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Frankly Speaking korean drama review
Completed
Frankly Speaking
13 people found this review helpful
by Apurva
May 1, 2024
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
This review may contain spoilers

Not bad, but not good. It was a okay drama with underutilized cast.

Ep 1: The leads first meeting was anything but romantic. Kinda reminds me of the lead from the drama "Love with flaws" & "Mad for each other". The FL calls the ML poopy pants, because their first encounter was when they were stuck in a lift and the ML had flatulence. It was embarrassing to watch, so skipped most of that elevator scene. I admit that parts of it were funny, but this is not a good start for the drama. So far, it seems more like a childish prank show rather than a well put together drama. And what the hell is wrong with everyone, his co-worker was the one who had an affair, so why are all of them hell bent on him taking the blame? Make it make sense!

Oh thank god for the last 15 minutes of the show, otherwise this drama would have been put on hold forever. Even still, it could have been so much better. But like I said, it did have a quite a few funny scenes. So, hopefully, there will be more of that in the next episode. I'll keep watching for that.

Ep 2: Nothing much to add. Things are still going slow even thought it is a short drama. The story and the setup would have been more suited for a longer daily drama. At least we see some interaction between the leads. There's something that's keeping me from dropping the drama but I'm not very moved by the way things are going.

Ep 3: Kept up with the same pace as episode 2. Things are moving too slowly. I wanted to hear the ML curse out the guy who kept him hanging for the position. However, he just whispered those curses in his ears. The thing I liked the best is the gradual growth of chemistry between the two leads. The SML seems more interesting at this point, I wonder why they broke up. (From their current dynamics it seems like it was pretty much his fault)

Ep 4: The leads have started taking interest in each other. So, I'm kinda okay with the romance part of the drama so far. The next week's preview looks promising at least. I wonder what's up with the little kid, who shows up now and then to motivate Ki Baek. The most relatable part about the series is the work environment both Ki Baek and Woo Joo have to deal with. When you are position at the top, everyone either envies you or tries to pretend that you didn't deserve it. They talk shit about you behind your back, and never apologize if they are caught doing it. They usually double down. While some have the luxury to quit such toxic places, some just have keep working and turning a blind eye becoming one with such systems. Anyways, finally, looking forward to the next weeks episodes.

Ep 5 & Ep 6: This was fun to watch. The FL is writer of the variety show, for a variety show creator, her & the team are very bad at planning. It has very few people with not enough power to pull in the ratings. Right now, Ki baek is like a polar bear that actually found its way amongst penguins. (Got to learn that fun fact today) But at least this episode was interesting to watch. Looking forward to the next one. Episode 6 was pretty much the same, the contestant on the show discovering each other. One thing that was revealed was that even in school both the ML & SML had same tastes in woman. Ki Baek clearly rejected his first love in this episode, I'm not sure why he next week's preview shows that he chose her instead of FL.

Ep 7: One moment Ki Baek was confessing his feelings for the FL and other he was choosing his first love, albeit only on the show and she blackmailed him. The variety show ended with the FL not choosing anyone. The FL and her ex didn't really have a heart to heart that would make up for the tension between the two, so a lost opportunity there. We get a short time skip to one month later when he finally tells her why he didn't choose her. It is kinda meh at the moment.

Ep 8: Man the woman who turned out to be the first love of all male contestants is nasty. I mean not only did she make such a bitchy move but had the guts to double down when called out on her shit. Nope. Met women like her in real life and they are not anyone's friends. I think it is about time Jung Heon starts getting over Woo Joo. It is finally the start of the relationship between the leads and its beautiful to watch.

Ep 9: It was a nice episode with Jung Heon & Ki Baek bonding over past memories. I like how Jung Heon is being a nice guy despite him having feelings for Woo Joo. Ki Baek is such a cutie, calling her pretty all the time. Woo Joo must feel so good to be appreciated genuinely like this, especially since everything else is falling apart for her. Her career has always been on the rocks, now her mom might have shown up.

Ep 10: Things are looking up for the couple, but with only 2 episodes left you can't say anything for the certain. Jung Heon is still miserable living as a star and I think it is absolutely getting to him. He looks so tired and listless. Ki Baek's family is a bit weird, I don't understand how he fits in with them. His father is a little better than the rest of them. We are still to see how Woo Joo deals with her biological mom.

Ep 11 & 12: The drama is sadly underutilized the cast. The story wasn't interesting enough, had it not been for the chemistry between the three leads, it would have been more of flop. My brother also watched the drama, he liked it so maybe it is about tastes. At times the drama had similar undertones as Call It Love, but it failed to match the feelings elicited by that drama.
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