Uncle (2021)

It was good till it was not.

Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get. Success and happiness doesn't necessarily go hand in hand but what matters is how you strive to maintain a balance between them as well as thrive with a content heart.

Drama series UNCLE is a remake of the UK television series of the same title that aired on Channel 4 in 2012 and BBC One from 2014 to 2017, created by Oliver Refson and Lilah Vandenburgh. Its a mixture of comedy, melodrama, music and makjang. The Korean remake is produced by 2 companies "Hi Ground" and "Monster Union", broadcasted on TV Chosun.

UNCLE is a story about a failed musician who takes over his sister for taking care of his nephew and the family who move into an apartment complex as renters while trying to escape from their abusive family. The story includes the uncle trying to rise in his failed career as well as trying to protect his nephew from all the odds created by the ruthless Granny and the sly group of mothers, namely "Momblies".

Wang Joon Hyuk (Oh Jung Se) despite his failed music career due to fraud and betrayal by his friends and family is a sincere and selfless person always ready to lend a helping hand to the needy. Already distanced from his family, he initially hesitates to meet them but eventually embraces them with all his love. Min Ji Hoo (Lee Kyung Hoon) is a kind-hearted kid with OCD who gets panic attack even by thinking about his granny. He's inclined to music just like his uncle and loves his mother so much. He takes his time getting used to his uncle and later on becomes so fond of him that he can't imagine his life without his beloved uncle.

Wang Joon Hee (Jeon Hye Jin) is a divorced lady who separated from her husband after being abused for 12 years by his in-laws, to protect her son who also was beaten mercilessly. Her character is something that wins heart by realistically expressing her emotional curves, a character with an unusual narrative. Park Hye Ryung (Park Sun Young) is a sly and manipulative lady who controls the group of rich mothers, called "Momblies" as it's "Diamond". With her connections and influence she can pull any thing off but chooses to veil her toxic life with lies.

Other good actors in major roles are Ju Kyung Il (Lee Sang Woo), Kim Yoo Ra (Hwang Woo Seul Hye) and Chun Da Jung (Jung Soo Young) as the residents of the apartment complex. Song Hwa Eum (Lee Shi Won) as the middle school teacher, Jang Ik (Ahn Suk Hwan), as the 'Hot Bar' owner, Shin Hwa Ja (Song Ok Sook) as the Chairperson of Gangto Money and Ji Hoo's Granny, Min Kyung Soo (Yoon Hee Suk) as Ji Hoo's father.

Among other major child actors are Ju No Eul (Yun Hye Bin), Ye So Dam (Kim Ha Yun), Shin Min Ki (Go Kyung Min) and Park Se Chan (Park Shi Wan).

Plot development in overal is just fine. The introductory episodes were impressive though the screenplay didn't seem usual and it was difficult to decipher whether it'll be a sitcom or melodrama themed. Progression was also good despite very typical elements used; it might seem like a makjang but it's actually not. Personally, I liked it a lot for the first half and it continued to be entertaining even after interval, until the 10th episode where it started going downhill.

The major characters suddenly become dumb out of nowhere, unable to decipher the conspiracies by the antagonist side. It takes at least 2 episodes for them to figure things out and then their strategies to counterstrike them were even more typical, which even became very repetitive. The final outcomes by the end of 14th episode weren't very impressive and didn't keep up the interest for the finale week. And trust me, the finale week was even more underwhelming.

Despite the shoddy decline towards the ending, one thing that remained constant was the love uncle had for his nephew, which, in fact, saw an uprise in the graph. Many scenes involving the heart-touching interactions between many characters were emotional. The story involves many elements such as: failed marriage, abusive relationships, mental health of children, bad parenting issues, greed for power and money, teenage pregnancy, toxic relationships, devotion for music, ideal teaching techniques,

Ji Young Soo PD-nim and Park Ji Sook jakka-nim have fair share of experience in the industry; even though the drama isn't that good, their skills were well-utilized. The screen-editing, play management and execution is well taken care of. The writing was a bit off and I think the major issue was turning a sitcom into melodrama. The screenplay is surely full of comical elements for most of its parts but it wasn't portrayed as a sitcom to begin with. 3/4th of the story is okay but the last quarter becomes shoddy.

There 12 OSTs in total with 3-4 tracks used as a drama version (as Joon Hyuk is a singer) which are sung by Sangmin Chu to keep a consistent voice for J. KING. "Your Dream" by Sangmin Chu is my most favourite followed by "Living Together" by Sangmin Chu and Lee Kyung Hoon (Ji Hoo). Sangmin Chu has also sung "Even if we break up", "Time to say goodbye" (drama version), "On The Beach" and "By your side". "BLUE BIRD" by Lunch, "Stay with me" by Lee Kyung Hoon (Ji Hoo), "Love Sign" by Lizia and "Not Alone" by Bae Sung Yoon are some other tracks from the drama. "Butterfly" sung by the child actors of the drama is so cute.

Overally, "UNCLE (엉클)" is a good one time watch. Too many characters and incomplete arcs were the limitations of the drama and it went downhill in the later half but it's not really bad having so many heart touching moments. The first half (or let's say till 10th ep) was a fairly balanced watch. Can't say it's a must watch or something but it doesn't really offer something exciting or impressive to look forward to, either.

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A special family drama

Since the drama was announced, the story attracted me, and after the drama was broadcast, I decided to watch it after it finished broadcasting, and I finally watched it haha. I really enjoyed watching it. The story was full of twists and turns and I loved its dramatic events. It is a warm story, but the way it was produced lacked some features. I wish this drama was from The production of the Dragon Studio would have been a masterpiece, but there is nothing wrong with what the studio provided for this drama.. I cannot deny how wonderful the cast was, even though I met new faces, but I became attached to them and the acting was really perfect.. Even the children had a great share. In the success of the drama.. without forgetting the wonderful music and charisma between the uncle and the child.. I liked the drama because it was diverse as it made you flounder with your feelings and feelings..
If you are hesitant to watch it, I highly recommend it..

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