Search: WWW (2019)

Sorry if this sounds more like an essay than a review. I was very passionate while writing this.

The short version: It was a mixed bag but with more positives than negatives. I watched the first 3-4 episodes over 2 weeks and binged the rest in 1.5 days. Overall I liked the show and definitely recommend that you watch it.

Now the long version:

Dramas usually tend to show AI/robotics when portraying the IT world. It was refreshing to see a different take focusing on the Internet, a subject that is much more relatable given how it has become an integral part of our lives. Issues explored such as search manipulation, government surveillance, political influence were handled very intelligently.

I understand and appreciate the writer’s intent of portraying female empowerment but as someone who works in the IT, I find it hard to believe a story where the two leading organizations are partially, if not entirely run by women. This is not the case in any field, and especially not IT which is still heavily skewed toward males. It would have been more realistic, and satisfying if the chief rival had been a man. But this is just entertainment after all, so let’s suspend disbelief for the time being.

The lead, and IMO the weakest part of the story is Bae Ta Mi. I found this character to be infuriating to watch. She may be effective in her work life but is self centred and with some exceptions, rarely puts any effort into her personal relationships be it in romance or friendship. Yet everyone is drawn to her and supports her, especially Park Mo Gun. Maybe it was because the actors lacked chemistry but I still don’t know what bonds these two people other than physical attraction. An age gap is fine as long as both parties meet in the middle emotionally. But Tami Mi constantly acts like she has the upper hand just because she has lived longer. I couldn’t stand her preachy attitude throughout the series. All in all, I thought both actors did a decent job but because of the writing, I felt the romance was dull and brought down the rest of the story.

Moving onto Song Ga Kyung, this was a character I started off hating but ended up rooting for at the end. I’m glad she could achieve what she wanted. I also really liked her interactions with her husband. The character was written and well played.

Finally, Scarlett (Lee Da Hee) was the highlight of the show. It would have been better if she had been the lead character. She was everything I wanted to see from the drama, a woman who is strong, outspoken, and clear about her goals. She was both powerful and vulnerable at the same time. I loved her quirkiness. Her romantic storyline was heartwarming and so much fun to watch. Speaking of which, Lee Jae Wook seems to pop up in every drama I’ve watched lately. I think this is my favourite role of his thus far. Seol Ji Hwan was such a sweet, down to earth character, I adored him. I wish we got more scenes from this couple, they had far better chemistry and like the leads, they too had an age gap (though smaller), but didn’t let that get in the way. I would love if there were a spin-off show with these two characters alone.

The rest of the cast especially the the TF team was effective. Also of note was Brian (Kwon Hae Hyo) whom I recently watched in a negative role and was amazed to see the contrast in this role.

The music of the show was pleasant but not particularly memorable. I enjoyed the opening theme.

I really liked cinematography in this series. I know there have been articles on MDL about filming styles and symbolism in the past, I wish someone would write one with this drama in mind. There were many notable scenes but one I liked in particular was in ep. 15 with the split screen showing the two leads living similar lives albeit separately.

Rewatch value is low. Although I enjoyed watching it, I don’t think I would watch it again since much of the tension building and surprise element would no longer work.

As an aside there were a few fun tidbits that I want to mention.

- Barro looks like such a cool place to work. If companies like this exist in RL, please hire me!!!

- Although the product placement in this series was blatantly obvious and annoying at times, and even though I’m not that interested in cars, I couldn’t help but ogle at the parade of Maseratis, especially the one Bae Ta Mi drives.

- Lastly, as an ARMY I loved the BTS references in the last episode. It was fun.

Wow! This is probably my longest review yet. If you’ve gotten this far then thanks! As I said before, I have mixed feelings about this drama but I appreciate the innovative storyline and interesting set of characters. This might not be a masterpiece but it was pleasant. I encourage you all to watch it.

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A drama I enjoyed watching from start to finish? Finally!!!
I'm not sure if I could have survived watching this if it was still airing but it was an amazing binge. The only binge I've enjoyed this much in a long time.

I found all the business related scenes really entertaining to watch because of the ethical dilemmas so yey for not boring me with business jargon and politics! I think having web portals as the business was really interesting since we use the Internet daily.
Each main character had their own color and the character development for each one was fun to watch. Even Ga gyeong's character, which is arguably less fun than the two, gets your full attention.
The supporting characters also brought so much life to the drama.
The acting was better than I expected.
I really couldn't hear most of the music because I watched this in low volume but those that I did hear were amazing and I put a few on my playlists that would instantly bring me back to the scenes in the drama.

