This drama is made to showcase FL "actress", seems like, bc she takes most of the time on the screen,…
I learned that even between both main leads in a romance drama, there is a prominent one. This is usually dictated by the plot itself, which usually requires only one of them to take the lead to develop the main the plot, while the other supports the prominent one and/or has its own plot that feeds the main plot in the end.
For example, in "The King: Eternal Monarch", the main characters are: Lee Gon (The king) and Jung Tae Eul. The prominent one is the king from the title of the show to the plot, since he is the center figure, while the girl is still the main female lead, but because she is his love interest and consequently because her side plot merges with the main plot afterwards.
In "Our Universe" the prominent one should be Tae Hyeong, but why? because following the main plot, this is mainly about family and the biggest family issues are on the main male lead side. The guy was abandoned by his brother, finds out his brother is having his own family (adding salt to injury) and in a sick twist of destiny ends up taking care of the son of the guy that abandoned him, but starting a journey of finding what family really looks like and a chance to finally have a healthy family through his nephew and his in-law that soon after becomes his love interest. What would also make him the prominent one here, is that the main villain is also directly tied to him, which means that he is needed to resolve the main conflict in the theme of family and moving on from a traumatic past.
However, and unfortunately, Hyeon Jin ends up being the prominent one here, because the main plot explained in the previous paragraph is pushed to the side to become almost a side plot to position her love triangle in front and center of the story. The story suddenly shifts abruptly in only two or three episodes from family and healing to the trope of a girl that falls in love with the guy she is living with, but is too afraid to do something about it while she is a complete pushover for another guy who thinks he is better and who contributes absolutely nothing to the actual main plot that is about family and healing, because every scene with the guy doesn't contribute in the slightest to who should be the prominent one (the one with actual family issues) other than making him jealous and reminding him that he is not good enough.
Yes, the girl is the prominent one from the main leads, but for all the wrong reasons.
I feel like FL and ML have more romantic moments, but the problem is that their moments are simpler, while SML…
I don't think that she will flat out reject SML advances, but going after ML and prioritizing ML should send a clear message to SML before he has tricked her into marrying him and living a sad life
I feel like FL and ML have more romantic moments, but the problem is that their moments are simpler, while SML…
With this writer's mentality, it would be even worse with more episodes, because it feels like they just did not know how to write a proper plot, so went for the easy option and used an old love triangle trope instead
I don't know if this is the writers intention, but his behavior has not been normal for a long time. He seems like a stalker at times.
As a superior, an older man and someone she knows from the past, he started doing and suggesting things that he knew she couldn't reject, like taking her home and having her keeping him company even late at night.
He started by giving her too much work even before he knew about our uncle and the nephew, just to double down when he found out.
As soon as he found out where she lived, he started visiting without notice which also forced her to just accept and allow him into her house.
He even eliminated the possibility of a rejection when immediately after confessing he set conditions of at least three dates, guaranteeing that she goes out with him even when she has not accepted his feelings.
And, last but not least, he is overdoing the "step-father candidate" pitch with not only buying toys for the kid, but trying to replace the role of the uncle, again without prior notice, he just does these things knowing that the girl won't feel comfortable saying no.
I don't think it will be forced because their connection is undeniable, but it could definitely be underwhelming
Real feminists don't need to minimize, hurt or destroy men to elevate women.
Unfortunately, it is Okay for the man to suffer and watch quietly how the girl looks over her catalog of perfect men all crazy for her before she chooses him despite of humiliations and the pain.
However, SML is also guilty because he saw the obvious even before the main leads could see it, and is actively trying to isolate her. It doesn't matter how much a couple love each other, and they are not a couple, and she doesn't love him, but having someone becoming your shadow is very unhealthy behavior.
If you don't mind, what happened in "Last Summer"? I haven't watched that.
Imagine the following, imagine that our uncle does leave to USA and takes a few years there far from his nephew, while the team leader keeps orbiting around our aunt for years, while not accepting his feelings, still allowing him to intrude in her life and the life of the nephew, for our uncle only to come back and find this scenario where he will believe that they have been together all this time, abandoned yet once again, with nobody to rely on. This would mean both uncle and aunt suffering, allowing things to happen to them, feeling defenseless and utterly defeated. The end.
I feel like FL and ML have more romantic moments, but the problem is that their moments are simpler, while SML…
There are a few things that could move things along, but with the reviews we have they are not likely to happen.
One is that the true manipulative nature of the team leader comes to light, but the classic trope of an imminent travel is the only thread we have left, and if leaves, everything will be lost, because the team leader is invading her space with the guy around, imagine if he goes to another country... but, fingers crossed and clock ticking, we can finally see some progress, since these separations trope almost all the time happen right before the main couple gets together and stay together.
