Two Steps From Heaven
Essex
This review may contain spoilers
At least I discovered the amazing Lee Jong Suk so all is not lost
In a drama where the writers undermine their own characters and the characters are forced to conform to a stereotype, the viewer will either willfully ignore such machinations or they’ll nitpick it to death. Sadly, I’m in the latter.
Firstly, I had to suspend disbelief that Choi In Ha wasn’t a perpetual teenager because no 27-year-old fully grown adult acts or reasons as she was portrayed which perhaps could be attributed to the actress being 22 at the time of filming. Admittedly actors act so it’s not farfetched to have such disparate ages between the character and the actor, however, that would require a fully immersive portrayal which is a skill not easily attained as evinced by Park Shin Hye's overacting.
Ultimately, and because In Ha lacked her own agency, the character became a convenient joystick utilized to create opportunities for the other characters to advance while she herself languished in the background, playing an eager daughter who craved her mother’s elusive attention and love, a path that only led to a curious lack of self-respect. Gradually, In Ha’s screen presence became irrelevant and at times even bothersome, particularly in episode 11 where she fell asleep in a public place after getting flat-out drunk then the next morning she tells her father that other kids her age were doing worse things. I mean, in what world is a 27 yr old a kid? On a separate note, can I just say that I find Korean women insufferable and unlikeable just based on how they're depicted in their dramas.
Meanwhile, Dal Po was perched on a pedestal of arrogance and self-importance with his annoying monochromatic perspective. His biggest flaw was in making assumptions based on nothing. Also, the writers gaffed when the brothers eventually met after a 13-year separation. Am I to believe that Dal Po actually chose to not tell his brother who he was? I beg your pardon but that’s a whole lot of Bollocks.
Similarly, the supposed romantic relationship between In Ha and Dal Po was ill-conceived and unbearable. How did two 27 yr old adults cohabit for years without either expressing their feelings or even having significant relationships with other people? Did they exist in stasis? Am I to believe In Ha didn’t have a boyfriend in college or that DP had no male or female friends? These seemingly good-looking adults just existed without external relationships other than the father and fake grandfather? I call bollocks.
Having said all these, commendations must be made to Lee Jung Suk and Yoon Kyun Sang who played the Ki brothers as well as Jin Kyung who played In Ha’s mother. They at least knew their assignment and were the ones who commanded my attention the most.
Firstly, I had to suspend disbelief that Choi In Ha wasn’t a perpetual teenager because no 27-year-old fully grown adult acts or reasons as she was portrayed which perhaps could be attributed to the actress being 22 at the time of filming. Admittedly actors act so it’s not farfetched to have such disparate ages between the character and the actor, however, that would require a fully immersive portrayal which is a skill not easily attained as evinced by Park Shin Hye's overacting.
Ultimately, and because In Ha lacked her own agency, the character became a convenient joystick utilized to create opportunities for the other characters to advance while she herself languished in the background, playing an eager daughter who craved her mother’s elusive attention and love, a path that only led to a curious lack of self-respect. Gradually, In Ha’s screen presence became irrelevant and at times even bothersome, particularly in episode 11 where she fell asleep in a public place after getting flat-out drunk then the next morning she tells her father that other kids her age were doing worse things. I mean, in what world is a 27 yr old a kid? On a separate note, can I just say that I find Korean women insufferable and unlikeable just based on how they're depicted in their dramas.
Meanwhile, Dal Po was perched on a pedestal of arrogance and self-importance with his annoying monochromatic perspective. His biggest flaw was in making assumptions based on nothing. Also, the writers gaffed when the brothers eventually met after a 13-year separation. Am I to believe that Dal Po actually chose to not tell his brother who he was? I beg your pardon but that’s a whole lot of Bollocks.
Similarly, the supposed romantic relationship between In Ha and Dal Po was ill-conceived and unbearable. How did two 27 yr old adults cohabit for years without either expressing their feelings or even having significant relationships with other people? Did they exist in stasis? Am I to believe In Ha didn’t have a boyfriend in college or that DP had no male or female friends? These seemingly good-looking adults just existed without external relationships other than the father and fake grandfather? I call bollocks.
Having said all these, commendations must be made to Lee Jung Suk and Yoon Kyun Sang who played the Ki brothers as well as Jin Kyung who played In Ha’s mother. They at least knew their assignment and were the ones who commanded my attention the most.
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