This review may contain spoilers
IF IT WEREN'T FOR THE LAST 3 EPISODES, THIS WOULD'VE BEEN MY SECOND 10/10
Like the title of my review states, this drama would've been my second ever 10/10 K-drama if it weren't for episodes 13-16.
I am painfully aware that my review is 9 years too late, but I want to get this off my chest, seeing as thoughts about the drama keep popping up. I loved it so very much, just to be disappointed in the end. But, if I can objectively help someone else with this review, please read on. Spoilers ahead!
What a refreshing and wonderful story! I was so glad I came across a drama that would tackle everyday life, heavier topics, and just "normal" people. I'm not a fan of overly stylized and polished shows, so to me, this was a plus as soon as I started the first episode.
And that one had me hooked! I loved the introduction of the FL. She was still searching for her place in life, searching for who she wanted to be, while struggling to keep a roof over her head. I found her to be quite endearing, naive, but also, surprisingly, strong.
Yes, she sometimes came across as young and inexperienced, but she also had to put up with a lot of patriarchal shit while growing up. Still, she didn't just give up; she kept going and tried to take care of her own problems and make her life work. Oftentimes we see women portrayed as helpless damsels, or they are forced on us as strong women just to keep the show going. I didn't get this vibe from Ji-ho at all. She is simply a normal girl finding her way in the world, and I loved that and was constantly rooting for her.
I have to say that my favorite character was the ML. I have a thing for the quiet, almost antisocial, tsundere types who secretly have a soft nature. Se-hee wasn't the very loving type, and we'd find out eventually why. But what I loved about this character was that he was consistent. He set boundaries and didn't go over those boundaries. Still, he made sure Ji-ho was safe, even though that was not in the contract or his job.
A lot of reviewers tend to find him off-putting, mechanical, or even unlikable. But we have to keep in mind that A: he was written that way, and B: he went through some shit in his past and he is trying to protect his heart. Not everyone can go through life with their hearts on their sleeves, and not every drama should be about a man lusting after a woman like an overheated puppy. I found Se-hee quite wonderful because he started out as stoic, antisocial, selfish, and inflexible, but we ended up with a hero who learned to open up his heart while staying true to his nature.
Both leads showed remarkable character growth throughout the drama, and then came episode 13.
All of a sudden, it felt as if they switched writers, directors, producers, or whatever when they started working on episode 13. Ji-ho turned into an idiotic, selfish, and toxic girl. I don't even want to go into detail regarding her stupid choices and thoughts, but I will just to get this off my chest.
Some of us love slice-of-life dramas because they often mirror our own lives. And I feel it would've been much better if they'd stuck to that until the end, rather than using the miscommunication, idiot damsel, and separation tropes to create some sort of fake climax. Not every story needs to be overly dramatic.
What I hated most from episode 13 onwards:
The fact that Ji-ho stopped communicating directly and clearly. She started speaking in metaphors and keeping her feelings and thoughts to herself. I mean, girl, you know Se-hee is almost a robot. Speak your m-fing mind and tell him what bothers you. The man isn't stupid, but he also can't read minds!
She decided on her own that they should break up because he hadn't uttered those stupid words people cling to. Hellooo: "I love you" means absolutely nothing without actions to back those words up. But noooo, she needed to feed her ego. Even after Su-ji told her Se-hee was planning to confess, Ji-ho still found it necessary to get divorced and leave the man.
I understand some of you will think I only mind what the ML is feeling, but no. Imagine you've been living in hell for 10 years. You kept your life private, only opened up your heart to your cat. Then comes along a beautiful, fresh girl, and she thaws your heart up to the point you decide to give life and love a chance again. Then she ups and leaves you because you haven't said the words out loud. Uhm, okay? And yes, I get that at this point Se-hee could've uttered the words and maybe stopped or appeased her. But remember the boundaries I mentioned earlier? The man was protecting the walls SHE put up. He isn't overly dramatic in showing feelings, so it would be unfair to expect he'd do so at this point.
As I said, consistent.
But here comes the worst. After she left, she was supposed to go find herself; she hadn't really lived her life up to that point. So I get that she planned to travel and see the world. We all understand that, right? What did she do though? She went to the fucking neighborhood sauna, chilled with girlfriends, and wandered around the same fucking city!
To make matters even worse: one random day she decides it's time to start their day one. Absolutely no consideration for the man she left alone, broken in pieces. She baked a cake and thought: hmmm, I'll take this to the love of my life and tell him we're on again. Girl, what?
Forget the previous worst, here comes the worst-worst.
