There are only a handful of shows on here that I've rated as 9, and only one that I've rated above that. My Mister easily stands as one of the best shows I've watched, and not simply in the Kdrama genre.

This is a show that combines beautiful storytelling with terrific acting from IU and Lee Sun Gyun. My Mister is a powerful tale that is essentially about family, both when caught in its trappings, and when it acts as a safety net. The two main characters embody this: one who is burdened with a big family that provides him with a constant presence of comfort and love, yet masks its own fractures and pains. The other is a young woman burdened by the absence of one, abandoned by her mother, forced to look after her deaf and ailing grandmother by herself. The rarity of human warmth and kindness makes it devastating to watch when she tries to process Lee Sun Gyun's character displaying kindness without an ulterior motive. To say that these two have chemistry feels insufficient to explain how they decorate the show like a painter crafting on a canvass. They paint the show with a deep myriad of emotions that ranges from heartbreaking sadness, laughter and an underlying longing for something more. My Mister is a story that subliminally speaks of the importance of human connections, and the little yet utterly transformative imprints it can invariably leave on someone.

The show is rich with a tangible and tragic sense of quiet despair undercutting our lead characters. Both are grappling with the overwhelming realisation that this is life and it is not enough for them, but rather dysfunctional to the point of slowly disintegrating them where they exist in the company of others but only really come alive when with each other. They fear the possibility of hope for a better future but desperately crave it. The sense of oppressive depression that emanates particularly from IU's Lee Ji-An is palpable. This is a woman who is, figuratively speaking, dying slowly, day by day.

IU's acting is peerless and she delivers a breathtaking quality to her character, a morally ambiguous young woman whose actions are reactive, born from the need to survive and protect her grandmother. There are these small little moments that the show litters throughout that illustrate just how abandoned she has been, how badly she has needed a helping hand during her life, and never had it until she met Park Dong-Hoon. And from telling him early on that she isn't at all curious about his life, her days and evenings slowly revolve around being close to him in his intimate moments, however unethically. She finds something in this that goes beyond a job. This was beautifully written and wonderfully acted.

Lee Sun Gyun is also terrific in his role. I thought his character was sometimes too much of a martyr but his desire to keep peace and pretend everything is all right is a realistic portrayal of people who cannot confront their problems and admit things that are too difficult because of how it will unravel their lives. The show depicts this very well. Park Dong-Hoon prefers peace over conflict but often at the expense of his own sanity.

If I had any issues with the show, it would probably have been around the side characters. Park Dong-Hoon's family, especially his brothers, take up an awful lot of screentime and whilst they are likeable characters, they're not nearly as interesting as IU's character. Sometimes I found myself just waiting for their scenes to end just so we could get to moments with Lee Ji-An and or Park Dong-Hoon.

I would absolutely recommend this show, but be prepared for its emotional heaviness. There aren't many shows that are remotely comparable to My Mister.