Dear Ms. Kim Jung Eun:
Hello. Please don’t be alarmed. I come in peace, and I mean no harm. You don’t know me. You are an actress, singer, and all-around entertainer. You live in Korea. I am a koala…..who lives in the OC. We’ve never met in person, and likely never will. But I do know something about you. I know you based on your acting performances in K-dramas, where you have sort of made a niche for yourself like a Korean Meg Ryan of romantic melodramas.
Until last week, I despised every one of your acting performances which I have seen. I watched you in Lovers in Paris, and subsequently, in Lovers. While I merely disliked the banal and plodding melodrama of both productions, I flat out hated your characters and how you portrayed both of them.
Please don’t tear up this missive! This is not a flaming troll letter. Not at all, I am simply stating my opinion of your acting I had seen in the past. I took those two performances (of which I hated your work in Lovers in Paris by a good wide Parisian mile) to mean you simply sucked as an actress overall. Yes, I made an expansive judgment, as all koalas are wont to do.
I had no desire to watch you in any other drama, and even went so far as to coin a term Annoying Face Syndrome to describe why watching you on screen incited me to fits of raging dislike. Why am I telling you this, if not to be a thoroughly mean koala? It’s because today I am here to offer my mea culpa.
Ms. Kim, I am sorry for saying you have AFS, and for swearing off all your dramas for life. Ten days ago, I watched one episode of I Am Legend, your latest drama, and you quite effectively and wholly changed my mind about all my previous conceptions of you as an actress.
Ms. Kim, I still think you sucked donkey balls in Lovers in Paris and Lovers, but I no longer automatically think you suck at acting in general. On the contrary, you have shown me quite unequivocally that you are the very definition of an actress. You have the ability to perform, to act in roles that require showing different personalities, and you do it quite convincingly.
I probably hated the characters you played in those Lovers dramas way more than I realized, and subconsciously attributed that aversion to you personally. It happens. I am a viewer, and I won’t apologize for having an opinion. I, however, am more than happy to announce to the world that I think you have become the sole reason for me to continue watching a drama I had very little interest in based on the set up.
If I have insulted you, I didn’t mean to. I wanted to be honest, and to say that my opinion of you has changed so much recently I rather have a weightless sensation that I am in an alternate universe. Perhaps I am, but I doubt it. I think you simply have been graced with a wonderfully intricate and meaty character to play, and you are playing her so marvelously I cannot look away. For that, please accept my standing ovation.
Bravo – for breathing life into a character such as Chun Seol Hee, all tightly wounded wife one minute, relaxed and energetic rocker chick the next. I love you in I Am Legend, and I will watch this baby until someone dies of cancer, goes to jail, or runs off to Paris. If that happens, I still love you as Seol Hee, but it’s adios.
Sincerely,
ockoala
A Proper Review
Hey drama chingus! How’ve you been lately? I’ve been good. Like, really really good. It’s the dog days of Summer, but I’ve had exceedingly lovely weather and a charming existence outside of dramaland. Within dramaland, have y’all read my Mid-Point review of Giant yet? If you haven’t, what are you waiting for? If you did, you must know which drama has left me feeling so perky and cheery.
But that feeling of euphoria had actually started to dissipate (it always does, that’s why we all need ever more doses of drama, right?) when I decided to check out one episode of I Am Legend (“IAL”). Good thing I did, because within one episode that feeling of being taken for a ride came back again. How is that for a kicker – the two dramas I am most interested in at this very second are both airing on Mon-Tues on SBS.
Since IAL has only aired six episodes, this is of course a First Impression review. I reserve the right to change my overall opinion of IAL. Right now, it’s actually 50-50 that I’ll end up either really liking IAL or thinking it’s just alright. I doubt I will love it like the way I am primed to love Giant until the very end, or I’ll hate it the way I ended up hating the two Lovers dramas Kim Jung Eun starred in. I’ll explain why shortly.
Just be certain that chances are I won’t be writing a full review of IAL after it finishes airing. Unless, of course, the remaining episodes suddenly take off all cylinders firing in writing excellence. If you are waiting for a recap of the story from me, mianhe, off you go to Dramabeans where kaedejun is recapping IAL. I’m just here to share a bit of my own personal impressions so far.
Let’s get the elephant out of the room right away, because frankly it doesn’t serve any further purpose other than as a fascinating tidbit of pre-production fact. I was initially interested in IAL because it was Kim Suh Na’s follow-up drama since City Hall. The premise sounded interesting because Kim Suh Na was attached to it – a newly-divorced high society wife reinventing herself as a lead singer of a rock band.
Then Kim Suh Na dropped out, and my interest dropped by half. Then Kim Jung Eun came onboard, and my remaining interest plummeted to zero. I absolutely detested Kim Jung Eun’s performances in the two Lovers dramas she starred in. She was terribly self-aware, and that her character was exceedingly annoying on top of that only made her comedic tics and awful crying scenes so much more grating.
I thought I had written off Kim Jung Eun forever, and no amount of temptation could convince me to check out any drama she starred in. Then I heard my favorite leading-man-in-the-making Lee Joon Hyuk was cast as her love interest in IAL, and my interest revived itself, albeit barely. I resolved to check out an episode or two if the word-of-mouth was positive after it aired, to see how cutie pie Lee Joon Hyuk was doing.
