Oh My Baby (2020)

Refreshingly Mature Topics & Go Yun. Nuff said.

Full transparency- I just came off The Fiery Priest and was absolutely FERAL to find something else Go Yun stars in. He stole every scene he was in, and I'm amazed I haven't discovered him sooner. He's got more charisma and charm in his left sock than most Idol actors I've recently seen on TV, and I'm honestly gobsmacked by him whenever he's on-screen.

OKAY- So, about the series:

I'm not typically drawn to dramedies (I'm more of a grand-scale epic saga or cerebral thriller type), but aside from Go Yun, I adore the cast; particularly, Jo Hee Bong and Park Byung Eun, and I love the more mature topics that I'm surprised to see on Korean airwaves. The series starts off in a quirky-off-kilter-type way, handling Jang Ha Ri's excessive work ethic and problematic reproductive problems with self-deprecating humor, and 2nd hand embarrassment. Jo Hee Bong's character, Chief Nam, was instantly likable and funny to me. I loved his shameless Insta comments on Han Yisang's profile to get him to get in contact. I also love how subversive the series is in handling stereotypical situations; for example, Ha Ri is faced with an uncomfortable situation at work where she wants to intercept a potentially harmful article from getting released and has to face a male peer and their boss. She handles the situation fearlessly and even throws herself onto her boss's couch to force him into complying. I thought it was funny, empowering, and a total boss move. The women in this series are independent, fierce, self-sufficient, and AWARE of their power.

Hari and Yisang have great chemistry. Especially when they bicker. Their quick retorts constantly had me cackling. Their first few interactions are rife with comedic misunderstandings. With her friends, Hari recalls a fond memory of her first meeting with Yisang, and it's depicted in her memory as a classic K-drama romance scene with slow-moving snow, and flattering nostalgic lighting, and she was completely swept off her feet when she mistook his Visine drops for tears.

"It was my first time seeing a guy cry. A guy's tears can somehow open your heart." LOLLLL.

Later, as her Chief tries to introduce the two, she takes poor advice from her friend and tries to initiate awkward small talk and {nonconsensual} skinship while Yisang squirms uncomfortably at her terrible flirting before hilariously and savagely shutting her down. Needless to say, they've gotten off on the wrong foot and I think the editing choices throughout the scenes make it so much funnier as I catch myself laughing out loud regularly without feeling like the situation is overtly ridiculous or unrealistic.

Outside of the lens of humor and silliness, there is a very real, very raw sadness that permeates our FL as she tries to have what she wants most in the world, a child. Since she was a little girl, it's all she's ever wanted. We follow her journey and her (sizzling) chemistry with Yisang throughout the series. Her platonic chemistry with the other male leads and female colleagues is also fantastic. I really have to give a lot of props to the writers, because there isn't an episode that goes by that doesn't make me laugh consistently throughout while hitting me in the feels. Time and again, it introduces a typical trope and completely flips it upside down, surprising even the most jaded K-drama viewer.

"The happiest person is a mom. Moms always smile when they see their babies. My dream is to become a mom."

It isn't just about Hari's ever-reaching journey toward motherhood. The show broadens its lens and shows us the intricate interworkings of each character and the journeys they're going through as well. What it's like as a single parent, a divorcee, an aging mother, an older bachelor afraid to start again. It's life and all of its machinations, day to day, relentless and without prejudice, while we try to surf the tide and find our way toward happiness.

I highly recommend this series, and not just because you get to look at Go Yun's face for 16 glorious hours.

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This idea would seem a bit novel but it has been in our respective societies ever since women have stepped out of the house to earn a living. You won't believe how common marrying at the evening stage of life has become. This is a fictional story of 39 years old single woman who loves children, working for a magazine focused around babies and mothers wanting to have her own baby someday finding out that the time is ticking and she has a slim chance of getting pregnant by each day passing. She is mortified by coming across this reality so much so she is ready to skip the part of marriage and directly getting into motherhood. Now, I am sure that in the upcoming episodes we will see how she gets choose one out of 3 men pursuing her but what will be interesting to watch is how a woman in her late 30's struggle with society stigmatizing her for being single up to that age, having a prejudice against her having a baby without marriage, her struggles dealing with the judgemental looks of the men coming across the idea of her wanting to have a baby out of them and her complications when she bears a baby (which I hope happens). It's a must-watch for the fact that we all are kind of dealing similar situation ourselves if we're in the age bracket of late 20's to early 40's and yet to find the perfect partner and rear a family. I am writing this review based out of 2 episodes which I enjoyed. I will be updating when I have advanced with more episodes.

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