Many viewers have written about how this drama endorses toxic, abusive, manipulative relationships. I agree with them, and the main reasons why are because of the way in which the relationship is portrayed, and the audience for which this show is intended.

Film and television is an art form and with it, comes freedom of expression and the ability to capture the worst aspects of humanity. I enjoy my fair share of messed-up characters and stories, something for which Korean cinema is well-known, especially when you consider its long history of great films like Lady Vengeance, Oldboy, Thirst, and more recently, Parasite. These works of art portray terrible aspects of human nature, but do so with the intent to make us understand what is wrong in the world. In the case of Nevertheless, some viewers are trying to defend this work on the premise that it's just a portrayal of harm that the creators should have the freedom to show. Furthermore, they argue there have been many instances of MLs that hurt their partners and still end up with them in happy relationships, and yet viewers let these examples slide.

To counter the artistic license argument, I offer that in most cases including classic K-cinema, harmful relationships are clearly portrayed as negative. The creators do not excuse dangerous behaviour. It is clear from the history of the format and the 40+ years of high quality productions, that a strong moral stance lies at heart of kdramas. Furthermore, the intended audience for kdramas like Nevertheless is youngish females. Many modern dramas take a stance on abusive relationships in light of what we know and understand about their harmful outcomes and the impact of systemic portrayals of unhealthy relationships. I know that as an insecure teen/20-something, I would have absolutely been swept away by a manipulator with charisma who could make me second guess myself and confuse it with excitement and sexual tension, like the FL in this show. Making it seem like the ML suddenly changes with teary eyes when he has just physically hurt the FL the night before, without even an acknowledgement of it, is inexcusable. Seeing no growth as the couple smiles their way into the final scene sends the absolute wrong message, even with the addition of a couple subtle pieces of dialogue and actions that tell us there is still something amiss. At the end of the day, they look like two beautiful people on a postcard in a happy ending with an overlay of romantic, catchy music.

Finally, there are many kdramas that excuse abusive relationships and MLs behaving badly. Some people let this slide, and in kdramas harmful tropes are still pervasive, but this does not make it right. Especially with the rise of Me Too, anti-racism, LGBTQII, and other movements, we must take a stand now. Since the creators of Nevertheless chose to take a progressive stance on other aspects of society by exploring a non-fairytale sex-based relationship and a lesbian couple, there is no excuse for them not to take the same progressive stance on the relationship of the main characters.

On a technical note, as an art piece, I enjoyed the cinematography and production values which were skillful and gave an intimate feel (no pun intended). I thought the music was very well chosen. The subtle and confused dialogue created the feeling of tension and gave us a glimpse of the layers beneath. And unlike some viewers, I liked the acting and performances of the entire cast.

However, the message is all wrong. I hope the creators realize they have endorsed something we should all be fighting against.