This review may contain spoilers
Sweet but Overstretched
A simple, fluffy romance with touches of trauma. Overall, the story is okay. It's your typical romance where the white knight swoops in and saves the female lead. My biggest issue is that if that was always going to be the story, there was no reason for this drama to be 28 episodes. They easily could've told the same story in 20. The script would've been tighter, the pacing would've been better, and the story wouldn't have dragged as much as it did. Overall, The Best Thing is a decent, easy watch if you're looking for a comforting romance with a genuinely lovable male lead. The leads have good chemistry, and there are plenty of heartwarming moments throughout.
The whole ex-boyfriend arc annoyed me, not just because he was such a detestable character, but because we never really learned why he was so determined to get back together with her. Since the drama starts before their breakup, we witness everything unfold firsthand. I actually think it would've been much more interesting if the story had started after they had already broken up. Then the audience could've learned about Shen Xi Fan's past alongside He Su Ye, slowly uncovering what happened and why she became the person she is. Instead, there wasn't much mystery surrounding her history because we already knew exactly what happened, which made that entire part of the story feel far less engaging.
He Su Ye is a major green flag, and it's easy to see why so many people loved him. I also appreciated how the drama handled his ex-girlfriend. They acknowledged that she existed and that she'd had an impact on his life, but they never brought her back just to create unnecessary drama like so many romance series tend to do. Instead, they showed how his previous relationship still influenced the way he viewed love and approached new relationships without turning it into another love triangle. I thought that aspect was handled really well. That said, I do think they leaned a little too hard into making him the perfect male lead. He barely had any flaws, and after a while he started to feel more like an ideal fantasy than an actual person. He was endlessly patient, understanding, accommodating, and willing to compromise. There's nothing wrong with those qualities, but eventually the balance felt off. He became less of a fully realized character and more of an ideal partner.
As for Shen Xi Fan, I found her to be a pretty boring protagonist. Yes, she's sweet, kind, and considerate, but beyond those traits there just isn't much to her. She doesn't have a particularly strong personality, and her character growth feels very limited. I kept waiting for her to become more confident or decisive, but that moment never really came. She spends so much of the drama hesitating and dragging her feet that it eventually became frustrating to watch. I honestly think the ending would've been stronger if she'd chosen to study abroad while staying single. For much of the first half of the drama, she was still dealing with the trauma left by her ex-boyfriend, and then she immediately entered a relationship with He Su Ye. She never really had a chance to breathe or figure out who she was on her own. The time she spent single simply wasn't enough. Let her grow, gain new experiences, and return as a more confident person.
The whole ex-boyfriend arc annoyed me, not just because he was such a detestable character, but because we never really learned why he was so determined to get back together with her. Since the drama starts before their breakup, we witness everything unfold firsthand. I actually think it would've been much more interesting if the story had started after they had already broken up. Then the audience could've learned about Shen Xi Fan's past alongside He Su Ye, slowly uncovering what happened and why she became the person she is. Instead, there wasn't much mystery surrounding her history because we already knew exactly what happened, which made that entire part of the story feel far less engaging.
He Su Ye is a major green flag, and it's easy to see why so many people loved him. I also appreciated how the drama handled his ex-girlfriend. They acknowledged that she existed and that she'd had an impact on his life, but they never brought her back just to create unnecessary drama like so many romance series tend to do. Instead, they showed how his previous relationship still influenced the way he viewed love and approached new relationships without turning it into another love triangle. I thought that aspect was handled really well. That said, I do think they leaned a little too hard into making him the perfect male lead. He barely had any flaws, and after a while he started to feel more like an ideal fantasy than an actual person. He was endlessly patient, understanding, accommodating, and willing to compromise. There's nothing wrong with those qualities, but eventually the balance felt off. He became less of a fully realized character and more of an ideal partner.
As for Shen Xi Fan, I found her to be a pretty boring protagonist. Yes, she's sweet, kind, and considerate, but beyond those traits there just isn't much to her. She doesn't have a particularly strong personality, and her character growth feels very limited. I kept waiting for her to become more confident or decisive, but that moment never really came. She spends so much of the drama hesitating and dragging her feet that it eventually became frustrating to watch. I honestly think the ending would've been stronger if she'd chosen to study abroad while staying single. For much of the first half of the drama, she was still dealing with the trauma left by her ex-boyfriend, and then she immediately entered a relationship with He Su Ye. She never really had a chance to breathe or figure out who she was on her own. The time she spent single simply wasn't enough. Let her grow, gain new experiences, and return as a more confident person.
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