Dinner Mate (2020)

Some great, some good and some plain meeh that failed to ignite the spark in me

Some dramas keep you on your toes, others send you off on an amazing roller coaster ride, or a ride thru the alps with beautiful scenery and exitment... This one has some good scenery, and lovely food shots that may make you feel some hunger but its more of a country ride with a stop to eat on the way then a thrilling ride. I did not feel the it factor, you know the whole wow factor igniting my emotions... yes that is it it did not ignite enough emotional reactions from me to get exited about it.

This drama has all the components to make it great! Showing both social issues, mental illness and bad ass female characters that make you competently fall for them. The side characters are mostly great but mid annoying at worst, but have good character development as well as some really good side characters with some really good lines. My favorit line from the whole dram comes from a mid annoying side character that said: unwanted love is not real love, it is violence! But then he spent most of his screen time trying to push people in to the pit of re living their toxic relationships so I can't really say he is as good as that line.

There is a homeless man that is made human, but still annoying and well does not really represent the social issue of homelessness at all except for maybe one line... This had so much potential but just turned in to meeh...

But the sismance, oh the sismance as well as the mother daughter relationship was great. The way they wrote the female lead was just so good, I loved it! incorporating both self blame, shame, moving on,inner struggles, the exterior vs. the interior, fear, regret.... She really goes thru allot and just handels it like a human being. Her boss is just cool, I love that actress and the way she gets these bad ass quirky fun characters that are just filled with great easy humor that is low without becoming annoying.

But then we have the only fat person in the whole drama who could have been portrayed as a competent fun person but instead is portrayed as a smelly less competent stereotypical fat guy. Come on, this is not nice, please stop. fat people are just as competent, lovable and can even smell really nice and deserve respect and love just the way they are.

I did however like part of the dramas take on stalking, mental illness and the need for help while still showing the consequences for the victims of the actions of the persons actions while being on an episode. This is really important to me, yes we need to raise awareness of people struggling with mental illness as being competent human beings with feelings deserving to be loved and further being punished by societies prejades. But rhe people around them do get hurt and should have the right to put up boundaries as well as distance them slevs. What I a ms saying is that it is complicated and this drama does a pretty okay job showing that it is complicated and I loved that about it.

The male lead is also really cool, I love the way he keeps calm more or less in every situation and well he is both nice to look att and does all these nice things that make ones heart flutter... Even though the main couple seems to lack chemistry the interactions and dialog between them is hilarious at times it just lacks that little spark that many other drama couples have. But both characters are well written and really great.. if they only had that spark.

So all in all worth a watch just don't expect to much of an emotional ride...

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This was soo painful to watch

This probably went from becoming one of my favoutite shows to one that i despise.
PROS
- ML is kind and extremely caring
-Fl is played by Seo Ji Hye
-Acting is good......... Yep That's all.

CONS
The FL was suffering from heartbreak from her previous relationships. Meets the ML. Decide to become friends. After a series of events likes him. He noticed the hints and confessed. They date. She dumps him for no reason. She pities herself even tho she dumps him. ML has to be the bigger person and always runs back to her. they date again. she dumps again. she pities herself again. Ml has to go and comfort her again. This happens at least 2 more times. Till ep 14 which is pretty much most of the show she still sides with her ex sometimes and the ML has to act like he fine She also lied to him and never really opened up to him up till ep 15 whereas ML gave his all to their relation ship. It felt so one sided i found it hard to watch. Just because the EX has mental disorders doesn't mean he can do anything he wants and doesn't mean she have to do anything for him, especially since he was extremely shit to her,
I truly felt she didn't like the ML up till ep 15 (he had to get in an accident for the stupid biatch to realize). As for the ML's ex she was just a bother in the beginning but layed off soon only.

You can even check the ep ratings and how they dropped from 8.3-8.8 all the way to 7.2-7.8

Anyways enough of my ranting but i would not recommend this show for how infuriating it was even though it started so well.

PS: WHAT MADE ME LOOSE MY SHIT WAS SHE LIED TO ML SAYING HER MOM WAS OVER WHEN IN REALITY HER EX WAS AT HER HOME. EVEN WHEN SHE FOUND OUT THE ML KNEW SHE JUST KEPT QUIET. ISTG I WANTED TO PUNCHED MY MONITOR AT LEASSST 20 TIMES WATCHING THIS SHOW. UGHHH SO INFURIATING.

