A Story That Doesn’t Know What It Is

Honestly disappointed. This story was supposed to be about a woman dealing with trauma and healing from that. Instead it became a love story - one for a toxic couple at that. The drama started to go wrong the more it started to show Hyun Oh’s life. The story isn’t supposed to be about him, it’s about her. The final couple was clearly incompatible, and it also really got on my nerves how he kept shaming her for wanting to eat. Honestly her with Joo Yeon was a much better pairing (although maybe not 100% healthy, it had more potential). And the 3rd male lead - WHY IS THIS CHARACTER THERE AT ALL???
Don’t get me wrong; this drama had a lot of really powerful scenes that are worth watching! And Shin Hye Sun is honestly a goddess when it comes to acting. What I would have liked to see, is more of a focus on the female lead healing herself and her trauma with her sister, and her multiple personalities becoming one again. Instead of giving Hyun Oh’s storyline so much screen time, they should have given more time to explore Hyeri and which side of the female lead’s personality she represented. It would have been nice to have seen the female lead start to integrate some of Hyeri into her life, and start to make relationships with the good people Hyeri had brought into her life. She could have become friends with the girls much earlier rather than 10 mins before the end. This had so much potential but the writer didn’t know what the story was really about. It was beautifully filmed though! Although I really have to say that the sound mixing was terrible for this drama. Why did the background noise keep coming in and out? It was extremely off putting.
Still, I would recommend you watch it, just with the expectation that it will be disappointing at the end and the last 2 episodes are completely not needed.
I really wish she had ended up with Joo Yeon. I mean it wasn’t the healthiest relationship, he did become a bit obsessed with someone he didn’t know for that long, but the basis of their relationship was good - they both felt they could be their authentic self with the other person, and felt seen and supported. Also what he said was really beautiful - how he will love her no matter what form she takes. Is this true? Or realistic? I don’t know, but I would have liked to have seen this relationship play out. It had a lot of potential. And honestly their goodbye was great as well - although Hyun Oh had to keep interrupting like a child (another toxic behaviour of his).
This had a lot of potential, and some parts were executed very well, but I think the story arc wasn’t well thought out, and the writer made rookie mistakes - the main one being not understanding what the true heart of the story was. I hope the writer’s future project can be one where she implements the changes she has learned from this drama.

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THE REAL REASON WHY THIS FAILED

I know a lot of people blame the love triangle as to why this drama failed. However, I would argue that it actually loses its viewers through the storytelling rather than anything else.

The drama makes rookie mistakes when it comes to storytelling. The most vital one comes only a few minutes into the first episode, and happens twice. The 5 year skip. This was a terrible idea because it means we don’t get to see precious memories which make us care about the relationship between the leads. Had the drama actually showed us a wholesome friendship between the leads that lasted more than 1 episode, I would connect more to the events that came later. But problems between Inha and Taeho came about too early on. So when the twist that Inha was a bad guy came, I didn’t really care as much. The only thing that made me believe in this friendship, was Lee Jae Wook’s acting. LJW really stands out as an incredibly strong actor in this series. Contrasting with the female lead who made unclear choices with her acting. And this I would also blame the director for, as it is their job to guide the actors to make a clearer story.

The other thing that was a vital mistake in the storytelling, was the fact that it wasn’t specific enough. What exactly was the reason as to why Taeho and Hyewon were putting themselves through all of this. Was it power? Money? Ok, why? To do what exactly? Did he want power so he could protect his mum from his dad’s thugs? Did he want to send someone to kill his dad in prison? These things needed to be more specific so that the viewer can empathise more with the motive behind the actions that follow.

Overall, the main thing is that this drama felt too vague. The lack of specificity in relationship dynamics and character building meant that the drama couldn’t hit the beats it needed to in order to make us care. Had the relationship between Hyewon and Taeho been built more so we could have rooted for them, then when he takes drugs and allows himself to be bullied by Inju, we would be feeling more for him.

Honestly, the idea was good but executed terribly. Inha becoming a baddie could have hit so hard but instead fell flat. The only thing that saved this drama was Lee Jae Wook’s incredible acting. He made me feel for him despite not believing in the story, which is a really hard job. I have to also give props to the supporting actors, as I found their performances pretty good as well, namely Kangmoo’s.

This drama could have been great, instead it was below average.

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Healing portrayal of mental health

I didn’t expect this drama to be so healing. The portrayal of mental health was incredibly realistic. I especially liked that the female lead had high functioning depression, as it gives a different view of what depression can look like. I liked how they helped each other heal as well. Thw script was great and incredibly touching. As someone who has experienced depression, I really appreciated and related to this drama. Thank you.

Some criticisms I have are:

It was too long, should have been 12 episodes, you could tell at one point the story had ended and they just kept adding more and more unnecessary stuff which watered down the amazing content they had.
Some people say the acting was over the top at times - it was but I think that’s more the style the director was going for rather than the decision of the actors. It’s a stylised piece almost comic book like, not 100% realism, so whilst I think if they had kept it more realistic it would have been better, I respect the stylistic choice of the director.

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WORTH THE WATCH DESPITE THE ENDING!!!

This is my favourite C-dramas and one of my favourite dramas ever. The writing and story is unparalleled (until the last third of the drama). It is a subtle and intense game of go between the main characters and the actors pull it off to absolute perfection! The best thing about this drama is the chemistry between the leads. The female lead is strong and can hold her own intellectually against the male lead. It is a relationship of equals and mutual respect despite the many plot points which make it a complicated relationship. I read somewhere that they changed directors through the drama, I think this was a terrible idea, the director they had at first was really great at capturing the intense atmosphere and making intentional decisions of where to put our focus.
The ending is terrible, I cursed and cursed and cried a lot, and really the problem started about the last third into the drama (I assume when they changed directors). They also chose to deviate from the book source material - WHY? - if the story is already great, why change it? Anyways, despite such an ending, this drama is still worth the watch and rewatch. I guarantee you won’t find another drama which holds you so tightly and makes you hold your breath during the tense moments, like this one does. I’m a huge fan of historical political dramas, but I think they’re very hard to pull off to a high degree. I find that many writers, directors and actors can’t hold the tension in a way that fully satisfies the story. But this drama does. I highly, highly recommend it. Yes, be prepared for the ending, but let it take you on this unforgettable ride that will burn itself permanently in your mind as one of the best dramas you will ever see.

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A drama that is like a friend you want to walk beside for life

I started watching this since my friend said it was a women centred story. At first I stopped at episode 2 and thought maybe the style wasn’t for me, but I gave it another chance because of the great reviews and I’m so glad I did! The writing was phenomenal and the story was so relatable and dealt with difficult life moments. The style was great as well! Although not something I’m used to, it really aided the drama in storytelling. This series felt like a companion; whilst you’re going through your every day life, this drama is there, letting you know you’re not alone.
Thank you for giving us this drama.

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