This review may contain spoilers
Story told in reverse so she was too cold and unlikable for too long
My rating (of the 5 episodes I watched) 7.5/10
Review
I understand why this drama has its fans. If you enjoy slow-burn stories centered on emotional healing, flawed characters, and gradual personal growth, this may be exactly what you're looking for.
Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me.
I'm not someone who frequently drops dramas. After watching well over 400 drama series, I've learned that if I'm still not enjoying a show after giving it a fair chance, it's usually better to move on. Before I drop something, I almost always look at reviews from people who finished it—not for spoilers, but to get a sense of the overall tone of the remaining episodes. If the aspects I'm struggling with continue throughout the drama, I don't feel the need to spend several more hours hoping it becomes something it's not. Time is valuable, and I'd rather spend it watching something I'll actually enjoy.
One of my biggest hurdles was the way the story is told in reverse. Sometimes that storytelling style really works, but other times it can make characters difficult to connect with because you don't yet understand why they're acting the way they are. I think that's exactly what happened here.
Not for me, and anyone that has the same taste in series I do, but I think there are drama fans that would find this enjoyable.
Spoilers
The female lead came across as unnecessarily cold and mean toward the male lead for the first several episodes. I know the drama slowly reveals the reasons behind her behavior, and by around episode four it was finally starting to fill in the backstory. Unfortunately, by that point it was simply too late for me. I'd already struggled to connect with her, so learning the explanation afterward didn't really change how I felt.
I looked into whether the pacing changed later in the series because I was hoping it would pick up. From what I found, the overall tone really doesn't change. The female lead eventually softens and becomes much warmer, but that doesn't happen until close to the end. I just wasn't interested enough to wait that long for the payoff.
I was especially disappointed because I really enjoy the male lead actor and have liked just about everything else I've seen him in. Knowing he was starring in this drama was enough to get me to start watching, and I was genuinely looking forward to seeing him play the twin later in the story. Honestly, that was almost enough to keep me watching. Almost.
One of my biggest frustrations was the female lead's professional storyline.
She becomes determined to tear down a wall, despite virtually everyone with experience in hydrology and flood management warning her that it's a bad idea. Instead of reconsidering, she tears down part of the wall at her own house to prove her point. The result? It causes even more damage than she expected and floods her home.
At that point I expected her to step back, reconsider her position, or at least acknowledge that maybe everyone warning her had a point. Instead, she simply doubled down.
That storyline made it even harder for me to connect with her because it felt like she refused to learn from the consequences of her own decisions.
Another issue I had was the timing of the twin reveal. I felt like the drama waited too long to tell the audience that the male lead had a twin brother. Many synopsis reveal there is a twin, so delaying that information in the actual story didn't feel particularly effective to me. It could have added some spice to the early lag if you had main guy playing twins. At least something interesting. But, it wasn't revealed that way, in any significant measure up to episode 5.
While the female lead came across as someone with a chip on her shoulder who was angry with everyone, the male lead came across as calm, mature, patient, and level-headed. Because I never warmed up to the female lead in those early episodes, I struggled to understand why they were supposed to work as a couple. Their personalities felt completely mismatched to me.
For me, though, one of the biggest requirements for a good drama is having characters I actually enjoy spending time with. By episode five, I simply didn't find the female lead likable. She wasn't just cold toward the male lead—I struggled to see her being particularly warm or enjoyable with anyone. Since the story revolves so heavily around her, that made it difficult for me to become invested in anything else that was happening.
The slow pacing only made that problem worse. Instead of feeling intrigued by the mystery of why she behaved the way she did, I found myself growing more frustrated with each episode. By the time the drama finally started explaining her actions, I had already checked out emotionally.
After deciding to stop watching, I read reviews from people who finished the drama. I found plenty of viewers who loved it, but I also found plenty of others expressing the same frustrations I had with the pacing, the characterizations, and the fact that the emotional payoff didn't come until much later. Reading those reviews confirmed my feeling that the overall tone of the series simply wasn't going to change in a way that worked for me.
For me, Last Summer wasn't a good drama because it never gave me characters I wanted to root for or a story that kept me engaged. Real life already has plenty of frustrating people making questionable decisions. When I watch a drama, I usually want to spend time with characters I genuinely enjoy and want to see succeed. Unfortunately, this drama never gave me that, so dropping it at episode five was the right decision for me.
