One Shot Scandal (2023)

Crash Course in Poor Parenting

I believe my headline is a more accurate title for the contents of this show which Netflix seemed to have marketed as a romantic comedy. I really looked forward each week to watching new episodes and watched as it came out. Overall, this series is solid and enjoyable but with a few things I didn't like.

While the story of romance is indeed there, you will find early on that the show actually has a darker side plot. Some felt this darker side plot wasn't necessary, and to some degree, I agree. That being said, I did find the side plot interesting as it progressed further and at one point felt I was watching a full-on thriller, no comedy to be found. I was not quite satisfied with how it concluded. I was really hoping the writers were going to go in a different direction with the character involved and to me this is the one of the biggest strikes on the series. It is a complete tragedy that ends up virtually forgotten in the end.

The show also introduces a secondary romance which I felt wasn't necessary late in the game. It definitely felt tacked on.

Going back to my headline, you will find at least five examples of HORRIBLE parenting. Ultimately, I think that is really the main takeaway of this show, especially once you see a key conversation of realization between two of the teens. Some of these horrible parents will be triggering and may be upsetting to watch. One of these horrible parents is really the root cause for the darker side plot as well.

I enjoyed watching the romance bloom between the leads and enjoyed their chemistry. When the comedy was there, it was great. I don't think is a must watch in terms of all the dramas out there, but if you enjoy seeing a fresh romance between a more middle-aged couple and can also stomach some annoying school-obsessed moms and murder mixed in, then by all means give this a try.

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Hilarious main romance, with some other blah stuff

As a rom-com, this is awesome; I love how chaotic both the characters are at the start and seeing how they went from that to gradually enjoying each other’s company.

As a more slice-of-life drama, this show hits the spot as well. The theme of motherhood is really powerful, especially seeing the “found family” aspect between the main female lead and Hae-e. I also loved seeing the different types of families and seeing how academic pressure played into familial expectations in different ways.

And then we get to the other genre: the mystery or thriller or whatever. This part of the show didn’t work for me at all. I don’t think the show was very good at switching between tones, so it was jarring to go from a rom-com scene to seeing a random murder, especially because it felt like show often forgot about its murder subplot; there would be few consequences for things that happened so the tone of the show never balanced itself out.

Other than that, I think there were almost too many threadlines sometimes, and the show sometimes dropped the ball on them, or there were smarter ways to tie storylines together that the drama didn’t think of. For example:
- When Hae-e wakes up, the entire murder plot is already over. It just makes everything feel pretty anticlimactic.
- Su-a, whose arc is about academic competition, should’ve played a much bigger role in the Sun-jae/Hae-e accidental cheating arc. Instead, she just disappeared during these episodes.
- Su-a, who started getting hallucinations about hurting Hae-e, could’ve also played a role after Hae-e’s accident, like not being sure if she’d been involved or not. Instead, her hallucinations just randomly stopped in the penultimate episode.
- Hae-e’s mom comes and causes a rift between Haeng-seon and Hae-e, which they never resolve through communication. Instead, Hae-e’s mom leaves of her own accord and the problem just goes away. I felt like this could've been a really good opportunity to highlight the motherhood theme again.

The second couple romance also feels really out-of-the-blue — it comes in halfway and by then ’d really much rather have the show focus on the familial relationship between him and Haeng-seon and Hae-e, because most of the time he seems to just be…there. There’s no chemistry or depth between him and his love interest, so I think the show should’ve either built up the plot more from the start, or not have done it at all.

Overall, I still had a fun time watching this. Even with the murder aspect, it feels generally low-stakes, and is a light-hearted watch.

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Superb acting by ML ..contrary to thqt of the FL

I just wished they chose a better FL. It is so obvious that she is so much older than the ML and looks more like the mother rather than the romantic partner for the ML. Feels more like a possible maternal, than a romantic, relationship , between the ML & the FL. Plus she has such an irritating character that most times I fast forwarded all the scenes with her ramblings, nosey and angry reactions..and it was so gratifying when the ML told her off on the 1st day he tutored her daughter at their residence, as she was trying to be overly welcoming. It was also
very awkward to watch the FL potraying to be much younger and trying to act sweet and naive.. And her mannerisms and facial expressions are far from appealing that I wonder what is so special for the ML to fall for her...apart from her cooking skills. And when she was drunk and will go round kissing or she tried to make up with her best friend after a misunderstanding and started to shower kisses on her friend....ewww! It was far from cute and lovable! On the other hand, the ML and the other casts did well in portraying their characters, except the irritating mother of Hae Yi ..which I feel her character was over exaggerated, irritating and unnatural (perhaps due to bad scriptwriting). I have no interest to watch any of the sequels, which is a pity, as I like watching the ML , since his performance in Hospital Playlist.

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Achava que só teria romance e aí ele se mostrou muito mais completo. teve mistério, um suspense de leve, mães problemáticas e muito amor. Conseguiram fazer tudo isso se encaixar de uma forma boa demais. Amo muito a minha família nam💖

Amo os casais que se formaram nesse kdrama, gostei bastante do final e de como cada personagem amadureceu, das mudanças. Nem tem como o coração não ficar quentinho.

Bom, o vilão eu já sabia quem era desde sempre porém o que me incomodou foi aquele final que deram pra ele. Ainda não entendo o motivo de terem feito isso, e nessa lista do que menos gostei/mais me estressei não podia faltar as mães doidas que fizeram um inferno na vida de todos, essas partes foram difíceis de aguentar. O bom é que depois vinha alguma cena linda para me acalmar de tudo.