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Worth the Watch if You Can Tolerate the Exes

This is basically a drama about first loves vs. new loves so be prepared for far too much time spent on ML/FL’s exes. I would have enjoyed this drama more if we’d had more time watching the sweet and emotionally mature romance between ML/FL rather than watching their annoying (ML’s ex) and psychotic (FL’s ex) exes trying to win these two back. The audacity of these two exes is breathtaking, especially the female ex. So, let’s start with the bad first.

The bad – the exes. ML’s ex is No-uel. I call her the Christmas cupcake since her name looks like ‘Noel’ and she’s got the personality of a cupcake – nauseating sweet and fluffy, a typical ‘damsel in distress’ who thinks men have to roll over and do her bidding because she’s pretty. What ML (Hae-Kyong) ever saw in this woman in beyond me other than the script told his character that he had to love her in the past. She has absolutely no personality or uniqueness that warrants this man’s devotion. She a selfish, spoiled, narcissistic, immature, entitled brat of a woman. All she’s got going for her is her body and her looks. I wouldn’t expect a man of ML’s depth to be in love with such a shallow, superficial character. Her character is totally useless to this whole drama other than ML had to have a ‘first love’ to correspond with FL having a ‘first love’ who comes back out of the blue. It makes absolutely no sense why ML would still be confused about his feelings for this woman because she doesn’t deserve his love. I never once believed that No-uel ever truly loved ML. It was always all about her, and it's still all about her. Now, FL’s ex. Jae-Hyuk is a first-class psycho, but at least, his character is interesting, and I did feel some sympathy for him because of his emotional torment and mental illness. I didn’t doubt his love for FL although it was an obsessive, unhealthy love. The actor, Lee Ji Hoon, does a terrific job portraying this character. Unlike No-uel, Jae-Hyuk was an actual danger to this couple & himself. But around episode 10, I had had enough of these two exes and simply wanted them to GO AWAY, especially No-uel. I didn’t mind Jae-Hyuk sticking around a bit longer since I wanted to know the real reason he left FL and his background with Keanu. Jae-Hyuk mattered to the plot; No-uel didn’t. Way too much time was spent on the exes and the leads’ continuing relationship with them. Honestly, ML shouldn’t have had as much trouble as he did turning the cupcake down flat, considering how she treated him during their relationship (she admits cheating on him). However, I could understand FL’s struggle since Jae-Hyuk treated her well before their break-up.

Now, the good. ML was WONDERFUL! This man is a saint! A true gem! How any woman could treat him like No-uel or even FL (she was always pushing him away; I wanted to shake some sense into her several times) is beyond me. He was perfect…other than being a tad too cautious and reserved. And he was just too nice. He needed to be firmer with No-uel and tell the woman ‘there’s no way in hell I’m getting back together with you so keep your tears and your hands to yourself, especially in front of my new woman.’ Don’t just look uncomfortable – take action and push her hands away, buddy. In this instance, he needed to be more like a Chinese ML who is flat-out rude to the female love rival. Other than his lingering feelings for that cupcake – which was completely illogical in my opinion - he was everything a woman would want – handsome, successful, gentle, understanding, etc. Why FL took so long to see that is purely a contrivance of the script to drag out the drama – a real woman would have pounced on this man and never let go! I do like how his character does become bolder, more willing to display emotion and take risks - the very things cupcake wanted, Do-Hee, without any conscious effort on her part, manages to pull out of him.

I liked FL (Do-Hee) a lot. She had spunk but she was mature, especially in her relationship with ML. They both trusted and respected each other so there wasn’t a lot of jumping to conclusions or misunderstandings. They felt like one of those couples that are just ‘meant to be’ since they managed to stick together despite the clingy exes that circled them like flies. At about episode 10, if I were either of the two leads, I would have gone off on my ex since they were starting to behave like dog poop you can’t get off your shoe. Stop harassing me already! I don’t love you anymore! It was frustrating how it took Do-Hee so long to commit to Hae-Kyong, but I suppose it's reasonable for her to hold back after the two ex-boyfriends she'd had, but it made so sense to me how she felt her past was an obstacle to her relationship with ML. He knew all the ugly bits and still loved her so what's the problem? She played the noble idiot 1-2 times, but at least, it was brief! But, boy, it was heart-breaking for the viewer to watch Hae-Kyong's confusion and misery.

