When I tried watching Secret Garden the first time I dropped it after half an episode. Like many pre-2015 dramas it is really
Horrible production value both in video and audio - think of an older daily soap,
bad acting or rather alternative acting skills - painting a caricature of the characters rather than being believable and
cringe-worthy moments - have you ever heard a Korean woman demonstrating her English skills with a high pitched "excuse me"? That sends shivers down my spine.

When I picked the show up again, I steeled myself to at least watch 2 episodes. And the good news is: you get used to those points and the show actually is entertaining enough to let you finish it.

But even then there are multiple issues with the show: It is weirdly paced, with the supernatural elements only kicking in 6 episodes in and a lot of comedy resulting from them were a miss for me. You have the whole "Korean super-rich - we do not behave like humans - everybody around us is forced in a servitile position"-trope going on which isn't my favourite. And at the beginning the male lead is stalking and harassing to a point slightly outside my comfort zone.

Don't get me wrong: there are good sides as well, like properly dealing with its more serious themes like injury and social pressure.

If the production value was up to today's standard I would give it a 7 or 8. But as it is, it is mediocre at best and I cannot wholeheartedly recommend it.