Reviews

Everything is too slow

I may be suspicious to talk about this ckrama since I'm not really into Chinese drama BUT I decided to give this one a try since I enjoy fireman's stories. But... Another big BUT, I was enjoying it at the beginning but even though knowing what kinda story I was going to found (I mean, they "don't" like each other) I knew they'd take a long time to get together but I have to say it's taking too long hahahahah. All the episodes I've seen so far is based in "she's trying to approach him and he hating her" and then "a lot of rescues scenes" I mean, I know that it's a story about a doctor and a fireman but how come nothing more happens than this? I'm seriously getting bored watching it, I want to keep going but the thought of seeing the same thing over and over again makes my will to watch it disappear, I mean... There's absolutely nothing more interesting. All I know is that the next episode there'll be a rescue scene and she trying to approach him again 😂😂

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Disappointing, definitely won't rewatch

I am pretty disappointed by this series. It took me forever to finish it, I was not at all invested.
I like Shin Se Kyung but her character was so boring and depressing. I hated all the other characters, they were sooo annoying, especially Biryeom and Mura. I also hated the personality of Habeak, what an unlovable character. The only character I liked was Mr. Shin. Everybody was on his case, poor guy.
The love story was boring, I cannot imagine how So-a fell in love with Habaek. He was always rude and haughty and arrogant, what a jerk. And she just accepted everything and fell in love I guess.
The storyline was actually not that bad, just poorly developed, and the characters' personalities ruined everything for me.
I definitely won't be rewatching this, it took everything just to finish it.

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What were those last few episodes and the ending???

I definitely have a big ass beef with the way this bl ended. Okay so i absolutely loved this series in first half but second half of episodes just disappointed me. What had me most frustrated was the fact that they announced second coupled storyline trough the beginning of the show and i got really interested in it but they just forgot about it and they never talked more deeply about it like you cant leave it unfinished, i was waiting for second couple closer or something but we never got anything which is so frustrating, its like im super glad that main couple had their happy ending but like what, also i think that the time jumps weren't that necessary.

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A nice series, warm and sweet, about family, children, and family ties.

Plot: marriage between the FL, a young single mother who is struggling to pay for the care of her sick daughter, and the ML, a young CEO, also a single father of a boy of the same age. This marriage, arranged first for the children's sake, will encounter many difficulties, help to clear up the misunderstandings of the past and build a very strong bond within this family.

PROS:
- excellent actors, especially the 2 leads (great chemistry) and the child actors, very young.
- well-constructed, intelligent story, which gives clues step by step, at the right time. The characters are endearing, even the romantic rival. The only incoherent character is the evil, but since he is paranoid, it remains believable.
- perfect production, without downtime, with the right balance of romance, humor, action.

CONS:
There aren't really any, just that this series is a bit a fairy tale, with every character (except one:) being overly sweet, kind, cooperative...
The OSTs are enjoyable, without being memorable.

=> This drama will not be remembered, but it is well done, well acted and very pleasant to watch.
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Une jolie série, chaleureuse et douce, sur la famille, les enfants, les liens familiaux.

Plot : mariage entre une FL, jeune mère célibataire qui a du mal à payer les soins de sa fille malade, et le ML, jeune CEO, aussi père célibataire d'un garçon du même âge. Ce mariage, d'abord pour les enfants, va rencontrer de multiples difficultés, permettre d'éclaircir les malentendus du passé et construire un lien très fort au sein de cette famille.

PROS :
- excellents acteurs, particulièrement les 2 leads (great chemistry) et les acteurs-enfants, très jeunes.
- story bien construite, intelligente, qui donne les indices peu à peu, au bon moment. Les personnages sont attachants, même la rivale amoureuse. Le seul personnage peu cohérent est le evil, mais comme il est parano, cela reste crédible.
- réalisation parfaite, sans temps mort, avec le juste équilibre de romance, d'humour, d'action.

FLAWS :
Il n'y en a pas vraiment, juste qu'on est un peu chez les bizounours, avec tous les personnages sympas (sauf un :) et coopératifs.
Les OST sont agréables, sans être mémorables.

=> Ce drama ne restera pas dans les mémoires, mais il est bien fait, bien joué et très agréable à regarder.