What I was unprepared for was the overwhelming positive reception the drama garnered after it premiered. What I was even more taken aback by was that all the reasons for me to like IAL turned out not to work, and all the reasons I thought I would dislike IAL turned out to be the very reasons I now love it. I totally feel like I’ve fallen into a Twilight Zone, and this is leaving me rather discombobulated. Maybe if I can figure out what is going on with IAL, I can find my drama-bearings again.
Story and Writing
From the outset, I’ve always thought the IAL story concept was rather interesting and ripe with many different directions to go. Kim Jung Eun plays Chun Seol Hee, an unhappily married high society wife who has finally decided to put an end to her sham marriage and pursue a divorce from her unfeeling husband, who happens to be cheating on her with his lawyer co-worker.
The husband refuses to divorce Seol Hee because that would embarrass him, so Seol Hee must resort to pursuing a lawsuit in court over this contested divorce. In the meantime, Seol Hee turns to her recreational rock band friends for support and companionship during the dissolution of her marriage, all the while simultaneously pursuing her rocker dreams. This brings Seol Hee into the orbit of her first crush, musician Jang Tae Hyun, who so happens to be the ex-husband of the woman Seol Hee’s husband has been two-timing her with.
IAL is not a drama where there is only the possibility of A leading to B ending up at C. If I were the writer, I may even wait to see which way the viewer winds blow and adjust the story according. Just saying that this story has legs, and whether the writer chooses to make it a half marathon or a 5K run depends on the writer having depth and some balls.
The writing for IAL is currently one of the weak spots. For now, I find the writing pedestrian and always shy of being stellar. My biggest beef to pick with the story is this – why did you make Seol Hee, our heroine, so very interesting and memorable when you surround her with some stock cardboard cut-out stereotypes?
Especially when said stereotypes are being acted by performers that are straining to deliver more (especially one guy in particular). The other three leads are being given limited material and told to play asshole evil future ex-husband, icy brainy bitchy mistress, and intrigued and grumpy love interest. I want so much more than that.
Sorry, writer-sshi, I don’t buy your fixation on delineating black and white, especially on a subject so fraught with shades of gray such as failed marriage. By making the other three leads so one-note from the beginning, you fail to see the richness in the other three lead characters, who have the capacity to create a compelling love square.
You have Seo Hee, a woman who married a rich-as-Croesus lawyer husband because she loved him (and he her). We drop into their lives at the brink of implosion, and we are intrigued by what went wrong. Yet you make her husband Cha Ji Wook so utterly heartless and vile, he’s pretty much unredeemable. What I would give for their relationship, however broken, to have a frisson of possibility for reconciliation. But now, that’s pretty much not your modus operandi.
You want us to have eyes only for Jang Tae Hyun, our heroine’s first love, and already her pseudo white knight. I am keen on this set up, don’t get me wrong. I just wish the writer would make it all more complicated, more twisted, rather than so blatantly anointing one guy Jerk of the Century and the other guy Awesome Dude of Her Past.
Same goes for the second female lead, the mistress/lawyer/perpetual bitchface. I already despise her guts, because she has been nothing but disdainful towards everything warm and decent, and is generally just itching for me to dump some holy water on her to see if she burns right up.
I am still very invested how IAL will all pan out, and am curious to see how you take Seol Hee’s journey from repressed and mistreated society wife into independent and spirited rocker chick. I wished only that I didn’t care so much about Seol Hee, and thereby making me less annoyed with what I see as potential in your story construct and a failure to reach said potential so far.
Characters and Casting
If my heartfelt ode to Kim Jung Eun wasn’t clear enough – I think she is perfectly cast as Chun Seol Hee. So perfect, in fact, she made me question whether Kim Suh Na should have even been offered this role to begin with. Now that is a hard feat, considering how much I love Kim Suh Na and think she can walk on water because she can will it into ice.
The character of Seol Hee and Kim Jung Eun the actress are like a match made in Heaven. Kim Jung Eun seamlessly transitions between the early episodes where Seol Hee was simultaneously high-society wife as well as occasional rocker chick. Now that she has elected to divorce her husband (and really, to divorce his entire family), she plays Seol Hee as determined, weary, and still a dash too genuine and caring. I love it. Like I said, she is without a doubt the best thing about IAL.
The second best thing about IAL shows up in the form of jackass future ex-husband Cha Ji Wook. Why would anyone think Ji Wook and his teeth-gnashing character is a good thing? Because Ji Wook is played by Kim Seung Soo. And here I have to issue another mea culpa.
Mr. Kim, I used to find you kind of fugly and always a dastardly presence on screen. I’d sooner pick a drama just to watch you in it as I would dress like a hooker to work, i.e. not in a million years. Oh, I’ve watched Kim Seung Soo before, in Jumong (all 861 episodes), where I resorted to FF-ing any scene he was in because he had one expression in the entire run of the drama – seething anger mixed with plotty jealousy.
Never would I imagine the day would come that I am opening admitting to finding Kim Seung Soo utterly divine, which I do in IAL. He makes me sit up straighter when he shows up on screen. Oh, I’m not so brain addled that I find his character anything less than revolting and I wished his man parts would be infected with flesh-eating bacteria. No, I am quite taken with his amazingly nuanced, controlled, and captivating performance as a Grade-A asshole who cheats on his wife, refuses to allow a divorce because of his political aspirations and his general ego, and treats a women he onced loved with utter bone-chilling coldness.
