Marry My Husband

A Decent Revenge Drama Carried by Its Villains

Marry My Husband delivers as a solid makjang revenge drama, but let's be honest: this show was made by its villains. Their scheming and unrelenting antics keep the plot engaging and the tension high, adding the dramatic flair you'd expect from this genre.

After watching the drama, I checked out the manga, and wow—what a difference! The source material offers way more drama, particularly when it comes to the villains and the male lead. I couldn’t help but wish the drama had leaned into those elements more. There were so many missed opportunities to elevate the story with some of the manga's more intense and theatrical moments.

That said, it’s still a more-than-decent watch. The revenge arc is satisfying, and the ending manages to tie things up well enough to leave you with a sense of closure. While it may not have hit every note as perfectly as the manga, it’s a solid entry into the makjang genre and worth a watch if you love a good revenge tale.

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Oh dear. They really loaded up the boat (I don't know if we say that in English) in the first episode. The husband is detestable ! you could say he is absolutely, totally, completely despicable in the extreme. The most believable part, however, is when he tells his wife, who has cancer, that she's going to die anyway, so why bother paying for hospital treatment ? People with disabilities and chronic illnesses are familiar with this kind of talk. It's becoming more popular again at the moment. They'd rather see us dead.

Well !
In any case, it's brave to have shown how much the police don't give a damn about domestic violence. It's a change from the usual copaganda. As long as your husband doesn't kill you, no one cares. And if it does happen, well, we'll take note and that's it, too late. Those rotten cops.

Seeing Park Min-young in such difficult situations breaks my heart. She plays the role of the overly kind person so well, even when it's not in her best interest. The people who take advantage of her have the nerve to accuse her of being the one responsible. In moments like these, we always find ourselves accused of ruining the mood because we put our foot down once. No longer consenting to abuse becomes an act of aggression on the part of the victim towards their tormentor. It's horrible. But she sometimes turns the situation around by playing the fool, very -very- well. I love that lunch with the parents of her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend/fiancé/husband. And when she goes to the beach with Jy-hyeok, wearing her little adorable hat, she's the embodiment of the word cute.

Right. I'd be lying if I said the flashbacks didn't bore me to death. Too long, mates... 16 episodes, too, too long. Unnecessary. We already know the basics, there's no need to keep repeating how awful bad people are. Poor Su-min, deep down, I'd almost feel sorry for her if she weren't such a complete scumbag. But, stop. I may have skipped some scenes, a few times. My time is precious. (I try to convince myself)
In this genre, Jy-hyeok, with his single facial expression, when the woman he loves returns his love, he kicks her out because... there are six episodes left and what else is there to do ? Oh ! Damn, an ex-fiancée appears ! Sigh That ending was painful. Such a shame. Two-thirds of the series works very well, although it's a bit long-winded, and the last few episodes were completely pointless. Or how to ruin a good idea.

"Can I hold your hand ?" The sexiest question a person can ask the one they love.
"Bad people don't appreciate the good we do for them." A lesson we learn the hard way.

On the other hand, let's stop this hatred of glasses right now ! They suit us very well, OK ? We look perfect with our glasses. Nobody here is ugly, right ?

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They shouldn't have changed the original plot...

When I fisrt learned there would be a TV series adaptation from this webtoon, I got really excited. To be honest, I started reading marry my husband once, but couldn't last more than three episodes because I found it really hard to digest. Jiwon's story is not just sad, but devastating in any way.
Nevertheless, I could finish reading it and finally started watching the drama. I must say: it's a whole experience! It catched my attention from the first episode until the end, the cast was amazingly selected so they could look just like their characters. And the tension is real.
But what made me sad was the fact that in the middle of the story, they added another character, who's not a part of the original story and changed the whole storyline. In my point of view, the true villain wasn't that bad compared to Ji Hyuk's ex-wife or even the real Sumin, the one in the webtoon series. Probably the worst flaw, but thankfully it didn't ruin everything at all; it could just have been better.