My biggest complaint: the scriptwriter/director really needed to give us more sweet romance between the leads – they were so darn cute together. It was so adorable when they both were imagining romantic scenes with each other. And boy, it was a long wait for their first kiss! Fortunately, as we near the end and the problem of Jae-Hyuk is resolved, we get more cuteness as they settle into their relationship. The final episode is like a sigh of relief after the tension/angst of the proceeding 2-3 episodes.

The supporting cast was good as they are with nearly all K-Dramas. I don’t know how the Koreans do it, but they have a wonderful knack for creating interesting side characters. The side romance between Ah-Yeong and Keanu was cute as well and was well balanced so it didn’t distract from MC’s romance. It was a little odd how Geun knew everybody in the love square individually – what’s the probability of that in real life? He was like a spoke that they all revolved around. I absolutely loved how he finally scolded No-uel for her selfish behavior. My advice to her - look, honey, there are consequences to the decisions you make so now you have to live with them. You can't have back the toy you threw away.

Overall, I enjoyed this drama, although I fast forwarded through most of No-uel because she was just an irritant (although her character does improve once she stops harassing Hae-Kyong). If you can put up with exes that just won’t go away and a slow burn romance that makes you want to shake the leads at times, then watch this drama. The sweet moments between ML/FL are worth it…not to mention Song Seung-heon’s (ML) smile. If they ever made the webtoon/comic ‘The Office Blind Date’ into a drama, I think Song Seung-Heon just might be handsome enough to play the lead role of Kang Tae-Mu. The only reason I marked the re-watch value low is because there's too many scenes with the exes and not enough of the leads being romantic.

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How to Get Over Your Past Relationships? Easy: Make a Better One.

Dinner Mate is a slow-burn romantic TV show that doesn't use a lot of melodrama to build the chemistry between the two leads. It is a purely serendipitous tale of two professionals who find each other at the best time. From the early episodes it is abundantly clear that both Kim Hae Kyung, played by Song Seung Heon, and Woo Do Hee, played by Seo Ji Hye are quite unenthusiastic about romantic relationships. After some comedic situations and a little bit of coincidence to get the ball rolling, the backbone of the show's plot becomes, what I would call, "anonymous intimacy". The two main leads meet for dinner as a means to vent about their personal lives without deep feelings, without the potential anxiety of being boyfriend-girlfriend and without verbal confrontations. They do this by agreeing to eat together when they're hungry and by carefully talking about their lives but never giving their names or professions to each other. If we take the show's premise at face value, this is obviously a way for the show to set-up a lot of complicated social situations, combined with 'secret relationship' antics.

I think, however, we need to take a step back and recognise that Dinner Mate isn't a plot-heavy show. Dinner Mate is very much an emotional and psychological journey where the back-and-forth events at Do Hee's social media job and Hae Kyung's clinic aren't that important. What becomes important over the course of the show are the particularities of how the two leads overcome their relationship woes.

Both leads are coming off of bad break-ups: Do Hee has been ghosted, Hae Kyung viciously dumped. Without spoiling, neither has entirely given up at the start of the series, but they are slightly weary of relationships and the drama that seems to follow their romantic lives around. What is great about Dinner Mate's story is the suggestion that this weariness is exactly the mindset which creates a strong relationship. The rules the "dinner mates" create ensure an ongoing, neutral social outing where they can eat with each other without judgement; this results in them respecting each other's privacy. They resist the temptation to pry into each other's lives and are able to spend time with someone else without emotional pressures.

This respect for the privacy and the emotional boundaries of strangers is the most important takeaway from the scenario of this show.

It might sound like I'm not describing a romantic television show, but that is obviously not the case. It's readily apparent from all the various music cues and slow-motion shots of the actors looking into each other's direction (calmly and with slight smiles on their faces) that the two leads are inevitably going to 'catch feelings' for each other. The dinner rules are meant to fail, which makes the show pretty funny at times. It's almost a recurring meme at the end of every second hour of this show for Seo Ji Hye and Song Seung Heon to be looking at each other across a street (for what seems like an eternity) while soft modern R&B plays in the background. While I did eye-roll during one or two of these slow-mo stares and maybe found them a little tiresome once or twice, I didn't mind Dinner Mate's straight-forward romantic tale. I vastly prefer a romantic story where the plot is driven by warm, non-verbal communication combined with a positive outlook for the relationship. The alternative romantic story (the one most television shows rely on) is a plot driven by betrayal, violence or a type of doomed 'forced contact' between the two leads. For example: boy meets girl after a disaster-like event, or boy meets girl but their families are enemies, or boy meets girl but one of them is a ghost, etc.