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Slow-moving and sparse

Lies Hidden In My Garden started off on a strong note. It even had a good build-up when it came to the suspense and a couple of decent plot twists. But when you look at it by the end, you are left feeling underwhelmed.

The story begins in a luxurious home where the husband is a doctor, the wife is a house-wife and they have a teenage son. They moved from the city into a suburb because the wife is unwell due to her dealing with her sister's untimely death. One day, the wife starts to smell a strange stench which her husband denies smelling.

On the flip side, there is another wife who lives in a shabby apartment with her abusive husband. She is pregnant. Her husband decides to take her to the doctor's house one day and meets with his wife. One the way to the house, she notices a phone in her husband's car with a bejeweled floral case that he attempts to hide. On arrival, from the car, she notices that both she and the doctor's wife wear the same scarf.

The issue with the plot began when it started to drag it's heels midway. There are literal moments of silence and slow responses and just staring. The reason being, there isn't much to the story. And despite that, questions were left unanswered such as the scarves both wives wore and the doctor's wife's sister's death. Why was she killed?

The ending was not amazing though the cinematography is. But visuals alone do not make for a great drama. I feel a bit misled. Still it has it's good moments and there is character development shown with the doctor's wife. I also enjoyed the mother and son's relationship even though it wasn't explored in great detail. I also appreciated the neighbour's character and the story behind her husband's death. All the actors also portrayed their characters well and created the much needed drama.

It's an intense series yet lacking. Good for a one time watch.

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This show is a pure delight to watch.

You can tell that they genuinely like each other, and are really having fun. I love this show. Shen Yue is my favorite actress, so I’m delighted to be able to watch her in another variety show. I like the chemistry they all have with each other. It’s so refreshing to see them out enjoying life. I’m hoping they get renewed for another season. The guys on the show are so cute and sweet to Shen Yue. They are all so down to earth, and they really seem to like trying new dishes, so that’s really interesting. It’s truly a very nice show. I would give it 10 stars if I could.

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Will definitely continue to season 2

So there’s always room for improvement, a first episode is very crucial and this first episode of this series was not great. I say that because I just feel like it was OVER DRAMATIC. It’s a drama yes, but i almost felt like it was cliche and the ML was being overly extra dropping his backpack running off and then jumping into the pool. Like yes we can keep the pool scene but fr who just ditches their backpack on a college campus? That shit stolen and why did we need to drop it. I understand impulsive behavior but it’s a little choppy. And I feel like there was many parts that were very choppy and the ending definitely and there’s like a regular version and a special edition and the one I watched had me see the beginning of season two at the end of six and then see picnic scene in a 10 minute episode seven? This ends in such a cliff hanger way you obviously have to watch the next season unless you hated it which is cool. And I hope the next season fills these holes that happened at the end because I’m lost did they stop talking? Did one stop replying as much? I feel like it was rushed and not clearly explained for such a big plot, but maybe it will unfold more next season.

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The timeline stopped making sense in the end

I was really looking forward to this and I really enjoyed it at first. I actually liked the fact that we got to see everyone at the office working, doing projects, have actual conversations and meetings related to work. It was mundane things that are often overlooked. It also made a lot of sense with how the story between Jeng and Pat was developing.

However, as the story progressed, I felt like the focus on the office related things became a bit too much. There was very little development in the relationships of characters and almost no character development. Instead, it was all work, work, work.

Jeng & Pat: Jeng has a very strong presence, kind of mysterious but also very intriguing. I know he is supposed to be this cold and ruthless boss, but I don’t really get that from him. I think he does tend to micromanage everything, which in turn makes him appear like he doesn’t trust his subordinates. He is not rude, but he expects people to do their work – something most were not used to. He is trying his best to make the department succeed. I found Pat adorable at first. He is a people pleaser and finds it hard to refuse others, but he is a good person. He does find it hard to deal with his emotions sometimes, but I can also understand his reactions. Sometimes it just all becomes too much, and you need to let it out somehow. However, as the story progressed, I started to find him a bit annoying at times. He is not really someone who is good at handling stress or work-related confrontations, which is something that often happens in his line of work. Their relationship was slow to progress, but when it did, it really went from zero to a hundred.

