.jpg)
I watched this drama a couple of years ago, but remembered surprising little, with the exception of a lingering feeling of frustration. So after seeing it was available on Netflix, I decided to re-watch. While I ultimately knew how it ended, it was almost like watching it for the first time. I walked away with the same exact feelings of being let down and again, frustration. It's deceptive, like biting into a perfectly baked cookie that has had the sugar swapped for salt. Here is a potential story that has all the ingredients for a good drama, but you end up with a salty aftertaste of a surprisingly undramatic and uninspiring end.
First thing first, synopsis: Hong Seol isn't your typical female lead. She is the worst type of people pleaser, one who doesn't do it out of kindness or for people to like her. It's out of habit. She's never been able to lean on anyone for support, including her family, which has made her overly self-reliant. To the outside view, she's weak-willed, but inwardly she feels it's better to do things herself: she can do them better. She recognizes this in herself, and more importantly, she marks a similar behavior in her college Senior: Yoo Jung. As the single son and heir to the Tae-Rang group (unbeknown to others, including Seol), Yoo Jung is accustomed to being approached for handouts either do to his good looks, his status, his intellect, or his wealth. He uses this knowledge to be accommodating, but it's much more subterranean and self-serving. He uses his supposed good nature to manipulate others into thinking he is the perfect student and friend.
It's no surprise he's rattled by the quiet Hong Seol who repeatedly witnesses his manipulative behavior. Instead of attempting to reveal it to others, Seol says nothing and does nothing. She just quietly observes and judges him from the sidelines. He is further unnerved by Seol's sudden decision to stop attending for a semester. When she returns, Yoo Jung surprises her by trying to become friends. What's more confusing, he seems genuine and has taken actions (using questionable methods) to help her, including getting her a scholarship. While these two navigate their relationship, two other central characters emerge. Baek In-Ho and Baek In-Ha, two siblings which were almost adopted by Yoo Jung's father. The orbit of issues and story-arcs revolve around Seol's relationships with her new love interest, being the victim of a stalker, the uphill battles faced in her college career: jealous classmates, indolent students, and part-time jobs, and the struggles of being part of a middle-class Korean family.
The Good:
What's so frustrating about the series is the incredible amount of talent in this drama which feels wasted. All four main characters, and even supporting characters, are perfectly cast. We see Seol develop an almost apathetic girlfriend and friend, to a warmer loyal adult. She's able to navigate difficult relationships because of this poignant time in college. You Jung's portrayal of near sociopathic behavior is dynamic. His micro-movements, such as the slight mouth twitch or flash of anger across his eyes, really showcase his acting talents. For his character, he successfully shows an equal vulnerability, which leads you to being able to believe his transformation and willingness to admit his own shortcomings and desire to understand others.
The next good thing: Baek In-Ha. Played by Lee Sung Kyung, she is so darn good at being the crazy, Yoo Jung obsessed, somewhat ex-girlfriend. Her over the top acting could be seen as campy, but it just works. When she switches to serious scenes and dialogue, it discloses a deeper understanding and an intelligence. Where Yoo Jung secretly manipulates, In-Ha outwardly uses childish behavior to achieve results, such as getting Jung's attention or gaining more money from his father. She's never seen the value (nor needed to) of working towards a goal, or even just working at all. Everyone, including her brother, tire of her antics, leading to her being metaphorically discarded by Mr. Yoo and Yoo Jung. I thought her acting and character conduct added both color and an edge to the story.
Character Development. There are a lot of sub-plots and supporting characters, all which get a surprising amount of development and complexity. Two of my favorites are Son Min-soo and Oh Young-gon. Instead of just showing Seol's perspective and making her solely the victim (which she is), we get to see the motivations of her antagonists. Min-soo is a completely forgettable character, that is until she starts mimicking Seol's style, including her trademark red, curly hair and grunge-chic look. She's jealous of Seol's life: her friends, her boyfriend, her good grades, her casual but chic style, and her family. With some prodding and manipulation from Yoo Jung, this spirals out of control, leading to both Min Soo and Hong Seol's dramatic clash in the halls outsider her classroom. Min-soo's evolution from imitation to self-deception (she eventually sees Seol as the copycat and undeserving of the friends and success around her) is unique.
Oh Young-gon is another stable presence through most of the drama, and he is a large catalyst for many of the events which push Seol and Jung together and apart. This is because Young-gon is Seol's stalker. While Yoo Jung manipulates people around Seol for her benefit after becoming his girlfriend, this isn't the case in the prior school year. Yoo-Jung knowingly persuaded Young-gon to intensify his pursuit. This essentially forces Seol to disappear for a semester due to the emotional instability and fear for her safety brought on by Young-gon's bullying and stalking. Young-gon's obsession with Seol is almost as equal as his growing obsession for Yoo Jung. When our lead couple start dating, Young-gon is confused and angry that his once accomplice is now dating the object of his twisted affection. Like Min-soo, we get to see complete scenes with his perspective. It's well done, and while the stalker angle is generally creepy, this feels fresh in comparison to other dramas.
The Bad:
- In-Ho vs. Yoo Jung. The argument could be made that In-Ho is just as much as a lead character as Yoo Jung, especially in the second half of the series. His development is much more profound, and it's confusing on why he becomes the protagonist by the end. All of the set-up is between Seol and Yoo Jung, but the diverts to In-Ho's eventual release of his anger towards Jung, his almost angelic care for his fanatical sister, and his success regaining his former talent as a pianist. Whereas Yoo Jung's behavior and treatment towards Kim Sang-cheol gives him more screen time towards the latter half of the series, it's there to reinforce his lack of growth. While his relationship and feelings for Seol has deepened, his own development hasn't; he's still up to his old tricks of being outwardly supportive, but secretly destructive.
- Ugh. The ending. Seol has literally been the victim of a near death experience, caused by In-Ha and indirectly by Yoo Jung. Then she is dumped by Yoo Jung, because he needs time alone to improve himself and deserve her love. This turn of events feels groundless and uncharacteristic. Flash forward three years, Yoo Jung is absent as he has been overseas working for his father's company, and we see Seol in her new, single life as a non-descript manager in an undisclosed profession. Then after all the drama, the manipulation, and pining for Yoo Jung, you only get the unsatisfactory ding of an email which has set unread for the past three year and an intimation of better things to come.
- The final message. In the last scenes, we get a full view of Seol's final character development, which is almost as frustrating if not more frustrating than the ending itself. After showing co-workers who closely resemble her college antagonists, she's seemingly learned nothing. Instead falls back on her tepid approach to dealing with conflict and false admiration. The message being sent? It's better to a doormat than have to deal with toxic people. While not every character needs a happy ending, it makes all of the self-monologues and her self-revelations, which occurred throughout the show, meaningless.
The reason why I'm so disappointed with this drama is because there is an overwhelming amount to appreciate and respect, but the ultimate direction (I believe it's when they stopped using the source material) and story's resolution made me feel my investment was wasted. Like the title, I feel I was the one caught in the trap. If it would've kept up the momentum of the first half, I believe this could've been something truly special. It taunted me with its acting, cinematography, and story-telling, but then with a snap, the trap reveals there was nothing special all along.
Comments