Eleison

Also, in addition to what SundressSavage wrote, add While You Were Sleeping to the list! :) The production quality is markedly better than IHYV or Pinocchio.

And at the end of the day, everyone has their preferences, which is totally valid, but yeah, if people try to say they didn't like it because it was badly written, I get defensive. This drama is the epitome of good writing as far as Kdramas go. Totally get if this TYPE of story, or the WAY it's told is not your thing, but please admit that rather than dissing the writing. 🤨

Also, I LOVE I Can Hear Your Voice, too. One of my favorites also. :)

Yeah, she was probably forced to cut things down and had to sacrifice some of those elements. I totally see what you mean, and felt what you're describing the most in Episodes 10 and 12, but everything else was so good that I can let these aspects slide pretty easily for this drama. But I get where you're coming from! 😏

Yeah, I think it's the thematic emphasis that throws people off. It's not as straightforward as some are making it out to be, or as straightforward as the typical drama.

I've been reading some comments here and there that the bad dad plot felt unnecessary, tacked on, or too intrusive on the main plot. Because I think this drama is more theme-driven than the average Kdrama, I would like to disagree. Mok Ha becoming a diva (and Ran Joo being re-awakened to her passion, since she's also the "castaway diva," isn't she?) is the setting and framework, not the point, of the drama.

Firstly, Episode 11 helped me solidify that the main theme of this drama (in my opinion) is about the beauty of sacrificing for those you love. No matter the cost. This will come up later.

Secondly, Jung Bong Gwan is the catalyst for Ki Ho and Mok Ha becoming what they are to each other (as awful as the abuse was, Ki Ho would never have done what he did for Mok Ha if he didn't have that deep compassion and sympathy for Mok Ha due to the experiences they shared). Also, Mok Ha's story became intertwined with Ki Ho because of their connection in Episode 1, and was the reason they searched so tirelessly for each other. Bong Gwan was a foil to them being together later since the family had to hide from him, but those same lies and hiding being exposed brought about all the change and development of the 2nd half of the drama for our characters, allowing the Kang/Lee family to finally have freedom and peace and the opportunity to completely embrace Mok Ha as one of their own.

Lastly, since this is a story about the love and sacrifice of our main characters (the sacrifice of Ki Ho, of Ran Joo, Ran Joo's mom, of the Kang/Lee family, of Lee UK and Woo Hak) to help those they love have the best life possible, Bong Gwan was intentionally placed in stark contrast to them and their choices. He showed us what grasping, possessive, selfish love looked like: "No surviving friends or relatives." He was the character who embodied hate rather than love, and the dangers of self-deception and being unable to learn from our mistakes or put others first. I think he was a huge part of the story coming together as it did, since the characters who formed a bond over their shared suffering became who they are because of how they overcame their struggles.

I think the father's placement in the story was 100% fitting if you lean into the theme (rather than the basic plot) of the drama. But that's just my two cents!

I wonder if you felt this way because many of the more meandering scenes that we come to expect in Kdramas (which you won't see outside dramas much) and which this screenwriter can also do very well (e.g. people making food together or for each other, playful banter between family and the leads, scenes with characters that don't necessarily move the plot forward but that connect us to the characters and show their connections to each other, developing the stories of related but side characters, etc.), had to be left out to make this fit into a shorter format. My sister and I were just talking about this, that the drama had trimmed out everything that was absolutely unnecessary and it ended up taking a faster pace than we're used to and faster than is typical (and we admitted it made us both a little sad 😔). I don't agree that it felt incomplete because it felt like every moment was agonizingly thought over for what would be best to spend time on and include, but I think I know what you mean. As I reflect on even the scenes I wasn't as much a fan of, I realize they helped make the story what it is, and ultimately helped make it into the drama I love.

Aw, thanks for replying! I don't know about you, since you said Ran Joo and her mom felt like filler, but I ended up really loving the scenes between Ran Joo and her mom in Episode 11. I've loved all the Ki Ho/Mok Ha scenes since the beginning, but those scenes between Ran Joo and her mom might have become my favorite. I just LOVED the theme for that episode about Takers vs. Givers. I thought it was so lovely; it was framed so well when they had Ran Joo complaining about being a Giver just in time for her to discover--nope, she was a Taker, too! That's why she praises Mok Ha, because she doesn't take for granted all the things she's given and wishes joy on everyone. 🥰 I hope you enjoyed it, cause I want everyone to fall in love with it like I did, haha.

Also wasn't a fan of Heirs, but it felt like a Kdrama Rite of Passage (like BOFs or Goblin or Crash Landing), so now I can say I've seen it. It took me a while to get into My Father Is Strange, but I ended up loving it by the end. I also loved the chaos of the big family since most Kdramas only have two kids max in a family. That made it extra fun!

It depends on your taste, but if you like other dramas by this screenwriter, you will probably love this. It's become one of my favorite dramas and I've seen many, many dramas! If you like the first two episodes you'll probably like it all the way to the end. :)

As If It's Your Last Day, I think, but it's not released yet. :)

Oh, I know! While the suspense was a little much for me, I loved the friendships and bonding between all the students and their commander in the first part. I didn't even try to watch the second part since I read some of the spoilers and couldn't believe how epically downhill it went. 😳 Yikes.

I just realized this drama was written by the same screenwriter as Dr. Romantic! I love her Dr. Romantic dramas. But what a genre shift! 😅 And it would be fun to see Park Seo Joon in something since I don't think he's done a drama since Itaewon Class?

Will see what everyone says here before I take the plunge since I don't like horror, and made it through Sweet Home with great care...

There's more romance in Part 2, but the characters kind of switch roles in the next season. The ML becomes dark and moody and the FL becomes talkative and cheerful.

I don't think Cdramas tend to have them. They do seem to be a perennial feature of Kdramas, though!

Oh yes, the ending of Vagabond was not my favorite, haha. And yes, can't wait to see what he does when he gets older!

Oh, also, Woo Jin (young Ki Ho) was the nephew of the ML in Vagabond which is where I noticed him the first time (he was so good in that one). The cropped hair, glasses and growth spurt threw me off in this one at first but I remember thinking, "This kid's acting is too good for this to be his first drama. He has to have been in something else I've seen." And sure enough. Already quite the versatile actor despite his age!

Was waiting for you to post this; 😁 also, I loved your review of the drama!

Yep, couldn't have said it better. Loved all the same parts as well! I loved that actually most of the things we loved about young Ki Ho found in older Ki Ho almost take a rewatch to find/appreciate, they're so subtle; but they're there. Everyone who maintained Bo Geol was Ki Ho because of his expressions was picking up the hints they were dropping for us, and of course, later episodes filled us in on all he'd done behind the scenes. I loved all that showing rather than telling. CJH proved he could pull off the subtlety necessary to deliver on the young Ki Ho's inspiring portrayal while simultaneously trying to hide his identity and pretend to be a completely different person. I also liked how they showed him unable to sustain the duplicity any longer as he got closer to Mok Ha again. 🤣 He wasn't a perfect character (as none of the characters were), but deeply sympathetic and relatable.

The young and adult actors for Mok Ha and Ki Ho definitely collaborated on body language and mannerisms. Loved the little consistencies they kept between the actors!

Anything by this screenwriter, though Start-Up is a toss-up as it has a lot of lying. It's a good drama, just less enjoyable than this one or this screenwriter's other dramas. The screenwriter that did Crash Landing also has good dramas, and the Dr. Romantic seasons are also good. 😏 Some of my favs!