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I had to leave a review. Firstly, i love revenge dramas and it was satisfying to see a revenge drama where the victim did not have to throw his/her life away to achieve the revenge. The FL and ML had me rooting for their relationship the whole way. There were no unnecessary characters, every character served a purpose( oops! Almost forgot the second lead’s dad). In comparison to other dramas, this did a better job of weaving the advertisements into the story.
Hats off to the second female lead, she really got my blood boiling and had me screaming delulu! at my TV screen.
I will definitely recommend this drama and can see my self watching again. I loved the lesson being sent …>the fact that a person doesn’t show their pain or wear it on their sleeves, doesn’t mean they have it better than you.

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Be careful how you choose your partner

Ep. 1 - 11: 10⭐
Ep. 12 - 16: 8⭐ - Since the end of episode 11 things have gone completely crazy and a lot of drama has been added.
The ex wasn't necessary.
...
Song Ha Yoon deserves the Best Acting award. I hated Soo-min with a passion. She was amazing in this role.
Lee Yi Kyung (Min Hwan) deserves all the appreciation.
The award for "The Most Hated Couple" goes to...
...
Choi Gyu-ri (Hee-Yeon) and Lee Gi-Kwang (Eun-ho) were my proteges. The sun rays. I loved them.
...
Ji-Hyuk was a forest (the greenest flag), a stable land.
And Park Min-young (Ji-Won) is the queen we know. She was amazing like always in this role.
...
In conclusion, be careful how you choose your partner. It can be the hell or a beautiful life.

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Initially exciting but lost its spark in the last quarter

Ever since I got into kdramas, I've been stumbling across Marry My Husband, one of the most talked about series in the recent years. Although I don't tend to watch many romcoms, the premise seemed interesting enough so one year ago, I decided to give it a try in the near future - which was now.

I knew that Marry My Husband was the adaptation of a popular webtoon (which too was an adaptation of a novel) and since it was convenient for me, I read the webtoon first, in order to get familiar with the story. To tell you the truth, I don't know if my opinion would have been any different had I not read the webtoon first but the more I think about it, the more I conclude that not a lot would have changed.

Marry My Husband centers around a very common trope, which is reincarnation. The main character, Kang Ji Won, who is dying from cancer, gets murdered by her husband, Park Min Hwan after catching him cheating on her with her best friend, Su Min. Not only that, but she overheard them plotting her death, by not paying for her treatment and thus, benefitting from the insurance money.

Ji Won dies but surprisingly, she finds herself back to the past, more specifically in 2013, 10 years before her marriage and before her death. Determined to get revenge on those who wronged her and prevent her death, Ji Won starts plotting her revenge; make Su Min marry Min Hwan and giving her fate to her. And during this, she's not alone, for she finds an unexpected ally, Yoo Ji Hyuk, the head of the company she works for.

The first half of the drama was beyond engaging. From the start, I sympathized with Ji Won and I rooted for her to bounce back stronger. The pacing was not slow, nor too fast and each step inher revenge was planned carefully. Compared to the webtoon, there were more drawbacks and misfortunes but Ji Won always knew what to do to fix any potential mistakes. The plot kept me thoroughly engaged not only by letting Ji Won's scheme unfold but by showcasing her personal development too.

One aspect I preferred compared to the webtoon was the characterization of the main leads. Don't get me wrong, Ji Won and Ji Hyuk were more than entertaining in the webtoon and I had fun reading about them. That being said, their portrayal in the kdrama fleshed out their characters even more, giving them some type of complexity.

Ji Won wanted to seize the second chance she got and do better in living her life. Her main goal was revenge but she wanted to improve her life, too. Instead of focusing solely on her revenge, Ji Won starting making better choices instead of neglecting herself. Watching her gaining reliable friends, excelling in her job and finding pure and unconditional love felt very rewarding after all the mistreatment she had received and I rooted for her happiness throughout the whole drama.

What I appreciated in her writing is that she was shown to have conflicted feelings while preparing to punish Su Min and Min Hwan. It was logical for her to still cling into the past at times and feel bitterness about their strained relationship. Ji Won always cherished her relationship with Min Hwan and her friendship with Su Min, before the betrayal, and even after learning their schemings, she still felt remorse - especially towards Su Min, who she knew since they were children. Watching Ji Won overcoming these lingering feelings and move on while forming genuine bonds was very cathartic and I appreciate that the writer included this inner turmoil.

