If only...
The characters were its biggest downfall. All the characters were insane, demented, deranged and devoid of integrity. There was no layers to their madness. You'll have to humanize them first before stripping it away. Skipping the first step would devalue their actions and take away from the watching experience. Aside from the characters, the drama was excruciatingly slow for no apparent reason other than filling the contracted runtime. Slow burners are acceptable when they serve a purpose to either immerse the viewers into its world or to seamlessly build up the tension. The drama failed to do either. The twists were overdone for the sake of it rather than adding to the narrative meaningfully. Even then, they weren't appealing nor interesting. Once the memory was restored the drama took a sharp and sudden turn for the worst going against what it tried to build up to, this includes the ending. One more thing, there was an attempt to have a play on artistic symbolism but none of which landed well. Partially because of the two aforementioned points.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Woo jae would have died regardless. Hae won bias?
I want to say one thing.Everything would have happened without Hae Won present.
In this roller coaster ride, everyone is the antagonist.
Even the husband, the man who coasts on the brink of insanity, shows signs that he would have killed woo jae the minute he awakened. No one believed his watchful eye over the comatose body was to apologize ?
BUT hae won, would have had no justice…
So she extended the life line and retrieves him from a sunken bed in Ireland. (Essentially giving him one last chance at life.) However, woo jae would have found hui jui himself after waking up and regaining his memories. Even if years later. He would have came after hui jui and ruined her life without hae won’s help. And Lisa would have chosen to save her mom regardless of hae won’s interaction.
Think about it. Hui jui and woo jae was destined to end one another. Hui jui could have gotten off with self defense and returned to life as normal. Woo jae would still be six feet under.
But. Hae won would have had no justice.
Hae won was more than just an envious woman. Was she even that? Let’s not give her so much credit. She’s a pitiful character who adored only two people in the world besides her grandfather. She was crippled by the experience. Her hatred was more obsession, she wanted to be seen by the two she loved most. She wanted to stick around even if it meant allowing them to continue their affair (which she did, and held back more than many would be able to).
She knew they would end each other. Almost like a bet, she watched for her rival to break, but eventually saw that woo jae would self destruct first. She didn’t stop him from leaving that fateful day. You die or I’ll die, we’re her last words. Sending him out in more rage.
She needed that painful experience to get to the other side, to see the light again, and continue on her life. Years before she said cheerfully, “it’s better to learn the skill of art later in life than to loose your passion earlier in life.” She gave hui jui the skill of art, and abandoned it herself. Was it time for hui jui to pay her regards? After stealing everything from her?
In the end. They all granted each other a lifeline. Use it wisely and make your wish. Hui jui (a wealthy lifestyle, AND a true love affair), woo jae ( a hopeful romance for his rebellious life ). Hae won (to become Hannah again, but through a dark kind of inspiration)… A twisted love triangle indeed. Without woo jae, would both women have eventually ended each other? Or was it a miracle they removed the venom which caused them to fight.
Wouldn’t it actually be more pitiful if hae won came back crying and begging for her unnie to apologize? She had every right to pop up and demand an answer about woo Jae’s whereabouts. He was her legal spouse…I’m actually impressed such a happy go lucky girl could morph into such a twisted being who was still able to appear normal outside the secrecy circle.
And I believe, hui jui will be reunited with her family again. Lisa will confess eventually.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Reflection Of You : A "hard-to-watch" drama
I'll go through the positive things since there's not so many in my review.The actors played their characters really well because they were so annoying and i hated everybody so much so i'll give them that.
The cinematography was SO good. Especially the scenes that were filmed in the heath field in "Ireland", in the Cliffs of Moher and in the house too. I love these kind of natural, windy, "middle-of-nowhere" places and it made me want to visit the way it was filmed SO well.
The camera work was really well-done, sometimes the way it was dramatic was so good. For example when Woojae passionately kissed Huiju in the gallery during his wedding. This scene was so emotional, i could feel ALL their sorrow, their desperation, i literally could feel any heartbreaking emotions through that scene, it wasn't just a kiss. And this is why the camera was good. The way they would film Huiju in the streets from every angle when she feels persecuted really portrayed the feeling of being chased down and having nowhere to go. I loved it.