Sml has no tact or awareness of his own privilege. He blames taehyung for hyun jin being hurt and tells hyun jin…
I like your insight. This is all true.
Let's not forget that while the girl has been showing discomfort around the team leader, she still allows him to get too involved in her personal life.
NEVER in my years of watching kdramas have i seen a SECOND LEAD basically become a MAIN LEAD??
What's even worse, he couldn't be further from main male lead, but still gets special attention like he was... even the characters themselves inside of the fictional story are discussing this... that's how bad it is.
Went from a 7 to a 5 star show. The least they could have given us was the ML holding the baby at the end of episode…
Funny, how we are not even done with him. I am sure that third date will happen on episode 10, and now that our uncle is not living with them, the team leader will go out of his way to become more and more involved with the girl and the kid. The only hope is at the last seconds of the episode for some progress with the main leads, but sadly, that doesn't mean that the team leader will disappear.
wtf😠does the sml think the ml could even TRY to control a man whos apparently his father but he hasn't seen…
In the first place, the old man is the kid's grandfather, so with our uncle present or not, the old man was going to try and only because our uncle was there is that things didn't get worse for the girl. In the second place, we know that he will still be there on episode 10, but both our uncle and the girl must put him in his place, because he thinks he has the right to meddle in their family and that must stop!
I feel like FL and ML have more romantic moments, but the problem is that their moments are simpler, while SML…
Unfortunately, you are correct. The romance between the main leads is real, but acting on those feelings is as important. There is nothing more sad that a story about two people who deeply love each other, but never bring it out to experience the other side of the romance in a more conventional way.
On second thought, since their romance is real, that makes it even worse, because if she did not have feelings for our uncle, than it would be his fault for clinging to unrequited love, but in this case, she is clearly in love with him, but keeps hiding from this, and accepting a date in front of someone who recently confessed to you is extremely rude.
Unfortunately, you are also correct when you bring up that they deviated from the original premise which was promised to be about these two in-laws living together because they are raising their nephew.
This is definitely not going to be a great drama regardless of what they do to resolve the love triangles, the main couple misunderstandings, the main couple romance and their family issues, but I refuse to believe that so called professional writers will not address the obvious in this show next episode with everything that happened on episode 9.
I have rated only a very few dramas below 7, and I am hoping this one won't be part of that list.
I don't feel too bad about this episode because most of the episode was about our uncle and his struggles for…
Timing is most definitely wrong. I feel like too many things that have taken one or more episodes would have been condensed to a single episode. Episode 10 is not even out, and I feel like the events of episodes 9 and 10 could have been easily put together in a single episode. However, the blame is in the writers for the lack of plot, therefore relaying on love triangle tropes instead.
I don't think it will be forced because their connection is undeniable, but it could definitely be underwhelming
You're completely right to believe that she should simply put a limit to her team leader and old crush, and that out of respect alone she should not go on dates with him, and what's worse at her own house where the baby lives, and our uncle used to live!
The thing is that in these dramas, characters like our aunt are designed to be somewhat lacking in too many departments, like common sense.
My argument in her defense is that she grew complacent, and didn't want to complicate herself dating the person that was her support, because he was already the baby's uncle and was there for them, and that maybe was enough for her (which we know it is not, but she thought so). The question would be, then why would she agree to go on a date with her team leader, and the answer for me is simple, and it is because she is a pushover, which I have mentioned several times, sorry.
The girl used to have a crush on this guy, and he is interested in her, so naturally the right answer would be to go out with him, right?
The guy is her team leader and someone older than her, who she knows from her past, so she should not be rude with him, right?
The guy is a perfect bachelor with all qualifications to be a good choice, so there is no reason to reject him, right?
These questions, combined with thinking deep down that our uncle will always be part of her life anyway, and she doesn't want to complicate things with him or loose him, doesn't make her evil, but make her an idiot who is hurting our uncle and even hurting herself for not being honest and allowing things to get complicated by allowing more and more space and even rumors now around her and her team leader.
She is wrong, but she is not evil. The point is that she is supposed to be ignorant, and doesn't really comprehend how much she is hurting our uncle, while he doesn't really mind because he thinks she is happy, and that matters more for him.
The element that makes this not evil, is that once again, most issues are based on misunderstandings, which in Dramaland, take responsibility away from the main couple. It takes responsibility away from the girl because she doesn't know better and takes responsibility away from him because he thinks he is doing what's best for her.