That Kim Seung Soo can make this kind of blackguard compelling to watch is a testament to his ability to milk the character for glimpses of depth, leaving me eager to find out how he could have even loved Seol Hee in the first place. I’m probably going to get stoned for saying this, but Seol Hee and Ji Wook have so much chemistry together I’m actually sad they couldn’t make it work.
The writer isn’t going to allowing them the possibility for reconciliation. Even if Ji Wook was not such a complete cad, I still don’t want Seol Hee to actually end up with him again, since his family clearly remains a nuclear option in their relationship regardless. I just wished his character could be more fleshed out, and the writer flirt with the possibility of the making a second go of it, because Kim Seung Soo is making the husband shine even when he is blacker than tar.
This segues perfectly into discussing the actual romantic interest for Seol Hee in IAL, Lee Joon Hyuk’s muscian Jang Tae Hyun. Sigh, where to I start. I have noticed Lee Joon Hyuk as an actor since he was playing fourth-string parts in dramas like A Star’s Lover. I still remember his character’s NAME in City Hall, is how much I adored him in there. That IAL would be his first leading man trendy drama made me tickled with glee. He was actually the reason I checked out IAL in the first place.
So it is with great reluctance that I have to say it’s just not working out. I can’t accurately pinpoint the problem, but my impression is that he’s just not the right actor for the part. He has a dongsaeng-noona vibe going on with Kim Jung Eun, which is fine by me except the writer made their characters the same age. It’s totally jarring to watch because I don’t buy what I am told. Secondly, their pairing has no sensual chemistry, other than a bantering companionship vibe, leaving Kim Seung Soo and Kim Jung Eun bathed in residual romantic tension.
I can’t say Lee Joon Hyuk isn’t acting well, because he is doing just fine in all his other scenes not with Seol Hee. In particular, Tae Hyun’s interactions with his young son are sweet and simply portrayed. He’s also managed to wow me with his unexpected singing talent, and the one song he sings in the drama is hands down my favorite song off the OST.
Unless the ordained OTP, in near future, suddenly gets stranded by a rain storm and seeks shelter in an abandoned cave and need to cuddle naked to preserve warmth, then sorry, I don’t see the sexy time vibes between them anytime soon. Seol Hee is more likely to go drinking with Tae Hyun and drag his drunk butt home like a good noona would. Oh wait! That already happened in episode 5! See what I am saying?
The second female lead I hate (her character’s name is Oh Seung Hye, by the way). On principal, and because the actress is so blah and boring in her career-woman-with-no-heart ways that I have no interest in whether she eventually finds her compassion or her soul. I wished she’d get eaten by 3D piranhas so I don’t have to see her acting opposite Kim Seung Soo, because she steals his radiance in scenes.
He emotes subtly, she just does the “I smell my own fart” face. I would have loved for her to have been constructed as a throwaway bimbo mistress character, and just have all the angst between Seol Hee, her ex-husband, and her new love. Sometimes a triangle is a stronger shape than an irregular rectangle with one leg so short it might as well be called a toe.
All the Other Stuff
It’s too early to tell, but so far I (1) hate the name of the Comeback Madonna Band, (2) love Seol Hee bandmates, including the theatrical Fa Ja, and (3) am enjoying the music wholeheartedly. Since IAL is centered around Seol Hee’s metaphorical rebirth and physical transformation from a rich wife to lead singer of a rock band, clearly music is going to play an integral part of this drama.
IAL is doing a good job of using its songs and inserting all its musical cues. Granted, the music sung by the band is as much rock as I am a knowledgeable drama reviewer, i.e. not so much. But it’s all really easy on the ears, and sung with a lot of raw emotion. I appreciate and enjoy that. Much like I enjoyed A.N.Gell’s faux-boy band stylings and pop-lite songs.
I’d say the entire supporting cast is uniformly spot-on. Special mention needs to go to established omma actress Cha Hwa Yun, who plays Mrs. Hong, Seol Hee’s ice-water in her veins mother-in-law. She is not evil and sprouts horns as much as she is cruel, condescending, and inhuman in her treatment of Seol Hee. She’s also the second City Hall alum to show up in IAL, as she had a small but memorable turn as Cha Seung Won’s character’s mom in that drama.
The other members of the Comeback Madonna Band are wonderfully cast and have quickly established a sisterly rapport with each other. Hong Ji Min as best friend and band cut-up Fa Ja alternates between annoying and adorable, and she knows it. I love her self-confidence, and her devotion and loyalty to Seol Hee.
Jang Shin Young as drummer Soo In, and Hyun Ju Ni as single mother guitarist and singer Yang Ah Reum are both talented in performing and a steady presence on screen as their characters. Whether the writer chooses to keep the focus on Seol Hee, or allow her three band mates to get more fleshed out back stories, these three ladies definitely are a great complement to creating a credible female friendship dynamic in this drama.
The director of IAL also did Can & Abel, Surgeon Bong Dal Hee, and Lovers in Prague, among his more high profile works. None of those projects were ever panned, if panned at all, because of a lack in directing talent. The director has an able and confident hand, and so far I really pleased with how he films each scene and transitions between scenes.
In episode one, there was one scene where Seol Hee is leaving a high society party alone after being belittled by everyone in attendance. The camera goes wide, showing Seol Hee walking in this sprawling hallway, a distant and solitary figure, capturing her loneliness perfectly. The director has quite an active approach to filming scenes, I never got bored with static shots or a feeling that he is a one-trick pony.
I especially applaud the judicious use of snippets of either Seol Hee or the Comeback Madonna Band’s performances at the end of each episode, effectively highlighting the emotion of the characters at that moment in the drama.
