Details

  • Last Online: 25 days ago
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: NYC!
  • Contribution Points: 0 LV0
  • Roles:
  • Join Date: September 29, 2011
  • Awards Received: Flower Award1
Go Back Couple korean drama review
Completed
Go Back Couple
18 people found this review helpful
by manicmuse
Nov 19, 2017
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This is a drama that I did not expect to like based on the synopsis. The story seems extremely cliché on paper... an unhappy married couple gets to unexpectedly go back in time to when they met. I expected a cheesy RomCom with a retro time travel twist preaching against divorce, but instead was tricked into an emotional story about the realities of growing up, regrets, and appreciating what you have. This is a drama with a lot of laughter, but I also shed a lot of tears. The amazing cast also makes the story really hit home.

I really liked the main couple. I'm not familiar with Son Ho Jun's acting, but I'm a fan of Jang Na Ra (Hello Monster, and Fated to Love You), and I think they were a good match. The script calls for a lot more melodrama than cuteness between the two of them, but I definitely believed them as a couple, and got invested in their relationship pretty quickly. There's a sense of intimacy between the two of them that is really believable. Jang Ki Yong however brings on some major second lead feels, and really pulls off being the "older" member of the group, while actually being one of the youngest in the cast. I was very impressed by him, and loved his scenes with Na Ra. I hope to see a lot more from him. I also gained some new appreciation for Jang Na Ra's range, so I want to see a lot more of her dramas too.

The rest of the cast was solid as well. The friendships are awesome! Sometimes they go a little overboard with the immaturity, but it was fun to watch. The retro vibe also makes it fun, especially if you remember the last century well, even if a few of the references went over my head. I cared about every character, and they all had such memorable personalities. The MVP of this drama however is Kim Mi Kyung as Jin Joo's mom, which isn't so surprising based on her awesome career, but her character's storyline ends up being the drama that drives most of the show, and immediately sets the tone that this is more than a silly retro drama. Any fan of hers won't be disappointed, not that she's doing anything particularly new, but she's just so great to watch in general that you get to really appreciate her in this. I was also impressed by her moonwalking skills.

I got hooked on "Go Back Couple" pretty quickly, so I was shocked to see that it only had 12 episodes. Initially I was disappointed by that, but it honestly felt like the perfect length at the end. Although I did think some parts of the ending were a little rushed and contrived,  they did do a good job of satisfyingly wrapping up everything. I like the message overall, and I suspect that making it longer would have just dragged things on unnecessarily.  The episodes are over an hour long, so that does make a difference.  I was never bored, and looked forward to watching each week. It also makes me more likely to rewatch it, and makes it much easier to binge watch.

Maybe I'm biased towards stories about gaining a new perspective on a life, or a relationship, that you wish never happened, or have regrets about, but I highly recommend this one. I will warn anyone that has lost a parent that this may be really tough to watch at times, but there is also a great balance of comedy, and insightfulness, that keeps it from being too depressing. I cried hard, I laughed out loud, I got in my feelings about life, so I consider this a drama success.  This is the kind of well rounded drama that I don't think you will have any regrets watching.
Was this review helpful to you?