She slides into bed with him. Notices he thinks he's dreaming of her. Doesn't correct him. Lets him think he's still dreaming. Falls asleep next to him. The next day when he wakes up, she acts as if he's crazy. The man wanted to seriously talk to her about what happened and about his feelings, and she went on and on about breakfast. WTF, did one of the writers fall on their head? Seriously.
Look, I'm glad they eventually got back together, because I love happy endings. But this was lazy, sloppy, and we're not young and impressionable viewers. If you write a drama which deals with everyday topics like housing, sexual harassment, trauma, and such, you should stick to that until the end and not fall back on mainstream tropes just to insert unnecessary drama.
Instead of the drama, they could've tackled these points:
- Why didn't they delve into the bruised hands of Se-hee after he beat up Ji-ho's attacker? Maybe that would've opened her eyes more.
- Why did she really turn down the writing contract?
- Se-hee wasn't feeling his ex; he showed her as much by waiting for Ji-ho even after he ran into the ex. Why didn't that sway her a bit?
To me the drama would've been a more "perfect drama" if these were explored:
Instead of forcing a separation in the last three episodes, they could've explored the relationship part better. They were two people starting off as landlord and tenant, got married to make life easier, and started loving each other. They could've shown us how they really took the plunge. I mean, both Se-hee and Ji-ho weren't fans of conventional and traditional Korean marriages. Explore that! Show us how they would've done it better. No slave-like activities at the in-laws.
Respecting each other's Room 19. Really having your own space whilst being together.
I loved that they renewed their contract yearly. They could've dived deeper into that.
Anything, actually, would've been better than what we got.
Anyways, I don't want to rant anymore. This has been the only drama I would've watched back-to-back just like I did CLOY. It left an emptiness in me, and now I'm disappointed at the ending. I'm in no way saying you shouldn't watch, because it started too beautifully and stayed that way until episode 13. All in all, it's really worth the 9 I rate it.
Oh, forgot to even mention the side characters. Loved all of them. I only think that Won-seok and Rang should've stayed separated; they were not meant to be together anymore.
Sidenote: the two first leads made a cameo in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim. I read the writer wanted to give the fans some joy by putting them together again, even for something small. Good idea, bad execution.
I wish the cameo was really about Ji-ho and Se-hee. Maybe a collaboration between Lee Young-joon and Se-hee? The form in which we got the cameo left a bad taste in my mouth.
Anyways, I'm done now. Don't let my frustrations stop you from watching this beautiful story.
I am painfully aware that my review is 9 years too late, but I want to get this off my chest, seeing as thoughts about the drama keep popping up. I loved it so very much, just to be disappointed in the end. But, if I can objectively help someone else with this review, please read on. Spoilers ahead!
What a refreshing and wonderful story! I was so glad I came across a drama that would tackle everyday life, heavier topics, and just "normal" people. I'm not a fan of overly stylized and polished shows, so to me, this was a plus as soon as I started the first episode.
And that one had me hooked! I loved the introduction of the FL. She was still searching for her place in life, searching for who she wanted to be, while struggling to keep a roof over her head. I found her to be quite endearing, naive, but also, surprisingly, strong.
Yes, she sometimes came across as young and inexperienced, but she also had to put up with a lot of patriarchal shit while growing up. Still, she didn't just give up; she kept going and tried to take care of her own problems and make her life work. Oftentimes we see women portrayed as helpless damsels, or they are forced on us as strong women just to keep the show going. I didn't get this vibe from Ji-ho at all. She is simply a normal girl finding her way in the world, and I loved that and was constantly rooting for her.
I have to say that my favorite character was the ML. I have a thing for the quiet, almost antisocial, tsundere types who secretly have a soft nature. Se-hee wasn't the very loving type, and we'd find out eventually why. But what I loved about this character was that he was consistent. He set boundaries and didn't go over those boundaries. Still, he made sure Ji-ho was safe, even though that was not in the contract or his job.
A lot of reviewers tend to find him off-putting, mechanical, or even unlikable. But we have to keep in mind that A: he was written that way, and B: he went through some shit in his past and he is trying to protect his heart. Not everyone can go through life with their hearts on their sleeves, and not every drama should be about a man lusting after a woman like an overheated puppy. I found Se-hee quite wonderful because he started out as stoic, antisocial, selfish, and inflexible, but we ended up with a hero who learned to open up his heart while staying true to his nature.
Both leads showed remarkable character growth throughout the drama, and then came episode 13.
All of a sudden, it felt as if they switched writers, directors, producers, or whatever when they started working on episode 13. Ji-ho turned into an idiotic, selfish, and toxic girl. I don't even want to go into detail regarding her stupid choices and thoughts, but I will just to get this off my chest.
