1
greenteaberry
OH. MY. GOD. I rarely give dramas over a 9/10 (to save the 9.5 and 10 for extreme mind-blowers)
This is one of them.
So let's break down why I loved this drama:
1) Jang Ki Yong
Not going to lie, this was the motivation to start this drama-- I watched him in the gay web drama with Choi Woo Shik, and in Go Back Couple, wanted more of him. And boy did he deliver. Park Morgan is like ideal boyfriend 101. I'm a fan.
2) Girl power!!!
The main story is about 3 women fighting in business / the search engine market, but also against big corporations / big government. The major players in this fight are generally women, which is already a rare scene you'd see in dramas. Moreover, everyone has a unique personality and a convincing backstory. Immense character development -- you only know who's good and who's bad at the very end; and you'll learn to love even the bad -- because they added so much to the story-telling.
Also, I love how the romance isn't the defining factor for these 3 women -- they are successful badass independent career women, whose conversations will for sure pass the Bechdel test with flying colors, *who have romance lines on the side*. It's like the male characters *add* to the colors of the story and don't dominate the story.
3) THE. ACTING.
Especially Lee Jae Wook. CAN WE TALK ABOUT LEE JAE WOOK? I watched him in Memories of Alhambra (did not remember him until I saw the behind-the-scenes of Search:WWW mentioning his role there), and in When The Weather Is Fine (when I first registered this actor), and then in Extraordinary You.
You'll notice that the previous roles I saw him as were pretty 1-dimentional -- ok maybe it was more complex in Extraordinary You, but seeing his acting in Search:WWW was a huge upgrade from the other dramas I saw previously. I was blown away by his double role as the character in the drama-in-drama, and as the actor character (you'll see what I mean). Really trying not to spoil too much, but the complex emotions he conveys through his eyes are A+. Was he really just 21 when he acted in this? Such mature acting, thought he was in his late 20's or early 30's...
Also, similar situation with Lee Da Hee -- I usually see her as the chaebol second female lead who's jealous of the first lead and tries to sabotage or something (see I Hear Your Voice, Secret, Beauty Inside). Essentially, as someone else said, type-casted into a young pretty rich jealous cold role.
However, her role in Search:WWW added another dimension of her. You'll see soon after ep 1 that there's so much more to her character than a staff member of the female lead's competitor company. She gets an amazing back story and a beautiful character development line. You'll start rooting for Da Hee soon enough. OK I won't spoil any more than this -- but IT WAS GOOD.
4) Finally, most importantly, the script.
I judge dramas mainly by their script, and this one does not disappoint. Things that get mentioned early on get brought back as important plot points. The comedic relief is also strong -- if there's a huge feels scene, be prepared for a sudden joke someone makes that will leave you cracking up on the floor.
Without spoiling the ending -- note that it's worth sticking it out til the end, because the ending is written beautifully and does tie everything up nicely (and elegantly refers the viewers back to point #2 -- the girl power theme)
One reason why it's not 10/10 is because the main couple did sort of annoy me at one point, unnecessarily. I guess the writer needed it as a plot driver or something. But other than that, perfect script.
This is a drama that has a great theme (female empowerment + societal ethics + politics), great romance lines (second couple best couple; but let's be real the other two pairs are also worth rooting for), and hilarious comedic relief when you need it (or even when you think you don't need it).
I usually don't rewatch things because I don't like knowing what happens next, but for this drama I will happily rewatch compilations of certain scenes -- and of the second couple. OMG I love them so much.
This is one of them.
So let's break down why I loved this drama:
1) Jang Ki Yong
Not going to lie, this was the motivation to start this drama-- I watched him in the gay web drama with Choi Woo Shik, and in Go Back Couple, wanted more of him. And boy did he deliver. Park Morgan is like ideal boyfriend 101. I'm a fan.
2) Girl power!!!
The main story is about 3 women fighting in business / the search engine market, but also against big corporations / big government. The major players in this fight are generally women, which is already a rare scene you'd see in dramas. Moreover, everyone has a unique personality and a convincing backstory. Immense character development -- you only know who's good and who's bad at the very end; and you'll learn to love even the bad -- because they added so much to the story-telling.
Also, I love how the romance isn't the defining factor for these 3 women -- they are successful badass independent career women, whose conversations will for sure pass the Bechdel test with flying colors, *who have romance lines on the side*. It's like the male characters *add* to the colors of the story and don't dominate the story.
3) THE. ACTING.
Especially Lee Jae Wook. CAN WE TALK ABOUT LEE JAE WOOK? I watched him in Memories of Alhambra (did not remember him until I saw the behind-the-scenes of Search:WWW mentioning his role there), and in When The Weather Is Fine (when I first registered this actor), and then in Extraordinary You.
You'll notice that the previous roles I saw him as were pretty 1-dimentional -- ok maybe it was more complex in Extraordinary You, but seeing his acting in Search:WWW was a huge upgrade from the other dramas I saw previously. I was blown away by his double role as the character in the drama-in-drama, and as the actor character (you'll see what I mean). Really trying not to spoil too much, but the complex emotions he conveys through his eyes are A+. Was he really just 21 when he acted in this? Such mature acting, thought he was in his late 20's or early 30's...
Also, similar situation with Lee Da Hee -- I usually see her as the chaebol second female lead who's jealous of the first lead and tries to sabotage or something (see I Hear Your Voice, Secret, Beauty Inside). Essentially, as someone else said, type-casted into a young pretty rich jealous cold role.
However, her role in Search:WWW added another dimension of her. You'll see soon after ep 1 that there's so much more to her character than a staff member of the female lead's competitor company. She gets an amazing back story and a beautiful character development line. You'll start rooting for Da Hee soon enough. OK I won't spoil any more than this -- but IT WAS GOOD.
4) Finally, most importantly, the script.
I judge dramas mainly by their script, and this one does not disappoint. Things that get mentioned early on get brought back as important plot points. The comedic relief is also strong -- if there's a huge feels scene, be prepared for a sudden joke someone makes that will leave you cracking up on the floor.
Without spoiling the ending -- note that it's worth sticking it out til the end, because the ending is written beautifully and does tie everything up nicely (and elegantly refers the viewers back to point #2 -- the girl power theme)
One reason why it's not 10/10 is because the main couple did sort of annoy me at one point, unnecessarily. I guess the writer needed it as a plot driver or something. But other than that, perfect script.
This is a drama that has a great theme (female empowerment + societal ethics + politics), great romance lines (second couple best couple; but let's be real the other two pairs are also worth rooting for), and hilarious comedic relief when you need it (or even when you think you don't need it).
I usually don't rewatch things because I don't like knowing what happens next, but for this drama I will happily rewatch compilations of certain scenes -- and of the second couple. OMG I love them so much.
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