The authenticity of this drama is not being disregarded, it felt real because i felt bad for no one. Usually there's always someone that you feel bad for but here everybody did some crap in the past or IS just a piece of crap. So I'm not going to lie, it felt real on that side.
Now let's get to the real talk.
I didn't hate this drama (almost though) but i didn't like it neither. Because i was always on the verge to either put it on hold or literally just drop it. I rarely drop series and shows, unless they are literally boring in every way possible. And this drama was indeed boring and predictable, the story was boring, the characters were boring and really predictable, almost everything was boring. The only thing that kept me watching this, is that I just wanted to see how this story will end, that's it. Because even though, the basic "cheating of the wife and the son that is not the father's son and the girl who seeks revenge because the wife stole her husband" story was so typical and... boring ? You just still wanna see what's next. It's like a beef going on in highschool between 2 students and you overhear it, you wanna know what happened because it's entertaining (and because you're nosy too lol) but if you don't get to know the end of the story, you wouldn't care. Same here.
I had no connection to ANY character whatsoever, they're ALL evil. Huiju is just a cheater, a liar, an entitled brat. How are you going to feel like a victim when you literally destroyed people that are around you ? You cheated on your husband with the husband of your supposed to be BEST FRIEND, brought them to their wedding photoshoot, acted like you were happy for Haewon when in reality you were not at all. You lied to your husband about him being the father of your son, you lied to your mother-in-law when you know the thing she absolutely doesn't forgive is cheating. You use your power to get what you want all the time. Also the way she ran away from Ireland with Hosu, leaving Woojae behind and leaving with his passeport ? Imagine if someone does that to you, in a country where you don't know no one. No money, no phone, no passeport. In the countryside of an unknown country. Evil. She deserves all the bullying Haewon and her mother-in-law put her through, sorry not sorry. Plus, she has the weirdest facial expressions. When she's supposed to be sad she smiles, when she's surprised she smiles, when she's scared she smiles, when people insult her she smiles and it's... WEIRD ? Especially right before the kiss scene with Woojae, when he pulls her, turns around and she has a weird expression on her face. Between confusion, anger and happiness because she smiles??? Anyway. But she's really willing to do anything for her kids in general and i respect that.
I understood Haewon at first, she's hurt and often when you're hurt, revenge is something that crosses all minds. But she's doing too much. She's obsessive, she's crazy. The way she uses Juyeong just because she's poor and stuff is so out of place and evil. And it's not like she was using her for a noble cause, she's using her for her personal revenge. Juyeong only does what Haewon tells her to because HW makes unfounded promises to her and that's messed up. Haewon helps Juyeong and her dad legally just to mess with the An family and be on their way, that's it. She ends up putting him to jail anyway. She uses people like pawns and it pisses me off. She's so obsessed with Woojae, it's clear he doesn't like her the slightest but like she says, she "holds him down". Even on the Arts University days we could all see that he didn't like her. Maybe he already knew how twisted she was. But little did i know he was worse. The way she comes about her revenge is not it all. Using children that didn't have to do anything with your miserable life ??? Evil. And the way she always speaks in quotes like she's some wise woman when she's the worst human being you can ever encounter. Plus, she keeps saying that people turned her that way, excuse me girl ? We all make our own choices. It's not like your mom and grandfather raised you to be the disgusting person you are today, YOU decided to be that way. It's crazy how she doesn't take any accountability for nothing.
Woojae is as much evil. Before and after he lost his memories. He never cared about Haewon, NEVER. Even when he lost his memories, he didn't care. When he didn't have his memories, he had this habit of always saying sorry like it would make the cut for everything. He was never sorry because of what he did to Haewon or he was never sorry about meeting with Huiju on numerous times when he knew that made his wife uncomfortable. He was sorry only because he made her sad or mad. It was giving "sorry that you feel this way" and not "I'm sorry for not thinking my actions through and causing the pain i caused, i will reflect on my deeds". All he did was in the intention of regaining HIS memories, all he did was in the intention of satisfying HIMSELF. He doesn't care about how others may feel. He doesn't care about how he hurt anyone. And that's pretty much with every character in this show. They're all selfish. I'm so glad he's dead, for once Lisa did the right thing.