I feel like FL and ML have more romantic moments, but the problem is that their moments are simpler, while SML…
If you have watched a few dramas you'll learn that romance is not going on dates, or holding hands, or even kissing. In Dramaland, romance is constantly thinking about the other person, is looking at the other person like you look at nobody else, is feeling comfortable and yourself with the other person, and regadless of what you tell yourself find it that the person missing from your side hurts more than anything else, well that's romance, and all that happened between ML and FL already.
The problem is the trope. This is a classic trope where the girl hasn't experienced love, only a crush, so when love comes to her life, she doesn't know one from the other, which is why the story allows for her to get to interact with SML in a way that is almost like dating, but the trick is that something is always missing and that is love. By the book, everything should be perfect; the guy is the perfect bachelor, the guy is in love with her regardless of all her faults and defects, the guy is attentive, the guy is supportive, the guy is a protector, the guy is handsome, the guy would be a perfect candidate for a formal relationship and even a husband, but still something is missing, and that is love.
The second problem is that to execute this trope, you literally have to have the girl going feet first into quasi relationship with the SML so she can first identify and experience how perfect the guy is, only to feel hollow by the end, and only fulfilled when with ML even when the experiences are a lot simpler. For example, going to a nice elegant diner with SML where he picks her up, drives well, go to an expensive restaurant, desert, flowers, fireworks, but she, while happy on the surface, feels like something is missing, and it is not only until she gets home and eat instant ramen that she feels happy because what she needed was to spend time with someone she loves.
The third problem is that to close this trope and the love triangle can take time because, again, spending ridiculous amounts of time with SML is required to create the comparison, and some extra time is needed for the girl to realize things before falling deeper and deeper into being complacent and going with the flow.
Ultimately, I believe the trope will be complete sooner than later, but the main issue remains, and that is that the more they extend the trope, the less time the main leads will have together, and the less time we as the expectators will have to get immersed and believe that they are in love.
For example, in "The King: Eternal Monarch", the main characters are: Lee Gon (The king) and Jung Tae Eul. The prominent one is the king from the title of the show to the plot, since he is the center figure, while the girl is still the main female lead, but because she is his love interest and consequently because her side plot merges with the main plot afterwards.
In "Our Universe" the prominent one should be Tae Hyeong, but why? because following the main plot, this is mainly about family and the biggest family issues are on the main male lead side. The guy was abandoned by his brother, finds out his brother is having his own family (adding salt to injury) and in a sick twist of destiny ends up taking care of the son of the guy that abandoned him, but starting a journey of finding what family really looks like and a chance to finally have a healthy family through his nephew and his in-law that soon after becomes his love interest. What would also make him the prominent one here, is that the main villain is also directly tied to him, which means that he is needed to resolve the main conflict in the theme of family and moving on from a traumatic past.
However, and unfortunately, Hyeon Jin ends up being the prominent one here, because the main plot explained in the previous paragraph is pushed to the side to become almost a side plot to position her love triangle in front and center of the story. The story suddenly shifts abruptly in only two or three episodes from family and healing to the trope of a girl that falls in love with the guy she is living with, but is too afraid to do something about it while she is a complete pushover for another guy who thinks he is better and who contributes absolutely nothing to the actual main plot that is about family and healing, because every scene with the guy doesn't contribute in the slightest to who should be the prominent one (the one with actual family issues) other than making him jealous and reminding him that he is not good enough.
Yes, the girl is the prominent one from the main leads, but for all the wrong reasons.
As a superior, an older man and someone she knows from the past, he started doing and suggesting things that he knew she couldn't reject, like taking her home and having her keeping him company even late at night.
He started by giving her too much work even before he knew about our uncle and the nephew, just to double down when he found out.
As soon as he found out where she lived, he started visiting without notice which also forced her to just accept and allow him into her house.
He even eliminated the possibility of a rejection when immediately after confessing he set conditions of at least three dates, guaranteeing that she goes out with him even when she has not accepted his feelings.
And, last but not least, he is overdoing the "step-father candidate" pitch with not only buying toys for the kid, but trying to replace the role of the uncle, again without prior notice, he just does these things knowing that the girl won't feel comfortable saying no.
Unfortunately, it is Okay for the man to suffer and watch quietly how the girl looks over her catalog of perfect men all crazy for her before she chooses him despite of humiliations and the pain.
However, SML is also guilty because he saw the obvious even before the main leads could see it, and is actively trying to isolate her. It doesn't matter how much a couple love each other, and they are not a couple, and she doesn't love him, but having someone becoming your shadow is very unhealthy behavior.
