Summer Strike (2022)

Loved it, Untill Episode 9

Sometimes I wonder if Kdramas have an allergy to happy endings, the element of loss can be very powerful in a drama, however when overused or implemented in a way that creates unnecessary forceful emotions for the audience --I find it frustrating.

What I enjoyed about the drama, up until episode 9, was the balance they had between loss and self-discovery, how loss can lead you to rethink the trajectory of your life and then also to use grief as a measure of satisfaction or dissatisfaction in one’s life.

For me, the main character Yeo Reum was perfect for this depiction of loss and discovery. The drama begins with a loss of a mother, which starts an emotional, but healing journey, for Yeo Reum. This loss leads Yeo Reum to head to the countryside, where we are introduced to a new set of characters that will later influence each other's lives. The townspeople have also experienced loss and are forced to cope with it differently. We have Dae Bom, Dae Bom, and Jae-Hoon who each have a different form of loss within their lives. It's these well-written characters who, without the need for the audience to know immense details, are able to connect with each other on an emotional level.

To me, the cope with loss, and self-healing, began to pick up and continue to help the characters grow through her new friendships (dae bum, Bom, yeo ream, and Jea Hoo) where they found happiness within each other, with their healing at the climax, and the most fun in the show, the death of Bom’s grandma occurs, which I found unnecessary and a plot element that really didn’t need to be there.

The drama did very well to move away from unnecessary drama, giving a fresh outlook on healing and love. There was never any misunderstanding, like you see in many other dramas, between the main relationships. To me, my love for the show stems from each character’s ability to, not forget about their loss but to, live intentionally in the present moment. I enjoyed that, after a major loss from Yeo Reum, the show took a tonal shift towards happiness, especially through friendship. These friendships are central to the show: Yeo-Reum & Bom’s sisterly bond, Bom’s Grandma & Yeo Reum’s motherly bond, and Dae Boms & Yeo Reum’s romantic bond. It’s these friendships that, throughout each episode, increase in strength. As each character opens up to each other as they all begin to heal. That’s why, the death in episode 10 took me by surprise, in a negative sense; all the healing, through bonds of friendship, backtrack because of another loss, therefore, clouding the well-established theme of moving forward.

The drama itself is built upon growth and open communication between characters and yet these established growth patterns seem to disappear in light of Bom’s Grandma’s death. The characters, instead of coming together to heal, begin to separate and lack the open and caring communication that held them together before.

I felt that the show tried to take on too many subplots and got lost within the subplot of the mystery of the billiard hall. I enjoyed this subplot--only in the beginning, as it was an anchor for Dae Beum’s trauma. Initially, it was well-balanced because it didn’t take over the show and set up a means of understanding Dae-Beum’s past and connection to the town. However, with the death of Bom’s Grandma, the mystery takes the spotlight and put the themes of self-discovery and friendship into the shadows. I personally didn’t like this tonal shift and ideally, I would’ve wanted the drama to continue towards a happy tone, where the grandma doesn’t die and the growth of each friendship is delved into further. I decided to stop watching after this point, even though I’m sure the drama does get back on track, later on, about the friendships, however to me the unnecessary death was a frustrating factor that I couldn’t get past.

Despite my gripe with the death of Bom’s Grandma, I still loved the former episodes and wanted to touch on a few other factors that made this drama stand out. The unspoken dialogue between Yeo Reum and Dae Bom is so well written that their relationship is a perfect example of how to efficiently display chemistry without an excess of physical display. They have an unspoken love, that translates into deliberate actions, such as doing hobbies together, and sharing loving glances and smiles; they both know they love each other, without any drama or unnecessary elements to get in the way of their emotions. They both pursue each other in such cute and subtle ways that make their delicate relationship so fun to watch.

I also loved how the drama took a lens that focused on a woman’s perspective, that of Yeo Reom. She didn’t go to the country to find love, rather she begins her adventure for herself and to better understand her present needs. Yeo Reum doesn’t set any expectations, for her self-discovery, but rather allows herself to indulge in her individual happiness. The Yeo Reum in episode one and the Yeo Reum in episode nine are starkly different. In episode one we see how she doesn’t stand up for herself and clings to an emotionally abusive boyfriend. We see a tragic version of Yeo Reum who has sacrificed her “I” to the point of transparency. She can barely distinguish her wants and needs, from that of those around her. In the beginning, she lives for others, rather than living for herself. Yeo Reum, in episode one, is a burnout woman that is a product of her toxic environment,

A part of self-discovery is when a person begins to understand that they no longer need to live as a ‘we’, such as being in a relationship or appeasing a boss, but rather when one lives to uphold and stay true to their ‘I’ while also making room, when needed, for the ‘we’. In this way Yeo Ream discovers herself first, then after she is adamant on focusing on being herself, she naturally attracts friendships along the way. By staying true to herself she is not selfish, but solidifies that whether, her coming to Angok, she finds connections or not, she won’t sacrifice self-discovery and understanding of her desires.