Ji Hyuk was improved compared to the webtoon, in my opinion. His character wasn't necessarily deep but at least he had his own demons to fight. Aside from the fact he worried about helping and protecting Ji Won, he also had to standup against his grandfather. As U&K's manager, he was required to meet some standards and yet all he wanted to do was be close to Ji Won and enjoy his life, instead of fulfilling others' expectations.

The supporting characters were compelling, especially Su Min and Min Hwan. I especially adored Ji Won's friendship with Hyi Yeon and Mrs. Yang, both of them helped Ji Won when she needed support and Ji Won in return did everything to help them, particularly Mrs. Yang. Their friendship was very refreshing and it showed how toxic Ji Won and Su Min's relationship had always been.

Park Min Young was fitting for Ji Won's role, she carried herself with calmness and confidence and she also managed to express Ji Won's vulnerability after her death. Na In Woo made me warm up to his portrayal of Ji Hyuk, I liked the way he used his expressions and body language to convey Ji Hyuk's devotion and love.

That being said, both leads could have been more expressive when it came to some heavy emotional scenes. Na In Woo in particular couldn't match Park Min Young's acting in some cases. He came across as too stiff at times, which I understand that it serves a purpose but he should have expressed his character's emotions in a more dynamic way when it was required. It threw me off but it didn't ruin the experience for me. The chemistry between the main leads was plausible and there were many nice moments (their kisses were soooo intense) but overall, I wasn't very sold. I obviously wanted them to end up together but I was more interested in them as individuals instead of a couple for a big part of the series.

Song Ha Yong as Su Min was undoubtedly one of the biggest highlights in the series. She owned the character and she elevated Su Min so much. I appreciate how the writers showed more about Su Min's backstory, they explained where her insecurities stemed from but they didn't attempt to excuse her actions. Ha Yong brought some sense of complexity to Su Min and every time she appeared on screen, she got my attention.

Lee Yi Kyung was impressive as Min Hwan. He switched emotions effortlessly and he made me feel so uneasy when he showcased Min Hwan's darker side. He was definitely one of the best actors throughout the drama, especially towards the end when his comedic persona shattered, revealing his true colors at last.

The rest of the cast was okay, I liked Gong Min Jung as Mrs. Yang and Choi Gyu Ri as Hui Yeon a lot. Min Jung and Ha Do Hwon had some nice chemistry together, their scenes were mature and grounded and yet full of unspoken feelings, suitable for their characters. Some other performances were less remarkable and came across as wooden or forced but overall, the acting was more than serviceable.

Although the drama was pretty rich in terms of themes and tropes, the chance to live your life again and make up for past mistakes was the most prominent one. As Ji Won developed more as a character, she stopped narrowing down everything to her revenge. She started moving on from past memories and people and she embraced the chance to finally live a happy life, surrounded by genuine people.

The tone of the series was very optimistic and realistic, despite the supernatural element. We can't always predict what will the future uphold, nor make the best decisions all the time. But we can grow as people and learn to prioritize ourselves instead of pleasing others. Ji Won, in her past life, used to be insecure and dependent on others. But she realized that she cannot keep living like that and she became stronger. It's not an easy path of course. However, it's always worth it.

I really wish I could say that I enjoyed the drama more than I did. Up until episode 11, the story was very engaging and I enjoyed the interactions between the characters a lot. But then came the later episodes and my interest started faltering.

I acknowledge that the last quarter of the series followed the plot of the novel, which the webtoon scrapped. That being said, just because an adaptation stays true to the original source, that doesn't necessarily make it good. A good writer knows which parts are worth keeping and which parts need to change. It's the reason why adaptations like the Lord of the Rings trilogy became so beloved, because they kept what was important while making necessary changes.

I understand the need to include Yu Ra, Ji Hyuk's ex-fiance. Kdrama writers are notorious for adding more tension right when things seem to calm down. I also understand that because of Yu Ra, more context was provided regarding how Ji Hyuk and Ji Won's fate would be altered in their second life and how the events would unfold. But her introduction to the story stalled the overall progress, which is ironic considering she simultaneously made the plot progress to the required ending.

