Missed the mark just a bit...

This review contains spoilers. You've been warned. ;)

The female lead of this show is marketed as a capable, feminist attorney seeking justice against men for all the wronged females of the world with her fists of fury and clever one liners. It's supposed to be a more feminist romantic comedy, and while I think it hits some good points and highlights some of the injustices and slights women face daily... it really missed the mark in the end for me.

I would've loved more of seeing Mi-Ran growing to use the law and her intelligence to take down crappy dudes rather than her fists. Also, I really didn't like how she caved to the pressure from toxic fans and broke up with Kang-Ho, and additionally how she handled the reunion with Kang-Ho. I know she was under an immense amount of pressure, but that whole piece didn't feel true to her character. ALSO, I hated that the things that turned the tide of public opinion in the end was her ex-boyfriend's defense of her on that sleezy celebrity gossip show. I mean, was it an incredibly sweet gesture? Yes. It totally made me tear up that her law firm bros defended her like that. However, in the end of this "feminist" drama, a man had to explain the situation to save the day. Also, they end the drama with her chasing those cat-calling drunks down the street? Mi-Ran, with all that is now at stake, please use your words as weapons instead.

Anyway, it may sound like I hated this drama. I really didn't. But all of that did really bother me about this one, and will keep it from being a rewatch.

So things I liked? All four main leads were incredible and well-cast. Kang-Ho's gentleness and loyalty made him an absolute dream. It had some truly hilarious moments (Kang-Ho's face after he kicked his sandal into something breakable off-camera had me gasping). I loved the bromance. I loved the 2nd lead's romance. Kang-Ho's first confession made my heart flutter. Soo-Jin was an absolute QUEEN, and all of her outfits were absolutely incredible.

Anyway, in conclusion. It was a drama that was a lot of fun, but I think some of the drama's messages didn't quite land in the end.

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When you fail to plan...

... you plan to fail.

And this pretty much encompasses my feelings about this drama. While I love Rowoon and Eun Bin, and while they acted the crap out of what they were given to work with, the overall lack of character development for the leads, the lack of planning and foresight on the part of the leads, and the passive way they continually dealt with their challenges all made this an incredibly frustrating drama for me. Also.... The Angst. Don't get me wrong, I love me some angst. But when your angst continues to drag on and becomes the entirety of the plot for multiple episodes + you're not making plans and trying to figure out workable solutions.....y'all. Y'all. I cannot.

That said I did really enjoy some of the side characters; Lee Hyun & Kim Ga On in particular were my favorites. And Go Gyu Pil always makes me smile whenever he pops up in a drama, and lately he's just been popping up everywhere.

Overall though, The King's Affection had great concept, but for me it ended up being a lot of wasted potential in execution.

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Oh the angst!

This started out really promising, with a heartrending set up, beautiful direction, and gorgeous cinematography—using empty spaces and silences as effective storytelling devices. However as the drama progressed, this began to wear a bit.

The silences and innumerable silent glances became unbearable and continued long after a relationship between the two leads had been established. And the writers kept montaging the same 4-5 bits of dialogue between the 2 main leads to establish connection. I began wondering in the final act what was really connecting these two so strongly together when they hardly ever talked on screen. (Just talk to each other!)

Yes, one could argue that they had a soulful, unspoken connection, but it was perhaps too unspoken. I just would have like to see more substance between the leads and less needless angst.

Also wasn’t a big fan of how Woojoo just crumbled under the weight of her family’s disapproval in the last few episodes. She could’ve fought for their relationship. She was so headstrong and confident in the beginning and I just did not enjoy the trajectory her character took in the last few episodes.

All that said, I really loved the second lead romance. Sung Joon stole every scene he was in, and that romance was just so sweet. Their communication was adorable and was so fulfilling, and it just served to highlight how unfulfilling the interactions between our two silent leads were.

Anyway, I’m glad I watched it, but probably not one I’ll watch again.

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Came for Kim Ji Suk...

Stayed because of....well....Kim Ji Suk. BUT also because of the way the relationships between each character was portrayed. The interactions between this family felt so authentic and relatable. A realistic look into family dynamics, and the story was both raw and lovely. It's about flawed people. And how those people love each other, hurt each other, drift apart from each other, begin again, discover themselves, and so much more. It's about restoration, growth, healing, saying goodbye, and moving on.

A messy and beautiful, underrated drama that is totally worth a watch. (Just make sure you hydrate and have a box of tissues handy.)

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