Someone needs to grow up and it isn't the younger ML

I created an account to write this review because this show was so triggering. As someone who is close to the FL's age and has experienced a "forbidden" romance that was sabotaged by her batshit Asian mother, I feel qualified to comment on the failings of this drama.

If you are looking for drama with similar themes, I recommend the cdrama The Rational Life. It's a noona romance that deals with a female executive who regularly encounters misogyny and politics in the workplace and societal/familial pressure to get married. Her mom also has anger issues, lmao. It doesn't have the indie aesthetic, but the FL actually has a spine, ambition, and social/communication skills.

I find Something in the Rain to be extremely defeatist and socially irresponsible. The show dances up to calling the mother abusive and calling her ex out for sexual assault, stalking, and harassment. And yet... The mother is forgiven, her ex gets off scot-free even after attempting a FREAKING MURDER-SUICIDE, and nothing really changes at work. In fact, she ultimately decides to leave the workplace from the emotional trauma of the situation. These are very common sentiments from women of older generations, but to normalize them is to enable abuse from elders, rape culture, and toxic work culture. And ATTEMPTED MURDER-SUICIDE!!!! I cannot stress enough that this is not a healthy mindset regardless of culture or age.

As someone her age, the FL has a societal responsibility to improve things for her juniors (this is how you know I'm Asian lol), not let herself get lost in the shuffle and have no sense of up or down. There's so much victim blaming that is easily debunked, but the writer clearly doesn't have the feminist theory to do so. To the writer and the other women whom think this is good societal commentary, I beg you to read Audre Lorde, bell hooks, or other feminist literature. You're only scratching the surface of societal observations even if you have lived experience. I also recommend the Taiwanese drama Wave Makers which showcases how the interplay between different generations of women can actually be empowering, to the point of kicking off the Taiwan #metoo movement in real life!

Age gap relationships are complex ethically, and this relationship falls short. I'm so glad they don't end up together. It's very clear she is dating a man so much younger because she herself is emotionally immature. One comment mentions that the apple doesn't fall from the tree, and I'd have to agree. She regularly meddles and disrespects boundaries just as much as her mother, she just takes a covert self-victimizing approach instead of throwing temper tantrums and assaulting her juniors.

The FL is used to dealing with abusers and she hasn't come into her own yet, despite being a grown woman in her mid-30s. It's embarrassing to watch herself repeatedly cram herself into a wardrobe to hide from her best friend she's known her entire life. No wonder men her age don't want to deal with her. Her boyfriend is too young to understand that this is a woman with deeply unhealthy boundaries and communication skills. Son Ye-jin's trademark expression of smiling with a pained look in her eyes is put to good use in this drama.

I know it is common for kdramas to only have one or two songs on repeat, but this one was particularly frustrating because this lady does not stand by her man!!! She straight up lets her mother slap her boyfriend in the face and then acts like she's somehow helpless. She forces him to reconcile with his deadbeat father, even after he's made it clear he doesn't want him in his life. There's a huge difference between filial piety and being an enabler. There isn't a single thing she does that actually improves this boy's life. As someone who's been on the other side of an age gap relationship, he's in for an awakening as he gets older and realizes just how stunted she is and how much this relationship affected his formative years.

I don't mind slow-paced indie features, but I agree with another reviewer that this could have easily been a movie. The actors are very well cast and have good chemistry, but the plot simply is incapable of progressing past a certain point, reflecting the writer's emotional and social ceiling. No matter how good their chemistry is and the build up is, there's only so much ~heartfelt hugging~ a person can take. I also felt like they didn't really know how to flesh out a young male character like the ML. A lot of his emotional motivations felt underdeveloped and aimless.

Read More