Whoever paired Man and Ben as Jeng and Pat deserves a raise. I absolutely love their height difference. They have great chemistry and did great portraying the longing the two characters had for one another. I did find some of their intimate scenes a bit awkward, like the focus was on everything except the intimaciy. Which made their actions appear stiff. The crying scenes were not beliveable either.

Put: there is something about him that just doesn’t sit well with me. He obviously hurt Pat a lot in the past, but it also seems very realistic for Pat to want to try and make it work with him again. It’s a sad reality that a lot of people go back to their ex at some point. It’s usually a bad idea in real life, and I think it’s a bad idea for Pat too.

Jaab & Jen: Jaab is a cutie too. I am not really a fan of him going after a taken man, but Jen doesn’t seem that indifferent either. There is obviously something on his side as well. Jaab just seems to be a bit more lovestruck. Or maybe lovesick. The two also confuse me a lot. I am not sure if we are just missing a big part of their story, but there are certain things about them that just don’t make any sense.

As for the side characters, most of the office workers are horrible. But I think it does show reality of such work – there are always those who gossip and do nothing, and then there are people who do everything and get no recognition. I really liked Nan. She is an excellent mentor to Pat. And Chot is so sweet! I really love his interactions with Pat. Plus Chot and his boyfriend are so adorable together! I do have a lot of complaints on what they did with some other office workers in the end, it came very out of the blue too.

Pat’s friend group is something! I really love the dynamics between Pat and Ae in particular. And the way Kanun treats the two is kind of funny. He seems to be the voice of reason while dealing with two troublemakers.

I liked the pacing of the story at first. It was a slowburn romance and I knew that going into it. The episodes were long, it felt like each one was longer than the previous one, with the finale topping the charts at 1h 42min. I think they could have done much better with the storyline distribution for it to make more sense. They tried to cram so much into the last two episodes, that it ended up being sloppy, messy and rushed. We were jumping around and forward, making me confused on when things happened and how.

A major letdown for me was how almost everything was left unresolved or never properly addressed. I guess we got an ending, but we didn’t really get any solid conclusions. I also found the fact that episodes continued from a different place than they ended annoying. There were a few scenes that should have been continued from when we finished in the previous episode, but they weren't. Even the change from ep1 to ep2 had that.

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An unexpected gem

I found out about this series after watching a video on least popular K dramas this year. For some reason, this drama did not have very high ratings in Korea, even though there are popular actors in it. Whatever the reason, maybe something more popular opposite it, it still sounded interesting. So I took the chance and glad I did. It is a romcom with a twist, not following the typical storyline.

What I liked: the storyline was unique. Instead of the usual, meet cute, breaking up over trivia and reuniting, this followed the aftermath of a soul crushing breakup. The writing was a cut above a typical drama, realistic, at times heartbreaking, and other times amusing. I enjoyed the leads, both did a good job. The ending was positive, but not all tied up with a bow. We saw the growth of the various characters and the possibility for more growth. The pacing was also quite good; it didn’t drag out with unnecessary fillers.

What I didn’t like: I think there was at least one too many side stories. A workplace romance was just wrong, the chemistry wasn’t there, and it felt inappropriate. There was an extraordinary amount of drunkenness in this drama, more than usual, and was often used as a catalyst for people to overcome communication problems. Drinking appears often in K dramas, but this one seemed to go overboard. It’s one of the reasons I couldn’t give it a full 10.

My favorite type of entertainment is something that can distract you, and in the case of a romcom, make you feel good, but at the same time give you something to think about. This drama filled the bill for me.

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Final episode was Horrible!

I can’t believe i watched all of season 1 and 2, just to get jipped in the final episode. There was no closure, just confusing as hell. It made absolutely no sense. What happened with xiling and tangs war? What happen to fuzi is he coming back? Did sangsang finally become her real self and live happily with ning que? Seems like ning Que got a prettier looking girl now she’s stealing sangsangs man 😂 that’s what i got from the ending. The show must have ran thru all the finances and concluded the show with a janky episode. I hate how so many Chinese dramas end like this. So so so bad. Ruined the whole show for me because of one final episode

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A slow enticing mystery that ends on a disappointing note

If you love slow-moving mystery stories with cinematic visuals, this drama would probably catch your attention. If there is anything that could distinguish this drama from others, it would definitely be the directing style and camera work. The unusual camera angles, the entry to each scene, the dark and sometimes black and white perspective to indoor settings but the colorful charming perspective to outdoors, especially "the garden where secrets lie" were thoughtful and do serve the scenes and the story well. I won't call it beautiful but it is satisfying to watch. It also helps in sending eerie signals here and there, along with the soundtracks, although that mightn't last because of the exceedingly slow build up of events that needed more escalation at times to spice up the mystery (having only 8 episodes could make up for this though).

