V.I.P (2019)

Please avoid this drama. This drama is a mess. All the characters are a mess. None of the bad characters have any positive qualities. There isn't much of a plot or character development. One thing I was surprised to say how callous and selfish the bad characters are - that is the only thing the movie persists on, even after the scandal breaks, I blame how bad the writing is that it makes the acting look stale, but I know it's the writing that makes how the characters blandly react to everything. The writing is the issue, which affects everything unfortunately, no matter how good the cast is.

But even in the end of this drama, you cannot understand their decisions or feel any sympathy - in fact, you won't care. You can also skip ahead, this drama has been drawn out for only 16 episodes, this affair scandal is so complicated, when it's not meant to be. It makes the whole world they live in a toxic environment and although they want to dramatise the heck out of everything to suit how important they think the scandal is - it's suffocating.

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La historia transcurre entre un matrimonio que trabajan juntos, a ella le llega un mensaje de que su marido la engaña con una compañera de trabajo.

La trama te mantiene demasiado en tensión en los primeros capítulos, tanto que me daban ganas de pasar rápido para enterarme de lo que sucedía. Quizás sea porque soy muy impaciente.

Tengo que decir que vi este dorama porque salía la maravillosa Jang Na Ra, a la cual le tengo un cariño especial desde Fated To Love You, y spoiler, hay una escena que me recordó mucho a este dorama y me hizo recordar la pena que pasé entonces.

Al principio creía que iba a ser un dorama de esos que no les prestas mucha atención y no enganchan mucho, para mi no ha sido así. Quizás tiene demasiado tensión y poco avance de la historia pero merece la pena solo por los temas que trata y las emociones que transmite. Además de la confianza y los engaños dentro del matrimonio, trata temas super importantes como la mujer en el trabajo, lo que sufren dentro de una sociedad machista, el rol mal visto de madre trabajadora y un largo etc.

De principio a fin odie a Ohn Yoo Ri, no soporté en ningún momento la personalidad victimista y egoísta del personaje. Nunca pude empatizar con ella a pesar de toda la lastima y pena que intentan que de. Por otro lado el marido, Park Sung Joon me parece un "pavisoso" entiendo que tiene una personalidad poco habladora y de no saber expresar sus sentimientos, pero me parece demasiado, no transmite nada, cara de poker hasta el ultimo capítulo.

No será uno de mis favoritos, pero he disfrutado mucho de verlo y me ha hecho reflexionar.

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For a drama of this nature, this has its ups and downs that go about it, and it was a fun ride.

Story: I feel the story of this drama is what kept me going with it, the only issue that I had with it was that this drama really took it time but with the payoff that it had it was worth the slow burn of the drama and I am really glad that I stick it through the end.

Acting: The main FL of this drama (played by Jang Na Ra) really showed her acting chops and I feel like the acting was really good that I really felt it and the material the actors were given was there.

Music: I can not say much for the music as most tracks were just not memorable and none were really ones that I would go out to listen to again.

Rewatch Value: I do not think I rewatch this with a story like this it would be hard to rewatch it knowing how the story unfolds in the end.

This drama I would say is worth it but it can be hard to recommend to people as this drama is really slow to pick up and it may not hold up to people as the slowness of drama could lose some people in the early episodes.

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SHORT REVIEW : They could have titled it « Patterns »

I detest dramas centered around extramarital affairs. I’ve always avoided them. As a viewer who doesn’t read synopses or watch trailers, I tend to drop them the moment I figure out this is the main theme. But what is a girl to do when the main characters are two of her all time favorite actors ? I got sucked into this dirty world, and although I predictably ranted a lot, cried a lot, cursed at Mr Park and his mistress a lot, there was an undeniable truth being taught behind the over dramatized « makjang-esque » plot :

We recreate family patterns when we don’t deal with our traumas and sense of worthlessness.

Mr Park, ended up having a mistress just like his father used his mother as a mistress.
Ms Na was abandoned by her spouse, just like her father was abandoned by his spouse.
Ms On reduced herself to a mere temporary « option », just like her mother was to her father.