You can build a romantic story using unfortunate events that eventually forces the two leads to bond together in order to overcome the negativity of their situation, but this approach is only one particular part of how romance develops. This brings me to the two 'villains', or ex-partners, of the lead characters: Jin Noh Eul and Jung Jae Hyuk. Obviously I want you to watch the show for yourself so I'm not going to spoil much, but through these two characters Dinner Mate explores the transition out of chasing romance and into building romance. It's easy to argue that the two villains, in their persistent chase for romance, eventually start chasing romantic trauma instead. They don't evolve their mindset into their new circumstances whatsoever. Needless to say, the fact that some of the main and supporting characters in this show are psychologists shouldn't be lost on you. It bears repeating: you should not be expecting a lot of interesting twists and turns in this story; nor are the plot twists and 'shock' events in this show at all surprising.

Dinner Mate very much wants show how we can BUILD FROM romantic trauma rather than LAZILY ACCEPT romantic trauma. Yeah, there's some cheesy melodramatic scenarios near the end of the show, but make no mistake: Dinner Mate has a powerful message about the importance of mediated intimacy in romantic relationships rather than an accepted familiarity. We shouldn't take our loved ones for granted.

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Letting Go of What Was and Accepting What Is

This show is not perfect, and at times, it can be a little slow but regardless, it is an enjoyable watch. It did a good job showcasing the romance between two people who have become jaded about love after suffering painful heartbreaks while delivering on good character development for all involved. The series balanced light and fun moments with witty and sophisticated dialogue. It also showed depth in dealing with heavier themes like mental illness and the pain of loss, and the struggles of moving on. Another plus point was the OST, and the show almost always hit the right dramatic notes during heartbreaking scenes while transitioning smoothly to more light-hearted scenes. I liked the tracks, all of them, including the instrumental pieces.

I loved the references to 'Crash Landing On You", and I had a faint hope that maybe Seo Ji Hye and Kim Jung Hyun may reunite in 'Dinner Mate' with a happier ending for them. Of course, that was not to be. Instead, we have Seo Ji Hye paired with Song Seung Heon resulting in a lovely, heart-warming story of a man and a woman who found love and comfort in each other's company as they share their lives through having meals together. I love that the our lead couple's story started with them crossing paths on Jeju Island, and through a string of coincidences led to them choosing to be dinner mates with certain ground rules like not sharing personal information about each other. That kicked off a comfortable relationship that allowed them glimpses of each other's brokenness, and eventually to them letting go of their past and starting anew with their own sweet romance.

Seo Ji Hye shined as the unpredictable, cool, and energetic Woo Doo Hee. She played such a different character in CLOY, and I did not expect to like her so much as PD Woo. She was charming, natural, funny, and the role of a strong, sassy FL who held her ground fitted her perfectly. In my book, Seo Ji He has proven to be a note-worthy leading lady. Song Seung Hoon's chemistry with her was magnetic, and as the charismatic psychiatrist Dr. Kim Hae Kyung, his acting was on point. I find it refreshing to have a leading man who is a true dramaland Oppa; mature, good-looking, suave, sexy, and most importantly, caring. From the very beginning, he was kind and considerate to Doo Hee, looking after her and keeping her company on the day of her breakup despite them being practically strangers. Throughout the show, we can see the dashing doctor going out of his way to help others. Honestly, Song Seung Hoon made my heart fluttered so much that I am on a mission to watch more of his shows.

The supporting lead stars were equally and effectively great in portraying their roles. Lee Ji Hoon left a lasting impression on me as Jung Jae Hyuk, Woo Do Hee's ex-boyfriend, who had to deal with his own family troubles and the resulting trauma. He was so good at emoting, switching easily to tearful, heartbreaking scenes that made me cry along with him. We can understand why Jae Hyuk left Doo Hee so suddenly, and I think one can also relate to his desperation to winning her back. For a while, I was rooting for him; that's how good Lee Ji Hoon played his role. On the other hand, I felt more hate than love towards Jin No Eul, Hae Kyung's ex-girlfriend, who wanted him back after realizing that he was still the best catch for her. Son Na Eun did a good job as the possessive, self-absorbed social influencer who eventually came to accept her past mistakes that led her to lose Hae Kyung. Additionally, Ye Ji Won and Park Ho San as Nam Ah Young and Keanu, respectively, provided lots of hilarity during their quirky romance.