We see Yeo Reum change from a woman who initially lived on the validation of others to one who is able to validate her own self-worth. When she decided that she no longer needed the acceptance of others, and puts herself first, she then lends herself to different forms of love. The drama represents the common motto: for others to love you, you must love yourself. By the end, Yeo Reum has learned to love and accept herself unconditionally. I truly loved Yeo Reum’s character, because, although she is in a relationship with Dae Bum, she makes it clear through her actions that she does not need a romantic relationship to survive and that she is completely capable on her own. The opportunity for a healthy romantic relationship presented itself after Yeo Reum’s acceptance of her self-worth. The relationship was an added bonus, not a crutch.

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Your classic case of a Romcom turned Murder Mystery

So I’m not even gonna lie, I found out about this drama through tiktok edits titled as the most wholesome drama of the season and saw some scenes that literally blew me away with how cute they were. So naturally I pick up the show and start watching.

The first episode is awesome, it’s amazing, it’s everything I wanted and expected. Our FL, weighed down by the harsh daily life of the city decides to move to the country side. Great! Everything is settled and arrangements are made and there she was at the beach of Angok basking in the sun. Watching that scene was the most liberating thing ever and you could literally feel your stress being washed away as she runs towards the water and dives in.

Episode 2 rolls around. Now we’re being introduced to the town and the dynamics of the people living there adding dimensions and depth to the story. We love to see it.

The FL meets the ML and instantly they are hooked on one another. Their feelings slowly develop and in each and every scene between them I could literally feel the butterflies.

And so I was hooked. It didn’t require much and I didn’t expect more. Things are slowly unfolding as they should.

As the FL is staying there, she decides she’ll starts journaling so we are baited with this plot point of her developing an interest in writing and all things are going as expected in this tranquil country side. You got your usual nosy kids, angry locals and small town secrets but nothing that can’t be conquered by the power of love and friendship.

Only problem is, as the story progresses, they decide that complicating the plot is the way to go. First of, they introduce the ML’s “dark past” which is alright. Nothing out of the ordinary. But only they decide that no, that’s not enough we need a convoluted murder case and an unnecessary plot twist and that’s where the show completely lost me.

Dae Bum, the ML, had enough of a “layered” backstory and a lot on his plate in the right-now to worry about. But they decided to bring up the past in the most ridiculous, unnecessarily complicated manner. There was no need for a second murder to happen for the first one to be “solved”. In fact, the first plot they went with was more than good enough. Why keep on adding on more and more plot points?

Especially when they dismissed and quickly went over his current present problems. Glossing over everything and quickly resolving it.

As for Yeo Reum who ran away from the toxic city life only to be chucked into this mysterious village of horrors. People complained about how much of a doormat she was but I thought to myself nothing wrong with a meek FL. Not everyone in life is a fighter. But nothing developed at all.

Everything they prepared us for regarding her character “arc” never unfolded. She did a magazine interview and that went nowhere I don’t even know why they bothered adding that in. In the end they teased how she’ll start writing a webtoon. Like, why couldn’t this just be the plot? Why did she have to be this detective Conan all of a sudden?

Her morals were questionable at times, and while I tried giving her the benefit of the doubt, her inconsistency at times confused me. E.g. yelling at Kim Bom for not wanting to be associated with her abusive alcoholic father and then getting annoyed at that mom for wanting to protect her DISABLED son who was falsely convicted for murder?! Make it make sense. All whilst completely forgetting about her brother who was unreasonably villainized and then completely erased from existence never to be mentioned again.

I tried to brush some things off as being part of the “culture” and nature of a small town village but I couldn’t at times. Especially when she, as the main lead, was supposed to represent the opposite of those traditional expectations.

Many of the plot points were left undiscovered. Kim Bom’s childhood friend, her father and his alcoholism (and apparently gambling addiction, too now). Speaking of Kim Bom, she had the most tragic and dramatic plot out of everyone in that show which was poorly executed.