The most effective use of this technique is also in episode one. Towards the end of the episode, Seol Hee announces her intention to divorce Ji Wook to the entire family at the dinner table. This announcement cuts away to Seol Hee singing alone with a guitar acoustic, singing a song about how the person she hates is really herself. Yes, it’s not terribly subtle stuff, but it’s heartfelt, because Kim Jung Eun makes Seol Hee’s weaknesses and convictions feel like it’s coming from a living, breathing woman.
IAL strikes me as a fairy tale (I know, I know, how can I say Seol Hee’s hell-on-earth-marriage is anything idyllic). What I mean to say is that IAL is yet another fairytale for mature women who are stuck in an unhappy state of being in their lives, whether its professional or personal. It’s actually City Hall’s successor in that very respect.
City Hall flirted with the wholly fantastical concept that a middle-aged woman could change a city, become it’s mayor, and end up married to a desirable cad-turned-lovestruck hero/future president of Korea. It was a fairy tale with Kim Suh Na as the Cinderella and Cha Seung Won her Black Knight. IAL strikes the same chord in its viewers, showing a woman unhappy with her life and taking control of changing it.
Throw in some delicious comeuppance for those who have mistreated and/or wronged her, a likely successful reinvention of herself of a pseudo-rock star, plus a happily-ever-after with her true knight-in-shining-guitar, then IAL clearly understands how deliver a modern ahjumma fairytale.
Furthermore, whereas in City Hall, Kim Suh Na looked frumpy or starched for the majority of the drama, in IAL Kim Jung Eun is drop-dead ravishing and strikes both a visceral and an emotional chord with ladies dreaming we can still have mile high legs in our thirties and run into our high school crush again.
Seol Hee looks glamorous and refined as a rich wife, then sexy and hip as her rocker persona. I know folks have expressed dismay or dislike of her penchant for short shorts. I say, if you got them legs, baby, flaunt them!
Yes, I do think she shouldn’t be parading in said shorts in the middle of court during her divorce trial, but the rest of the time, Kim Jung Eun works her wardrobe and I love it. Seriously, I cannot fathom how Ji Wook could cheat on Seol Hee with that ugly block of ice Seung Hye. Any hot blooded male would be lusting after Seol Hee, and asking Seung Hye to represent them in court for lusting after Seol Hee.
A Penny For My Final Thoughts
Does anyone have this niggling sensation that the first half of 2010 is like a different beast altogether than the second half of 2010 is shaping up to be? I feel like 2010 started off with so many highly anticipated and/or highly promoted dramas, a lot of which turned out to be quite middling if not outright risible.
Feel free to contradict me or tear me from limb-to-limb for my affront to perhaps your beloved drama(s), but from Chuno into Pasta, onward to A Man Called God, to what Serendipity affectionately calls the Trifecta of Suck (Cinderella Unni, Personal Taste, and Prosecutor Princess), and rolling into Dong Yi – everything pretty much fell into the meh pile at the end of the day.
The second half of 2010, on the other hand (with the exception of what I have been told is a shoo-in for worst drama of the year Road #1), have delivered a smorgasbord of interesting, entertaining, and well-made dramas. A few of which have only just begun airing, so any one of them can go the route of Pick the Stars in my book (a great first half paired with an atrocious second half), leaving the back end of 2010 no better than the first half when all is said and done.
What I have been feeling recently is a sense of warm surprise, like the feeling you get when your kid unexpectedly gives you a bear hug and says I love you. IAL is one of the dramas contributing to this general feeling of encountering a cresting wave in the great K-drama expedition of 2010. And I fully intend to ride that wave until it dips back down.
I’m not talking about blockbuster ratings, of which IAL does not have. I am talking about a swath of netizens expressing one sentiment: IAL is surprisingly very good. Now that is something that caused my interest to surge again, and so I checked out one episode of IAL with a reluctant but curious attitude. I was worried that Kim Jung Eun’s OTT-acting tendencies would cause my brain to shut down before giving this drama a fair chance to impress me.
Boy, do I have to eat my words today. Not only is Kim Jung Eun not OTT, she is in fact unlike her previous annoying incarnations in both Lovers in Paris and Lovers. Kim Jung Eun is quite simply, absolutely wonderful so far in IAL. I love her character, and I adore her performance of said character. She is 100% the sole reason I am continuing to watch IAL. See, a koala can make a 180 degree change in perception, and happily eat her humble pie. Ms. Kim Jung Eun, I salute you, for showing that as an actress you are not simply one-note, and an annoying one at that.
IAL isn’t groundbreaking. It’s also neither poised to become a full-blown ratings queen or an under-rated cult hit. I find that viewing this drama with an open mind and allowing yourself to hopefully connect with the performances really heighten the enjoyment of its rather straightforward and not terribly well-constructed story. IAL is a drama where the acting and the actress is elevating the mediocre material.
My strong positive reaction to IAL does not stem from any personal experience with the emotions or plot of the story. Rather, as a thinking, feeling human being, my feelings have simply been touched by Seol Hee and her plight and her resolution to change her life. And Kim Jung Eun’s very heartfelt, raw, and delicate performance. With 10 more episodes to go, I already know that it’s captured my interest and garnered my goodwill.
