Suz Gabriel
This review may contain spoilers
I was very impressed with this drama! I think maybe because it is a Netflix original, it seems a little more progressive than many of the Kdramas that we know of. The female protagonist is strong-willed and independent while still being feminine and vulnerable, the male protagonist is warm and supportive to his love interest while still being calm and aloof in work conditions. It also touches on some of the societal issues like the expectations of women in the workforce/family/marriage, the stigma of being a divorcee, casual sex and even consent. Kang Dan Yi (Lee Na Young) is a 37 year old divorcee who lies on her resume to get a job after finding herself homeless and without many options. Cha Eun Ho (Lee Jong Suk) is a 32 year old head editor who is Dan Yi's oldest and closest friend from middle school who also is hiding a secret of his own.
There was so much to love about this drama.
- As the story revolved around books and publishing, the feel of the story felt like a book too, with some beautiful prose after each episode. Being a book lover myself, it was fascinating to see behind the curtain of book publishing, the amount of time, care, effort and money goes into the release of a book. The narration of the story from either side of the main characters was really beautiful too, it helped to see inside their hearts with how they saw and felt about each other.
- The relationship between Eun Ho and Dan Yi is one of the healthiest I've seen in kdramas, it's supportive, full of love and affection (both platonic as well as romantic). Though he has been in love with Dan Yi for quite some time, he never forces his feelings onto her, preferring to hide his feelings before jeopardizing their lifelong friendship. One of my favourite lines from this would be where he is having a battle with himself and his subconscious tells him "Love isn't about ownership. Just because you want her, doesn't mean you can have her."
- There was of course, the slight multiple love-triangle trope that we all love hate to love that's so common in kdramas but in this one, it didn't feel forced and neither of the secondary characters were cloying and scheming like so many are. I actually genuinely loved the secondary characters, especially Song Hae Rin (Jung Yoo Jin) Dan Yi & Eun Ho's workmate. She's incredibly intelligent, feisty, ambitious and takes great pride in what she does while also being very sweet and caring.
- My favourite thing about this drama was the portrayal of the older women in the workforce - the female director of the company and the head of the marketing team. One appears to be cold and calculating, She's unmarried and a workaholic. The other is just going through a divorce and can't wait to let her hair out and explore her newly found freedom. Together with Dan Yi, they start a hesitant friendship after a night of drinking, and as most of those kinds of nights go, they bond over shared war stories. That was definitely one of my most favourite scenes!
- I was shocked but mostly impressed with some of the things that were said in this drama. Dan Yi says a few times that it has been a while since she's had sex and how she 'needs to get laid'. It was refreshing to see a Korean woman owning her sexuality like that while not being overtly sexual or vulgar about it. Also another moment of shock/awe came when one of Eun Ho's exes is revealed to be gay and they approached it in such a 'normal' way. It didn't feel forced at all and I was really impressed with how a gay character wasn't made into a stereotypical caricature or as an automatic afterthought.
- I loved how this drama showed the sacrifices that women are expected to make in society: go to school, get a job, get married, have children, the end. However, what happens if life doesn't work out that way? Dan Yi gave up her job to start a family and it was extremely hard for her to get back onto her feet after such a long hiatus. Even other women who gave up their personal lives to focus on their careers felt threatened by Dan Yi because they were scared of losing what they worked and fought so hard for. This had a little bit of a feminist feel to it and I LOVED IT!!!
Overall, I can't praise this drama enough. I loved how they told the story, I loved how they showed a wonderful relationship between two people, how they should be loving, caring and supportive of each other, no matter what the world thinks of them. After the final credits rolled I got the same feeling as I do from finishing a very satisfying book. It felt warm and filled my heart with hope and happiness. I would definitely re-watch this. Hope you love it too!
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I put off watching this just because it was 52 episodes - a LOT of commitment for me but I finally gave in eventually - more for the cast as I loved so many of the actors in previous roles. It started off quite slow and I almost dropped it several times but I persisted and I'm so glad I did!
Theres a huge cast as this story is about a huge family but this drama uses all 52 hours to give each family member enough character development and depth to make all of them come out with a solid story arc.
Many moments brought me to tears, the realities, struggles, and approaches in life and family were beautifully handled. This drama made me miss my parents and wish I had a huge family too.
I can't say enough about this drama, it was so wonderful and every part was played beautifully. The soundtrack is one I'll be humming for months.
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