had chemistry somehow, at least thats something I like.

The other sub-character's and actors were fine too, to an extent.

The OSTs and BGMs wasnt something really commendable, although it was fine. I do appreciate the violin BGM during intense scenes cause that was a really unique and good take on instrumentals.

The rewatch value is low, its personally just something you'll watch once and never again.

Overall, it isnt a stressful makjang. Its the perfect mixture or mystery+drama+craziness. Everything was just average here, a must watch I must say.

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This drama caught me so off guard by how intense it was to watch, that I needed to give myself breaks in-between episodes even though I just wanted to binge the whole thing in a single night. I knew it was going to be about the only daughter/heiress of the MC Family working together with a lawyer to try and find out the real culprit in her mother's murder, but this drama had so many different layers, as cheesy as it sounds. If you want to watch a drama where the "weak" and likable characters get messed with the most, while the inhuman characters literally can get away with murder, this is the drama for you. I swear, there were two characters that I actually truly enjoyed in this drama that I was rooting for, but one left in the middle of the series, while the other acted out and did stupid stuff because they were constantly reminded by the people they loved the most that they were unwanted.

I did love the two mains in this drama. I originally wanted to watch this when I saw that Im Soo Hyang was the female lead and I was curious to see her in something else. I first encountered her in "My Name is Gangnam Beauty," which I really enjoyed, but thought her character to be a little weak. Yes, her character finally stood up for herself at the end, but the journey to get there was painful. I was curious to see if she could pull off a character that was the complete opposite, and let me tell you, SHE SLAYED in this role as Mo Seok Hee. Probably one of my favorite female leads in any drama. It was enjoyable to watch her in the beginning and thinking she was this wild heiress would always take the dramatic way out of everything, but then learning that she had a huge heart and would do these outlandish things so the victim would get as much compensation from her actions, knowing that because of her family, she would always get bailed out. Then we have Heo Yoon Do. The cutest teddy bear ever. I am not going to lie, when I choose a drama, I always looks for the stereotypical pretty boy with great hair and plenty of shirtless scenes to show off his abs, so this drama was a little different for me. But I am not mad whatsoever. Heo Yoon Do had a very mature and "normal" look to him that made this drama way more believable and realistic. Don't get me wrong, you can have a model with great hair and abs who is also a smart lawyer, but this drama wasn't about all that. Heo Yoon Do is a simple lawyer who's mom was accused of murder 15 year prior, who became a lawyer to one day try to prove her innocence. He is very outspoken when it comes to his job and his mother, but other than that, he is this sweet and shy teddy bear who wants to help the world be a better place. A teddy bear that felt bad every time he had to do something for TOP that didn't match his morals. Plus, I know that one of the things that I LOVED about his drama, even though it wasn't at all important and didn't overshadow the plot at all, was the love that Heo Yoon Do and Mo Seok Hee had for one another. It was very light, but is almost acted as some relief to the story - even though Mo Seok Hee's family is terrible and doing everything to make Mo Wan Joo (second son of MC family) the heir of the company as well as Director Han being the wicked witch of TOP, their relationship almost seemed too innocent and sweet and normal to be real in this crazy world. But I think it was perfect in that way too. They both still had some kind of normal in their lives between trying to prove Yoon Do's mothers innocence and trying to fight off Director Han. As you can probably tell, Bae Jong Ok did an amazing job at making me HATE Director Han with a passion. She is the reason why I simply hate people. She was the perfect example of people who are very good at manipulating others to get what they want, and because they don't get caught, they continue to do it. It's almost like she was playing God in a game of Sims, making anyone and everyone do what she wants because she knew that no one is perfect and she would always have the upper-hand if she could dig up that information. Even though I hated her with a passion, she didn't act out of human nature and just showed what it would look like if someone harnessed the action and made a career off of it. Not sure if that is me being a pessimist, but home-girl had many loyal followers who were by her side til the very end and even after that because she was also extremely loyal them. That shows me as a viewer that all the characters in this drama were realistic and believable because there are people in the world that think like this.

Given, there were also a few things in this drama that strayed me away from giving this a perfect review. Even though this drama was short, I feel like it could have been shorter as there were many conversations that I would get completely lost in because of all the law jargon as well as the endless conversation that seemed to go nowhere. Don't get me wrong, all conversations were important to the plot, but after a few minutes, I think the audience got the point. Also, even though I still teared up at the end (probs for different reasons than other would have), the ending was very "predictable." I feel like I always knew who the real murderer was from the first few episodes, but I was hoping it was someone else. So I was a little disappointed because even though it was a happy ending, it was also a very sad ending. I appreciate it though that they didn't go for the obvious feel good ending where everyone won. Overall, this drama was really good and had a lot of twists and turns. You think you know what will happen, and the drama pulls a 180. Painful twists, but still good ones. I loved how they didn't hold back and went all in with this drama.

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Definitely Worth Watching

Graceful/Elegant Family was a beautifully structured and sophisticated k drama that is absolutely watching. It moves a t a steady pace and portrays a great relationships between the leads. I would only critique the seemingly sudden romance. Other than that, the cons I could point out where a couple of situations in which the solutions seemed to appear out of thin air and solve all the problems the leads faced. But these issues were very minor and were completely overshadowed by the great teamwork of the leads, their hard work, the beautifully written villains, and other aspects. Overall, I would highly recommend it. Anyone who especially likes law and thrillers will definitely enjoy this. Add a splash of crime and it's all set. The drama is perfect for mature audiences who don't like fluffy romances or cheesy and childish content. It is one of my favourite k dramas.