Most of us recreate family patterns, good or bad, and it’s not that a toxic pattern is an inevitable vicious cycle, but these subconsciously taught behaviors and mindset follow us unless we intentionally choose to be honest about and heal from our traumas. You see, all of them had to eventually face their unresolved issues.

The ending was satisfying enough. I feared a tragedy, but it was better than expected. This drama was overall well executed. Do I recommend it ? Only if you don’t get too emotionally involved when it comes to this theme. I had to binge watch it (which I may have done 5 times at best in 10+ years) to be done with it quick. It gave me a headache to be honest. I made my choice and delt with it, no regrets, but no re-watch. Now you decide.

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Relationships beginning, ongoing and ending...

This drama surprised me with the direction it took, because starting it I thought it would be about a wife getting revenge on her cheating husband, you know that type of vibe; But instead what I got was a very thoughtful take on what happens when a spouse cheats, how this can affect not only the aggrieved spouse but can affect the parents / in laws, friends of the couple and in this instance the professional relationship of the two. I also enjoyed the way the show portrays alls sides of the story. Every character is shown as they are, their backstory and their current actions so the viewer can see that there are a lot of grey areas and everyone is not just black or white.
The characters are thoroughly explored and the ups and downs of the events and resulting emotions are well documented. There's a hint of mystery as the show tantalises the viewer with the possibility of who the mistress is, there's also a fair amount of emotional angst, which is not surprising given the subject matter but this is in no way irritating thanks to the wonderful acting abilities of the cast.

This show portrays romantic relationships in various stages, there's the married couple who both have careers and are grappling with child care and the division of duties within the home; there's a professional single woman who has a somewhat complicated family situation and work history who's dipping her toes into dating life; there's the married couple where the husband cheats on his wife (the main story line); there's the relationship between the cheating husband and his mistress.
I've seen many comments on MDL where viewers say they hate cheating stories etc, but this story is so impactful because it explores the full spectrum of motivation and emotions of everyone involved, so although you may be annoyed with the husband and the mistress, the Show does a very good job of showing where each character is coming from and how they got to this point in their lives.

The story is told against the backdrop of a department store where all these characters work, so there are some work related story lines which add more dimension to our characters.

The resolution of each couple's story is well thought out and exposed. I enjoyed the thoughtfulness of this script, it fully explores each character's emotional landscape.

Jang Na Ra is excellent as always, she lends the character of Jung Sun a steely vulnerability, a sense of flailing helplessness initially and at the end she finds peace and acceptance.
Sung Joon played by Lee Sang Yoon was the most grating character for me because he doesn't show much emotion, he has the same facial expression and says very little throughout the entire show, I suppose this is by design because his backstory is told to us so we have a good idea where his head was at when he made the poor decision to start the affair.

The rest of the cast is great with excellent acting throughout.

Give this one a try because it's story is well told, and every character's motivation is laid out in the open so it's up to the viewer to make their own judgement.

I gave it a 10 out of 10 because it's quite rare to find a drama that explores each character's internal landscape quite so thoroughly and thoughtfully. Very well done.

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when a drama takes a story about an affair, the first thing that comes to our mind is makjang drama which makes our blood boil and is full of screams from one character to another. but this drama is able to package it in a more elegant way. not only infidelity, this drama also touches on work, friendship, marriage, trust, and betrayal.

one of the things I like most about this drama is how the female characters here each have a strong background story and can easily relate to most people. I also really like how each character develops from the problems they face.

all of these things certainly could not be achieved without the amazing acting of the actors, especially jang nara who was able to play na jungsun very well so that the audience could sympathize with her, feel her hurt, despair, and grieve with her.

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WORTH WATCHING !! WHAT AN EMOTIONAL JOURNEY

Actually when I started this drama I have different concept in my mind but as episodes goes by I emotionally got involved in the drama , I couldn't wait to finish the drama and eagerly waited for the end !!

