The Making of An Ordinary Woman (2019)

I haven't watched a Taiwanese drama in years, mainly because I started to grow out of enjoying cheesy/cringey/over the top shows (and that goes for American and Korean dramas too). Good thing this one wasn't any of those things.

Chen Chia Lin is an incredibly relatable female lead. She can be quite goofy and somewhat naive, but her character is profoundly human. The drama is told in two different timelines and bounces between her childhood and present day. In doing so, it allowed us to really come to understand not only her character but the character of the people around her as well. I think anyone who has experienced loss, whether it be the loss of a loved one or simply the lack of direction in life would be able to relate to her struggles.

I didn't expect that it would have as much depth as it did, but this drama somehow managed to balance a good amount of hilarious comedy with mature, contemplative depth. I don't want to spoil too much but they managed to discuss a lot of issues/topics that, while being somewhat specific to the culture, can also be taken out of that context and examined in another as well.

Overall really, really loved it. Actors were all 10/10. Please do yourself a favor and give it a try.

*Not sure if there are English subtitles though, and a lot of Taiwanese is spoken. Just a note!*

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I am a fan of Hsien Ying Hsuan’s acting, so I picked up this drama while on a flight. She truly adapts you’re any role given - and shines as an independent 40-year-old lady living in Taipei on her own. The story explores the definition of personal success and happiness, as well as romantic and familial love.

The acting, writing, and directing are all superb. The story is seamless, with each episode focusing on a theme from Jia Ling/a relative’s life, building up to the larger story. I loved both the present day and past storyline equally - which doesn’t balance often in other dramas. Each episode, I felt like I was listening to the stories of a real family, as it reminded me of my own relatives or of myself.

My favorite episodes were 1, 3, 4, and 8 - but I was tearing up every single episode, really. I loved the beginning, middle, and end, and am so glad this story exists.

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