Currently Watching: Uncontrollably Fond

* This article contains some minor spoilers from episodes 1-4. *

Uncontrollably Fond

The first thought that came to my mind when I was watching the trailers was, "Wow, this really reminds me of the early 2000s' melodramas – especially one of my favorites:  Winter Sonata."

Between the gorgeous winter landscapes and after tragedy after tragedy, it definitely made me feel reminiscent of Winter Sonata. 

The Story (so far)

Long story short, Shin Joon Yeong ( Kim Woo Bin) has a tangled history with the female protagonist, Noh Eul (Suzy). The drama explores their complicated past and how and why they became who they are today.

Joon Yeong was going to be a prosecutor but now he's a famous star. Noh Eul used to have strong morals but because she had to support her little brother all on her own, now all she cares about is paying off her debt from loan sharks.

As of now, it's still unclear whether Joon Yeong's crush on Noh Eul was one-sided, but they met during their school days. After Noh Eul's father died, she disappeared for a while. However, after five years, she meets Joon Yeong again. Birth secrets and accidents come between them...though the drama still hasn't revealed the consequences of those ticking time bombs. 

Characters

Kim Woo Bin as Shin Joon Yeong

This is my first drama starring Kim Woo Bin and he's doing a nice job so far. I don't understand all the hype surrounding him yet, since his acting works for me at times, while not so much in other times. 
Nevertheless, for the most part, Kim Woo Bin is making his character lovable and understandable.

Everytime Kim Woo Bin's character starts acting like a jerk, he pulls it back in.  Down the road, I'm sure his character is going to have a lot of growth. This is almost guaranteed since he will have to explore and make decisions about what he will do in the face of imminent death. 

(Obligatory perfect abs photo.)

Suzy as Noh Eul

This is my first drama with Suzy as well. I know, shocker, right? I don't understand why so many people dislike her. Her acting, while not perfect, works well enough. Like Kim Woo Bin, sometimes she can make me emotional, other times it falls a bit flat. Her character arc doesn't seem that unique on the surface: from innocent and trusting to pretty jaded because of changing life circumstances. I'm sure we've all seen that in a drama before.

Still, Noh Eul has a lot of determination and backbone, which I really admire. I hope she keeps that attitude while hopefully sparking some chemistry with Shin Joon Yeong!

(This laughing to simultaneous crying scene was one of the scenes where Suzy really convinced me. That was some seriously good acting.) 

(Suzy looks drop dead beautiful in Uncontrollably Fond, especially with the lovely snow falling everywhere.)

Side characters I would like to see more of:

 Jin Kyung as Yeong Ok (Joon Yeong's mom)

I've seen this actress in so many great dramas. The first one that comes to mind is Pinocchio, because that was my favorite performance from her. The mom/son dynamic is intriguing here! I'm sure there's more to it than the fact that Joon Yeong didn't want to be a prosecutor. At the moment, the mom/son scenes are more emotionally charging than the main leads' chemistry, but I do hope that will change. 

(This piggyback scene, though. Dang.)

 Im Joo Hwan as Choi Ji Tae

Compelling. I like the complexity of his character. He's multi-faceted. There is a lot left to explore with Ji Tae. He seemed extremely friendly in the beginning but come episode 3 - 4, we get to see that he does have ulterior motives, but... what exactly are his reasons? Is it purely because he likes Noh Eul or is there more to it? (There's always more to it in Dramaland... haha.)

Reasons you should/shouldn't watch this drama:

You saw that ab photo above already, right? No, but seriously... 

There is a lot of room for character development; the angst will probably be getting really good later on. It has gorgeous cinematography in every scene. (Well, pretty actors, pretty everything honestly.)

Kind of like Pinocchio, I watched it for the plot more than the chemistry. Right now, I'm just flat out not feeling the chemistry between the leads, unfortunately. I like their bickering scenes, they're fun to watch, but I'm not receiving enough emotional background from the drama to strongly root and cry for them. 

On the other hand...

There's going to be a lot of angst and if that's not your thing, then maybe this drama isn't for you. This drama is also moving a bit slow, which is pretty different from other currently airing dramas. That is also why I said that this reminds me of early 2000's dramas.

A minor complaint I had was that I felt like some of the editing was a bit off between scenes. 

Despite everything, complaints and all, I'm going to keep watching because I want to see where the story goes: how the leads attempt to untangle the mess they're in, and how this love story will end. Please, no sad ending? 

Planning to watch this? For those of you who are watching it, what do you think of this drama?