Samgwang Villa Lovers (2020)

LOVED IT SO MUCH

There were many negative reviews on this one but this most comes from international viewers, since many don't tend to watch long running weekend family dramas and have high expectations. I watched this ever since the start week after week and it's honestly the best family drama I've watched not in terms of story (!!) . The story was meh as people say because it does not have many dramatic plotholes or out of the ordinary. But it's worth your time if you go and appreciate this show as its own, family, friendship, love, comedy, forgiveness, and abit of revenge plots here and there but it isn't HUGE. This drama is purely warmth and love, we watch villains in this drama and some go through huge character developments along the way and change for the better. You will cry for the antagonists. You will cry for the protagonists. Chemistry between all couples and families is amazing and the cast is really the best, they all look like actual families. I've really grown attached to this family and show. The last 2 episodes made me cry alot, was really touching. Proud to say this is one of my life dramas (인생드라마) . Loved it alot alot. I'll miss Samgwang alot.

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Lower Your Expectations and Raise the Speed

“The most frustrating is the lack of proper consequences.”

This phrase from one of the only other reviews of the completed Drama brought back many memories.

I don’t know how many other Dramas that user has seen, but the angry rant (their words) about the way ALL the villains, and especially the worst of them, get off scot-free in this Drama reminded me of my own reactions the first 50 or so times I saw that happen in a K Drama. Then I learned to expect it, as an integral part of this sort of Drama. Rather than punishing the wicked, or even having them experience any sort of meaningful redemption arc, fully a quarter to a third of the episodes in Dramas like this are all about them getting away with it while their victims suffer more and more. I expected that in this Drama, and got it, in spades. As soon as the truly VILE people started showing their true character, I 100% expected them to face zero consequences for being human garbage, and so I was not upset or disappointed when my expectations were met. That’s the “Lower Your Expectations” bit.

The Raise Your Speed bit is simple – watch on FF. Knowing what to expect from a Drama of this sort, I watched most of it on 3XFF, only watching scenes at normal speed that were about developing relationships, whether romantic or familial. All the plotting and scheming and horrid people being horrid scenes I just zipped through. And there was enough of the sweet, the warm and the touching to make this Drama an acceptable watch, under those circumstances. I started this Drama for Bona, having enjoyed her other acting roles a lot (I’m not a K-Pop stan), and she and her arc did not disappoint. The Drama gave me what I wanted because I treated it like a buffet, skipping past all the dishes that didn’t interest me.

If you can’t or won’t watch a Drama with heavy use of FF, or if your blood boils at the thought of nasty people escaping effectively ALL consequences for their nastiness, then don’t watch this. But if you CAN watch on FF, can tolerate the bizarre insistence these Dramas have on letting evil go unpunished, and want some sweet stories along the way, then do check it out.

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A comfy family drama with some fast forwarding

Homemade Love Story was a very comfy watch that was heartwarming with amusing and interesting stories along the way. There are characters both to root for and root against in this drama that keeps you in it until the end. There is also lots of moments that emphasizes the love of having family to support you, even if you are not of the same blood. It was also really nice to see the development of the villains in this this drama learning to be loved and that it doesn't have to feel like the whole world is against them always. It was also great to see that the villains were able to gradually look upon their actions and understand that they were actually bad and do what they can to be good to protect the ones they love. A lot of dramas either have villains go down as a villain the entire way or have them be a villain until the very last episode where for an action show it fits the genre but for family dramas it can sometimes be out of place. Before starting this show, I was undecided about starting it because a 50 episode drama can be a lot to take on but I am glad I made the decision to do so and will remember this one dearly.

Few things I disliked:
1. Both of Bit Chae Woon's moms were nice people but they were both pretty frustrating to watch at times with the back and forth thinking. They probably could have saved themselves a good amount of headaches with some stuff like Soon Jung being truthful a lot earlier than when she finally told the truth and Jung Won understanding that her daughter, who already tried to sabotage Bit Chae Woon early on, isn't someone who can be given the benefit of the doubt. Again, it's a 50 episode drama so they needed to extend the story into that many episodes but it was exhausting with the back and forth sometimes.