If you don't mind, what happened in "Last Summer"? I haven't watched that.
Imagine the following, imagine that our uncle does leave to USA and takes a few years there far from his nephew, while the team leader keeps orbiting around our aunt for years, while not accepting his feelings, still allowing him to intrude in her life and the life of the nephew, for our uncle only to come back and find this scenario where he will believe that they have been together all this time, abandoned yet once again, with nobody to rely on. This would mean both uncle and aunt suffering, allowing things to happen to them, feeling defenseless and utterly defeated. The end.
One is that the true manipulative nature of the team leader comes to light, but the classic trope of an imminent travel is the only thread we have left, and if leaves, everything will be lost, because the team leader is invading her space with the guy around, imagine if he goes to another country... but, fingers crossed and clock ticking, we can finally see some progress, since these separations trope almost all the time happen right before the main couple gets together and stay together.
Let's not forget that while the girl has been showing discomfort around the team leader, she still allows him to get too involved in her personal life.
On second thought, since their romance is real, that makes it even worse, because if she did not have feelings for our uncle, than it would be his fault for clinging to unrequited love, but in this case, she is clearly in love with him, but keeps hiding from this, and accepting a date in front of someone who recently confessed to you is extremely rude.
Unfortunately, you are also correct when you bring up that they deviated from the original premise which was promised to be about these two in-laws living together because they are raising their nephew.
This is definitely not going to be a great drama regardless of what they do to resolve the love triangles, the main couple misunderstandings, the main couple romance and their family issues, but I refuse to believe that so called professional writers will not address the obvious in this show next episode with everything that happened on episode 9.
I have rated only a very few dramas below 7, and I am hoping this one won't be part of that list.
The thing is that in these dramas, characters like our aunt are designed to be somewhat lacking in too many departments, like common sense.
My argument in her defense is that she grew complacent, and didn't want to complicate herself dating the person that was her support, because he was already the baby's uncle and was there for them, and that maybe was enough for her (which we know it is not, but she thought so). The question would be, then why would she agree to go on a date with her team leader, and the answer for me is simple, and it is because she is a pushover, which I have mentioned several times, sorry.
The girl used to have a crush on this guy, and he is interested in her, so naturally the right answer would be to go out with him, right?
The guy is her team leader and someone older than her, who she knows from her past, so she should not be rude with him, right?
The guy is a perfect bachelor with all qualifications to be a good choice, so there is no reason to reject him, right?
These questions, combined with thinking deep down that our uncle will always be part of her life anyway, and she doesn't want to complicate things with him or loose him, doesn't make her evil, but make her an idiot who is hurting our uncle and even hurting herself for not being honest and allowing things to get complicated by allowing more and more space and even rumors now around her and her team leader.
She is wrong, but she is not evil. The point is that she is supposed to be ignorant, and doesn't really comprehend how much she is hurting our uncle, while he doesn't really mind because he thinks she is happy, and that matters more for him.
The element that makes this not evil, is that once again, most issues are based on misunderstandings, which in Dramaland, take responsibility away from the main couple. It takes responsibility away from the girl because she doesn't know better and takes responsibility away from him because he thinks he is doing what's best for her.
The problem is the trope. This is a classic trope where the girl hasn't experienced love, only a crush, so when love comes to her life, she doesn't know one from the other, which is why the story allows for her to get to interact with SML in a way that is almost like dating, but the trick is that something is always missing and that is love. By the book, everything should be perfect; the guy is the perfect bachelor, the guy is in love with her regardless of all her faults and defects, the guy is attentive, the guy is supportive, the guy is a protector, the guy is handsome, the guy would be a perfect candidate for a formal relationship and even a husband, but still something is missing, and that is love.
The second problem is that to execute this trope, you literally have to have the girl going feet first into quasi relationship with the SML so she can first identify and experience how perfect the guy is, only to feel hollow by the end, and only fulfilled when with ML even when the experiences are a lot simpler. For example, going to a nice elegant diner with SML where he picks her up, drives well, go to an expensive restaurant, desert, flowers, fireworks, but she, while happy on the surface, feels like something is missing, and it is not only until she gets home and eat instant ramen that she feels happy because what she needed was to spend time with someone she loves.
The third problem is that to close this trope and the love triangle can take time because, again, spending ridiculous amounts of time with SML is required to create the comparison, and some extra time is needed for the girl to realize things before falling deeper and deeper into being complacent and going with the flow.
Ultimately, I believe the trope will be complete sooner than later, but the main issue remains, and that is that the more they extend the trope, the less time the main leads will have together, and the less time we as the expectators will have to get immersed and believe that they are in love.