Review
I understand why this drama has its fans. If you enjoy slow-burn stories centered on emotional healing, flawed characters, and gradual personal growth, this may be exactly what you're looking for.
Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me.
I'm not someone who frequently drops dramas. After watching well over 400 drama series, I've learned that if I'm still not enjoying a show after giving it a fair chance, it's usually better to move on. Before I drop something, I almost always look at reviews from people who finished it—not for spoilers, but to get a sense of the overall tone of the remaining episodes. If the aspects I'm struggling with continue throughout the drama, I don't feel the need to spend several more hours hoping it becomes something it's not. Time is valuable, and I'd rather spend it watching something I'll actually enjoy.
One of my biggest hurdles was the way the story is told in reverse. Sometimes that storytelling style really works, but other times it can make characters difficult to connect with because you don't yet understand why they're acting the way they are. I think that's exactly what happened here.
Not for me, and anyone that has the same taste in series I do, but I think there are drama fans that would find this enjoyable.
Spoilers
The female lead came across as unnecessarily cold and mean toward the male lead for the first several episodes. I know the drama slowly reveals the reasons behind her behavior, and by around episode four it was finally starting to fill in the backstory. Unfortunately, by that point it was simply too late for me. I'd already struggled to connect with her, so learning the explanation afterward didn't really change how I felt.
I looked into whether the pacing changed later in the series because I was hoping it would pick up. From what I found, the overall tone really doesn't change. The female lead eventually softens and becomes much warmer, but that doesn't happen until close to the end. I just wasn't interested enough to wait that long for the payoff.
I was especially disappointed because I really enjoy the male lead actor and have liked just about everything else I've seen him in. Knowing he was starring in this drama was enough to get me to start watching, and I was genuinely looking forward to seeing him play the twin later in the story. Honestly, that was almost enough to keep me watching. Almost.
One of my biggest frustrations was the female lead's professional storyline.
She becomes determined to tear down a wall, despite virtually everyone with experience in hydrology and flood management warning her that it's a bad idea. Instead of reconsidering, she tears down part of the wall at her own house to prove her point. The result? It causes even more damage than she expected and floods her home.
At that point I expected her to step back, reconsider her position, or at least acknowledge that maybe everyone warning her had a point. Instead, she simply doubled down.
That storyline made it even harder for me to connect with her because it felt like she refused to learn from the consequences of her own decisions.
Another issue I had was the timing of the twin reveal. I felt like the drama waited too long to tell the audience that the male lead had a twin brother. Many synopsis reveal there is a twin, so delaying that information in the actual story didn't feel particularly effective to me. It could have added some spice to the early lag if you had main guy playing twins. At least something interesting. But, it wasn't revealed that way, in any significant measure up to episode 5.
While the female lead came across as someone with a chip on her shoulder who was angry with everyone, the male lead came across as calm, mature, patient, and level-headed. Because I never warmed up to the female lead in those early episodes, I struggled to understand why they were supposed to work as a couple. Their personalities felt completely mismatched to me.
For me, though, one of the biggest requirements for a good drama is having characters I actually enjoy spending time with. By episode five, I simply didn't find the female lead likable. She wasn't just cold toward the male lead—I struggled to see her being particularly warm or enjoyable with anyone. Since the story revolves so heavily around her, that made it difficult for me to become invested in anything else that was happening.
The slow pacing only made that problem worse. Instead of feeling intrigued by the mystery of why she behaved the way she did, I found myself growing more frustrated with each episode. By the time the drama finally started explaining her actions, I had already checked out emotionally.
After deciding to stop watching, I read reviews from people who finished the drama. I found plenty of viewers who loved it, but I also found plenty of others expressing the same frustrations I had with the pacing, the characterizations, and the fact that the emotional payoff didn't come until much later. Reading those reviews confirmed my feeling that the overall tone of the series simply wasn't going to change in a way that worked for me.
For me, Last Summer wasn't a good drama because it never gave me characters I wanted to root for or a story that kept me engaged. Real life already has plenty of frustrating people making questionable decisions. When I watch a drama, I usually want to spend time with characters I genuinely enjoy and want to see succeed. Unfortunately, this drama never gave me that, so dropping it at episode five was the right decision for me.
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