Peaks. Valleys. More peaks. Lots of valleys.
"Bo Ra! Deborah" has many characteristics of a dyed in the wool, stock set up rom-com. But it's oddly light on the romance between the leads, erratic with the comedy and with a narrative that is stretched extraordinarily thin across its run. Despite it's negatives, Yoo In Na is terrific as the titular lead once she is allowed to play to her strengths. Her presence makes this a show worth investing the time (at least most of it) to watch.
The rest of the cast? Park So Jin is marvelous but is paired with Lee Sang Woon who plays an exceptionally unlikable husband in a particularly dismal manner. June is a refreshing and likable and energetic presence but Kim Ye Ji's character is so inconsistently written that until a late arc adds some heft to their relationship, it's a disappointing subplot. Hwang Chan Sung works as a loathsome ex to Bo Ra, but it's a one-dimensional caricature which naturally raises significant credibility issues about how she ever would have considered him a desirable match in any respect.
Yoon Hyun Min somehow is getting lead roles despite being the epitome of bland. The writing doesn't do him a lot of favors as his character has an arc but he is asked almost universally to not emote in the slightest. Even in the big moments, it's a character that seems to only exercise restraint, caution and detachment.
What would have aided "Bo Ra! Deborah" more than anything else would have been to axe a good chunk of episode 2 and almost the entirety of 3 & 4. What could have been accomplished with a handful of scenes and a brief musical montage is brutally trod through nearly 200 minutes of excruciating run time. It gets better, much better, at the halfway point and continues almost through to the end with some strong episodes.
Memorable? No. Enjoyable? Ok sure.
The rest of the cast? Park So Jin is marvelous but is paired with Lee Sang Woon who plays an exceptionally unlikable husband in a particularly dismal manner. June is a refreshing and likable and energetic presence but Kim Ye Ji's character is so inconsistently written that until a late arc adds some heft to their relationship, it's a disappointing subplot. Hwang Chan Sung works as a loathsome ex to Bo Ra, but it's a one-dimensional caricature which naturally raises significant credibility issues about how she ever would have considered him a desirable match in any respect.
Yoon Hyun Min somehow is getting lead roles despite being the epitome of bland. The writing doesn't do him a lot of favors as his character has an arc but he is asked almost universally to not emote in the slightest. Even in the big moments, it's a character that seems to only exercise restraint, caution and detachment.
What would have aided "Bo Ra! Deborah" more than anything else would have been to axe a good chunk of episode 2 and almost the entirety of 3 & 4. What could have been accomplished with a handful of scenes and a brief musical montage is brutally trod through nearly 200 minutes of excruciating run time. It gets better, much better, at the halfway point and continues almost through to the end with some strong episodes.
Memorable? No. Enjoyable? Ok sure.
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