Like this:
Wow, thanks for this first impression. I only know Kim Jung Eun from her cameo in “On Air” but was planning to watch this one, oh….. sometime. But! it is Hong Ji Min that will make me start watching now. I thought she was great in “On Air” and loved her cameo in “The Woman who still wants to marry”. The photo of her, with a quick check on DramaWiki has moved this one up to the top of the list. I need more comedy in my life.
I’m really liking IAL so far too. I totally agree with most of your initial impressions, except that as for me, I’m liking IAL far too much for my own good (I mean, the horrors! If the latter half turn out to be terrible and by then I could not quit even if I wanted to beccause I’m just too emotionally invested). Agree especially with how the spark between JiWook and SeolHee is so strong (current could probably light up our village). Who the heck roots for the non-OTP anyway, especially when said second lead is just to %&$@* evil? I’m actually hoping for a tad moony look or even a twinge of regret to pass through JiWook’s villain face whenever he and SeolHee has a scene together, just so my fantasy of he’s-so-evil-but-he-still-loves-her-in-his-own-evil-way is fulfilled. Hah.
But oh. Come to think of it, the dramas I’m liking so far right now are all from SBS. (anyone planning on doing a review of My Girlfriend is a Gumiho here too?)
Thanks for the review! I haven’t commented before, but I’ve read a lot of your reviews, and they are such fun to read, and so fair, and respectful of all the other drama watchers with varying opinions. (: I watched the first two episodes of IAL with an unhealthy addiction, and the next too with far less. I have such a problem with the storyline, especially the courtroom scenes and with Tae Hyun’s character. Spoilers below…
Seol Hee is rather naive and unrealistic to believe that she can divorce her husband without the guidance of a practiced lawyer. It would have been fine, and it would have been a great manifesto of independence, if she did it by herself, but she was shocked to discover, belatedly and in court, that her evidence and her words were being used against her. After having wed an elite lawyer, she should have realized, possibly, that taking on a solitary fight against an practiced and vindictive divorce lawyer is not the most realistic or viable option. Her own lawyer husband even places the case in the hands of a specialist. It’s saddening to watch the courtroom scene. I haven’t seen the latest 2 episodes, so I’m hoping this is resolved quickly.
Tae Hyun’s involvement in the divorce is also rather taxing. His behavior is rude, arrogant, unreasonable, etc., already. He hasn’t done a single thing that merits anyone’s good opinion, apart from perhaps his son’s. Quite possibly, he knows that Seol Hee’s picture with him is going to be used against her, and instead of telling her, or taking any other form of constructive or destructive action, he decides to resolve the entire issue with a phone call. Having to see these plot points smoothed out is rather taxing. Every minute I’m watching, I keep thinking just about these two things. Hopefully, it won’t drag too much, b/c I am somewhat addicted, still, and yes, I love Kim Jung Eun’s portrayal of Seol Hee.
Sorry, I had to rant.
I agree with you, ockoala, that Kim Jung Eun is doing much better in IAL than her previous works. I never really like her as an actress, but I saw her on Lovers dramas, AAE and the better be forgotten Princess Lulu.
IAL so far, is entertaining. I watched 4 eps RAW, I understand bits thanks to kaedajun’s recaps, but I like it so far.
I agree with javabeans’ comment, that if Kim Sun Ah took this role, would she be able to show that ‘vulnerability’, because I always think KSA portrays a strong woman.
Kim Seung soo, I first saw him on Good Job, Good Job with Chae Rim, and I liked him despite his bad ex boyfriend who wanted to take your kid character.
I’m going to continue IAL for sure.
Thanks for sharing your impression!
@ isabehl – Hong Ji Min is a total riot in any role she takes. She is a consummate professional, but its impossible for her larger-than-life persona NOT to seep into any role she takes, whether its the head of the production company in On Air, or her hilarious as hell cameo in City Hall as Madame Jung. If you like her style, you’ll love her in IAL. It’s like she was born to be a rocker!
@ Liesel – “my fantasy of he’s-so-evil-but-he-still-loves-her-in-his-own-evil-way is fulfilled”
OMG, that is totally my fantasy. I didn’t want to reveal my ship so blatantly in the review, which would also brand me michusoo, but I ship Seol Hee-Ji Wook so rabidly it’s wrong as a woman to ship them. He’s a utter cad (as created by the writer) but Kim Seung Soo is so repressed and tightly wound I just can’t wait for him to come undone when Seol Hee moves on and he realizes he has loved her all along. Argh….my super secret super fantasy is the oft-too-used forced kiss trope, this time when Ji Wook makes Seol Hee’s knees melt with a kiss because he can’t stand seeing her falling for Tae Hyun.
Yeah, I’m wayyyy too invested in IAL even fully knowing it’s not very well-written and constructed (plot nonsense larger than a 787). Oh well, bring on the dramatic angst, IAL!
@ tgbgbt – Hi there! Thank you for the lovely compliment, I totally am stoked you delurked and shared some of your thoughts on IAL. Please comment more, here or in any of the other reviews at TP!
Okay, the divorce lawsuit. Another sigh, where do I start here as well. Disclosure: when I am not a koala reviewing dramas, I am…..pssst, a lawyer. So you can imagine how utterly befuddling and aghast I am to see this circus of a legal case unfurl in IAL.
I mean….everything is so unprofessional, patently ridiculous, and theatrical in that proceeding, it resembles real divorce cases as much as my left butt cheek resembles Gisele Bundchen’s left butt cheek.
