This review may contain spoilers
Maybe I shouldn't be awful to people because one day I might need them to be nice to me.
This drama frustrated me more than it impressed me, and honestly, that's the main reason it got a 6 instead of a lower score.
My biggest issue with the series was the complete lack of character development. The entire story revolves around people in their forties dealing with regret, failure, insecurity, and lost dreams, yet by the end it felt like most of them were still stuck in the exact same place emotionally.
Dong-man was the character that tested my patience the most. For twenty years he failed to debut as a film director, and instead of processing those feelings in a healthy way, he spent most of the drama criticizing other people's success. He constantly talked down on movies, celebrated failures, and acted bitter whenever someone else achieved something.
Now, I understand where that bitterness came from. Watching your peers succeed while you remain stuck in the same place for decades would make anyone feel insecure. But understanding a character's behavior doesn't automatically make that behavior acceptable.
What annoyed me was how little accountability the story expected from him. This man would attend his friend's movie premiere and still find ways to talk trash. These weren't random acquaintances either. This was the same friend group he had spent twenty years with. At some point I stopped feeling bad for him and started wondering why they were still putting up with him.
The friend group wasn't perfect either. Some of them looked down on him and treated him like the group's punching bag. But unlike Dong-man, they still supported him and continued showing up for him. If they were truly as petty as he was, they would've dropped him years ago.
The funniest part is that Dong-man's big realization comes only after his own script finally gets approved and he gets the chance to direct a film. Suddenly he experiences the same fears every creator faces: anxiety, pressure, and the possibility of failure. Suddenly he wants to apologize and make peace with people. Suddenly he realizes how difficult it is to put your work out into the world.
And all I could think was: *"So you understand now because you're the one standing in the arena?"*
Not because you finally understands that other people worked hard for their success.
Not because you realize you've been unfair.
But because now you hope people will be kinder to you than you were to them.
That entire realization felt incredibly self-centered.
The ending was also rushed. The drama spent episode after episode building emotional conflicts, only to wrap everything up so quickly that it didn't feel satisfying. For a story that wanted to be realistic and character-driven, it needed a stronger payoff.
That said, I didn't hate the drama. It had some genuinely good dialogue and explored themes like loneliness, insecurity, failure, and the fear of being left behind in life. A lot of the struggles felt real, even when the characters were driving me insane.
Overall, this drama had interesting ideas and realistic themes, but it desperately needed stronger character growth. I spent twelve episodes waiting for people to learn from their mistakes, and by the end it felt like I had learned more than they did.
My biggest issue with the series was the complete lack of character development. The entire story revolves around people in their forties dealing with regret, failure, insecurity, and lost dreams, yet by the end it felt like most of them were still stuck in the exact same place emotionally.
Dong-man was the character that tested my patience the most. For twenty years he failed to debut as a film director, and instead of processing those feelings in a healthy way, he spent most of the drama criticizing other people's success. He constantly talked down on movies, celebrated failures, and acted bitter whenever someone else achieved something.
Now, I understand where that bitterness came from. Watching your peers succeed while you remain stuck in the same place for decades would make anyone feel insecure. But understanding a character's behavior doesn't automatically make that behavior acceptable.
What annoyed me was how little accountability the story expected from him. This man would attend his friend's movie premiere and still find ways to talk trash. These weren't random acquaintances either. This was the same friend group he had spent twenty years with. At some point I stopped feeling bad for him and started wondering why they were still putting up with him.
The friend group wasn't perfect either. Some of them looked down on him and treated him like the group's punching bag. But unlike Dong-man, they still supported him and continued showing up for him. If they were truly as petty as he was, they would've dropped him years ago.
The funniest part is that Dong-man's big realization comes only after his own script finally gets approved and he gets the chance to direct a film. Suddenly he experiences the same fears every creator faces: anxiety, pressure, and the possibility of failure. Suddenly he wants to apologize and make peace with people. Suddenly he realizes how difficult it is to put your work out into the world.
And all I could think was: *"So you understand now because you're the one standing in the arena?"*
Not because you finally understands that other people worked hard for their success.
Not because you realize you've been unfair.
But because now you hope people will be kinder to you than you were to them.
That entire realization felt incredibly self-centered.
The ending was also rushed. The drama spent episode after episode building emotional conflicts, only to wrap everything up so quickly that it didn't feel satisfying. For a story that wanted to be realistic and character-driven, it needed a stronger payoff.
That said, I didn't hate the drama. It had some genuinely good dialogue and explored themes like loneliness, insecurity, failure, and the fear of being left behind in life. A lot of the struggles felt real, even when the characters were driving me insane.
Overall, this drama had interesting ideas and realistic themes, but it desperately needed stronger character growth. I spent twelve episodes waiting for people to learn from their mistakes, and by the end it felt like I had learned more than they did.
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