My biggest complaint is how much screentime we have with the main couple because it would have been better to have as much screentime with the camaraderie of the task force, and the romantic realtionships of the two other characters. But the good parts largely outweighs the not so good :)

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I have been blown away.

Not only does it have 3 strong female leads, their individual relationships as well as the way their actions intertwine is absolutely amazing. You don't have things focused on one entire couple, nor do you have too much screen time on just the male leads.

You have three stories. Three empowering experiences.

The injustice, the tension in their conflicts, it all builds up and makes the watcher nervous themselves. I was amazed at how intricate and well filmed everything has been, and I applaud the chemistry that has evolved between all of the cast.

TB to their dissing moments, and I definitely recommend this drama, as in my opinion it showcases a different style, and different view to the world of work.

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Powerful Women Behind the Ambiguity of Internet

Search WWW has a remarkable, contemporary premise that is appealing to me, personally. The show focuses in three spectacular women whom works in search engine company. While the story starts with such a huge buzz and some political flavor added, the whole show itself is rather more laid-back in general, including fairly static romance plot(s).

As the story focuses on the three women and their lives, the thing that keeps me invested in this drama is the dynamic in Barro and the problems they are facing. There is something quite endearing in the TF team. Whether it's the contrast characteristics of Tammy and Scarlett (with their growing chemistry), the four other hardworking teammate, or Brian (and the company)'s relaxed attitude, the series did a great job on building Barro. On the contrary, Unicorn (Song Gagyeong)'s life is more dull in comparison. Perhaps the writer is trying to deliver on how boring it is living a desk-job life in a static environment. Regarding the internet (which is the core of this drama), the writers did a great job explaining internet environment in Korea and raising awareness when we're using it. The political plot-line was great (and complicated) at the beginning but it's fading as more episode goes by. Song Gagyeong's mother-in-law story is pretty much expected and come off as annoying at times. The turn point is anti-climatic and we didn't really get a closure on the aftermath, just a win/losing situation. In addition, this drama has quite much enjoyable jokes.

Departing from the office life, Search:WWW also explores the romance life of these three women. Song Gagyeong and her husband has no chemistry at all until the middle (well, it's the purpose of marriage-of-convenience, I guess), their romance basically offers nothing to me. Tammy and Park Morgan made a nice couple. At first I thought they might suffer just because of their decade age gap, but they suffer much more from their values. While they made a good couple, I don't necessarily enjoy them towards the end. There's just not much spark coming out of them as a couple and they rather made me feel like they are just "another" couple of a kdrama. Scarlett and Jihwan's romance is definitely the most interesting one. Everything from their first encounter, buildup, until the end of the drama is so good. I really love the lost & found scene as it not only refers to a thing one of them is missing but it also interprets to how they are lost and they found each other in that room. Arguably my favorite scene.

Moving on from the story, the elements supporting this drama are all great. Starting off from the acting, they all embody their characters perfectly. Neither of them is overdoing or half-assing their acting, it's great. I personally love Scarlett's personality, there's something about her that spices up this drama. There's one downside in the acting though, I don't like the mother-in-law much, she isn't really suitable for that role. The music in this drama is generally great. They caliber the vast and vibrant life of this modern age especially on the ever-growing era of the internet, it's contemporary. Regarding the sets, they choose great locations to shoot although I do have a problem with that one café everyone is using. I'm not sure how Morgan, Tammy, Scarlett always uses the same café for doing business, meeting the online streamer, or others when they live quite much far apart (as proven by the necessity to drive to each other's houses/office). It irks me a bit as they never really explained it as Barro/Unicorn employees regular cafe or something. Cinematography in general is pretty nice. The cameras used, lenses, and filters are pretty good. I love the close-ups scenes especially the tilted ones. For the wider locations, they made the scenes look more cramped at times (well this is just my opinion).

In the end, Search WWW offers a realistic peek on the life of a 30-something successful and powerful women along with their hardships. I wouldn't say it's a slice-of-life or goal-oriented drama but it's a mix in between. One thing that I knew, it tells the story of powerful women behind the ambiguity of the internet.

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If you want to see fierce, competent, competitive and beautiful women, then this is the story you'll have to watch.

