MattPeddlesden
Kent, UK
Second Chances
Park Min Young once again brings her A-game along with a very strong cast. This drama is technically a Revenge drama but it's so much more nuanced than that.
The female lead is killed by her husband and then wakes up in 2013 and realises she has the opportunity to live the time again and do things differently. The drama has a really interesting take on "fate" - where other dramas might note that you can't shake your fate, in this drama the female lead realises that while you can't shake it - you can try and shift it to other people and in that escape it. From there, a very clever game of manipulation starts to take place moving all the pawns around to try and shift her fate and make a better life.
I really enjoyed the plot, i've kinda binge watched it over a couple of days because I was hooked, I wouldn't say it's a complex plot - there's plenty there but you're not going to get a headache trying to keep up. It's technically time travel, but again, this is very understandable and watchable without a physics degree :)
Park Min Young is always excellent, paired with Na In Woo, who frankly towers over her. His character starts out dull and lifeless but just as Park Min Young's character undergoes a transformation so does Na In Woo - though he does struggle to set aside the plastic personality a bit, it definitely improves.
Standouts for me in the cast other than the leads were Song Ha Yoon who plays the utterly unhinged best friend, once you've watched this - go and contrast her performance towards the start of the drama with who she is towards the end, really talented actor.
Lee Yi Kyung is always a favourite to watch but where normally he's doing comedic stuff this is really quite nasty and a very different side. Done well. I was still expecting him to yell "CAJA!!!" and run off though... (hopefully you'll get the reference).
Last one - Choi Gyu Ri - incredibly bubbly character and just brought a lot of light and fun to scenes she was in.
Music was excellent throughout, frequently found myself banging the arms on my chair with the rhythm of some of the upbeat songs it has, but there's a nice range in the OST.
Overall, well worth the watch!
The female lead is killed by her husband and then wakes up in 2013 and realises she has the opportunity to live the time again and do things differently. The drama has a really interesting take on "fate" - where other dramas might note that you can't shake your fate, in this drama the female lead realises that while you can't shake it - you can try and shift it to other people and in that escape it. From there, a very clever game of manipulation starts to take place moving all the pawns around to try and shift her fate and make a better life.
I really enjoyed the plot, i've kinda binge watched it over a couple of days because I was hooked, I wouldn't say it's a complex plot - there's plenty there but you're not going to get a headache trying to keep up. It's technically time travel, but again, this is very understandable and watchable without a physics degree :)
Park Min Young is always excellent, paired with Na In Woo, who frankly towers over her. His character starts out dull and lifeless but just as Park Min Young's character undergoes a transformation so does Na In Woo - though he does struggle to set aside the plastic personality a bit, it definitely improves.
Standouts for me in the cast other than the leads were Song Ha Yoon who plays the utterly unhinged best friend, once you've watched this - go and contrast her performance towards the start of the drama with who she is towards the end, really talented actor.
Lee Yi Kyung is always a favourite to watch but where normally he's doing comedic stuff this is really quite nasty and a very different side. Done well. I was still expecting him to yell "CAJA!!!" and run off though... (hopefully you'll get the reference).
Last one - Choi Gyu Ri - incredibly bubbly character and just brought a lot of light and fun to scenes she was in.
Music was excellent throughout, frequently found myself banging the arms on my chair with the rhythm of some of the upbeat songs it has, but there's a nice range in the OST.
Overall, well worth the watch!
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