This review may contain spoilers
Doppelganger madness
I have indeed seen the original drama, but it's been enough years that I can also watch this drama with fresh eyes and for it's own merit and flaws. The story feels like it takes way too long to get going to the interesting parts with multiple episodes of emotional scenes for a characters and a couple we don't know yet. It's a relief when finally Jun Hee wakes up in 1998 and it's interesting that she has some of the host body's memories, enough that she is confused about who she really is. Like most magical reality premises, the magical item/ability origins is not explained, but the drama kept consistent with doppelgangers of a specific 7 year age difference regardless of being related or not interacting with the walkman and song on the tape.
Si Heon's hair is a bit distracting, but it looks like Ahn Hyo Seop's hair may be contractually obligated to be styled like that since 2020 after looking through stills of the dramas he's been in since that time period. Jun Hee and Min Ju feel like completely different people, which is kudos to the actor. She changes up the chemistry with Si Heon according to the character she's playing, which is great to see. I do think it's a bit weird that Jun Hee acts different when she is in Min Ju's body versus when she's herself both in college and in 2023. She's way more playful teenager, but her mind is still her adult self. It's a minor thing though that can be easily looked past for the story being told.
The biggest heart wrenching tragedy is original Yeon Jun's untimely death when he and his almost boyfriend Tae Ha finally recognized the feelings they have for each other, but didn't look at the road ending with a complete and total kill your gays moment. They deserved a second chance, I wish the show made some effort to change their ending rather than just using them for a shock twist. A gay man's body being used to change the fate for a straight couple instead is extra cruel. He wasn't even out to his family, nobody even knew how out of character he's being. Real Yeon Jun deserves better.
The way that it was unavoidable that Jun Hee would accidentally divulge all the important information to the absolute worst person to tell since it's a family friend from college was well set up, as was Jun Hee saying all the wrong things to a suicidal high school student that no one paid proper attention too, not even Jun Hee even though she was literally in her shoes for a long time. It's good the show spent time to explore Min Ju's perspective as well, how crushing it is to hear from everyone tell her to her face that they didn't like the real her, how her desperation would drive her to lie to Si Heon and welcome her demise at the hands of a serial killer. It's good that Jun Hee is able to use her free will to break the time travel cycle which saves Si Heon. Whether Chan Hee would kill again isn't shown, but there is enough in the story to indicate that maybe his elder brother would be enough of an influence for him to suppress that side of him without his future self going back to encourage it.
I'm really glad that the drama concludes with Si Heon meeting Jun Hee again in 2011, when she's also a full grown adult rather than a minor. It was totally stingy of them to not set aside time to show a bit more of their new world together though.
Si Heon's hair is a bit distracting, but it looks like Ahn Hyo Seop's hair may be contractually obligated to be styled like that since 2020 after looking through stills of the dramas he's been in since that time period. Jun Hee and Min Ju feel like completely different people, which is kudos to the actor. She changes up the chemistry with Si Heon according to the character she's playing, which is great to see. I do think it's a bit weird that Jun Hee acts different when she is in Min Ju's body versus when she's herself both in college and in 2023. She's way more playful teenager, but her mind is still her adult self. It's a minor thing though that can be easily looked past for the story being told.
The biggest heart wrenching tragedy is original Yeon Jun's untimely death when he and his almost boyfriend Tae Ha finally recognized the feelings they have for each other, but didn't look at the road ending with a complete and total kill your gays moment. They deserved a second chance, I wish the show made some effort to change their ending rather than just using them for a shock twist. A gay man's body being used to change the fate for a straight couple instead is extra cruel. He wasn't even out to his family, nobody even knew how out of character he's being. Real Yeon Jun deserves better.
The way that it was unavoidable that Jun Hee would accidentally divulge all the important information to the absolute worst person to tell since it's a family friend from college was well set up, as was Jun Hee saying all the wrong things to a suicidal high school student that no one paid proper attention too, not even Jun Hee even though she was literally in her shoes for a long time. It's good the show spent time to explore Min Ju's perspective as well, how crushing it is to hear from everyone tell her to her face that they didn't like the real her, how her desperation would drive her to lie to Si Heon and welcome her demise at the hands of a serial killer. It's good that Jun Hee is able to use her free will to break the time travel cycle which saves Si Heon. Whether Chan Hee would kill again isn't shown, but there is enough in the story to indicate that maybe his elder brother would be enough of an influence for him to suppress that side of him without his future self going back to encourage it.
I'm really glad that the drama concludes with Si Heon meeting Jun Hee again in 2011, when she's also a full grown adult rather than a minor. It was totally stingy of them to not set aside time to show a bit more of their new world together though.
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