I haven't been excited recently about a drama after watching two episodes but this one just got me. The cinematography and shots were framed well and the storyline is fascinating since it involves the world-wide-web that allows us to be connected to each other. Don't you just love the search engines? All praise goes to geniuses who made the web possible and opened up wonders all over the world. I also love this drama as a woman since it's such a treat to watch cool, capable, witty and gorgeous women. They're like role models for modern women who value their careers. Of course, there will be struggles along the way of achieving your dreams but it's a delicate balance between getting that dream job and maintaining a good relationship with loved ones. Im Soo Jung is exhibiting her character really well along with the rest of the strong female cast. Also worth mentioning is Jang Ki Yong's magnetic gaze and disarming smile. The scene of the main female and male leads' first meeting was of a dream-like quality that will set your heart pounding. The scenes they were together were heart-fluttering too. You'll find a gentle, caring and handsome lead in Jang Ki Yong.

This show gets better and better as you watch especially the end of episode 5 which was EPIC! You'll especially see how brazen and strong the main female lead is, along with her coworker. It gives you satisfaction of her winning against the enemy for that time period.

In the end, I gave props to Jeon Hye Jin's character which she played well. She became the heroine at the end and you'll discover her driving force. Not forgetting Lee Da Hee's character who's smart, beautiful, principled and who always believed in the goodness of people. On top of that, she's knows martial arts. Now, that's a great character I can look up to.

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Now that I have completed this series I took some time to evaluate my feelings about the top three amazing women of WWW. This is mostly a character review vs. plot. I must say the main three female characters represented parts of me that I understood and sympathized with. Did anyone else feel the same?

Bae Ta-mi (Tammy) was played beautifully by Im Soo-jung I am a big fan of Im Soo-jung and her acting never disappoints! As the plot developed I became very invested in her character. Her story line was very similar to my life experience. My significant other is quite a bit younger than I. At the time we met (over 10+ years ago) I, like Tammy, had the same fears of our age difference and how that would impact his life/future. Also, like Tammy, I was/am a professional working woman with no desire to marry. This is not a statement that professional working women tend to stay clear of marriage just what my personal feelings have been. In today's society I believe no matter what country you reside in there is still the basic premise that women are expected to marry in order to gain/obtain their identify. If not married than what are you as a women and what is your place in society? To me, it's an old concept that thankfully is gradually changing. Marriage IS a wonderful institution but I believe it's not an exclusive state to be in in order to be with 'your person'. A lot of what Tammy struggled through really ran true to me. In my case I broke the relationship up as well suggesting he needed to experience life and other relationships to truly decide what was best for him. Happily we realized that we truly loved each other and wanted to be in this world as a couple! If Tammy appeared cold and unaffected by her relationship with Park Morgan I believe she held back her love for what she saw as the greater good ... seeing him happy and not disappointed in his choices. Morgan had his own trauma with the most important woman of his life his "mom" and the abandonment he felt by her. Tammy was very sensitive to that and I truly believe her character wanted the best for him even knowing how much she grew to love him. To me, the way in which their story developed was very real and truthful. Sometimes love means letting someone go to search for their happiness and sometimes they never return ... and that is a very frightening risk.

Cha Hyeon (Scarlett) reminded me of my younger self. Bold in so many ways yet hesitant and shy when uncertain. Loyal to a fault and a champion of all champions! Her character reminds me a what a true friendship should be .. even when you know that person may be making a terrible mistake you give them your opinion but you still stand by their side. Her utter fierceness mixed with vulnerability was beautiful played by Lee Da-hee. I must say De-hess is an absolutely beautiful woman and every time she was on the screen I found myself fan-girling! Luckily it was not too distracting because she played her character ON POINT! I love the fact even if she did not understand the circumstances of her friend's decisions she STUCK BY THEIR SIDE. That is how my true friends have been in my life and I'm very lucky to have found them.

Song Ga-kyeong was a very complicated character for me mostly due to my frustration regarding the choices she kept making. Part of me wanted to strangle her and I found myself yelling out "WHAT ARE DOING?!" many times to her behavior. That subtle, restrained, outwardly tough character acted out by Jeon Hye-jin was brilliant. Ga-kyeong is that women faced with formidable decisions which she does not shy away from. For me she represented the difficult choices working women still face today especially the issue of loyalty to work, family or self. Sometimes they seem mutually exclusive. Tough choices but ultimately decided by her so in the end her choices her responsibility.

Overall to me the one one word that came to mind in regards to this drama .... 'decisions'. Decisions for yourself, your life as well as your loves. Processional work place decisions as well as personal ones. Both highly impacting your life and those in your life.

Wonderful drama I highly recommend it!

SHOW STOPPER. Ok the lead up to and including the car smashing screen was EPIC! A great homage to "Goblin".. power women version. LUV'D IT!!! It was refreshing to see that yes we women blow up as well and want physical release. We want to smash things too!! Love the satisfaction that scene brought me... no regret, remorse or apologies. EPIC!!

