This series was fairly strong through the first 12 episodes. It should have ended there, rather than filling the last four episodes with needless drama and uninteresting stories.

"Our Beloved Summer" is easily the best K-drama about young love that I've yet seen. It had intelligent, likable characters with a nice, smooth, and non-cliched story. This series falls well short of that one. The only thing that saves this series from the depths of despair is that it has strong performances by most of the cast.

Unfortunately, we have a menagerie of weak, cowardly characters, that for a while, are at least likable. That is, until they continue to demonstrate cowardice and weakness until the end.

Choi Dae Hyun is an honest and good-hearted young man nearing 30 who owns a convenience store. He treats his customers with respect and kindness. However, when it comes to his love life, Dae Hyun is about as dense as they come. In our culture, he's what we call a "whipped" man. Someone who has no say or power with his girlfriend. She calls the shots. She abuses him to no end. She toys with him like a puppy, and yet, he hasn't the brains or the guts to do anything about it. It's hard to feel sorry for people like this because they are part of the problem. The abused is just as much responsible as the person doing it.

We also have Saet Byul, a master of martial arts, and a young woman who falls hopelessly in love with Dae Hyun. She also has the task of raising her little brat of a sister. However, Saet Byul isn't very responsible. She provides underaged high school kids--including her sister--hard liquor to drink. She also never has the guts to seize opportunities when they present themselves. She also commits the most brazen act of cowardice by running away when she deems herself unworthy of Dae Hyun. Frankly, I never would have wanted her to come back. The writers proved how inept they were with the characters by creating plot points that go against the characters they created. There is no way Saet Byul would turn down Dae Hyun's initial offer of love. The writers simply felt the need to fill another few episodes with pointless drama. Yet another reason why the show backfires.

We also have two typical Korean mothers who dominate, interfere, and meddle in their children's lives. Of course, the key reason has nothing to do with love at all, but about money. It's sad how many people in this world equate success with money. Such parents have no business being parents. They claim to "know better" when they clearly do not. And meddlers may claim that they are doing it for someone else, but that is a lie. They are only doing it for themselves. And, even though I understand that this is an Asian culture, it's truly sad when a 30-year-old man can't stand up to his mother and simply tell her the truth.

We also have several uninteresting characters in Dal-Shik--who is funny in some respects--and Eun Byul, Saet Byul's bratty sister. This actress was the only one whose performance was cringe-worthy. Always uttering her lines in that whiny tone. And her story was left open-ended, as was Dae Hyun's sister.

By the 13th episode, I found myself no longer invested or caring about what happened between Saet Byul and Dae Hyun. Both pretended to be honorable, but they were cowards instead. I even fast-forwarded through most of the final episode because it was that bad. Oh, and you had one of the worst cop-out kissing scenes I've ever seen in the last episode.

However, as I said before, the performances were mostly very good. Ji Chang Wook has a real gift for comedy and the delivery of his lines. I thought that he was simply outstanding. It's just too bad he wasn't given a better script to work with.

Kim Yoo Jung was also very good as Saet-Byul. She has a dazzling smile that reminds me a lot of Lynda Carter from the 1970s. Both have unparalleled smiles. Only Mina Shin can equal her, except that Mina Shin has done a far superior job in picking good roles. Shin is still easily the much better actress.

I've always loved Kim Sun Young. I've already seen her in a few roles, including "Crash Landing On You" and she's just a brilliant character actress. It's too bad that her role was very much wasted here as a woman who is clearly ashamed of her husband and family. It's always sad to see a parent have shame for those closest to them. It simply speaks to their own problems and issues.

I really wanted to like this series, and as I said, I did for a while until it was bogged down in useless, petty melodrama and cliched plot lines that no longer fit the characters. This series is definitely a "must miss" in my book. I want characters that end up with redeemable traits as well as being likable, even if they don't necessarily start out that way. This show gives us characters that I'd never care to get to know or cheer for. And that is what is truly sad.

Now I need to quickly go and find a quality K-Drama to wash the bad taste of this one out of my mouth.