Kayosai
This review may contain spoilers
LA LA LA LA LA ~ RO~MAN~TIC SUNDAY~~
This show brings fluffy sweet scenes and tropes galore! You'll enjoy it as long as you don't take it too seriously. You'll find corny wrist grabs and stumbles, sudden fevers, childhood connections, and even a white truck of doom. That being said, even hearing the opening notes of "La la la la la Romantic Sundaaaay" instantly brightened up my weekends over the past couple of months. Kim Seon Ho brings all his Good Boy charms here, down to his soft spot for a local halmeoni.
At its best, this show delivered emotional scenes depicting all sorts of interpersonal relationships. Bora's Umma stole the show during the typhoon, and I-Jun stole my heart during his moment in the park. I never expected this show to elicit tears from me, but here we are. Gongjin is a charming small town with a whole slew of excitable busybodies. Whether you find yourself squealing over DOS (dare I say... "In the Soop"?!) or clapping along with the town's festivals or parties, anyone can easily find a home in this little seaside town.
My main gripe with the show comes from the minimal conflict. After roughly the halfway point, the plot dragged for a while. The Ji PD storyline was such a non-issue; I don't know a single person who felt SLS for him. We knew where things were going, and we only had the PROMISE of three mysteries to keep us going: Why did Hwa Jeong and Young Guk divorce? What happened to Dushik during the five years he lived away from Gongjin? Who won the lottery? ...And each of these were resolved right near the end, with just a little bit of time devoted to each. I wish we got more on Dushik especially — his story ultimately made sense, but I wish we got to see him wrestle with these demons more. It almost felt like he fled and compartmentalized everything instead of learning to cope with his demons head-on. I didn't appreciate the resentment from the other parties; their non-apologies fell flat to me. Imagine if he had a scene with Do Ha's father directly!
Instead of dangling these plot points in front of us for episodes without a conclusion, I wish we got there sooner and then spent time exploring the fact that Hye Jin and Dushik came from pretty different worlds. We saw shades of their compromises: Dushik putting in effort with Hye Jin's "friends" on the golf course, and Hye Jin setting other opportunities aside. While that may be realistic, the feminist in me was hoping that SHE hoped for more. Her compromises felt way bigger than his, and I wish we saw a bit more give-and-take, or at least a bit more of the moments that changed their perceptions and goals.
|| SPOILER: I wish that the ending of ep 15 actually set Dushik free, so that he would be energized to try again in Seoul. Practically, it would've made sense to me if their careers flourished there, especially considering the fact that their (future) children would've had more opportunities in the big city — yes, I was hoping for a time-skip that involved kids. Of course, this alternate ending in my mind would've still involved frequent trips to Gongjin. I think I merely wanted Hye Jin and Dushik's lives to open up a bit more as a result of their connection, but I suppose I'll have to recognize that not everyone has such lofty dreams. Some people are content to live in a small town surrounded by a doting found-family, and I suppose I can respect the coziness in that slower walk of life. ||
Still, this show offered some thoughtful messages beneath its bright, shiny exterior. I especially liked the sentiment that small actions can make a world of difference to others, like a simple text message or call during a time of turmoil; the fact that asking for help can actually support the giver more than the recipient (@ both Nam Sook and Dushik); and the powerful role that bystanders can play in someone's life (like helping someone smile in a photo that will eventually mean the world or calling to help a stranger and making sure they are safe before driving away). Sometimes kindness comes from ignoring someone's feelings rather than acknowledging them (@ Cho Hui). But beneath it all, empathy and care for one another is truly what brings a community together.
At its best, this show delivered emotional scenes depicting all sorts of interpersonal relationships. Bora's Umma stole the show during the typhoon, and I-Jun stole my heart during his moment in the park. I never expected this show to elicit tears from me, but here we are. Gongjin is a charming small town with a whole slew of excitable busybodies. Whether you find yourself squealing over DOS (dare I say... "In the Soop"?!) or clapping along with the town's festivals or parties, anyone can easily find a home in this little seaside town.
My main gripe with the show comes from the minimal conflict. After roughly the halfway point, the plot dragged for a while. The Ji PD storyline was such a non-issue; I don't know a single person who felt SLS for him. We knew where things were going, and we only had the PROMISE of three mysteries to keep us going: Why did Hwa Jeong and Young Guk divorce? What happened to Dushik during the five years he lived away from Gongjin? Who won the lottery? ...And each of these were resolved right near the end, with just a little bit of time devoted to each. I wish we got more on Dushik especially — his story ultimately made sense, but I wish we got to see him wrestle with these demons more. It almost felt like he fled and compartmentalized everything instead of learning to cope with his demons head-on. I didn't appreciate the resentment from the other parties; their non-apologies fell flat to me. Imagine if he had a scene with Do Ha's father directly!
Instead of dangling these plot points in front of us for episodes without a conclusion, I wish we got there sooner and then spent time exploring the fact that Hye Jin and Dushik came from pretty different worlds. We saw shades of their compromises: Dushik putting in effort with Hye Jin's "friends" on the golf course, and Hye Jin setting other opportunities aside. While that may be realistic, the feminist in me was hoping that SHE hoped for more. Her compromises felt way bigger than his, and I wish we saw a bit more give-and-take, or at least a bit more of the moments that changed their perceptions and goals.
|| SPOILER: I wish that the ending of ep 15 actually set Dushik free, so that he would be energized to try again in Seoul. Practically, it would've made sense to me if their careers flourished there, especially considering the fact that their (future) children would've had more opportunities in the big city — yes, I was hoping for a time-skip that involved kids. Of course, this alternate ending in my mind would've still involved frequent trips to Gongjin. I think I merely wanted Hye Jin and Dushik's lives to open up a bit more as a result of their connection, but I suppose I'll have to recognize that not everyone has such lofty dreams. Some people are content to live in a small town surrounded by a doting found-family, and I suppose I can respect the coziness in that slower walk of life. ||
Still, this show offered some thoughtful messages beneath its bright, shiny exterior. I especially liked the sentiment that small actions can make a world of difference to others, like a simple text message or call during a time of turmoil; the fact that asking for help can actually support the giver more than the recipient (@ both Nam Sook and Dushik); and the powerful role that bystanders can play in someone's life (like helping someone smile in a photo that will eventually mean the world or calling to help a stranger and making sure they are safe before driving away). Sometimes kindness comes from ignoring someone's feelings rather than acknowledging them (@ Cho Hui). But beneath it all, empathy and care for one another is truly what brings a community together.
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