This review may contain spoilers
Radiant Office is an office drama involving three strangers who unexpectedly end up on the same rather depressing path in life, and shows how they evolve and grow due to the struggles they are thrown. It is a story of friendship, office shenanigans and romance. I enjoyed this drama quite a bit and looked forward to it every week. Is it perfect.... well, no, and we'll start there....
Cons:
The First Episode: The first 40 minutes of episode 1 were tough going for me. I dump dramas early, and I don't know why I stuck with it but the minute the friends found each other, my level of enjoyment went way way up. So if you are like me, stick with it a bit longer because I was totally hooked by the end of episode 2.
Big Meanie: Either the writer or the director had Ha Suk Jin play his character a bit over-the-top verbally aggressive ( I really don't want to use the word abusive), in several scenes. I think it needed to be toned down a bit.
Left Hanging: There are a few misunderstanding/unexplained things that really needed a conclusion that I didn't get to my satisfaction, but this is relatively minor.
Dr. Seo: Not to be confused with the lead, but there is a character who is a doc with the same name (Seo), and I think the writer did twist and turn him around to suit the needs of the story a bit too much for my taste.
Terminal Illness: This drama is not really about terminal illness. I think the writer should have found a better way to get her characters where they needed to be without this trope, but I will stay away from spoiler territory.
Pros:
Story: Well isn't this the most important thing? Not everyone is into office dramas and this is NOT Misaeng, but for me this is a story of the people just set in an office. That is its strength. It could have been a law firm or hospital or wherever because where they work doesn't matter so much as the people involved.
Characters: Which brings us to how well all the characters are fleshed out....all of them. And sometimes they surprise you. Someone you think you will really dislike, you end up learning more about or seeing things from their perspective. This to me is a success of the writing (from a newbie writer no less) that there is no over the top villain or caricature going on here. Office politics, for sure but as anyone who has worked in one knows, that actually is often reality.
Actors: No weak links at all. They were all solid. I saw a lot of comments kind of getting onto Ha Suk Jin for taking another such "arrogant man" role, but way more so here than in 1% or Let's Drink, we get to see him outside the office and become a more realized character. Was this a huge challenging role for him; probably not but we see that he has some good comedic timing when need be in what has to be one of the funniest scenes I've seen in a drama recently. It has to do with a Swiffer mop and I'll leave it at that.
Eun Ho Won: I'm just gonna say it. Sometimes I didn't like her, and sometimes I was frustrated by her, and sometimes I was embarrassed about her. So why is this on the "Pro" side? Because all too often K-drama leads are either martyrs, candies, over-the-top sassy girls that are not always well rounded as characters. She is a 'glass half empty' type person as are her friends, and it can be tough to root for someone like that, but I liked her and her friends, and I was rooting and cheering them on flaws and all.
Problems Others Had But I Didn't:
- Many didn't share my acceptance of Eun Ho Won, yet I noticed many completed the drama due to their liking of the side characters.
-Romance is definitely on the back burner for a chunk of this drama, but I actually think this is realistic to most office romances. No instalove, but if you have to have a lot of romance, this is not for you.
-Some people didn't like the unrealistic office scenarios, but - well - isn't this the reality of medical/legal/cop dramas? They are not realistic, but I actually thought Radiant Office brought out the difficulty of contract workers, women getting ahead, expectations put on men to be super successful before starting a family, difficult job search etc in a pretty sane way.
Final Word:
I found this to be an enjoyable drama, but definitely people had different thoughts on it with some finding it on the boring side and others frustrated by EHW. I have a soft spot for these type dramas and grew to enjoy Eun Ho Won on her quest for acceptance and success in the business world and in life.
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