This review may contain spoilers
Oh this is actually really great - wish I had skipped the spoilers and episode guide
This is a complex story about fictive kinship and found families and the limits of monogamy and nuclear families. Basically, everyone has more than one love interest and multiple families. The love interests are not love triangles but more explorations of what it means to be in love with two people simultaneously. It is most explicit with the sister in an open relationship. I actually thought this plotline was well done and thought provoking. Fathers are often shown with multiple lovers, as in this show, but what about mothers? The show further plays with who is the male and female leads as a result, which many found off-putting. But if you watch through the lens of this is a show about the love stories of two competing brothers who are both male leads and a set of sisters it makes complete sense. If you further consider the lens that each person has competing families and is probing who is inside and outside their family it is also quite compelling.It was impossible not to read any spoilers but the episode guide on MyDramaList is especially misleading. Some of the early episodes are just laugh out loud funny, I dare you to find better deadpan humor, especially between Kim Young Dae and Shin Min Ah. But I actually really enjoyed the plot in Episodes 9-12. It kept me guessing, in suspense up to the very last moment. Given the extreme backstories of the characters as foster children, it would have been too saccharine to not have some tension and true challenges. The moment where they put up a new list of chief mourners is so profound and brings together the theme on the meaning of family so well. I found the ending very satisfying. I thought the break up was justified and very sweet and generous on the part of Shin Min Ah's character. There needed to be space and healing for their relationship to proceed. If anything, I would have enjoyed an additional episode during the breakup to learn more about Son Hae Young's new company rather than a passing overview with her innovative ideas dumbed down with a cutesy pitch.
What I did not like at all and why I assume this show is on Amazon Prime and not Netflix was the cigarette placements with a full storyline and the corporate anti-child abuse program. Media is too powerful and cancer and addiction too pernicious to make smoking seem glamorous to young viewers. The part about documenting child abuse with strangers taking photos was also just absurd and inappropriate, even if the end result was a positive for the child.
Go Wook as An U Jae was a stand out for me, every scene with him sizzled and plumbed the depths of the theme I mentioned on "can you love more than one person at the same time." I assume that Han Ji Hyun will be the one who goes on to have the biggest career, she just completely takes over in her role as a writer, with a two episode spin off to prove it.
So, assuming you have made the mistake of reading too many reviews, try to get inside the playful world of overlapping love and multiple families and see if it works better for you as a unique and creative drama.
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Fun light dating show by the beach in Thailand
I always know I am enjoying a show when I have a smile on my face without realizing it.This is a cute new dating show. I like the concept-- they pick dates based off the five senses. So far hearing and sight in first few episodes. The cast is international and everyone is filming while speaking English. They are friendly, especially the guys. The female cast seem a bit reserved, but the balance of what everyone prefers is on the mark. I love the living room set up for the cast in the main house, simple with a fun, slumber party feel. Couples that match get peaceful, thoughtful dates. A couple lucky ones have luxury nights together on Rak Rak Island. There is no commentary from a studio audience so the episodes are clean and easy to follow without a lot of interruptions or speculation. The food looks great and the beachside activities are healing and relaxing to watch. I feel like I am enjoying a vacation get away myself. Check Reddit for info on where to watch if you do not have Viu in your country.
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