Begin Again (2020)

Was it love or was it a waste of time

Let’s be honest. I did not finish this drama and dropped it a while ago midway through episode 2 or 3. I don’t remember the story very well but I do remember vividly the annoyance that the FL brought me while watching. I could say it is one of the worst K-drama out there in my taste. Most shows I dropped half way but I don’t recall any that irks me this much as this one. If I could give a score of 0, it would be 0 for everything from story to cast.

Story: The premise is very promising. A hardworking single mom is determined to build a better life for her daughter but also to live her dream. I’m probably biased and over-hopeful for an empowering story because it is very similar to my real life situation. But the FL turned out to be just crazy. The plot is severely flawed from the very beginning. She gets pregnant and decides to have a kid alone without telling the father or any attempt for communication and to hate him without any reasons. I don’t care what misunderstanding that may have been between them, it is psychologically NOT normal for a modern woman to behave in such contemptuous martyrdom. It is not only selfish to the family, the father and the child but also insulting to the efforts of generations of women to advocate for women’s rights and gender equality. Every one of her actions throughout the short few episodes I watched is whiny, self-absorbed, pity-seeking and unrepentant.
The MLs aren’t any better, unfortunately. It’s another major plot hole I cannot comprehend that is what qualities the MLs see in the FL other than they know her in the past. The writer seems to forget that there has been a 14-year gap. It is extremely unrealistic and unbelievable that they are all still single and hung up over a woman after such a long time. I’m glad that I did not finish the show because apparently from other reviews I have read, the reason for the breakup is because of interference from one of the ML based on the logic that he likes her first. More maddening is that the real father upon making up to the FL decides to run away for another two years instead of making up lost time for his daughter. Seriously, WTF! Had I watched it to the end I would probably have smashed my phone unsubscribed Netflix, lol. The story appears to go from bad to worst in 16 episodes.

Cast/Acting: I generally don’t tolerate loud and excessive FL very well, and I’m very disappointed with Song Ji Hyo (SJH) in this one particularly. I have watched her in Emergency Couple, the premise of which is also similar to this one where the FLs overcome adversities to realize their dreams. I kinda tolerate her in the other one and managed to finish the drama albeit skipping a lot but this one she really made me just switch off my phone completely. The two characters have slightly different personalities and stories, however, SJH’s portrayals of the two turn out to be identical, just pure annoyance. She fails to demonstrate the characters as strong and capable women and only shows them as illogically unreasonable and stubborn people. I guess her strength is more suitable for variety shows than dramas.
As for the MLs, I can’t be sure if all the suitors had been introduced by the time I dropped to really comment. One thing I do remember is Son Ho Jun. I expected something more from him after Reply 1994 and Backtrack couple. Although he is not the best actor, his performance in this drama is simply just flat and bland. The chemistry between him and the FL is also off. He cannot convey any emotions at critical moments such as at the revelation that he is the father (I skipped all to this portentous scene instead of torturing myself through all the lengthy and wearisome middle episodes).
The best performance in the first 2 episodes probably should go to the FL’s daughter. The kiddo is witty and show maturity beyond age but it does not come across as forced or fake.

Music: I doubt that any K-drama would feature bad music but I dropped the show very early on and did not have any recollection of the music, so unimpressive is probably the best description.

Recommendation/Rewatch value: Avoid at all cost. A total waste of time. If you are looking for romance, there’s no chemistry between the casts and not even romantic swoon-worthy scene. If you are looking for an inspiring story about a determined and independent woman, this show is the opposite of it. I don’t even know what it is.

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