Whenever the writer was at loss on how to mobilize the plot, boom! they threw a tragedy at Kim Bom and that’s how it went. And DON’T get me started on how simply Jae Hun just went and came back from The States. Ridiculous!

Sung Min being a single dad. Like, where’s the mom? In this gossipy small town no mention of her at all?
Ji Young absolutely hating the country side only to decide on a whim that, no! She actually doesn’t. Like, what?

The billiards club and how Sung Min’s dad became the owner. Dae Bum’s family position in Angok and just Dae Bum in general. How he grew up without his parents and what actually happened between him and that professor. He remained an enigma to the very last moment.

And the god damn pacing. How much time went by? Between the multiple time leaps and Yeo Reum packing her bags to leave every other day it was impossible to discern. At times it felt like days other times it felt like months.

And the romance! Where did it go? We never went past the awkward infatuation stage which was cute until the show approached its end and I grew frustrated. The most we got was some hand holding UGH! On the other hand, Kim Bom got a dramatic passionate kiss under the rain. Absolute clownery.

And the beach! You’d think now that she lives by it she’ll be there every other day but, no! I mean, I can’t blame her she was too busy solving crimes.

I was never set up for this amount of disappointment in my life. The last thing I expected was for this to turn into a murder mystery show. Other than the cute moments between the two leads, their chemistry and endearing conversations, everything else seemed to go wrong. It was a shame to see this go to waste especially with how exceptional everyone’s performance was.

I’m convinced something went wrong with either the budget, ratings or writers because to have this easy of a plot then f’ it up this bad made zero sense.

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Solid but not without its share of problems

Pros

- overall soothing atmosphere
- focus on self-care and healing
- focus on shy, introverted characters (after Liberation Notes and others this seems a recent trend in K-Dramas, which I love)
- found family theme
- the character of Dae Beom (Im Si Wan has such a knack for creating unique, weird, intriguing characters from scratch who truly come to life)
- many characters I instantly disliked have grown on me, e.g. Ji Young, Sung Min
- chemistry between ML & FL which is great without even so much as a kiss
- acting for the most part (Kim Seol Hyun managed a lengthy drunk scene without ever being over the top, annoying or silly, you can't take your eyes off of her, great physical acting)


Cons

- Yeo Reum falling back into her little-girl-routine gets tedious and feels insincere after some time, it is a way of denying responsibility (which is understandable, she is there to overcome trauma and not find more trauma, but being there and living her life and being part of ongoing issues is still a responsibility she can not possibly escape)
- Yeo Reum being a little self-righteous at times, which would be fine, except I gather we are supposed to root for her
- toxicity here and there (how dare you scream at your family/grandma), a recurring feature of this director, familiar from Coffee Prince and Cheese in the Trap
- cramming a crime plot into the last episodes that is resolved as fast as it pops up, which is laughable

A solid 4/5.

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It's alright, but not a fave

I just finished Summer Strike and I'm not sure how to feel.
I feel like just when I was starting to really like and get to know many characters the series is already over. I'm left wishing I could see more, especially with some of the side characters.


When I first discovered this drama it was via a tik tok video and I was interested after hearing a summary of the first episode.
I found the story engaging and pleasant up until when the grandmother died, that's when it went to a not so peaceful vibe.
I haven't read the webtoon so I didn't have expectations/ an idea that it would turn into a murder and mystery case, but the shift felt sudden. I know there were some hints with the graffiti and such, but I was mainly here for the happy vibes :P

The acting was done great by everyone, I especially liked the male lead, Dae-Beom. He felt very refreshing and it was nice to see a fellow introvert. The female lead, Yeo-Reum was nice too, though she was frustrating during the first few episodes.

It took 3-4 episodes for me to like the other side characters and they really became my faves, Bom's brother especially.


All in all I think it was an okay series, nothing to right home about tbh. I enjoyed it while it was airing, catching episodes every Tuesday, but I wish they didn't end it at 12 episodes. It felt like it needed more time, the little time skip didn't feel as satisfying as it should be.
I don't see myself going in for a rewatch, I think experiencing it this time is good enough ^_^

I wouldn't say it's a waste of time, it's alright, just not a fave.


Bonus points for having a westie lol

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Happy that this drama existed, frustrated with the same plot though

My review has story spoilers so if you are planning to watch this spoiler free then maybe skip my review for now and get back after completing it. It is more of a rant on my end to express how I felt. I would recommend watching it from ep 1-9 only. Rest is just avoidable.