2. Seo Ah was a character that had to deal with a lot with so you could somewhat understand why she was the way she was with the pain she felt but even though that was the case it felt that she got off way too easy with the amount of hurt she caused others. She made Bit Chae Woon's and Jae Hee's lives as tough as possible every very chance she could since the beginning of the show. In the end, all that really ended up happening to her was her feeling sorry for her actions and apologizing to Bit Chae Woon and which felt like very little for what she did.

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The first time I ever finished a daytime drama, and that's saying something

My goodness, over 50 hours later, I'm genuinely sad to be leaving this sweet drama behind. While it definitely had its flaws, it never quite managed to descend into some of the most bothersome tropes that have driven me away from the majority of daytime dramas. Endless scenes of conniving in-laws or boring secondary characters that contribute less than nothing to the main plot and ridiculously overblown, over-the-top villain plots that exist purely for shock value aren't really present here.

In fact, the melodrama was shockingly low in this drama in general imho. Every time this character found out about that character's secret and I expected it to be the end of the episode freeze frame with a dramatic love ballad blaring, it usually just kind of...happened...instead. And while this could be called anticlimactic, I found it strangely refreshing when things which could have easily been squeezed for the melodrama progressed in a much more natural, realistic way.

The drama has its plateaus, moments where it become redundant and frustrating, but for the most part, it usually left me wanting more. The pace was really fantastic, not necessarily of the overall plot (because, ya know, 100 episodes) but of individual scenes, which kept things moving even when the plot was a bit slow. I could've done without all of the lying/keeping secrets from loved ones "so they won't worry" and I wasn't a fan of some of the development of the secondary romances (sometimes things got a little toxic for me, or I felt that enough attention was not given to developing those relationships individually). But tbh the lead couple probably would've been enough to keep me watching.

The most fire chemistry in the world? No. The most romantic story arc ever? No. But personally, I couldn't care less. Chemistry is good, scenes are adorable, development was paced well, and my favorite thing of all ~ they were a solid, healthy relationship. Mature and pretty realistic. Yes, they had their ups and downs and just one breakup fakeout (sort of) but it actually felt like it made a lot of sense. The most important thing is that, for the most part, we have two people leaning on each other, talking things through, becoming close friends, being honest with each other, staying true to each other, being steady. This couple rarely let me down and it was extremely refreshing to see the writers prioritize a healthy relationship over drama.

I can't conclude this post without mentioning the family relationships. I'm a huge fan of found family stories and that alone made this drama a delight to watch. Another extremely refreshing thing was seeing the platonic relationships get as much (if not more, at times) attention as the romantic ones. Siblings, parents, friends, so many nice dynamics to enjoy besides the couples, and a lot of touching, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes heartwarming moments along the way. (Helped along by the *gorgeous* OST, I must say)

Honorable mentions: As I said, fantastic OST. A few songs will be staying in my music library forever after this drama. And ACTING. I cannot say enough about the acting, it was literally better than some of the 16-episode dramas I've seen. I partly watched this drama for Jin Ki Joo and she did not disappoint me. The rest of the cast was wonderful as well. Many actors I'd seen and loved in other things, and some I'd seen and *not* loved in other things, yet they won me over completely here. They brought their characters to life, nuances were there, tears always seemed so real and heart-wrenching. A+ for the acting. (Hwang Shin Hye, I'm so sorry for believing you weren't an awesome actress after only seeing you in Legend of the Blue Sea, you are awesome and made your character so relatable and likable, I'm so sorry ~ ).

So. The first daytime drama I actually finished! What an accomplishment, woohoo!! And it's not like I've never tried before, LOL. If that doesn't speak for this drama on its own, I don't know what will.

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Another Family Drama- Good Filler and surprisingly smart characters

In normal family dramas, characters backstab each other, have elaborate plots, and go through struggles. What surprised me about this drama, enough to make me review it was how characters navigated these obstacles. They were quick to pick up on things that were amiss, didn't go with their gut reaction, and started thinking of all possibilities. The drama also evaded some common plot points such as lies told to significant others. Only a few mysteries were long-running, most got resolved sooner than other family dramas.

Overall, its enjoyable. I like using family dramas as fillers and getting a chance to see a kdrama with longer investment into its characters compared to normal 12 or 16 episode dramas.

