Let Me Introduce Her (2018)

"Let Me Introduce Her" had a very suspenseful start but soon became my least favorite style of melodrama. The story tried so hard to be shocking that characters became cartoonish, and hard to continue to take seriously. Sometimes campy melodramas can be fun for me to watch, but this soon became boring and hard to finish. I expected more of a thriller, based on the first few episodes, but instead got an overdramatic family drama, with unhinged characters and an underwhelming plot. Maybe some of this has to do with cultural differences, so some of the character's choices made absolutely no sense to me but may resonate better with an actual Korean audience.

The cast was pretty good, but I felt like a lot of talent was wasted. Nam Sang Mi and Kim Jae Won had decent chemistry, but the romance story became subdued and even dull once the story focused more on the melodrama. Jae Won played up the smiley nice guy role so much that his portrayal of Dr. Han Gang Woo seemed very one-note and even at times uninteresting to me. However, it's the character of Ji Eun Han that'supposed to drive this story, and Nam Sang Mi's performance wasn't strong enough for me to do that. Lee Shi Ah's performance felt much more exciting so the shift to a more subdued Nam Sang Mi was a dramatic change. It was almost as if Sang Mi was just too chill to play such an emotionally complicated role. Especially a role where the character has and makes such drastic and contradictory reactions and choices. Also, despite them trying to imply that they were similar, these two actresses were just too drastically different to be considered the same person at all. No plastic surgery in the world is that magical.

One talent in particular that felt wasted was Lee Mi Sook, who knows how to make the most out of a melodramatic character, especially this kind of mother role, but her performance felt more interesting than her character was written to be. Detective Kim was similarly underutilized, and the story was less interesting when he was less involved. Jo Hyun Jae was good as well, even when his actions were written in a way that made him more laughable than emotional. Also, Han Eun Jung did her best to play up the drama of her character, as written, but that made her character seem laughingly ridiculous by the end, and hard to take seriously. I also think the cute banter between Jung Jin Woon and Lee Ho Jung is worth mentioning as cute but wasted filler. Many of the minor characters, including the kids, were good even if their character wasn't written well.

That takes me to my main issue with this drama, which is the writing. It's not that the story doesn't make sense, but it's sensationalizes everything so much that I couldn't take anything too seriously, or emotionally connect at all. The drama surrounding a cell phone and a song lasted for so many episodes, which made the story drag. The music was often sinister giving even mundane conversations an extra dramatic feel. It made it seem like they were trying to force a suspenseful feeling at all times, which backfired on me. I did think the "Save Me" song was pretty, and although it also felt extra dramatic during certain scenes, was fitting.

I'm doubtful I would watch this again, but maybe I would be more forgiving with a second viewing since I now know what the story is really about. My high expectations at the beginning made me more disappointed at what it turned out to be. Lower expectations during a second viewing may make me see this drama differently, and see earlier scenes differently. Maybe it would be less likely to bore me if I binge watched instead of waiting each week for new episodes, which I lost interest in keeping up with.

Overall, if you are interested in this drama based on the romantic mystery sounding synopsis, know that this is actually a wealthy family secrets centered melodrama that takes on a serious theme in a very senationalized way. Romance may drive the story, but it isn't the focus, so don't expect that part of the story to be very exciting, especially with two calm and repressed characters. The action feel during the early episodes doesn't last either, and that slowed down the pace for me too. Every question that arises in the story is eventually answered, and there's is a satisfying ending, but I still had a hard time with the pace of the drama, and with the story continuously holding my interest. Don't expect clever twists, even though many parts of the story aren't what they seem to be initially. If you have patience with the story everything pays off, but I'm just not certain that it was worth the price of watching. For a drama about amnesia, it is pretty forgettable.

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Change yourself into new person after plastic surgery by the hands of Dr. Han Kang Woo.

This was a clever suspense drama which revolved around a woman with full of secrets.
The story is fabulous. It is well paced and with enough suspense to keep you look forward to next episodes.
Jee eun han was so struggled that she lost her memories after her plastic surgery. It was as if she wanted to forget everything in the past and start new life with new face. It also helps her to meet Han Kang woo. Their chemistry in the first few episodes was great, but later it just got lost & felt forced.

For me, I watched this drama for Kim Jae Won. He performed brilliant. He could devote his life to the person he loved without expecting anything in return. And also there is another saver for this drama - Jo Hyun Jae. He was a lost person who was a result of wrong upbringing when her mother left him in care of other persons. Lee Mi Sook was great as always. You will get puzzled till the end whether she is negative character or positive character.

The sour spot for this drama was Nam sang mi. Her demeanor was kinda forced and artificial. Nam sang mi can't play complex character and her acting makes Jee eun han monotonous, while Jee eun han performed by Lee She Ah shines in that short time of hers. Jung soo jin seemed evil to the core as Han Eun Jung is pro in these kinda roles.
I wonder who is that kid played Yoo jin. he is such cutie.

I loved the music and songs. They matched with the theme of series.
Must listen songs- Save me and Snowball.

Overall, it is watchable at least once.

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