I thought this show was under-rated on MDL, and I noticed quite a few negative comments were about how the show focused too much on the exes. I disagree - I found that the exes provide the right amount of tension, and it's the kind of conflict that I have come to appreciate about K-Dramas.

Overall, I recommend this heart-warming show about second chances and acceptance, accepting that some things are not meant to be and that it is never too late to look for happiness.

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A good story spoiled by dragging it for longer episodes than it needed

Yes, like the title says the story was impressive. Especially the way our couple meet and get to know each other through their anonymous dinner dates is a breath of fresh air. Acting, casting, music all looked spot on except the decision to take it for 16 episodes.

I mean the story is cute and awesome but it isn’t a very long one which requires 16 episodes. I think they should have made it only as 12 episodes drama and removed many scenes which were spent on focusing the violent love of ex lovers. Even if they really needed a 16 episode drama, they should have at least created another capable side plot or office romance with the available characters.

Another complaint is that there were not many sweet moments of our main couple once they got together. It was very annoying when the story’s main pillar is romance. Instead they kept on dragging by the ex lovers to irritate us.

Overall I enjoyed with help of forward button. But this drama will go into my list of capable heart fluttering awesome dramas ruined by writers. I am sad that the drama which started very promising got dragged on and bored me enough to never pay a revisit. Seriously I would have rewatched it a few times if only things were done right since I really loved the story and leads.

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I want a dinner mate too!

Likes
1. Amazing chemistry between the two leads. I love Hae Kyung and Dohee's relationship from being strangers, to dinner mates and to lovers. Of course we should still be careful befriending a random stranger in a foreign place, no matter how handsome they are!
2. I love the thought of food as therapy and providing comfort to people. It is true. We often use food to help us when we are stressed, sad or happy.
3. The food, the beautiful visuals, Seo ji hye's dresses, Song seung hun's biceps.
4. I loved the ost a lot! I thought they weren't the usual songs because they were more rnb /hiphop than ballads and pop. And it fit the show. Yum yum!

Dislikes
1. One crazy ex was enough. Bringing in both toxic exes for the entire run of the drama was too much. Noeul was not very helpful in building the plot. She could have shown up in the first few episodes and left on a good note.
2. Honestly wasn't that interested in Jaehyuk's story. I thought he took away a lot of the bonding times HK and DH could have shared on screen.

Rating: 8.5/10

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I can't speak words, gor how feel good this show is.

This show won't be the deepest or most intricate you have ever seen or will ever see, it's just a feel good show for when you are down. The cast have great chemistry, a little lacking in that there are some plot holes, but feel good enough to watch more than once.
A major aspect of the romance between Do hee and Ha Kyung is the dinners they share and how simple yet fulfilling a meal can be when you are with a person you can speak your mind to, and this facete of the show makes it unique. The supporting cast were also a pleasure to watch although the end scene between Young Dong and No-eul was expected yet still weird to watch.

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It kept me smiling almost all the time!

Not sure why people disliked this drama. This drama was so heartwarming. I always find myself smiling while watching. I like the OST too. The reference to Crash Landing on You was also funny. Sandara Park as guest was a surprise. I like to eat when I am feeling down so I can definitely relate to this. I believe in food therapy and I recommend it to anyone who is needing to lift the spirits up. I have read the webtoon and the story is so different. However, I didn't mind because the webtoon itself is short. In order to make this short webtoon into a drama, the storyline was changed. Overall, I love this drama! Highly recommend to watch!

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A chill storyline

I unexpectedly loved the story as i waited every week, waiting for every week’s episode was fun because the story line was really chill though it involves the couples past relationships. Every episode gives me butterflies in the stomach because of their great chemistry! Their chemistry was really good. The drama also have cameo of some stars which makes it fun to watch. Got to be one of the best drama in 2020. Really recommended if you love chill storylines. I watched this because of Seo Dan and Gu Seong Joon of Crash landing on you but ended up liking Song Seung Heon!

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