Extraordinary You seeks to answer the age-old question: “If you could change your fate, would you?” (Disney don’t come for me.) The problem was that its premise meant that change was unachievable. These characters existed for the purpose of someone playing god—and you do not mess with god. So the question, then, isn’t one about changing fate, but about surviving it: “If you can’t change your fate, what do you do?”

Stripped of most of her agency, Eun Dan Oh decides—screw it. She’ll find love. She’ll find happiness. Whether its her illness or the writer’s set-up, she refuses to let it consume her. She will live. The drama runs forward with this theme in mind, delivering a stellar first act. (If you’re skeptical about starting, make it to the end of episode six and then decide. Kim Hye Yoon is a scene stealer of the highest order.).

The issue is that by the time it gets to say what it wants to say, there’s still another dozen or so episodes to go. So what does it decide to do? It goes in circles. So many circles, in fact, that the ending leaves us right back where we started. Things aren’t derailed, sure, but it’s hard to stay excited when we’ve been here all before.

In conclusion: Extraordinary You is a drama that knew exactly where it was going. It just got there too early and then panicked.

Episodes 1-12 remain TV gold and are well worth the watch. I was never interested in the greater fantasy lore or the mysteries of the universe. What drew me in was Eun Dan Oh. Maybe you’ll find, like me, she’s all the magic you need.