The drama had two segments to it. One segment from Ep 1-9 which was about healing and slice of life elements, then second Ep 10-12 which felt like written by a high school kid. Thankfully its short and manageable.

Imagine a story with all possible k-drama cliches you know and put into one, the result will be summer strike. To quote the cliches:

> A Seoul working class person, tired and bullied by manager. BASICALLY EACH AND EVERY CORPORATE WORKER IN A K-DRAMA
> Let all the parents of the main characters be either irresponsible or dead. HOW WILL THEY ADD TRAUMA TO THE CHARACTERS OTHERWISE RIGHT?
> The dreaded friend of one of the leads who had a gazillion years to confess their feelings yet become bitchy and whiny when main leads fell for each other..... because they expected the lead to magically know their feelings. THIS ONE IS PLAIN LAME.
> Kids bullying each other and the so called good kid gets jailed and cursed. [I am referring to Dae Ho and Bom's scenes of bullying. The teacher/aunt despite of knowing the kids were bullying Bom blamed her for existing. Oh and the aunt's English bf random scene.] DESPERATE MOVE TO CREATE UNFAIR SITUTAION IN A DRAMA 101.
> If there is a kind, amiable and happy halmonie [grandmother] in a show, kill her. Why you may think? Just because an old person dying out of nowhere is sad and tear jerker.
> And here comes the best one- Think about one possible "good" reason for a breakup in k-drama. Answer- Going to US for further studies. Yes millions of people in the continent having breakups and apparently all the Korean production units have mutually decided to use this reason. STOP USING GOING ABROAD AS A BREAKUP PLOT DEVICE...CHEABAL!!! MY SCARS FROM 2521 IS STILL NOT HEALED OKAY.
> With Im Si Wan as the actor, it sometimes became Run On Season 2. I mean most of his scenes in the first half were of running around randomly lol JUST WHY?

Even with its flaws, I enjoyed the scenes in the first segment and never felt bored. Both the actors did a commendable job. ISW was just so good, like there were two scenes when Yeo Reum dressed up and I could literally feel Dae Bom being attracted to her. Such micro expressions from him but so well done. And Kim Seol Hyun , her style was kept plain yet she was sooo beautiful. Even as a woman, I fell for her!

Also, I liked the MC characters. Both YR and DB had this self control to not lash back when people tend to misbehave around them. They had a powerful stance that no matter what happens they will not stoop like others and I actually admire that in them. It may seem they were weak but I think it was just the opposite, Their interactions and chemistry was soothing. I tend to fall for relationships where the two people are comfortable in silence. Too bad there was no romantic moments between them.

One scene from the drama which made home to me was when Jae Hoon was telling YR how him leaving would drift his and Bom's relationship apart and that he is scared. To which YR replies "let those who are drifting apart get drifted, who are hating you hates you. I will remember you as a good person and embrace you with a hug when we meet next" The line was so beautiful. We try so hard to control things which are beyond our control to maintain our "image". But those who are your true friends will wish good things for you and even you meet after them ages, they will happily embrace you with a hug and tell you how much they missed you. This was my fav moment from the drama.

To conclude, the first segment was good yet the last 3 episodes took an absurd turn. The mystery element was lame and was a forced plot device. DB finding out the actual killer only to realize he sent his dad to prison for no reason and losing his mom was totally dark and not addressed properly in the drama. Instead they spent time on one sided crush, breakups, random bullying scenes etc. which was a total waste of time and actors talent.

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Amazing healing small-town romance

This drama is perfect for you if you enjoyed watching Hometown Cha Cha Cha. A story about a girl who, after many misfortunes, decides to leave Seoul and start a new quieter life in a small town by the sea. This drama also features the residents of the small town and shows a bit of their points of view on living there. This is also perfect for the fans of a slow burn romance.

The drama focuses on the friendships the female lead makes on the countryside. The friends she makes come in all different ages and it's wonderful to see that there's no age barrier for friends. I think a lot of dramas have only friendships with characters of same age and that's why this drama is a good change to that. Overall it's one of the best dramas I've ever watched this far.

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Si Wan and Seol Hyun's chemistry make Summer Strike worth watching

Summer Strike is worth watching for Dae Beom and Yeo Reum and their relationship. Yim Si Wan and Seol Hyun have a very sweet and natural chemistry and are a joy to watch. More time should've been spent on their relationship. Their individual performances are excellent too.