I hated Lisa character, she always has an attitude for no reason most of the times. She's mean, obnoxious, doesn't care about others. She treats Juyeong so poorly and then goes around saying that Juyeong is the bad guy... See what power can do ? She doesn't like her father for whatever reason when he's the one who literally almost never let her down. When she watched Haewon and woojae's wedding video, she overreacted in my opinion. It felt like she was the one being cheated on, i was like "are you in love with woojae or what ? you don't even care about your father like that to be throwing so much of a fit, so what's the matter?". I don't know if it's the actress but she overreacts pretty much often. Anyways.
I have to agree with other people when they said that the story unraveled SO slowly. But i feel like this was made on purpose to maybe make us feel "comfortable" like Hujui felt all these years and then in the end brutally hit us with all this "pain". But the slow pace made me wanna drop at anytime so i guess it's not a good thing for this drama.
But i was so disappointed with the ending. If I was Huiju, I would've told everything to my husband at this point. She didn't even kill Woojae, it was LISA!! I'm sure he would've understand because he once tried to kill Woojae too. And he would've protected her and Lisa, I'm sure. The way it ended was so boring omg. And I really felt bad for her husband. She should have told him what was up, through a letter at least. She just "disappears" in Korea and have a new job. Which is to me pretty unrealistic??? How you are a pretty known painter/artist, everybody have seen your face but you still get to work and walk in streets without hiding. IN THE SAME COUNTRY. And it's not like she's in the countryside now, no she might be in Busan, Daegu or some place like that. The way Hyeongseong looked for her, he would've found her? Anyways. The end sucks.
On the other hand, the OST was IMMACULATE. It added something more to the scene. It really suited the drama. "I am lost" by Lee Seungyoon and Moving Away by Savina and drones were my absolute favorite songs.
On the overall I'll rate this a 6.5, i didn't really like this drama. I didn't feel any connection to anything and i remembered all the characters names because i hated them. It's the first time ever that I don't like any of the main cast, even the supporting cast. If it wasn't for the acting, the immaculate cinematography (especially the Ireland shots) and the OST, i would've gave it a 5. I don't recommend this drama but I'm not keeping people from watching it, because it is definitely an experience.
Was this review helpful to you?
Killing performance
Well played women characters. This drama is full of love, their obsession and protection towards family. Loved the main FLs and second ML interactions. Well written story and their execution. The characters came alive. From Art perspective , paintings were explained in a way that a non artist will also understand & feel the emotion of their paintings.As the strory grows , it will be difficult to put your device down. It was that interesting and addictive story. Give a try it will grow on you. Great to watch this drama after many months of search for a great drama. Few will feel little disappointed how the story ends but end is not actually bad it connects the start of the drama and you will not feel disappointed if you look at the drama that way. It's a gem. Give a try.
Was this review helpful to you?
The cycle of hate
First of all, I think the synopsis here and on many other sites is misleading. Just read the first paragraph, and ignore the second one.This is a melodrama thriller inspired(at least in premise) by Wuthering Heights. However, it's so much more than english adultery classic.
Rather than love and social status, the main theme of this drama is how hate prolongs hate. It's a revenge drama. But unlike many other revenge dramas, you are not supposed to "root" for anyone in particular. This story portrays humans as they are: multidimensional and complex. Everyone has some good and bad sides to them, and some reason for doing what they've done. However, in course of pursuing their desires and ambitions, they often end up unknowingly hurting others.
The abuser often isn't even aware that what they've done hurt someone else, but the victim remembers their entire life.
Now, what is the victim supposed to do? The answer is, to move on and live on. An old saying says that a person who pursues revenge should dig 2 graves, one for their target and one for themselves.
But this drama proves that saying wrong: a person pursuing revenge should dig a whole cemetery because countless innocents will get entangled in their retribution. Someone is someone's parent, child, friend, or benefactor...if you hurt that person, you will hurt those who like them and depend on them. And more grudges will be generated, and now you will find yourself a victim of someone's wrath.....