The performance of the three leads counts as well. The silent beauty of Joo Ran (Kim Tae Hee) who sounds like a docile housewife but still gives off a mysterious feeling that keeps her persona in question. The character of Jae Ho (Kim Sung Oh) who keeps you thinking back and forth of whether he is a faithful good or a controlling bad husband. and the sly portrayal of Sang Eun's character who sounds too pitiful but at the same time too spiteful to sympathize with, honestly, Im Ji Yeon was my favorite here although I'm not necessarily a fan. So, characters were quite well-written however not always well-developed (like her neighbor's)

The story itself is not new, it kicks off with a weird stench coming from the garden of a wealthy family's house then it digs into a possible dead body, murders and extortion but it does offer interesting themes like physical and emotional abuse and the hostility between the rich and the poor; some people even mentioned parasite and it really gives off a similar feeling at times.
All those elements kept me invested in the story and waiting for the final reveal which was rather dissatisfying.

*This part contains spoilers*
And here we go to babble about the downside of this drama, so many whys and a seriously questionable behavior of Joo ran in the finale that just wastes the potential of whatever her character was supposed to be!! why did she do what she did??? what were her true intentions? to kill her husband? to get rid of both him and sang eun? did she just change her opinion midway? no plausible answer can get to my mind and no answer comply with the final message or with how she was actually trying to save Sang Eun cause both of them could have easily got killed. I believe the writer could have conveyed the same message with a smarter and cleaner ending. That's all? no. There were some real stupid police moments all along and how come the husband was charged for Yun Boem's murder at the end when there's absolutely no evidence against him? Why is Ju ran even blamed for her sister's murder? I don't get it. I'd have also loved if there was more elaboration on the tension between Jae ho and his father and the context of him getting closer to and marrying Ju ran which would have gave us better understanding to the nature of the relation between them and how they came to that state, and guess what? there was more than enough time to reveal that.

All in all. The drama could be enjoyable for those who don't get easily frustrated by slow-burns. I would recommend it if you want to watch something a bit different in mood than most dramas, but I still can warn you of a bit underwhelming resolve.

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Ill-defined and unfunny

I could stare at Lee Jun Ho all day long cos that man is both gorgeous and a talented actor which is why I hope he fires whoever told him to choose King the Land as a follow-up to the enrapturing drama that was The Red Sleeve. I tried so hard to care but I was bored of the excessive and sometimes vulgar display of wealth, likewise the ingrained classism that continues to permeate most K dramas. In addition, there was something so uncomfortably trite about yet another subservient female lead and her equally poor female friends. Like, aren't these showrunners tired of this formula? I certainly am.

This is deserving of a 1.5-star rating, however, the site moderators are a bit overwhelmed with the Arab Prince controversy and have been deleting anything below 3.5 stars, so that's what I'll have to rate it.

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Great Start; Ok Ending

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

The series was enjoyable in the beginning even though the boss/employee office romance concept is nothing new. Unfortunately, this fades away as the series continues. The script started off strong, but gradually gets weaker towards the end. The last episode was ok, but a little bizarre and has my most hated story element. The script also had some very weak points. There are times it introduced things without any context to it. I also find the timeline a little confusing because there were no indications on the time progression. On a positive note, the script at least sticks with all of the storylines that were introduced. Well, sort of. See the spoiler alert at the end of this review if you want more information. Overall, the acting was ok. The new actors were not horrible, they just need to improve their skills. The more seasoned actors are the ones that shined. The co-workers’ actions seem overly dramatic, but I think this was done on purpose to emphasize how toxic some work environments can be. The cinematography was good most of the time, but there was some shaky camera work.