The supporting characters and storylines aren’t particularly strong with some that are downright unpleasant to watch. Summer Strike has the obligatory murder plot most kdramas have these days which really drags down the drama. The drama was darker than I expected and I wouldn't call it a healing watch.

Honestly, I would recommend fast-forwarding or skipping scenes without the leads. They aren’t very interesting or likeable.

If you aren’t interested in watching two awkward introverts fall in love, Summer Strike is not for you.


https://dramatoast.com/summer-strike-kdrama/

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Sometimes you have to take a break to move forward...

Series "life lesson" more than romantic, but interpreted by great actors.

A young woman, dumped by her boyfriend, unhappy with her job, dumps everything after her mother's death and goes "on a long vacation" to a village. She will gradually make friends, find a lover (math genius with big trauma), solve a 20-years-old murder, ...

We quickly get attached to the characters, who are well developed, moving, full of humanity. The series deals with the themes of grief, alcoholism, harassment, disabilities, etc.

12 episodes are enough, well paced, with enjoyable OSTs. However, I would have appreciated more romance!!!!

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Série "leçon de vie" plus que romantique, mais interprétée par de super acteurs.

Une jeune femme, larguée par son boyfriend, pas heureuse dans son travail, largue tout après la mort de sa mère et part "en longues vacances" dans un village. Elle va peu à peu se faire des amis, trouver un amoureux (génie des maths avec gros trauma), résoudre un meurtre vieux de 20 ans, ...

On s'attache très vite aux personnages, qui sont bien développés, émouvants, plein d'humanité. La série aborde les thèmes du deuil, de l'alcoolisme, du harcèlement, du handicap, etc.

12 épisodes sont suffisants, bien rythmés, avec des OST agréables. J'aurai cependant apprécié que la romance ne soit pas qu'effleurée !!

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Refreshingly low-key

Kim Seol-hyun headlining a romance drama? Yes please! Such a rare sight.

They sure were trying their damn hardest to make her appear as average-looking as possible (unflattering makeup, messy hair, ill-fitting clothes), but as it became quite clear it just wasn't achievable, halfway through it's like they just went screw it and gave up lol. Then cue other characters going like "wow you're so pretty" well no shit, do you have eyes?

This is actually, and surprisingly, very well written with many complex characters and dynamics, although it is a bit contrived at times. I really enjoyed how mature it was in its themes. It's pretty much entirely devoid of cheese (but definitely not drama), so rest assured that you won't find any of the usual kdrama clichés here, so if you're looking for something different from usual kdrama this is one of them. Feels more like a slice of life drama, with a side serving of darker moments.

I think this series's strongest suit is the writing, especially character interactions, while its weakest would be tonal consistency.

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Heartwarming...

Simply a timeless drama which deals with so many beautiful emotions. It is so relatable and very realistic in many ways. Yeo reum our female main character tired of her daily boring day to day stressful workholic life, One day she decided to call it off and take a break from everything. She decided to move into a country side with her remaining savings and start a new journey of her life. the plot was my initial attraction for Starting this drama and also i love to watch the countryside. it was a very heartwarming and beautiful 12 episode journey.

when she moved to the countryside there she met so many people including our main lead the handsome Siwan as An Dae Bam. He was introverted and very shy to speak, his first appearance is also really cute. Maybe some of you can actually relate with him in many things. The drama slowly starts to progress in between characters and relationships and also slight romances.

characters are beautifully written, Screenplay never gets bored on any of the situations and the duration of each episode is short. We already saw so many similar kinds of dramas but Summer strike was totally different from any of the others. May the plot look super relatable and the overall experience was very beautiful and Also they concluded everything with the given limited time.

If you like to watch feel good heartwarming relationship dramas then, Don't miss this drama, it was totally worth it. Completely Satisfied...

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Could have been Amazing

The whole burnt out character moving to the province where she has a cute little romance with a quiet librarian was SO GOOD...

...but then we had to have the annoying murder mystery and the annoying ass townsfolk. I am so sick of kdramas and their unnecessary murder plot lines, and this just takes the cake because it really did not fit at all.

Adding to that as well, the townsfolk were so mean? and for what?? They all just kept hating and blaming the FL in the first few episodes just because she moved there. We got a plotline of an alcoholic and abusive father STABBING his daughter, and when said daughter wants to tell the police everyone silences and scolds her for it? even though telling the police would mean they could cut back on the hospital costs AND have the abusive man taken away.

overall, just so disappointed. I loved the two leads and their romance + the setting and small town vibe was immaculate, but the whole drama is just so annoying.

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