Some of us love slice-of-life dramas because they often mirror our own lives. And I feel it would've been much better if they'd stuck to that until the end, rather than using the miscommunication, idiot damsel, and separation tropes to create some sort of fake climax. Not every story needs to be overly dramatic.
What I hated most from episode 13 onwards:
The fact that Ji-ho stopped communicating directly and clearly. She started speaking in metaphors and keeping her feelings and thoughts to herself. I mean, girl, you know Se-hee is almost a robot. Speak your m-fing mind and tell him what bothers you. The man isn't stupid, but he also can't read minds!
She decided on her own that they should break up because he hadn't uttered those stupid words people cling to. Hellooo: "I love you" means absolutely nothing without actions to back those words up. But noooo, she needed to feed her ego. Even after Su-ji told her Se-hee was planning to confess, Ji-ho still found it necessary to get divorced and leave the man.
I understand some of you will think I only mind what the ML is feeling, but no. Imagine you've been living in hell for 10 years. You kept your life private, only opened up your heart to your cat. Then comes along a beautiful, fresh girl, and she thaws your heart up to the point you decide to give life and love a chance again. Then she ups and leaves you because you haven't said the words out loud. Uhm, okay? And yes, I get that at this point Se-hee could've uttered the words and maybe stopped or appeased her. But remember the boundaries I mentioned earlier? The man was protecting the walls SHE put up. He isn't overly dramatic in showing feelings, so it would be unfair to expect he'd do so at this point.
As I said, consistent.
But here comes the worst. After she left, she was supposed to go find herself; she hadn't really lived her life up to that point. So I get that she planned to travel and see the world. We all understand that, right? What did she do though? She went to the fucking neighborhood sauna, chilled with girlfriends, and wandered around the same fucking city!
To make matters even worse: one random day she decides it's time to start their day one. Absolutely no consideration for the man she left alone, broken in pieces. She baked a cake and thought: hmmm, I'll take this to the love of my life and tell him we're on again. Girl, what?
Forget the previous worst, here comes the worst-worst.
She slides into bed with him. Notices he thinks he's dreaming of her. Doesn't correct him. Lets him think he's still dreaming. Falls asleep next to him. The next day when he wakes up, she acts as if he's crazy. The man wanted to seriously talk to her about what happened and about his feelings, and she went on and on about breakfast. WTF, did one of the writers fall on their head? Seriously.
Look, I'm glad they eventually got back together, because I love happy endings. But this was lazy, sloppy, and we're not young and impressionable viewers. If you write a drama which deals with everyday topics like housing, sexual harassment, trauma, and such, you should stick to that until the end and not fall back on mainstream tropes just to insert unnecessary drama.
Instead of the drama, they could've tackled these points:
- Why didn't they delve into the bruised hands of Se-hee after he beat up Ji-ho's attacker? Maybe that would've opened her eyes more.
- Why did she really turn down the writing contract?
- Se-hee wasn't feeling his ex; he showed her as much by waiting for Ji-ho even after he ran into the ex. Why didn't that sway her a bit?
To me the drama would've been a more "perfect drama" if these were explored:
Instead of forcing a separation in the last three episodes, they could've explored the relationship part better. They were two people starting off as landlord and tenant, got married to make life easier, and started loving each other. They could've shown us how they really took the plunge. I mean, both Se-hee and Ji-ho weren't fans of conventional and traditional Korean marriages. Explore that! Show us how they would've done it better. No slave-like activities at the in-laws.
Respecting each other's Room 19. Really having your own space whilst being together.
I loved that they renewed their contract yearly. They could've dived deeper into that.
Anything, actually, would've been better than what we got.
Anyways, I don't want to rant anymore. This has been the only drama I would've watched back-to-back just like I did CLOY. It left an emptiness in me, and now I'm disappointed at the ending. I'm in no way saying you shouldn't watch, because it started too beautifully and stayed that way until episode 13. All in all, it's really worth the 9 I rate it.
Oh, forgot to even mention the side characters. Loved all of them. I only think that Won-seok and Rang should've stayed separated; they were not meant to be together anymore.
Sidenote: the two first leads made a cameo in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim. I read the writer wanted to give the fans some joy by putting them together again, even for something small. Good idea, bad execution.
I wish the cameo was really about Ji-ho and Se-hee. Maybe a collaboration between Lee Young-joon and Se-hee? The form in which we got the cameo left a bad taste in my mouth.
Anyways, I'm done now. Don't let my frustrations stop you from watching this beautiful story.
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