What I take away is – stop THINKING about what is off about that divorce proceeding (really, it will give you a migraine), and chalk it up to creative license. Unlike a drama like Partner or even PP, the law is not featured prominently or as a centrol plot driver. The rock band and music is the central theme. As such, I just imagine I’m watching a circus performance of Divorce For Idiots and enjoy what does work in IAL, the emotional connections.
As for Tae Hyun – yeah, so far not only is he being forced into the central plot (like he is ALWAYS conveniently around to witness Seol Hee and her ex or her ex-family in a heated exchange, what is he?, the world’s most concidental stalker?), but his behavior doesn’t even make much sense other than I take it he is a busy body and he wants to stick it to his own ex by getting further involved with Seol Hee’s mess. Tae Hyun is not exactly winning me over either through chemistry with Seol Hee or behavioral traits.
No wonder I ship Seol Hee with her bastard husband.
@ djes – ooh, viikii is streaming it and they are so fast. Go thee and catch up on IAL with subs! I am more than pleased to have watched IAL simply to enjoy KJE and KSS’s performances, and their make-babies-on-the-spot repressed chemistry with each other.
That was an awesome review. Many of your thoughts resonated with mine. I too have to eat my words as I thought that KJE would always be categorized as a “meh”actress for me. Surprise, surprise! She’s one sexy hot mama in IAL.
I am still waiting for sparks to fly between KJE and that CH guy, and I have faith that it will happen. Meanwhile, I can salivate over him on CH reruns.
Besides all the actors you metioned who were also in CH, Fa Ja was also in it. She was the cool and sexy madam from CSW’s past.
Interesting reading! I won’t say that Ms Kim Jung Eun is bad in playing the character Chun Seol Hee, but i also won’t say that she is super. To me, Ms Kim is still a bit over acted, her way in performing the rock N roll self is just a little bit too much, her charisma in this part is more a “bad girl” type rather than with a genuine decent artistic or free style temperament. I have not seen any of her previous dramas, and no need to see, i know that she is just not the type of star that i like.
I also find that the drama pays too much attention at one character only, Chun Seol Hee, and not much said about the stories of the other three band mates. One character i like in the drama is the all time singing competitor of Seol Hee, sorry can’t remember her name, I think she acts well and her role brings in a different kind of dynamics for the drama~ I have no particular like or dislike on character Ji Wook, a fair play for this role, right? I definitely like Tae Hyun, Lee Jun Hyuk more here. He is charming and really adorable, I won’t blame him if the pairing up of Tae Hyun and Seol Hee doesn’t work out well, in fact, i regret the pairing of him is with Ms Kim as the qualities of them are just totally different, but i will still cross my fingers on the future drama romance between these two characters.
I’m going to wait till the entire drama has been aired and subbed before watching but I’ve begun to read on soompi that the OTP lacks chemistry. If the chemistry doesn’t build up in future episodes, it might be a problem down the road. But I’ll judge for myself when I finally watch.
Great review! You’ve articulated so well so much that I feel about this drama. Love KJE, disappointed with everyone else, love the music.
Love love KJE. Not seen her in anything else before, so no expectations, but thought she nails her character and really makes me care.
Can’t get excited about anyone else, even getting bored with my darling Lee Joon Hyuk, how shocking is that. Couldn’t really put my finger on it myself, but I think you are right. The writer seems to have poured all the complexity and humanity into the Seol Hee character and everyone else is left as a dried-out cardboard character. Take the bit in ep6 when Seol Hee is offered information about her husband and she has a choice of what to do with it — instead of taking it and using it against her husband in her divorce case she chooses to warn her husband that he is in danger. Which, of course, in real life is totally what one would do. But another character says to her, one-dimensionally, “Why have you done this? Do you still love him?” Of course she doesn’t still love him, but that doesn’t mean she wants to see him killed! Which just about sums it up. She’s the only real person, the rest are operating in black-and-white la-la-land.
I keep getting City Hall flash-backs with Lee Joon Hyuk. I think that’s because even though he’s the lead now he’s still written as a side character, i.e., we just get reaction shots from him in snippets and no overall arch or line to his presence. It was all very well in CH where his function was to be CSW’s foil and register the discrete moments (e.g., register a moment of shock, or resolution, or growing interest in a woman). But here it just gives me no sense of who on earth Tae Hyun is, other than that he is cool and that he finds Seol Hee intriguing, i.e., he is being set up merely as the (cardboard) white knight who will rescue Seol Hee (phooey).
Love the music and how it’s used. KJE’s acoustic solo in ep1 was heart-breaking. “Killing me softly” was also fantastic, because it’s a song about finding expression for unspoken pain in music. Love the way KJE sings with full emo and tears in her eyes. I wouldn’t put any of the OST on my iPod because on their own the songs don’t really pass muster (impulse and intonation not quite there), but I love how the rawness of the music totally works in the context of the drama.
Oh, and by the way, “trifecta of suck” was langdon813′s invention (in response to my “Terrible Threesome”), but I wish I’d thought of it!
It always sounds “killing me salty” whenever I listen to the song…
But a brilliant review. I love this little gem – it’s not perfect but adjummas are hoot. Also, resurrecting my dead fish, I want someone to take it and start hitting certain people in the fact with it, notably card-board bitchy lawyer, twanker husband and the idiotic frenemy (hah…that’s too generous a description of her).