Yet, it's not easy to forgive. After all, neither forgiveness nor retribution can heal wounds, only time and an individual's conscious effort can. But it's easier to scratch these wounds open and cause them to others.....finding solace in mutual pain.
Before watching "reflection of you" I was told two things. That this drama has a happy ending, and that this drama has a unique ending. I can agree with the latter, but not the former. The ending is tragic and divided the fans. But it did fit thematically.
The strongest character is definitely Goo Haewon, and the people who watched this show either think she was a victim and did nuffin wrong, or she was a total psycho and did everything wrong. Personally, I think she did some things wrong but that didn't stop me from rooting for her and adoring her onscreen presence.
Technicalities:
The acting was spectacular, especially from the main cast. Except for Kim Jae Young, his acting was as plastic as his face, but in this case it was actually fitting considering the character he had to play.
However, the strongest part is the scenery and costumes. The color schemes of whatever Jung Heejoo or Goo Haewon are wearing at the moment represent their mood and mental states. I can't recall the last time I've seen a drama that would put attention to such detail, most of the time the characters are wearing whatever they look good in or one and the same outfit the whole story long.
The music was good and did a great job setting the mood most of the time, tho certain insert songs were a little overused.
Overall: hard recommend and more people need to watch this underrated drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
Not worth the watch
I’ve watched A LOT of KDrama. This filming company typically does well.This story is awful. It never really goes anywhere. The storyline just spins it’s wheels in the mud. It takes turns where you think it will take a good turn and it just goes downhill even more.
It just drones on and on. I skipped to the last episode after watching 8 1/2 and it just got worse.
There’s no real climax for any of the plots. You think it will, then it never does.
If their point was to go on endlessly with angst, showing privileged children that are spoiled and rude, horrible family members, horrible family dynamics and advertise coffee, well, they did good there.
The characters and plots were just horribly written. I was so disappointed!
Was this review helpful to you?
☠︎ Emotional Obsession: One-way Ticket to Hell! ☠︎
Can I belong to you? Why is it considered a crime? Am I not allowed to love you? Our main characters will be filled with countless questions and pondering about these matters.I can't even begin to describe how captivating and elegant this drama is.
Each character possesses an intense obsession for the person they love and care for, driving them to go to extreme lengths just to be with them, even if it means resorting to murder. What adds to the intrigue is that it doesn't stop there, as this obsession will ultimately lead to revenge. But will the revenge be as straightforward as it seems?
The revenge isn't just about taking a card or two, but it's also about playing with the mind, which adds an intriguing twist to the plot. She unexpectedly fell in love with a man, but was it merely a coincidence or true love? Is this the happiness I've been searching for all along? She gazes at what she perceives as happiness...
Version 1: Seo Woo Jae, in my opinion, was one of the most captivating characters. Sure, he had his flaws and was quite self-centered, but his obsession made him intriguing. Can we really fault him for being unable to rein in his emotions? Should he be held accountable for everything? Personally, I don't believe so. He didn't deserve what happened to him.
Version 2: Jeong Hee-joo had her family to look out for, but somehow she's being held responsible for taking a path she wasn't supposed to go down. Was it really her fault, even if she sought forgiveness?
Version 3: Goo Hae Won was thirsty for revenge, dying to let others know her pain, and still sees that we can't blame her. why?
Version 4: Ahn Hyeon-seo had an air of mystery about him, but one thing was certain - he truly adored his wife. However, he had a knack for avoiding the truth and never seemed open to hearing any excuses or explanations.
This drama was absolutely amazing and I highly suggest watching it to truly connect with each character. The introduction is spot-on and the OST takes it to a whole new level. The storyline is unique and it quickly became one of my all-time favorite dramas. Trust me, you'll enjoy every single moment and be completely blown away by every scene.
🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇🪞❇
Was this review helpful to you?
What a ride!
I haven't enjoyed a drama like this since SKY Castle. Very well written and acted, this drama just carries you away with it and makes you feel like a voyeur in the characters' private lives. You grow to both care and abhor them because they are imperfect. You wonder why they do the things they do instead of letting go and moving on. If anything, this is a lesson in human behavior and the consequences of our choices.A friendship between two women is destroyed when one makes a bad decision, leaving the other to pick up the pieces and plot her revenge. This drama was a well-written race to an explosive end. The train is out of control and will eventually crash, leaving the lives of the those around them in shattered pieces.