Because of Yu Ra and her schemings, screen time that could have been utilized to develop the other characters was lost. Hui Yeon and Eun Ho suffered the most since the writer remembered to develop their romance 4 episodes before the end. I wasn't invested in their relationship because the writers didn't invest in the first place. Mrs. Yang's storyline was very interesting and it got dealt in a kinda rushed way. I wanted to see more of her overcoming her struggles with Ji Won and Seok Jin's help (and I definitely wouldn't have said no to the development of a romantic relationship between her and the later, if it had been developed earlier). Yu Ra wasn't even that interesting to make up for the story's trajectory, Su Min and Min Hwan could have remained the main antagonists and the story would have been the same.

I will give props to the writer for making the second half more thriller-esque, at least that was a unique approach for a romcom. While some viewers complained about that, I personally savored the darker parts, especially when Ji Won and Ji Hyuk started making morally ambiguous decisions, in order to change their fate.

As we reached the latest episode, my interest had declined. The conclusion was satisfying but the build up became tiresome. At one point, it felt like a chore to watch the series, even though I still found some enjoyable aspects. The pacing was more disjointed and there were some scenes which tempted me to skip them.

All in all, Marry My Husband was an overall entertaining watch. I totally understand why it created such a big buzz when it had been released but personally, I didn't love it as other people did. I wish they had handled the story differently but it is what it is. I recommend reading the webtoon as well, it handles the plot better in my opinion and it might satisfy some viewers who were let down.

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✒✨️ Ji-had Redo: From Drab to Fab ☣OR☣ Protect yourself, don't project yourself. °VG°

The 1-sentence review: 〰This is a pre-packaged, off-the-shelf, watchable romance that has some nice seasoning & truly bright moments for romance fans〰

Is it in the top 20 that I would show to a viewer new to Asian programming? Nope, but for a romfan it will pass the time very nicely. I'll stick some toes over the edge of the cliff & say it's worth watching for Song Ha Yoon's performance alone. She EATS her role up. PMY is always worth watching. NIW isn't bad to look at, either.

This drama is actually an advice column. There's plenty of useful truths to be gleaned, such as:

👠Shoes your friends wisely - eh, ‘Choose,’ I mean.

👠We accept the love we think we deserve (from The Perks Of Being A Wallflower).

👠Keep your friends close & your enemies closer (until the battle is over)

👠Statements don't grow up to be cliches b/c they're mostly false.

👠Some people just get used to losing. Some losers don't realize what (big picture) losers they are & will do anything to avoid (small picture) losing. Losing once in awhile is not a bad thing, as pride is always the biggest problem. Humility is good for the soul. Being a doormat, though, will rob your life's essence.

Ouch. Ep1 HURTS. Kang “Ji” Won has led a painful life & now she's close to death: Stage 4 cancer. “I never knew happiness,” she says. Horrible husband. Horrible family. Horrible friends. Her husband & bff cause her death & now they will enjoy the life insurance payout. The End.

But wait! There's more! After the end, Ji gets a reset. She wakes up back in time, year 2013… Meltdown! Is this a dream? If so, is 2023 the dream or 2013.2? Let the Chippies fall where they may… & Ji has a couple snagging Chippies in her life.

To go along w/ MMH one has to be accepting, as there's no acceptable reasoning for the time slip. It's connected to the FL's father, but that's all we know. Our FL learns that fated consequences are FATED and must occur. In her prior life she had a crescent-shaped scar on her arm from a coffee pot burn. She manages to avoid getting burned the 2nd time, but, instead, our ML gets burned w/ a scar /exactly/ like Ji's. Therefore, she proceeds slowly. Methodically. Carefully. She won't break up w/ her bf & future killer until she's certain she's transferred /that/ bad fate onto her frenemy, her killer's aider-and-abetter, her lifetime friend: Soo-Min. They lay down a satisfactory (enough) premise.

It's illogical at times. It's constructed in an almost lazy way, as everything is attributable to fate. Fates can be transferred to others, but not avoided. They use physical objects, like shoes & candy, to reset the scene in order to channel ill fates to bad actors. After a person opens a door s/he never would-or-should have & allows another party to barge in (ep15) - it just wouldn't happen - I then had to stop, reflect, & admit that the whole show is built on an arguably silly premise. But I'd been enjoying it w/o a care-to-logic until then, which is indicative of skill & good execution. Just take the ride & don't think too much. If you can do that, the show is good.

Otikay?

