Hyun Bins First Love
La La Land
This review may contain spoilers
A drama that was saved by Kim Soo Hyun - Kim Jin Won 's amazing chemistry (& their tears)
Having two of my favorite actors in a drama was enough for me to tune into this drama. This drama has a love hate relationship for me...
What I LOVED:
The drama had me just from the initial episodes of how we got a couple that had already dated, married, coworkers and in a love-hate relationship. It's was rare to see a couple in a brink of divorce but still in love and denial, making you just wanting to root for them and solve their martial issues for them. When Hae In announces she is sick and Hyun Woo decides to get a divorce at the same time, there I was on the brink of my sofa watching them onscreen and worried about their marriage and life, than my own. LOL!
I wanted to smack Hyun Woo when he was initially happy about his wife's impending death. I disliked his nonchalant response. I remember writing here on MDL saying how I am team Hae In till the end and wanted Hyun Woo to cry buckets of tears non stop for this treachery. And boy did he cry or what and make me cry along with him? Hahahaha... I learned my lesson for wishing ill for him later on the episodes... But then its amazing looking back that how much his character developed and had come along to win me back over and root for him to fight for their lives together and that's what he did. He cried, fought, sulked, schemed, loved and got back into my good graces and I found myself to being Team Baek-Hong.
I loved them onscreen. The characters they were, their personalities... and And the CHEMISTRY!!!!! omg... I could write sonnets about just the chemistry. It was tuned into max since episode 1 and there was never a moment onscreen where it was toned down... not even a single screen till the end.
This drama till Episode 12 is perfection. I don't have a single complain nor irk towards a single scene that was in there. I loved it and ate all the crumbs the drama delivered... And then the unthinkable happened... The last 4 episodes... which so often in dramaland, where the writer just loses their mind and make us lose our mind along with them!!!!!
WHAT I HATED:
The last 4 episodes.... Episode 13 had me like stop halfway through towards the end and seriously question if it was the same drama I was watching... It was so frustrating mainly because I found myself guessing how this was going to turn out and I hate it when I not surprise or when it becomes so predictable. Especially with all the cliches... which is so tiring and frustrating after some time.
I took a leave of absence and waited for all the last 3 episodes to air and watch it together so my frustration and anxiety could handle it. And I am glad that I did this.
The writer had to bring in all the cliches and drama tropes and she did and delivered. It was irritating but then I think the theme of those last 4 episode was that it was going to be super melodramatic and makjang. Clearly the main aim wasn't the writing anymore. It was the rating and being dramatic. But I have to grudgingly acknowledge that, no matter what it was done in style.
I wanted more scenes between Hae In and Hyun Woo... were once everything was resolved towards the end, I hoped the last few minutes would be scenes of them together and rebuilding again... I didn't like how it was closed scenes where we assume and guess about their progress in love and doesn't get to see Hae In fall in love with Hyun Woo all over again... AND WHERE IS A KISS SCENE? I mean for a drama that delivered more kisses in one single episode than a whole kdrama combined, I was expecting to see a kiss scene towards the end.... AND WHAT DO WE GET? Nothing... Ahh.... the disappointment I felt is astonishing...
Also... that ending broke me. I never saw it coming... I mean its a happy ending but still... seeing death of your loved one is inevitable even in a fictional world just hit me in my feeling and broke me. I didn't expect that. I cried a lot over that scene. A long life of 84 years is amazing... but still it was so bittersweet. I want to live ignorance that once a characters that I love and cherish get their HEA in the end, they go on to live on forever. I don't want a reality check that they are mere mortals like us. It's like breaking the 4th wall and bringing them into the real world, where us mortals live.
IN CONCLUSION:
This drama is all about the chemistry between Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won. My god, what terrific actors. The emotional scenes where they were crying... I found myself mesmerized thinking, how can they act so damn well and look so beautiful at the same time.
I have always loved Kim Soo Hyun's acting. Especially when he cried. He is the prettiest actor in kdrama land who cries so beautifully... considering the female actors too... He is always my top pick. But then Kim Ji Won came along and she delivered those scenes along with KSH and I was like, how are these two so talented and beautiful....
The writing may have gone off in the end but this drama is only saved because of KSH and KJW. They single handedly carried this drama... and kudos to the duo for such a great job.... I can't wait to see their future projects... Until then! x
Would've rated it a perfect 10 if not for the last quarter.