I have to commend the performances of all the actors, particularly Shin Hyun Bin who is the polar opposite of the character she played in Hospital Playlist. It was refreshing to see her explore her creepy, darker side. Kudos as well, to Go Hyun Jung whom I fondly remember in her role as Park Wan in Dear My Friends. Both women carry this drama beautifully and kept me glued to my seat. Notable mentions also to Kim Bo Yun as the meddling mother-in-law and Choi Won Young as the wronged husband.
Unfortunately, the last two episodes tried to wrap up the drama in a very unrealistic way. I can overlook how unwanted people are constantly breaching this upscale neighborhood to cause all kinds of mischief, but the ending was just too implausible. I wish the writer had been able to put as much effort into the last two episodes as she did in the first 14. She wanted to give it the ending audiences might have wished for given the circumstances, but I found this ending a little hard to swallow based on the vindictive personalities of all those involved.
OST is beautiful and perfectly suited to the drama. I would definitely watch this again.
Was this review helpful to you?
Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned
Reflections of You is touted to be a drama about love, betrayal and revenge. In this case, Goo Hae Won was the woman out for revenge, her fury focused on Jung Hee Joo who had an affair with her husband, Seo Woo Jae. GHW's demented approach for revenge was unconvincing. Why only focus on JHJ when her husband SWJ was equally guilty. On one hand she stalked JHJ, tried to ruin her family through her daughter and husband and on the other, she was pining over SWJ like a lovesick moron when he obviously did not care about her. She brandished SWJ's guilt to his face as a weapon to ensure his total devotion to her. This was one big inconsistency in the story. Instead of being the victim. GHW came across as mentally unstable, an obsessive stalker unable to accept reality. She could not face the fact that SWJ never really loved her. She blamed JHJ for her toxic relationship with her husband instead of admitting the truth right before her eyes.JHJ got her just desserts in the end. She had an affair with SWJ and when it was no longer convenient for her, she left him with no sense of guilt and remorse. She destroyed the people around her; her husband, GHW, SWJ, her children. So yeah, she deserved the punishment of losing everything she held dear in her life.
Overall, the drama was good but slow and draggy. The repetitive whining of GHW became boring and made me hate her. I wanted to scream, "Get over it woman, move on!!!! He's not even a good catch. You are pining over an immature loser."
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Moody And Mysterious
So Basically This is A makjang Trying Not to be. So Many Unrealistic Happening, But The thing is it So beautiful To see Because of the great cinematography And The director is So great. The Writer Is Good in keeping all the characters mysterious. The Acting Was Ok Except For Shin Hyun Been Who is exceptional. Wow her Acting gave me goosebumps from 1st ep up to the last. The Music Is Good AlsoNow Thing I dont like is how the writer keeping the flow of story trying to be mysterious even up to the last episode like what exactly happen.The Moody Theme Of This Drama is Ok But the thing is the writer want to have a depressing mood than answering all of mystery happening.
Overall This Drama Is More On poetic Than common sense.
Was this review helpful to you?
When the present is just as troubling as the past
Oh my God this drama is everything!!I've shouted at the tv, shook my head at the leads and their 'what is it are you doing', replayed a passionate kiss a few times and questioned decision makings too when things barely goes their way. We have a famous painter whose also a doting mother and and the woman who plays a big part of her past; a shelf of her former self seeking revenge. There is the typical do as I say Mother in Law/ judgmental Sis in law and both with their issues that you can't help but feel that oh I get it/fight or flight)And let's not forget the husbands. You have a husband who loves his wife, an abusive lawyer husband and a reckless husband with amnesia, I called just about everything in this revenge story but something dawned on me while watching episode 15; That this may well be Hae won revenge all along and how'd i missed it.
Because of the heavy drama revenge storyline, I did not expect a plot twist but I did expect someone dying or getting hurt badly in this one. I'd say this one is worth the watch.
Was this review helpful to you?