Story synopsis
Sung Jun ang Jung sun(wife) are a happy couple for 10 years. Both wife and husband have their difficulties since child hood.
Husband comes from a family where his mother is a mistress and he recieves no love from father where as wife comes from a family her mother abandons her and grew without mother's love.
They fall in love and dreamed to be a perfect family which they couldn't have !!
Husband is aware of wife's mother and family background but wife is not aware of husband's family issue.
Jung sun gets aborted and goes into a trauma in the same time he have an affair with a girl called yue-ri which has identical past of Sung Jun.
Sung Jun father dies when Jung sun is in depression and he could not share his sadness with her, I was very frustrated throught the episodes why does husband doesn't share his sadness irrespective of having 10 yrs of relationship. While Jung sun is such a brave lady even after knowing her husband's accidental affair, she tries to understand him and forgive him and gives a chance to him.
There is no annoying second male lead so the drama carried the cheating husband and brave and confident wife's emotion through out the drama
In the end I understands why husband can't share his sadness about his family, because wife was already disappointed in her mother as she abandoned her bcoz of other man, where as if she finds out hero came from the opposite scenario his mother is a mistress who destroyed a happy family. So he couldn't convey his situation to her.

But being with her for 10 yrs he could have understood her and be honest with her.Even I got more annoyed when he tried to hide the things of women who is he having affair with irrespective of how many times heroine tried to find out and give him a chance

Clearly he is not in love with yue-ri, I hated him not being clear of his thoughts, may be in real life people are like him.
I was happy they are not together in the end because sung Jun doesn't deserve Jung sun

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Binge worthy and a good one time watch

The story was interesting and well narrated and the actors were all amazing in their roles. I absolutely loved Jeong Seon, she was admirable and aspirational and never sunk to the level of those who hurt her. I wanted to hate the male lead a little more, well I did hate him but I wanted my hatred of his character to be singular, but I could actually sympathize with him to some extent. There is no justification for cheating though, period! And the mistress was absolutely awful, impossible to relate with.

Overall it's a good one time watch, pick a weekend though coz after episode 6 it will be impossible to stop watching until the very end.

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This is a final review with major spoilers. For 14 eps, this drama was excellent. It draws you in fully from the first moments and becomes more compelling as the story progresses. The cast is perfect for each role and the acting is just as perfect. The physical and voice acting is nothing short of phenomenal. The drama is very intelligent with sharp, clever and often inspired dialogue. It's a very deep drama with lighter scenes and touches of humor and charm. Unlike many shows that come across as scripted and acted, this drama has much more substance and reality beneath the story. The drama is particularly adept at showing true adult human relationships. Although some scenes are not easy to watch, the acting is so wonderful in capturing the emotion of the moment that the scenes are often truly beautiful. The characters are multifaceted. So they have different sides and traits depending upon the moment and the context. Interestingly enough, we can hate a character for what they do in one scene and then feel for that same person in other scenes. It all comes across as very natural and real. The story is just as multifaceted. The writing is masterful in presenting this story at the right pace and with the right tone. Deliberate and not rushed but never boring. And at times very surprising as new information is revealed - often in incredibly smart and creative ways. With an ever changing focus that moves from history to present, work to personal life, lighter tone to deeper and changing which characters are center at any given moment. Very well done on every level. The background music is the best of any drama I've seen. The cinematography is just as good as every other part of this production with many stunning visuals. Up through ep 14, I watched every episode a second time and they were as good every time.