Talking of Lee Joon Hyuk – wasn’t familiar with the actor before but he does bring the HAWTNESS. Plus the sexy singing voice. Putting aside acting abilities, looking at my list of kdrama lusts/imaginary boyfriends, I think I have a harem that would make an Ottoman sultan blush in shame…
@ all4movies – yeah, I adore Lee Joon Hyuk (CH guy) so I do wnat his character to have a greater purpose and more depth, and him to have more chemistry with Kim Jung Eun, who is really giving such a transformative performance in IAL, right?
@ ifmusik – thanks for commenting! I’d saw the non-genuine-rocker vibes from Kim Jung Eun work, she’s an amateur, and one going through tough personal issues to boot. I like seeing them trying so hard and gaining little toeholds in their rock band dreams.
@ Girl – waiting is definitely a good idea, I can imagine the Korean netizens have the same reactions we do, and if the writer and PD reads the boards, hopefully they can address the issues, and make the OTP more meaningful to watch.
@ serendipity – KJE’s acoustic guitar solo at the end of ep. 1 made me cry then and there, and I knew I simply must keep watching IAL. Little Jo Gookie is being wasted here, but it’s yet early and perhaps they can resurrect his character to be more interesting. NEVER go back to watch KJE’s other seminal works, trust me, keep the good feeling from her performance in IAL your sole impression of her.
@ Bashful82 – heh, you and me, there are a host of other folks in dramaland with our own personal harem of hotties, and we keep adding to it! I agree with your assessment, the ahjummas and their sisterly bickering and chemistry are a genuine treat to watch, the lightness in the darkness that is Seol Hee’s personal life. Lee Joon Hyuk is smoking hot, but there is nowhere near his best work. He steals scenes in secondary parts in dramas like World’s Within, A Star’s Lover, and City Hall.
Oh man I adore Kim Seung soo and I’ve thought of watching this just for him. If you get a chance, watch him in interviews. He is very funny & playful.
The cutie from City Hall never did anything for me & was surprised he was cast as the lead.
wandered here from ya link@DB & boy O boy, am i glad. this is perhaps the best well written review (or 6ep impression rather) i’ve had the pleasure of reading. please keep it up as i’ll definitely be dropping by more often to sample your scribaceous delights. thxs again for this wonderful piece & TGIF – wooohooo!
ps:i’d have to agree about your Trifecta of Suck & the 1st half of 2010 & to be honest, im enjoying My GF is a Gumiho more than IAL.
@ nycgrl – I swear, I’m going to get kicked out of the female race for lusting after Kim Seung Soo’s bastard husband character in IAL (he’s just THAT level of horrible), but the actor himself is so damn fine in his performance he sucks the air out of every scene. And when he is with KJE, they just have this undeniable spark. I highly recommend checking out ep. 1 and seeing him in it, he is doing a tremendous job of being hateful and hot at the same time.
@ scottie – Aw, thanks! I don’t know when I’ll write more, but I’ve written some older reviews that you might be interested in checking out if any of those dramas spark your curiosity. Just click on the koala avatar on the top left hand columb of TP. under the header blog contributors. I’ve not started MGiaG yet (for some reason just not interested), but I am a huge Hong Sisters’ fan and will definitely watch it at some point. Funny thing is, most of my drama friends are pretty meh on MGiaG. But I think I’ll like it, just have to be in the mood.
i can totally relate to your letter to kim jung eun… that’s so ME. hehe
Ockoala, I totally remember joining you and others in commenting on your blog about Kim Jung Eun’s awful, awful acting in the Lovers series! Oh, how ironic. I am also definitely eating my words now. It’s almost like a completely different actress or a new transformation. She’s so relatable and you WANT to root for her. Kim Jung Eun in non-OTT mode is amazing. She’s actually pretty good — and omg, can I say this? –absolutely lovable. A WIN!
Props to you for writing this lovely first impressions post. I love it! <3
ockoala, I took your advice to completely ignore the divorce. It must be horrible for you watching this as a lawyer! when I’m completely unfamiliar with the law and still so annoyed. I hope you haven’t seen Lawyers of Korea.
I actually enjoyed episodes 5 and 6 a lot more, solely b/c the emphasis on the case was removed. I absolutely forgot that Tae Hyun doesn’t know his wife’s having an affair with Ji Wook. Perhaps that will propel him to say something to explain his meddling, when they’ve probably only met about 5 times, with little conversation. Or it will result in an angst-filled, you-betrayed-me explanation when Seol Hee finally learns that Tae Hyun is a huge convoluted part of the entire mess. I hope they finish the divorce soon!
@ ockoala LOL i see we have the same dreams for this drama; was it in episode 5 or 6 when JiWook grabbed Seol-Hee’s hand and i was so hoping he would do more than just turn her around *wink wink*; this drama better start having the seolhee-taehyun pairing make sense because this Jiwook obsession is just too unhealthy for all of us!
no worries Koalagurl (hope i dont get pummeled as im seriously taking a leap of presupposition here LOL), ya welcome as i gotta give credit where its due. in case u ever give up ya present day job, i think u’d do mitee well as a professional movie/drama reviewer. u write as good an any i’ve read but…waddaikno – im just a dumb norte americano wading in these murkier asian waters! LOLzzz
not being a korean & a kdrama noob at that, i’ve got a small query if its not OFT. im kinda wondering why Seol Hee (KJE) is having such a difficult time getting a divorce. i can understand the conservative asian social stigma of being a divorcee and all but why all the firewalking & hoola dancing to get a divorce esp since there’s no children. cant the korean courts grant a divorce if either party petitions citing irreconcilable differences? i mite be wrong but i get the impression from the 1st committee interview that the court can just refuse to grant a divorce. would appreciate it if u can enlighten me a tad.
otherwise, im totally into ajumma rockerbabes. its certainly refreshing & great to see some feminism & emancipation in ol korea.
