Endless Love (2014)

I grew up in an era when political discord and misuse of power was the way of life. Some of the atrocities that happened in the drama, I'm sure happened as well in our country during that time. I can totally appreciate the plot of the story but was disappointed at some of the story lines presented because they seem non-sensical. A lot of IE's decisions were such and though I often times try to excuse it by saying it's the idealism of youth, other times I say her decisions and actions are outright stupid for someone who is supposed to be intelligent. I loved the difference in the personalies of the two leads though Often times I don't understand the motivation in their actions, especially the elder one. All in all, the story was interesting enough to have kept me wanting to watch it every week. The fact that it was shortened was quite obvious at how the pacing changed all of a sudden.
The actors were definitely seasoned and I have just added JKH to my list of best actors. I liked him in Heartless City but now I am in awe of his acting ability.
I liked the music because it had a patriotic feel to it which I felt went well with the story plot.
As for re-watch value....quite a difficult one for me to rewatch because it is such a depressing drama.

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Endless Love brings the era of change to democracy in Korea to life in an emotionally, thought provoking way. The story is a little monotonous at times, but I think the writer is trying to express how the citizens of Korea faced one hurdle after another on their journey through change. Seo In Ae represents them in every way. Power hungry politicians that care only about themselves is not a new concept, but this drama also gives those people a human quality. I usually hate dramas that revolve around politics, but his has enough personal life story lines that it isn't bad. There are tons of birth secrets and murder attempts. Some of these characters should have been dead a couple of times over. Some people might be disappointed in the ending, but it is appropriate.

Hwang Jung Eum is an actress that I used to hate, but she is getting better. She does well in the emotional scenes of Seo In Ae. There are times though that she falls back into that expressionless face which is so annoying. Ryu Soo Young does a passable job as Kwang Hoon. His character is a jerk. So, I guess him frowning all the time was acting. Then there is Jung Kyung Ho as Kwang Chul...OMG...he can act. I felt more for his character than anyone else in the drama. Jung Woong In is excellent as Park Yeong Tae. That creepy smile can give a person the shivers. I was disappointed that I didn't see more of Kim Joon. The other actors are good too.

The music is OK.

I won't ever rewatch this, but it is one that can be rewatched.

If you like politically motivated, period dramas, then you would probably enjoy this.

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