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I've liked other family drama better

It’s an okay family drama if you have a lot of time on your hands (49 episodes) and nothing better to watch. I liked ‘Seo Young, My Daughter’ and ‘Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life’ better. The plot isn’t complicated, but there’s a mystery as to why adoptive mom ‘stole’ FL as a baby as well as the backstory of all the parents, which takes a long time to develop. The romance between ML/FL also is a slow burn, and ML is one of those annoying guys who’s too nice to flat out tell the obsessed chick and her mother that ‘we’re not dating, I’m not her boyfriend’. Yeah, he tells Seo-Ah, her coworkers and FL that he’s not her boyfriend, but he apparently isn’t firm enough because nobody believes him. This wishy-washiness on his part delays his romance with FL because she keeps hearing conflicting information. He tells her one thing, but everyone else is telling her something else. As a result of this aggravating ‘nice guy’ persona, I would have preferred Hwang Na Ro, the resident black hat (guy up to no good) to be ML. At least, he has a redemption story going on as his ill intentions get up-ended by the love/acceptance he finds at the villa. He actually shows character development while Jae Hee (ML) starts out as a nice guy and ends as a nice guy. Really, there’s no character development of either lead; we just see them dealing with obstacles in their family/work lives. The biggest opposition to their romance is the dog poop stuck to Jae Hee’s foot called Seo-Ah, but that’s his fault for not being firmer. That’s always the problem with these childhood friend relationships – MLs can’t seem to bring themselves to be mean or rude to these obsessed brats. And Seo-Ah is a first class brat - she throws multiple tantrums. She's an embarrassment to womankind everywhere.

The two things I didn’t like about this drama:

1) I would have preferred Jae Hee’s parents to remain separated. I would have liked to see the first love between his dad (Woo Hong) and FL’s adoptive mom (Jung Soon) to finally be realized after so many years apart. I think it sends a bad message to these obsessed chicks for Jae Hee’s parents to get back together. Why? Because it’s saying if an obsessed chick hangs in there and somehow forces/pressures the guy to marry her, then he’ll eventually realize her worth and love her in return. That doesn’t usually happen in real life. Most of these relationships end in divorce as portrayed in this drama. I understand that the Asian culture admires persistence but persistence can easily become obsession as we see in so many Asian dramas in the form of a resident psycho chick who has no self-respect and can’t let go of a man who doesn’t love or want her. I would have preferred to see Jae Hee’s mom become independent and stay independent without a man in her life.

2) I really disliked Hwang Na Ro ending up with Seo-Ah. Despite his ill intentions, he didn't deserve to be matched up with that brat . I couldn’t stand Seo-Ah’s character, even when she finally apologized to FL, and I didn’t want her getting the guy I felt should have been ML. After professing themselves in love with different people, they suddenly fall in love with each other? Ah, why? What did either of them see in each other? Their romance seemed forced as though the screenwriter felt the need to have everyone matched up with somebody at the end. I think it would have been better to see Seo-Ah focusing on her career and maybe going on blind dates (a testament that she's over Jae-Hee) and see Na Ro coming back to the villa after his time to prison, ready to start a new life (that's what he really needed - family love and acceptance - not some bratty cupcake). It just was unbelievable to me that Na Ro and Seo-Ah would genuinely fall in love so soon after being in love with other people.

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Dont bother if you want actions to have consequences

Honestly this was a slog to get through and i basically skipped through half of it.
Started watching it for Jin Ki Joo and stayed for her and few other actors despite how infuriating it was at times.

The female lead started as a bit of a go getter and standing up for herself, that was only the first few episodes though, for most of the rest of the show she just lets everyone walk over her and then forgives everything.
And its not only just her who forgives everything she was basically kidnapped by her adoptive mother as a child, even though unknowingly, Her adoptive mother was coerced by her grandma and with her fathers involvement. All that and more just swept away and forgiven.

The biggest joy of the whole show for me was seeing inapropriately placed product placements. Such as giant subway order during serious scene.

There is a few scenes with brighter moments, but those are overshadowed by all the nonsense.

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A cosy watch

This drama is such a sweet watch! I laughed and cried along with the characters. While 50 episodes is a lot of commitment, you'll become so enthralled by the sory line that you'll want to keep watching.
Really enjoyed how each of the characters grew and developed to become better versions of themselves, especially Woo Jung Woo and Park Pil Hong, these two character's developments were a delight to watch.
If you're lost and wondering if you should give this drama a go, then wonder no more! Give it a go! You'll definately enjoy it and and come to love this large family who reside in Samgwang Villa.

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