Random Note:

It was cute how they incorporated several nods to Lovely Writer. It was also great to see many of the actors from that series in this one. It was like a mini reunion.

I usually can keep track with how all of the characters are connected to each other, but I’m still confused on how everyone actually knows each other.

The English subtitles were good with the exception that it didn’t show English subtitles when printed content appears on screen a few times.

Although I was not bothered by the pacing, there was a lot of wasted screen time. Many of the episodes had a lot of filler scenes that were not needed. This should have been an 8- to 10- episode series because it really didn’t have enough content for 12-episodes.




********Spoiler Alert********

It was bizarre how the sexual harassment case was handled, but this is probably a cultural thing.

The storyline between Jaab and Jane was ok in the beginning, but became tedious and annoying by the end. I was not a fan of how Jane flirted with Jaab in the beginning when he knew Jaab obviously liked him.

I don’t understand Pat’s actions in episode 9. He acted like he was the one that confessed to Jeng and that Jeng turned him down.

As for the ending, it was a little weak. We get a 2-year time jump that serves no purpose. I hate series with time jumps because it’s just very lazy writing. It has a happy ending for Pat and Jeng, but Jaab and Jane’s storyline is left to the sideline. We see Jaab packing to see Jane, but we have to assume things are good with them with the little information we get in that scene. Once again, I’m confused at the time progression during the end.

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The eerie journey of two women striving to live as their true selves.

Moon Jooran's seemingly perfect life started crumbling down because of a stench coming from the backyard. This suspenseful thriller will then revolve around the reason of that smell. Moon Jooran ends up discovering throughout the show that she has been too weak of a person and has turned a blind eye on many details that could've saved the victim, her son, and herself.
Chu Sangeun's life has been hell on earth. She's beaten by her husband, she's poor and her family can't be deemed as one.

Although both of these women come from contrasting backgrounds, they have a similar marital pattern. Both of them have an awful husband: one's husband is openly a jerk, and one's husband is a sly jerk. We'll see how these women will handle them and bring them to their demise.

What I liked in this show:

- Casting -

Let's be honest, I think most of us started watching this drama because of the insane cast. Kim Taehee's first work after many years, Lim Jiyeon's "TaeHyeJi" collection, Kim Sungoh and Choi Jaerim who are outstanding actors. The casting was perfect, they embodied their role with brio.

- Cinematography -

There has been a very few dramas where the cinematography got me dazzled. It felt like I was watching a very long movie. I got Parasite vibes. The shots were all so well-made and suit the vibe of the drama.

- OSTs & BGMs -

Listening to the opening alone captivated me and got me invested. Music plays an important role and can itself stop me from focusing on the show. Kudos to the composer and everybody who contributed to the soundtracks, they did great.

- The last episode -

The last episode, especially the ending, was satisfying to me. Jaeho's only way to atone for his sin was to perish six feet under. What he did is unforgivable, regardless of the reason. He is a very selfish person and hides behind that perfect fatherly image to get away with his horrendous acts. We FINALLY managed to see in the last episode both ladies helping each other out to both be freed from that suffocating life of theirs. At the end, both ladies manage to live as their true selves. Sangeun is finally smiling and living, I'm happy for her, she lived a hard life. Jooran on the other hand lives with her son and stopped being cooped up in her house. She is no longer a weak mom, and I am proud of her for trying so hard to become stronger for her son's sake but especially for her sake.

What I didn't like in this show:

- The pace -

It was slow, incredibly slow. Not a captivating type of slow, a boring type of slow. I had to put a 2.0x speed during some scenes, which is something I never do. The long pauses between lines are good since it's a thriller, but doing it in every single scene becomes boring. Things are then not moving, it felt like we were going back to square one countless of times and it felt like everything that we watched until now was a waste of time.

- Many plot-holes -

The drama left many unanswered questions to us. Who killed Jooran's sister? Why? Was Soomin really pregnant? What happened between Sangeun and her mom? Why would Jooran still live in that house where many atrocities happened?
Many plot-holes and I really hate when this happens. Thankfully, this didn't negatively impact the drama since the main questions have been answered.

Overall, it's a nice watch. Make sure to fasten the pace of the scenes from time to times because you'd feel like you're just looking at pictures. Good job to all the cast and the staff for making a good drama.

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