But I now need to mention some very major negatives about the last two eps. The last two eps were not a natural and necessary continuation of the wonderful 1st 14. In fact, the drama totally stopped doing everything that worked well. It was no longer a stunningly good mood piece. There were some really nice scenes. But the tone of the drama changed and it lost all emotional resonance and intensity. I actually grew weary of every character or story arc except the lovely romance between Ms. Lee and Mr. Cha and nice scenes with Mi Na's family. Overall, the story just fell apart. Some plot lines like the end of the company back fighting and the VP and his family were a waste of time. The work event was only there to give an excuse to have Jung Sun fall down the stairs. And it all felt contrived and pointless. And just about every bad guy character began to grate on my last nerve. The story had no more suspense since all secrets were disclosed. And the story stopped having any real drama. This story inexplicably lost the very intense emotional bond built with the audience during the prior 14 eps. All of the main characters related to the most dramatic story arcs just stopped moving forward. Jung Sun for some reason became contemplative and oddly accepting of things. I'm glad the story let her find peace. But this transition never felt real and it surely wasn't the ending the story and her character deserved. It was too uneventful and felt like her story just fizzled out. The writing also seemed to give up on any plot progression for the husband and his mistress. Their stories became boring and pointless as they both became super annoying pathetic losers. Having them give up or lose their relationship added no sense of justice or satisfaction. It just punctuated their descent into boring irrelevance. Maybe the drama became too intense and emotions wound too tight. And then when it all unwound in the last few eps, the show lost the tight punch that had us constantly on the edge of our seats. But whatever the reason, I felt that the show just sank instead of ending on a high note. His closing explanation to his wife was pathetic and his reasoning absurd. He was always a lying cheat. But now he was also an incredibly annoying loser who offered nothing to the story. He never had any affect but that was OK since the others around him had affect and emotion to spare. But now with no one showing much emotion, his lack of affect became a noticeable negative. Yu ri was always a conniving cheat. And she was pathetic for quite a while. But she turned into such a supreme loser that I continually wanted to yell at the screen for her to just shut up already. Aside from the good scenes involving Mi Na and Ms. Lee, this drama totally lost all momentum in the last 2 eps and just limped along to the end. Given how brilliant it was, this show should have ended as an all time favorite. The writing in the last 2 eps was a major disappointment and ruined this show for me.

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What I like about VIP is that they keep the story engaging. With having the “affair” thing going on, it was not fast paced as I would have thought. The characters in the drama, particulary each individuaI involved has a story of their own and I like that they introduced each character with depth. Each of the main characters has a story to tell which made impact on the story as a whole because it makes you empathize with each one. The drama has the right thrill to it, it’s not too overwhelming as what others tend to do. It has its own kind of pace, which I think is appropriate for the whole drama – not to fast nor to slow for the story to unfold. I also like the fact na they incorporated the past scenes between the main love story and how it eventually falls apart in between. I like that it's not too sexual, though the it is obvious who is the other women, I was really convinced with the guy as the one but I was wrong. I love how they’ve shown the ending, and also their conversation at the end. I think it makes sense as well as satisfying for me as a viewer.

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Why do I like this drama so much?

I cant pinpoint one overall reason why I like this drama. Is it the way the writers and directors sneakily lead us one way and then flip everything to show us that we were wrong? I love how they present everyone and no one as a suspect at the same time. Its a great way to unravel a mystery, and makes us just as eager as the lead to find out who is the source of her turmoil. The show is riveting and enticing, with excellent cast members who each add a different dynamic to the story. I really appreciate how besides the ML/FLs, the supporting characters are quite well fleshed out and we truly get an insight into their life and how they navigate their struggles. The show seems balanced in giving every character a good individual storyline while also making sure that these storylines intertwine quite skillfully. I absolutely love Lee Hyun A, she is my favourite --the definition of a talented, confident, badass, hardworking woman. But we also get to see the reality of women working in the corporate world who are forced to put on a brave face in order to thwart unwanted sexual advances/flirting or appear competent at their jobs and get their voices heard. The show did a great job of showing the struggles of a working mom, and the things that already competent women have to do just to get a promotion.

The show has some tough scenes to watch, and deals with very real subjects such as the effects that infidelity, miscarriage and raising children while working has on couples. Although sad, its realistic. Problems are not solved overnight and behind the scenes, there is no pretending that things are okay. The cast gave great performances in showing what people who seemingly have it all go through behind the scenes. This show has some important lessons, and shows that even though people may have top careers and seemingly warm and wonderful marriages, not all that glitters is gold and everyone is hiding secrets and living with hidden pain.

I also love the OST and main title/ending song, very riveting and fitting for this type of drama.

I would only give it a low rewatch value because after watching it the first time, I already know the main culprits of the main issue sooooo....?

All in all, I love VIP!!! Its a great start to my 2023 kdrama viewing streak :)

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