Peridot83
Unique premise but drags - a missed opportunity
Kang Mi Rae fixes her face but is still the same person: shy, insecure and socially inept. Instead of developing self-confidence, she tries to please everyone and panics at any negativity. Ultimately, she is drawn to the most handsome, outwardly self-confident guy in school . . . at this point I dropped the show. This is 2020, model healthy relationships please!
Granted, it's a realistic portrayal. Insecure people often do fall into relationships with very intense, stubborn and cold personalities. This is usually a very dangerous mix - there is often no space in such relationships to figure out who you are and who you want to be (indeed Kyung Suk's parents' relationship is a prime example of this).
Im Soo Hyang and Cha Eun Woo are very flat but it’s unclear whether that’s due to acting skills or the screenwriting. How many episodes can one take of an actress looking sheepish and the actor looking brooding?
Music is fine, I would not rewatch.
I grade on other criteria as well:
Complex Themes: 6
Wasted opportunity to explore the disconnect between one's outside appearance and inner well-being. The three main leads all have this problem but for different reasons, and instead of exploring the why and how to get unstuck, they just repeat over and over. The show did emphasize that while being an attractive woman can have its drawbacks, it also comes with opportunities.
Character Growth: 4
None through episode 13. All the main characters are essentially the same as they were in episode 2.
Complex Women/Relationships between women: 7.5
Kyung Suk's mother and Mi Rae have interesting conversations around expectations for women, attractiveness and career. Hyun Soo-Ah was excellent as someone with borderline personality or some sort of narcissistic personality disorder. But, Mi Rae herself is very two dimensional.
Cinematography/Production Budget: 5
Barely competent for a modern K drama. Very low budget, same sets over and over.
Kang Mi Rae fixes her face but is still the same person: shy, insecure and socially inept. Instead of developing self-confidence, she tries to please everyone and panics at any negativity. Ultimately, she is drawn to the most handsome, outwardly self-confident guy in school . . . at this point I dropped the show. This is 2020, model healthy relationships please!
Granted, it's a realistic portrayal. Insecure people often do fall into relationships with very intense, stubborn and cold personalities. This is usually a very dangerous mix - there is often no space in such relationships to figure out who you are and who you want to be (indeed Kyung Suk's parents' relationship is a prime example of this).
Im Soo Hyang and Cha Eun Woo are very flat but it’s unclear whether that’s due to acting skills or the screenwriting. How many episodes can one take of an actress looking sheepish and the actor looking brooding?
Music is fine, I would not rewatch.
I grade on other criteria as well:
Complex Themes: 6
Wasted opportunity to explore the disconnect between one's outside appearance and inner well-being. The three main leads all have this problem but for different reasons, and instead of exploring the why and how to get unstuck, they just repeat over and over. The show did emphasize that while being an attractive woman can have its drawbacks, it also comes with opportunities.
Character Growth: 4
None through episode 13. All the main characters are essentially the same as they were in episode 2.
Complex Women/Relationships between women: 7.5
Kyung Suk's mother and Mi Rae have interesting conversations around expectations for women, attractiveness and career. Hyun Soo-Ah was excellent as someone with borderline personality or some sort of narcissistic personality disorder. But, Mi Rae herself is very two dimensional.
Cinematography/Production Budget: 5
Barely competent for a modern K drama. Very low budget, same sets over and over.
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