It's 2013. Again. What does Ji do?

🍬Break up w/ the jerk.
🍬Buy stocks.
🍬Stop being a doormat.

Being a doormat is not an easy habit to quit, though. Ji gets help. She's made new friends at work & she, unbeknownst to her, has an angel watching over her. 19 hours of programming gives the show ample time to methodically stroll through the plot. It takes our leads awhile to pair up as they have legitimate concerns: The prior timeline was brutal to Ji. After the break-up, the coffee pot/scar incident occurs, so she decides to soften her stance on her status w/ ex, Min Hwan - just until she leverages the potential outcome.

Park Min Young, a truly special talent, is the FL, Kang “Ji” Won. I've seen her in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim-6.8 (apologies, it's cute, but overrated IMHO) Forecasting Love & Weather-6.8, When the Weather Is Fine-9 (it's brilliant) & Her Private Life-8 (This one deserves the accolades that Sec-Kim gets. It's adorabs).

Na In Woo (Spark-6.4) plays Yoo Ji Hyuk. He's a tad geeky & wears ill fitting suits that look like tents. That's by design, as his character gets a needed upgrade after exposure to our FL. Purely observationally, this actor looks like a giant next to the ladies, & he also has the largest Adam's apple I've ever seen. He's an impressive looking man.

Lee Yi Kyung (Eulachacha Waikiki) portrays the weasel bf, Park Min Hwan. Song Ha Yoon (Intimate Strangers) portrays Jung Soo Min, Ji"s frenemy, & she does It marvelously. The character is yicky-icky, but the actress has a tough job, acting as a near split-personality who does drama better than ElizabethTaylor, & she sticks the landing. In fact, by ep10, I was most impressed w/ her: She's amazing. Other than guest appearances, Choi Gyu-Ri's only other role is in Behind Every Star. In MMH she plays Ji’s new work friend, Yoo Hee-Yeon & she's darling. I hope to see more of her. Director, Park Won Gook also brought us Special Labor Inspector Jo, & Screenwriter Shin Yoo Dam wrote the high IQ show, Awaken-8.7. The worst criticism of MMH is that it's boilerplate stuff, but the execution is above average. It also has worthy themes.

Theme #1: Some people don't know when to stop. “Gosh, I can just never win against you!”, exclaims 1 conniving mean girl after losing at chess. “Well, I could predict your moves b/c you tried to take it all,” is the reply. “A good leader should know how to let go of what is not theirs,” is the follow-up pearl of wisdom.

#2: I am not my mother… Messed up parents leave a massive pile of refuse on top of their kids’ heads. I'm not trying to beat up on anyone. I doubt there is such a thing as parenting w/ zero regrets. The perfect parent has yet to be discovered. We need to try & keep the baggage to a minimum & the 💘 at a maximum. Many kids can't dig out from underneath the mess & go through life at a disadvantage. Ji's mother ran off with another man - in a town so small everyone knows how many ‘spoons are in each house’. The vicious gossip piled pressure on Ji to not be like her Oma. She must look perfect. Act perfect. Cast no shadows. That's why she accepted the love she could “get”. She accepted the scraps that Soo Min & Min Hwan threw at her. There was no real love there. They only used her to bolster their own egos. She was a disposable ladder for them.

#3: We have another theme that is 1 of the harshest & cruelest truths that I know: Weakness is not OK. Weakness invites aggression, & enables evil: In the end, it's not much different than evil. It's easy to have compassion for somebody who's in a weak state, & we're all liable to be weakened at 1 point or another. That's just part of being human. Perhaps people who are weak enjoy the compassion & the attention tossed their way. But, in the long run, it's only going to allow in a bunch of trash. Evil must be opposed. It's like weeds. If you don't stamp them out they'll take over. I know this is brutal, but it happens to be 100% true. Sometimes, running away is the best opposition, sometimes fighting back is. Lying around to be someone else's doormat is never the right course. Never, ever, ever, EVER. And: Wallowing in self-pity is not only pathetic, it's contemptible.

