3
2
Salatheel
Almost really good—but not quite…
I’d really like to give this drama more than the 7.5 I settled on because there is a lot on offer. But for me, the last four episodes lost their way when the main arc of the plot ended and felt much more like introductory episodes trying to establish a story where there wasn’t a thread. This left an overall feeling of blandness and added to the other things against it, I could only drop the rating.
So what would have garnered it an 8. Well, the performances. They were good overall but Jang Na Ra really delivered a standout performance here, and it is worth watching just to see her. The other leads were also good, but with less complex characters also had less of a chance to reveal their talents. Having said that Nam Ji Hyun and P.O stepped up to the plate and I enjoyed their scenes together.
The relationship between the two FLs was well developed, moving from seonbae/hoobae to encompass a well rounded appreciation and friendship. The steps to achieve this were credible too.
The script was informed—the writer has done the job of a divorce attorney, so probably cherry picked from the cases that landed on her desk.They were varied and sometimes had interesting twists, but their resolutions were often trite and rushed.
Which brings me to some of the negatives. I’m not a fan of wailing melo, or saccharine sentimentality in order to create an unrealistically simple happy ending. And there was quite a bit of both. Now this is a personal preference, and I know that there are a lot of people out there who appreciate this approach, so judge for yourselves here. This was particularly apparent to me around some of the interactions with children and spouses.
The forward thrust of the lives of the leads petered out around episode eleven, with Cha Eun Gyeong’s (JNR) main plot line all but resolving. The other characters did not really have a strong enough plot focus to carry through. The result was that the sequential cases continued without a continuing main thread to support them A bit like a steak and onion pie without the pastry, as a result things slopped around the plate with the last few remaining crumbs of piecrust floating in them. Leaving a very unsatisfactory aftertaste.
Overall, this is not a bad watch at all. It has some excellent stuff to offer, but may leave you wishing it was more.
Just editing this to backup unterwegsimkoreanischenD's warning not to watch episode 0 if its available on the platform you watch. It's a weird spoiler filled mish-mash.
So what would have garnered it an 8. Well, the performances. They were good overall but Jang Na Ra really delivered a standout performance here, and it is worth watching just to see her. The other leads were also good, but with less complex characters also had less of a chance to reveal their talents. Having said that Nam Ji Hyun and P.O stepped up to the plate and I enjoyed their scenes together.
The relationship between the two FLs was well developed, moving from seonbae/hoobae to encompass a well rounded appreciation and friendship. The steps to achieve this were credible too.
The script was informed—the writer has done the job of a divorce attorney, so probably cherry picked from the cases that landed on her desk.They were varied and sometimes had interesting twists, but their resolutions were often trite and rushed.
Which brings me to some of the negatives. I’m not a fan of wailing melo, or saccharine sentimentality in order to create an unrealistically simple happy ending. And there was quite a bit of both. Now this is a personal preference, and I know that there are a lot of people out there who appreciate this approach, so judge for yourselves here. This was particularly apparent to me around some of the interactions with children and spouses.
The forward thrust of the lives of the leads petered out around episode eleven, with Cha Eun Gyeong’s (JNR) main plot line all but resolving. The other characters did not really have a strong enough plot focus to carry through. The result was that the sequential cases continued without a continuing main thread to support them A bit like a steak and onion pie without the pastry, as a result things slopped around the plate with the last few remaining crumbs of piecrust floating in them. Leaving a very unsatisfactory aftertaste.
Overall, this is not a bad watch at all. It has some excellent stuff to offer, but may leave you wishing it was more.
Just editing this to backup unterwegsimkoreanischenD's warning not to watch episode 0 if its available on the platform you watch. It's a weird spoiler filled mish-mash.
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