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The Great Show korean drama review
Completed
The Great Show
4 people found this review helpful
by Soula
Aug 31, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 7.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 6.5
This review may contain spoilers

An under-appreciated, family-oriented drama

The Great Show is a very wholesome drama. It is very family centered and the ending was really perfect - it was strong and wasn't dragged out at all! I mean, it was paced so well that poor Wie Dae Han can NEVER catch a break! There's never a dull moment with this drama. XD

For those of you who are interested in romance: there wasn't really any development of romance the way a normal rom-com does. Wie Dae Han and Jung Soo Hyun dated briefly about 15 years prior to the beginning of the story but she disappeared abruptly due to a tragic incident in her family. They bump into each other at the beginning of the drama and they both still have feelings for each other, but neither of them focus on their feelings for each other actively because the orphaned children take such priority.

Jung Soo Hyun sincerely cares for all of Wie Dae Han's new children, but specifically grows very attached to Wie Dae Han's oldest daughter, who ends up being pregnant, which obviously complicates the story since she's only a high school senior. The story's main focus ends up being about how Wie Dae Han and Jung Soo Hyun (and her parents) support each other and become a family unit - the oldest daughter with her pregnancy (and integrating her boyfriend into the family), the teenage son going thru his angst, the youngest siblings (twins) adjusting to their new life, Wie Dae Han trying to fix his career as a politician, and Jung Soo Hyun trying to support her parents who run a restaurant in the old market.

Through the drama, Wie Dae Han and Jung Soo Hyun become close because their lives and emotions continued to entangle while taking care of the kids. By the end of the story, it's implied that they're together but there's no kiss or romantic confession. But honestly, I was fine with the way their "romance" was handled. I really liked how they took care of the kids FOR the kids and they cheered each other on and supported each other selflessly.

I personally found The Great Show to be refreshing, even if some parts were predictable. It wasn't over fluffed with forced romance and instead it's focus was all about family. I really liked how the oldest daughter was pregnant (as a senior in high school) and decided with her boyfriend to keep the baby. The baby's father adores her and takes care of her and her younger siblings throughout the whole story. It was so nice that he didn't turn into a shallow character that ran away or did something shady just because things got complicated with the prospect of having a baby. The story didn't romanticize teenage pregnancy, it just presented that if you have a strong family unit, it's possible for things to work out.

Upon reading the synopsis, The Great Show definitely appears like the story revolves around a shallow man using children for his political career, presented with slapstick comedy. And yes, maybe the first 5 episodes, Wie Dae Han is doing some pretty immoral things, but he sincerely changes and does right by his family. He grows to love them so much that it breaks his heart. He's ready to throw out his own dreams to protect his kids and *that* is what made this drama so worth watching.

OST - I wasn't a fan of the opening song (it has a circus feel to it), but it enjoyed all of the other music. They were all pleasant sounding, catchy, and felt endearing in tone, which matched the drama very well. Wing It by HoooW was probably my favorite.
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