Rating : 8/10
What I LOVED:
The drama had me just from the initial episodes of how we got a couple that had already dated, married, coworkers and in a love-hate relationship. It's was rare to see a couple in a brink of divorce but still in love and denial, making you just wanting to root for them and solve their martial issues for them. When Hae In announces she is sick and Hyun Woo decides to get a divorce at the same time, there I was on the brink of my sofa watching them onscreen and worried about their marriage and life, than my own. LOL!
I wanted to smack Hyun Woo when he was initially happy about his wife's impending death. I disliked his nonchalant response. I remember writing here on MDL saying how I am team Hae In till the end and wanted Hyun Woo to cry buckets of tears non stop for this treachery. And boy did he cry or what and make me cry along with him? Hahahaha... I learned my lesson for wishing ill for him later on the episodes... But then its amazing looking back that how much his character developed and had come along to win me back over and root for him to fight for their lives together and that's what he did. He cried, fought, sulked, schemed, loved and got back into my good graces and I found myself to being Team Baek-Hong.
I loved them onscreen. The characters they were, their personalities... and And the CHEMISTRY!!!!! omg... I could write sonnets about just the chemistry. It was tuned into max since episode 1 and there was never a moment onscreen where it was toned down... not even a single screen till the end.
This drama till Episode 12 is perfection. I don't have a single complain nor irk towards a single scene that was in there. I loved it and ate all the crumbs the drama delivered... And then the unthinkable happened... The last 4 episodes... which so often in dramaland, where the writer just loses their mind and make us lose our mind along with them!!!!!
WHAT I HATED:
The last 4 episodes.... Episode 13 had me like stop halfway through towards the end and seriously question if it was the same drama I was watching... It was so frustrating mainly because I found myself guessing how this was going to turn out and I hate it when I not surprise or when it becomes so predictable. Especially with all the cliches... which is so tiring and frustrating after some time.
I took a leave of absence and waited for all the last 3 episodes to air and watch it together so my frustration and anxiety could handle it. And I am glad that I did this.
The writer had to bring in all the cliches and drama tropes and she did and delivered. It was irritating but then I think the theme of those last 4 episode was that it was going to be super melodramatic and makjang. Clearly the main aim wasn't the writing anymore. It was the rating and being dramatic. But I have to grudgingly acknowledge that, no matter what it was done in style.
I wanted more scenes between Hae In and Hyun Woo... were once everything was resolved towards the end, I hoped the last few minutes would be scenes of them together and rebuilding again... I didn't like how it was closed scenes where we assume and guess about their progress in love and doesn't get to see Hae In fall in love with Hyun Woo all over again... AND WHERE IS A KISS SCENE? I mean for a drama that delivered more kisses in one single episode than a whole kdrama combined, I was expecting to see a kiss scene towards the end.... AND WHAT DO WE GET? Nothing... Ahh.... the disappointment I felt is astonishing...
Also... that ending broke me. I never saw it coming... I mean its a happy ending but still... seeing death of your loved one is inevitable even in a fictional world just hit me in my feeling and broke me. I didn't expect that. I cried a lot over that scene. A long life of 84 years is amazing... but still it was so bittersweet. I want to live ignorance that once a characters that I love and cherish get their HEA in the end, they go on to live on forever. I don't want a reality check that they are mere mortals like us. It's like breaking the 4th wall and bringing them into the real world, where us mortals live.
IN CONCLUSION:
This drama is all about the chemistry between Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won. My god, what terrific actors. The emotional scenes where they were crying... I found myself mesmerized thinking, how can they act so damn well and look so beautiful at the same time.
I have always loved Kim Soo Hyun's acting. Especially when he cried. He is the prettiest actor in kdrama land who cries so beautifully... considering the female actors too... He is always my top pick. But then Kim Ji Won came along and she delivered those scenes along with KSH and I was like, how are these two so talented and beautiful....
The writing may have gone off in the end but this drama is only saved because of KSH and KJW. They single handedly carried this drama... and kudos to the duo for such a great job.... I can't wait to see their future projects... Until then! x
Would've rated it a perfect 10 if not for the last quarter.
Rating : 8/10
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