Currently watching this and so far, I find it enjoyable. Just as I found Lovers and Lovers in Paris to be entertaining.
I actually LOLd at the mention of Kim Jung Eun’s AFS. I’m not annoyed by it but I do get your point. Something about her facial expression is really off.
Only a couple of episodes of IAL and I’m thinking of slapping Seol Hee’s MIL already.
@scottie
That’s a good question. I am wondering the same thing as well. Why so much trouble to go through a divorce there. On the other hand I guess they are using the divorce as one of the tools that’s instrumental to Seol Hee’s development.
I like the show, but because I have too much drama on my plate for Mondays- I do like Giant & Dong Yi I have decided to put it on rest and read the episodes on dramabeans and soompi which works for me. When its free (somewhat), I’ll watch later, as I did enjoy the first 2 episodes.
It’s official everyone! I am on Team Rat Bastard until the very end of this baby. Yup, I ship Seol Hee with Ji Wook, I say the couple reconciles, and Tae Hyun ends up with spunky Soo In. And Seung Hye ends up a cat lady.
I’ve watched episode 9 today, and there is no way in hell I can buy Seol Hee-Tae Hyun anymore, they’ve developed nothing except a light friendship. Seol Hee-Ji wook is all fire and brimestone and angst and more angst. It screams OTP to the max!
Yup, I ship a fan-freakingtastic rat bastard. I am so gonna get my heart broken, this will not end well for me.
If the writers manage to wrap up IAL magnificently, I shall pen a full-blown review for this drama, this is my promise.
@ockoala
ROFL!! The words that are commonly used in KD lingo… must be fate/destiny that I stumbled upon TP and found your recap.
” It’s official everyone! I am on Team Rat Bastard until the very end of this baby. ”
Luved the other sites, too but the comments were harping too much about the DVD issue. In a committed relationship when there was once deep love between the couples it is easier to walk away and leave everything behind with no regrets. One has love oneself to have the courage to let go.
So I too been lurking the docks looking to ship the TRB until the very end. After watching ep 9, the only emo I could feel was a brotherly love. I just feel the need to see JW suffer the heartache of letting her go.
Well, Coffee House went with the unexpected coupling as per kdrama rules (even though it made the most sense to anyone actually watching) so who knows? Maybe IAL might do the same. I’m still waiting till the end to see if I should bother watching but it looks like they’ve begun to make the ex-husband less vile.
Loved your initial impression pointers. Hats off to you to putting in words what the experience of things coming together with the plot and people performing well feels like. I am also a fan of the song that lee jun hyuk has on the ost (it’s on my repeat list since 2 days). Interesting part is that I don’t understand a word of korean
Just the soaring music and the strong vocals are a strong calling. Funny how arts can bring the whole world together.
Any initial impressions of what he is singing about ?
IAL is blowing hot and cold on me. When I am watching it, I am all hot and want more. Yet when I have to lay off half way, such as when Vikii gets cut off, I don’t miss it, that is, I don’t try to get back on at the first opportunity. So far, the writing has been less than consistent. One example, Sul-Hee’s character. She starts off as a very strong lady, the high school jjang who can fight and kick ***. But sometimes they make her turn soft and pupply. I don’t like how the writer changes Sul-Hee’s character to fit the story. It weakens the story’s credibility.
I’m happy with whoever Sul-Hee ends up with. As long as the writer makes it credible.
@kfan13
Tae Hyun is singing about “I have a goateeeeee so that I can be freeeee, and I love plaid shirts because they are so comfortable……oh why can’t I get some meaningful plot lines….writer you suck!”
Tee hee. I love that song to pieces, LJH can sing straight to my heart.
@ everyone
Team Rat Bastard bus is boarding right now, and will depart the station soon. All aboard.
@ockoala: Song writer really sucks – good that I don’t understand korean
However, strong vocals-nicely done LJH.
As for the Rat Bastard- I want him to suffer -Angst starting now (and I mean buckets of tears and alcohol bottles and Mother Evil continuing to hound him). I am a meanie…..
I admit it, after watching the first two episodes, I have not gone back to watch it. Its not that I do not like it, its just that there is so many kdramas on my plate and there is not much time, plus I have this little thing called —- life. I read the recaps on dramabeans and soompi. There are a lot of persons who are saying the chemistry with the lead and to borrow ockala words “Rat Bastard” is good thereby looking for a reconciliation and with the one she is to be with is “Blah”. That’s all well and good but I am going to go in the minority here and say that I do not want her to be with anyone in the end, she could date anyone if she wish – that’s good enough.
To me, I am legend should also signify the lead’s taking full control of her life as well as showing it to the world and the men who would be later in awe of it,interested in her mystique. If she goes back to rat bastard it would be the same thing, remember rat bastard’s family are really “Bastards in their own right” she may ending up conforming to them and what would that really signify? As for Mr. Blah, she will be dealing with a divorcee with a child and the child’s mother who so happen to be Mr. Rat Bastard’s lover – pure mix up and blenda as we say in Jamaica. In addition a promising career in entertainment &/law – what a busy busy life. So for her to end up with no one and be a class and legend by herself would be good enough for me.
Have a good weekend everyone.