The Good Wife (2016)

I started The Good Wife to alleviate the painful wait for the new episodes of Doctors (oh, the irony). And 2 episodes in, I was absolutely engaged! The Good Wife is not a typical drama. It has a mature tone and deals with mature issues. When a normal Korean drama deals with cheating on your spouse, they make it all cheesy and overly dramatic. I just love how they handled the cheating in this drama. It was so realistic and you completely understood where each character came from.

The female lead was amazing. She was so calm and dignified and yet, there is a subtle change occurring within her throughout, simmering beneath the diplomatic surface. It never explodes or exposes itself completely. You cannot hold that change to one single moment. You can't point at one moment and say "there she is finally!" But you can feel the change constantly, scene after scene. Until it has become a part of her completely.

I love her character. It is so deep and yet we can all relate to it somewhere. The rest of the cast is equally amazing. Nana's character was brilliant. She was so unique in her style and I loved her screen-time, especially with Hye Kyung. I didn't know much about Nana before I started this show (except that she wins the title of "most beautiful face" a lot). But I really look forward to seeing her in more roles (and different ones). I didn't know much about Jun Do Yeon either (except that she was paid A LOT for this drama). But I she was so good here, I ended up checking out a couple of her movies (and loving them!).

The guys were awesome. Jung Won was sooo sexayyy. Like MY GOD. He's like a bad boy who grew up like some really fine wine. I'll be crushing on him for a while. The romance was unexpectedly awesome. The drama is full of sexual tension and I am not complaining.

Tae Joon was another complex character who was a delight to watch. The whole time you are wondering WHO THE HELL IS HE? WHAT IS HE THINKING? This guy had me really confused with his sometimes-bad-sometimes-good character. But then I realized the catch. This is how he is supposed to be. This is how we all are. There is no black or white. There are good sides to us and there are dark sides. And that is exactly how he was. He was a scary man but he was a gentle father. He was trying to do something right using wrong methods. He loved his wife but he succumbed to temptation. A lot. He was human.

The music was perfect for the drama and this drama can definitely be watched again for the complexities and the surprisingly swoon-worthy romance that takes it's own sweet time to build.

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Incredible acting, intelligent screenwriting, and an intriguing storyline.

Traditionally a romantic comedy junkie, I have switched course recently after finishing the incredible drama, Misty, last month that simply blew me away. I have been yearning for another mature romance drama with intrigue that could even come close to the Misty (that I have not already seen). After finding this drama under the Misty recommendations, I decided to give it a shot despite not being a fan of legal or political shows and I am really glad that I did. (THANK YOU whoever added this to the recommendations... not all heroes wear capes)

First of all, this cast is amazing! I honestly wish that I saw many of them in more dramas because their acting was on another level. (The only one that I feel that I get to see a lot Yoo Ji Tae… although he is phenomenal) In addition, I loved the premise of the show and how it has such an incredibly strong, determined female lead. Also, the storyline was unique and honestly, when I started the show, the ending and what ended up of these characters was definitely something I would never have guessed. And with so many shows having an almost formulaic take on their stories and endings, this was a true breath of fresh air.

I enjoyed this show so much I even ended up writing a “5 Reasons to Watch” article on it. But as of the time of this review it has not been published yet. Although this show is great, it was not without fault. I enjoyed its way storytelling, similar to that of Misty and Signal, that has a blend of individual cases/stories mixed into a much larger ongoing story. However, I found some of the cases in the middle episodes a bit lacking. And I found that in the end there was still some loose ends and parts that were added to the show that in retrospect did not seem to fit. This may be because it was an adaption from a show that had many more seasons, and a lot more episodes per season and they may have been trying to squeeze too much in. Having no experience with original American Show, I am not certain, but it seems that way.

In the end, this drama is well worth the watch, even if it’s not the genres you usually are drawn toward. This drama has something for everyone and the cast and writing make this a drama that is not only memorable, but one that will make you think about it even when the episode is over. It was exceptional. Highly Recommend.

Happy Drama Watching! :)

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