AsleepWatcher

I wasn't impressed by the first couple of episodes but it became better over time and is a solid, heartfelt series overall. It's definitely a better experience than most dramas that go downhill and get draggy in the second half. Also didn't she sign on for a new show where she'll act as someone with dissociative identity disorder? I'm quite curious about that.

I don't usually go crazy over romantic chemistry, but I like what the leads have here. It's probably just my personal taste, but sometimes in other shows I find the lovey dovey scenes too cutesy and cringey, and they can come across as staged or forced especially when characters are already in their 30s (aegyo or whatever that is is a BIG FAT NO). But here it looks natural to me, even if it's... not sexual at all lol. They actually look comfortable and happy.

Yes it's true. The writer did Hi Bye Mama with Kim Taehee as the FL. I have a feeling she'll appear near the end as a guest at the Jeju exhibition, since she's been mentioned as one of Samdal's connections.

I wasn't expecting much, but this is entertaining so far. It's basically a standard romcom with the additional satisfaction of seeing horrible people slowly get what they deserve. And there's no stress at all since the villains are so ridiculously stupid lmao.

Well, those statistics aren't exactly relevant to the plot here. It's not about being controlled by parents or ditching them. YP clearly can't cut ties with his dad since he's his only immediate family. That's his personal situation. It's the subsequent issues that align with Asian values. And yes, generations have changed but the parents here are in their 60s/70s and the children are millennials. Most elderly people I know are just as stubborn as the parents here. And most millennials, me included, feel obligated to find a partner only with our parents' approval, or at least have families that get along.

It's nice to see an opposite perspective. Like how sometimes relating too much to something might be a turn off instead. I think she's a great actress too, most of the cast in this show are showing good acting chops.

This show must be driving you nuts then. Haha

There are certain shows that may still appeal to people outside of their target audience. I think this isn't one of them though. What's your opinion of this show? Too many annoying characters for you?

This is very much a family drama as it is a romance show. The parents' and children's behaviour are very... Asian. Plot preferences aside, as someone from Asia I understand the theme of family ties and why it's such a big driving force for the relationship story. But I think this is not going to hit for western viewers. Just like how most KBS weekend family dramas have a very strictly local/Asian target audience, non Asians are going to find it hard to relate to this story. That's probably going to result in polarizing reviews when this ends. I see that there actually already are (that may or may not be due to this issue).

I don't think you get it... First of all, being framed for causing someone's suicide and being mass-hated by the whole nation is very traumatic and isn't an ordeal that should be brushed off. There is a very recent real life example involving an actor that shows what such a situation could end in. At this point (episode 12), the FL is already past the stage of depression and is moving on in a healthy way. It's just that the other characters just found out about the abuse she took, which is why they're acting up about it. YP's dad is the opposite. He has been stuck in the initial grief stage since 18 years ago, has been in denial, and coping with it in the unhealthiest way possible. Trying to imply that his actions are not wrong is just ridiculous. FL's mom is also, unhealthily, suffering abuse and guilt that has been unfairly passed on to her. Her daughter's actions have made her come to the realization that she too, needs to step up. The FL's scandal isn't exactly the central plot of the show. The central story is about FL returning to her hometown, rekindling old love, and at the same time, uncovering old wounds in many characters that need to be healed.

Exactly, except I think he knows that deep down. It's just his coping mechanism all these years.

Honestly, this is almost a full fledged family drama. The genres should be changed lol.

I get your points, but honestly it has been established since the start that almost all the characters are flawed and immature in their own ways, and it's an intentional choice. The most mature character is the little girl. When I saw SHS and JCW throwing fits in the first episode, I immediately realized that was going to be the show's tone. In some ways it's frustrating, but imo it's also part of the show's charm. Adults aren't perfect and they act even more like their imperfect selves in a safe/comfortable environment like their hometown. And frankly, Jindal's ex-husband is by far the most frustrating and childish character imo. But at the same time I can't help but like him. That's pretty much how I feel about most of the characters, and this relatability and down-to-earth-ness is part of the show's identity. So rather than feeling frustrated, it's better to just watch how the characters work out their own problems, even if they go about doing so in round-about ways. That's how it works in real life anyway.

I just finished the second part, and your comment seems so true and is making me dislike it even more. I try not to think too deeply about art, it's freedom of expression after all, but the entire story is SO distasteful and has zero empathy. I have an urge to write a long rant on the show and the "message" it's trying to present, but that page has overwhelmingly good comments. So I guess we're in the minority on this.

The wrist grabs are indeed very old-fashioned but I think it's an intentional choice. The FL is still in a state of "I'm just back home temporarily, not to get back with my ex" and being in denial of her feelings, while the ML knows this and is trying to pull her back in. Therefore the deliberate action of him grabbing her whenever she tries to walk away. Anything more romantic or touchy at this stage would seem out of place tbh.

I noticed that the reconciliation between the leads is happening quite late into the show, which can be a good or bad thing. Some shows go downhill when the leads start dating too early because they run out of story and dump filler, or add unnecessary conflict to fill the runtime. But if they drag it too long, they won't be able to flesh out their relationship and it will lose a lot of potential on differentiating mature romance and the puppy love they had at first. Hopefully it finds the right pace to wrap up nicely.

After watching the first part, I'm not sure how to feel about this. It touches on very sensitive topics in a somewhat insensitive manner. It probably wouldn't have bothered me if it were an anime, but I find it disturbing when it's acted by real people. Most of all, I don't agree with and am slightly turned off by the ideology presented here in regard to depression and s**cide. So I thought it would be better if I treated it as a dark comedy. But then there was a serious plotline about child abuse, which was by far the most memorable one. I wasn't as interested in his other lives, and sometimes they end right when I'm starting to get invested. It is good production wise though.

I guess acting is a matter of taste, but both SHS and PEB are objectively good at acting and are like the top 1% of their generation. It's one thing to say you're disappointed in some aspects of their performance, or that you expected better from them, but saying either of them are bad is just ridiculous. And yes, people ARE more critical towards actresses. That's what happens when 80% of watchers are straight females.

A big part of this show is the flashbacks whenever the leads are reminded of the past, and some of them are very intense with a lot of crying. Intense scenes usually have the emotional build up for audiences to be immersed in them, but the flashbacks pop up with almost zero context. If the leads couldn't act, it would make these scenes look ridiculous. The fact that the acting can still make these scenes convincing is enough to show that both SHS and JCW are good imo.

Now that the first half has finished, the information load has spiked. Having backstories come to light definitely puts a lot more into perspective. YP's relationship with his dad looked fine on the outside, even if they didn't look particularly close. But it's actually a ticking time bomb that's about to explode in the next episode. YP's main reason for not wanting to leave Jeju seems pretty clear now. SD's family gets along well but there's a severe lack of communication between the parents and children. SD's mom's slight detachment from her daughter, and pushing away her help, stems from a sense of guilt towards her.

I'm not a fan of the slow pacing in some episodes, but I think the use of flashbacks and slowly letting the audience know the characters' history and emotions through details is very well done. After some time, the depths of the relationships start to show and you see how most characters have sacrificed something for another. And there's still quite a lot of questions to be answered.

Wait, were people criticizing her acting? This is far from her most challenging character and it feels almost effortless for her. It's quite apparent that she's the central character of the show and is pulling the most weight in terms of acting.