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•Strong storyline, good scripting, power-pack performance by everyone. You cant predict whats going to happen with with all the secrets running down the family. Its gives your brain a good hell of pain.

•About im soo hyang as Mo Seok Hee confident and badass portraying her character as rich brat is FIRE to watch. I love such kind of strong protagonist.
Lee jang woo as park tae ho was average. I didnt feel the chemistry between the two leads.Why was there that 1 percent of romance, it was all good. If that had not been in the tale it would have no difference.
Top leader was a strong antagonist and I couldn’t understand why would she do such acts. She was like a king maker of the Mo family poking her nose in every matter. Mo Wan Soo was a victim and somewhere in the end I actually symphatise with him. His end was very tragic and I literally didn’t like it at all.

•Music- black diamond and liar were amazing ost. Whenever mo seok hee was playing badass and liar was played as BGM is was totally epic.

•Rewatch- am not a fan of such business suspese drama so maybe not.

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Graceful family is a play on words for the reality of the family that Mo Seok Hee is coming back to---dysfunctional and cut-throat is a more accurate description of the family. However, Seok Hee is the graceful rose in the family---strong, undeterred, determined, very smart, ambitious, and loyal to her grandfather. With Heo Yoon Doo, by her side, the tandem becomes an unstoppable force that uncovers the reason for her mother's death/murder and helps bring to an end the evil of MC empire's TOP organization. What a fight it was. The icing on the cake was that the lead couple finds a little romance on the way to one of the BEST endings to a crime-solving drama that I have ever seen. The emotions at the end fell over a large gradiant------from the satisfaction of justice being served in spectacular fashion, to the horror of certain truths being revealed, to appropriate and many warm celebrations, to many moments of sadness from the aftermath of so many storylines coming to their condign endings. There is even an element of surprise at the end due to the lead couple's own personal choices and decisions about their future; however, when it was all concluded, the drama had a satisfying ending filled with hopeful expectations.

Congrats to my girl Im Soo Hyang who has grown up so prettily before us all. She played a teenager in "Five Enough" and was impressive. She played a coming-of-age young college adult in "My ID is Gangnam Beauty" and she was remarkable. Now she has fully grown up and is playing a very beautiful, force-of-nature, young woman who is determined to find her place in her family and take what is rightfully hers by inheritance. She makes the wrongs of the MC Group right and she finds justice for her mom. This was a coming-out story for a confident woman in waiting------and the party at the end was just fabulous!!!!!!!

Well written, well-acted, and well worthy of all the high ratings and praise for being a very entertaining drama.

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Wow, I typically don't watch these kind of rich family family dispute dramas but I picked this up because of Im Soo Hyang. This drama was pretty amazing. I had first tried watching it and got to the fifth episode and dropped it for a different drama. I'm glad I picked it up again and it was definitely well worth my time. This was an extremely well done drama and it had me on the edge of the seat the entire time. I was just so impatient for everything to unfold and crumble. I wanted to see TOP be destroyed so bad. And when it got to the end, I cried because my heart broke for Mo Seok Hee and the other character (I won't name who because of spoilers). I absolutely loved Mo Seok Hee and all of her badass-ery and amazing outfits. I also loved the OST. As for re-watch value, I feel like I wouldn't come back and re-watch just because now I know how everything unfolds and the surprise element is gone.

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A Chaebol Heiress' Unpredictable Journey

I stumbled upon this gem while searching for a drama featuring a female chaebol. Tired of the cliché 'rich boy, poor girl' narratives where the male lead dominates, I was pleasantly surprised to discover this series. Having followed the actress from her previous works, witnessing her portray a badass, rich heiress was truly a delight.

What sets this drama apart is not just the character's attitude but the brilliant plot twists that no one could have predicted. It's the kind of series that keeps you hooked with its unpredictability and leaves you hitting the rewind button multiple times. The real shine here is in the unexpected narrative turns. Here's to breaking stereotypes and enjoying a binge-worthy series that defies expectations!

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One of the best drama of 2019.????????
I must say this drama is fabulous with lots of excitement, suspense and curiosity. And it'll definitely hooked you up from first episode till end.
Plot was so incredible and unpredictable.
You can't imagine what's going to happen next moment.
Im Soo Hyang's character was lit, WOW.????
After watching Gangam Beauty, her role in this drama was totally fun and enjoyable. I must say... I was just waiting for appearance in every scene because she always came with BANG! And of course Ms Han, Seriously... She will force you to hate her.. her character was such antagonist.
I really felt sad for Wan Soo. His acting was superb. Yeon Doo was calm and he acts graciously according to his character.
Everyone did so well.
Background Music also plays important role in dramas. And in this one... Music was So Great... Suitable for every situation.???? Specially song "I'm on fire" was amazing.
There is very least romance but it doesn't affect at all, because story and acting was so perfect that you can't find any loose point. Hat's off to writers. ????
If you're looking for best Investigation, Melodrama. Must watch this drama.????

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