lime_pickle
This review may contain spoilers
A curate's egg
I ended up liking the middle segment of this show after a wojus beginning. And then it arrived at an inglorious and tedious end.
Full disclosure: After jerk male leads I really, really hate female leads who are screechy, violent drunks, particularly those who go on to blame everyone else for their subsequent predicament. There's something weirdly misogynistic about the way that this is being served up as the new normal, anti-Candy for heroines. So the first couple of episodes realised all my worst fears.
PROS: Luckily, the character of Lee Geun-young started to calm down, become more real - and more compassionate - and even, eventually start to take responsibility for her own actions. I also think that Choi Soo-young acted well - even if that meant making the character unlikeable. I also liked some of the side characters - her friends, the production team, though would have liked to see those characters fleshed out a little more. And Hwang Chan-sung made a convincing antagonist. I also think it did a good job at sketching out how 'reality' TV works and how much it manipulates our perception.
CONS: The leads had zero chemistry. They were saying the right things by the end but it wasn't convincing. And despite this being 2021, I noticed that she kept he mouth tight closed during the kiss scenes, as if she wished she were somewhere else. I never really got a sense of who Hoo Joon was, either. I didn't think he was a jerk, but he was relatively opaque. I don't know if that points to the writing, directing or acting. Also, the father/ring part of the plot - what did it add to the story? And the plot holes/omitted narrative - Hoo Joon's mum, his previous 'relationship' (if any) with Oh In-hyung. I also think they wasted the character of Go Soo-hwan (he was barely in it) despite him being cited as a main character.
OVERALL: It was all a bit 'meh'. I won't remember it in 3 months.
Full disclosure: After jerk male leads I really, really hate female leads who are screechy, violent drunks, particularly those who go on to blame everyone else for their subsequent predicament. There's something weirdly misogynistic about the way that this is being served up as the new normal, anti-Candy for heroines. So the first couple of episodes realised all my worst fears.
PROS: Luckily, the character of Lee Geun-young started to calm down, become more real - and more compassionate - and even, eventually start to take responsibility for her own actions. I also think that Choi Soo-young acted well - even if that meant making the character unlikeable. I also liked some of the side characters - her friends, the production team, though would have liked to see those characters fleshed out a little more. And Hwang Chan-sung made a convincing antagonist. I also think it did a good job at sketching out how 'reality' TV works and how much it manipulates our perception.
CONS: The leads had zero chemistry. They were saying the right things by the end but it wasn't convincing. And despite this being 2021, I noticed that she kept he mouth tight closed during the kiss scenes, as if she wished she were somewhere else. I never really got a sense of who Hoo Joon was, either. I didn't think he was a jerk, but he was relatively opaque. I don't know if that points to the writing, directing or acting. Also, the father/ring part of the plot - what did it add to the story? And the plot holes/omitted narrative - Hoo Joon's mum, his previous 'relationship' (if any) with Oh In-hyung. I also think they wasted the character of Go Soo-hwan (he was barely in it) despite him being cited as a main character.
OVERALL: It was all a bit 'meh'. I won't remember it in 3 months.
Was this review helpful to you?
