Admittedly, I started watching this series because I like Kim Hyun-Joo and her shows are quite hard to come by for two reasons – she disappeared for a while and because she is not considered the most beautiful.
Koreans, I think are generally ageist. If an actress is beautiful but past the ‘normal’ age, she is often described as a character actress. But I think that’s pretty common in other societies too.
First shown in 2014, Kim’s character Cha Gang-sim is eldest of three children of tofu maker Cha Soon-bong(Yoo Dong-geun), a doting father who likes pretending to be strict. Losing his wife after the birth of their youngest son Cha Dal-bong(Park Hyung-sik), the older Cha devotes the rest of his life to minding the kids’ affairs.
At 37, Gang-sim is often called the disgruntled spinster. She doesn’t do much to fix the perception that she needs a man because she really doesn’t.
And then there is Cha Kang-jae(Yoon Park), the perennially uptight doctor who thinks he deserves better.
There are other important characters and I feel bad having to mention like they are afterthoughts.
Hell no, in fact, my favorite character is Kang Seo-wool(Nam Ji-hyun), the country bumpkin who takes a childhood promise too seriously. She is listed 9th in the supporting cast and I plan to protest in my own ways. I find her so endearing and someone who can possibly bring North and South Koreas together:)
I started watching this a few weeks ago and thought/think that it will make a good Lunar New Year binge-watching activity for families. It has all the ingredients include the all-important ‘Why-is-your-so-hard-to-eat-with-family’ question we always ask ourselves.
Today is fourth day of Lunar New Year and I am still stuck at episode 47.
Yes I have been tempted to give up.
It brings me to the same question I asked over and over – wouldn’t it be easier if people just talk to each other?
Obviously not.
If people bothered to speak nicely and calmly, it won’t be possible to turn something that can be settled in three hours into 53. That, you have to admit, is one of the secret recipes of K-dramas.
I still may give up because I already know the ending and that’s not because I read up.
I just know because I am a Kay-drama addict who has seen enough.