The writer dropped more pearls of wisdom for us. Min Hwan is jealous of the boss b/c of the way Ji's been looking at him & visa-versa. He pulls her aside & unwittingly lets his character show: MH: “ I told you that jerk likes you.” JW: “He has a girlfriend.” MH: “You are so naive. Do you really think that matters to a guy? Do you know what? Every single man is a cheater. So he has a girlfriend? A guy could be married & still like someone else. You know what a man's dream girl is? An unfamiliar lady that he doesn't know yet. That's just how men are…” By the time Ji has this following exchange with Soo-Min she's grown significantly: S: “Why do you hate me?” J: “You're self-centered. Some people have a way of eroding those around them, & you are exactly that type of person…You don't trust easily. And it's only b/c you can't be trusted. You think that everyone is like you, & so you can't trust them.” When people tell you who they are, please believe them & protect yourself accordingly. Protect yourself, don't /project/ yourself.

Acting ✔. Writing ✔. Directing ✔ - all are good. The artistry is also smashing. The wardrobe is outstanding. Both of our leads dress in DRAB, until they decide to do better - to BE better. Then they go from drab to fab. “People are already treating me differently b/c of my outfit.” Ji just gave herself a makeover. She's experiencing 1st-hand how important appearances are in public life. It may not be right, but it is so. Turns out, once Ji Hyuk's in a suit that fits right, all the ladies in the office are checking him out, too. By the beginning of ep6 they look like a matched Ken & Barbie in ⚫ & ⚪ chic. A gorgeous wedding dress adorns one episode. The music is quite good, too, such as The Journey, by Kelley McRae & Wounds of Time, by Kim So Yeon. Half of ep16 is a well executed wrap-up - what has been lacking from too many Kdramas in the past. As long as you enjoy Kromcoms, this one has its savory appeal.

In parting, I'll quote one k!ck@$$, self-actualized woman from The Terminator movies, Sarah Connor: “There is no fate but what we make.” Ji-had enough. Enough to go full Jih@d on her enemies.


QUOTE📢

The mother of success is failure.

You're right. I'm a pushover. That's how I'm most comfortable.

Being considerate has its limits. Bad people don't recognize it when you're being considerate to them.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣7.6 📝7.4 🎭8.3 💓7 🦋5 🎨7 🎵/🔊7.3 🔚7.6 🤗4.5 ▪ 🌞4.5 ⚡5 😅2 😭6.5 😱4.3 😯4 🤢3 🤔4.9 💤0


Age 15+
Limited but present language: $h!+ F💣

Rated TV-15

Re-📺? neutral



In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Workplace Romances:
Crazy Love-7.8,
Touch your heart 8.2,
Romance is a bonus book-7.9,
Her Private Life 8,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Oh My Ghost 10,
Be Melodramatic-8.7,
Hospital Playlist 9,
Call It Love-8.4,
My Mister 9.5,
C🇨🇳: Find Yourself-8.9,
Boss & Me-7

Modern Day -
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha-8.2
Crash Landing On You 9.1,
Familiar Wife-8.5,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Cheese in the Trap-7.7,
Our Blues-8.5,
My Liberation Diary-8.9,
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9
Something in the Rain-8.6,


🎎 -
My Only Love Song 8.7 ~ excellent comedy,
Mr. Queen 8.5,
My Sassy Girl 8.5,
Saimdang 8.5,
The King's Affection 8.3,
Mr. Sunshine 9

⚡️/🛸 -
Flex X Cop-8.5,
K2 8,
Private Lives 8.1,
The Golden Spoon-8.1,
Tunnel 8.5,
Why Her?-8,


Romance junkies only -
My Secret Romance-7 (if you ff thru overdone flashbacks),
Boys Over Flowers-8 ~ melodrama to the max,
The Bride of Habaek-7,
Heirs-7.3,
That Winter, The Wind Blows-7,

C🇨🇳: Well-Intended Love-7.5 Rom-porn - extra points for the dopamine,
When I Fly Towards You-7.8,
Wait, My Youth-8.4,
A Little Thing Called First Love-8.5,
Find Yourself-8.9, Hidden Love-7.8


Consider a Chinese 🎎/🔮 romcom: The Romance of Tiger and Rose 9.8, Love Between Fairy and Devil 8.9, Love and Redemption 10 or Japanese romcoms: Maid Sama 10, Mischievous Kiss Love in Tokyo 7.8, Love, Chunibyo And Other Delusions 8.4, or Toradora 8.5

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