FINAL THOUGHT: Yes I only focused on the women of this drama but it was so refreshing to see women strong/soft, complex and united. It reminds me of my GF squad. I hope the Kdrama industry picks up on this theme and runs with it!!!

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Another letdown

Episode 1 was OK, and from then on, it felt like meaningless junk.
I appreciate the fact that the plot was based on the interactions of three FL, which makes for a very unusual and potentially creative series. However, I couldn't find almost anything interesting.
I didn't like almost everything. I didn't like the clothing. I didn't like the sets where people "lived", "worked", "walked", "ate", etc. I didn't like the imposition that titles were replaced by English names at Barro. I found a lot of events (e.g. the smashing of the car and the owner and wife showing up) only being fillers.
One thing I liked was the short violence scene in the elevator. A cad touches the derrière of the FL, who then massacres him. As the elevator stopped at a floor, the FL tells another woman who wanted to take the elevator that it was broken. The FL then proceeded to press the button for the 33rd and last floor ... I wonder whether that came from a real event.

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Mature Adult Problems in a Mature Adult World!

Search: WWW is a great drama with a lot of different themes. Personally, I feel that this drama is not really my style due to my age and my interests but there were a few things that I felt intrigued by. Firstly, if feminism and friendship are what you like to watch, then you definitely cannot miss out on this drama. The three female leads are just so, sooooo good and the interactions between them are partially what made this show so fun to watch. The next element to look out for is probably the interactions between the FLs and their male counterparts. We see three very distinct love stories unfold as the drama progresses. One toxic one that ended up being resolved, an unlikely one with an age gap and problems to be resolved in the future, and a funny, heartwarming one that involves helping the other grow. In the end, I would say that Search: WWW is worth it to watch and should be more widespread. Cheers to another great one.

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Perfect balance of career-focused & noona romance

Noona romance is one of my favourite tropes. Highly recommended for those who want female-led series with balanced stories about their personal and professional lives. Makes me think of (i) ethics - what is right or wrong, (ii) believing in your own principles or just go along with corporate decisions, (iii) dealbreaker in relationships


What I like
1) Writing - this show portrays female characters as strong, capable but flawed (not Mary Sue). Kudos to Kwon Do-eun for writing a brilliant series.
2) Acting - brilliant acting by the cast in particularly Lim Soo Jung & Lee Da Hee,
3) Portrayal of female friendship - how one started while another one disintegrate,
4) The score - Millenial Love was magical upon first listen while Heart Shape on Ankle makes me giddy whenever I listen to it,
5) Park Morgan characterisation - as a music fan and someone who's Ta Mi's age now, I wish I had a boyfriend like him. He was confident, empathetic, supporting
6) Jang Ki Yong & Lee Jae Wook were devilishly good looking
7) What's Wrong with My Mother-in-Law
8) This series makes me think of (i) ethics what is right or wrong, (ii) believing in your own principles or just go along with corporate decisions, (iii) dealbreaker in relationships

What I dislike
1) The conflict between Ta Mi and Morgan - in real life, I wouldn't reconnect because that's a dealbreaker

Favourite scene
When Ta Mi was distracted by Park Morgan's presence in her office. That dialogue is what I imagine a progressive western series would write about. That foreplay is so sexy.

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It could have been so great

Firstly, I started watching because of 3 reasons : Lee Jaewook, mamamoo's OST and Netflix's cute thumbnail for the drama.

The drama as a whole was actually very good, but don't expect a great romance between the main couple you'll be highly disappointed. They're both quite boring and kind of toxic for each other. Them being together doesn't even make sense tbh. Meanwhile Scarlett and Jihwan are just as cute and simple and sincere as a couple inlove can be. Nobody talks about Ga-Gyeong's husband but i think they're cute too, in their own way.
The plot inviting you to the world of navigation and its stakes, which seems boring at first, is actually so interesting and you can grow very attached to the characters being part of this system. Although it's clear that the writers wanted to depict powerful "women of the 21st century", it didn't seem forced to me and felt quite natural to see women as the main asset of a company.
The last 2 episodes were really thrilling and couldn't have been better (except for 1 thing but no spoil) !!

P.s : shoutout to Lee Dahee (Scarlett), Lee Jaewook (Jihwan), Kwon Haehyo (Brian), Ye Soojung (chairwoman Jang) and Jo Hyejoo (the influencer) 's perfomance. They really brought their character to life.

P.s 2 : if you want to see the best of Lee Jaewook, just watch episode 10. I almost died of heart attack...

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