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A fresh drama with a good acting cast.

Recently , Korean dramas have been exploiting genres like melodrama, detective, revenge,... There are too many tragedies and I'm tired of watching the dramas where the main character is always also sad or always in a state of stress. It’s refreshing to find a drama that balances society problems with a lighthearted sense of humor. This drama delivers just that - with an excellent cast to boot. Here is my detailed review.
Plot: This drama excels in its portrayal of school life and romance. The screenwriter’s creativity shines through in the multiple storylines that keep the audience engaged. However, this is also the movie’s biggest weakness - with only 16 episodes, some plot threads are left underdeveloped, such as the serial killer storyline. This left me feeling disappointed with the ending and Mr Ji’s motives were not entirely convincing. His suicide also made the drama lose its lightness. Despite this, I have to admit that the drama builds characters very well. No one is perfect and each character has their own flaws that they work to overcome throughout the drama. Some viewers may find Nam Haeng Seon’s personality annoying and criticize her for being talkative and rude especially with Jae Woo. However, I live in Asia where it is common for siblings to tease and interrupt each other. It’s worth noting that in flashbacks we see Haeng Seon’s mother also hitting Jae Woo on the head - perhaps this is a habit she picked up from her mother. In my opinion, Haeng Seon has the best personality in the entire drama. She shines brightest with her kindness and cheerfulness motivating those around her; just look at those around her and we can see they are all very happy when they are next to her. She is truly the heart of the drama. While there are plot holes and some illogical details, I would still rate plot 7.5 due to its well-developed characters.
Acting/Cast: The director made excellent choices in casting talented actors. The acting is top-notch - I would give it a 10/10. None of the actors felt like they were simply playing a part. In terms of casting, everyone seemed well-suited to their roles. Some viewers have criticized the choice of casting female lead. While it’s true that she may not fit the age of her character perfectly, she delivered an outstanding performance and had great chemistry with the male lead. If viewers can accept a serial killer in a romantic comedy along with several other annoying mothers then why is the female lead criticized so harshly? She’s just doing her job - ultimately it was up to the screenwriter and director who decided to cast her; perhaps they could have made some changes to the script. Personally, I really enjoyed Jeon Do-yeon’s performance even though I haven’t seen any of her previous movies. Even in comedic scenes, her eyes sparkled with life. Overall, I would give acting and casting a 9.5.
Music: The soundtrack is pretty good overall. However, there are 7 songs on the soundtrack but I only regularly listen to a few of them. This is unfortunate for the remaining songs. I would rate music 8.5.
Rewatch value: I think I could rewatch this movie many times, especially for the comedic and romantic scenes. As for the scenes involving the serial killer and the mothers, I would probably skip those. I would rate the rewatch value of this movie an 8.5.
Conclusion: This drama brings a breath of fresh air to those who are tired of recent Korean dramas. It can make you feel happy and joyful. If people aren’t too demanding about the looks or age of the actors and the coherence of the storyline then they might want to give this drama a try as a new experience.

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Still puzzled how to rate this drama. I feel like it was commissioned for the US market but then handed for execution to korean writer and director who never experienced the western world. Can’t say it’s bad, just hit and miss on so many levels!
I tend to either like and binge a drama or dislike and drop it off from the start. This was neither!

THE STORY and EXECUTION :
The hit:
1. It is a romantic story for grownups, you can’t help but like the idea of two single adults falling in love with some “enemy to lovers” basis and “if only I knew” misunderstanding.
2. Very touching and well portrayed story of non biological parenting!
3. Social issue with the demanding education/carrier success in Korea
The miss:
1. Way too dark and weird thriller/murder sub plot….waaayyy too many dead people for such rom-com.
2. Absolutely unnecessary inclusion of the autistic people. So artificial and so out of the vibe. It screams “we must cover either the autism or the racism in order to stream it in the west”….grosssssssssss…….
3. Random explanations of certain korean customs , obviously made to explain to a non asian people why such strange thing may happen in 2023 lol 😂
4. Non of the villains got what they actually deserve! Everything was fixed with a magic wand. If they don’t die miraculously realizing how bad they are, they will magically become saints from now on.
5. Lack of main leads chemistry, the romance was cute but forced to the brim.

THE CAST and ACTING
The hit:
1. All kids were simply perfect! The students’ relationships, love, supposed love triangle and behaviour was spot on!
2. The ML, perfect from start to finish! Including the starved look of the mans body!!! Brilliant!
The miss:
1. FL…period! With my full respect to the actress, she was total miss for this role! I was actually wondering if she is not a last minute replacement. I can write pages how out of the place she was to portray this character. She looks, dresses, acts, speaks and lives like a 45+ ajumma but is playing a 35-ish woman?!?!? I have no issues with age gaps or ones romantic taste , if only they matched her look with her character age….

ATTENTION, Some light spoilers
*I was pushing this drama aside based on the poster and how non appealing the FL was to me, but then decided that she will probably change/evolve as the series progresses. In fact she did, at the very, very end for few short scenes without explanation.
** It is still mystery to me why all evil mothers have to become magically perfect mothers at the end…

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I almost passed on this drama because of reviews that say it was boring, the FL looking too old and homey for the ML, etc. etc. But I gave it a chance, and I was glad that I did. Right of the bat, I must say, that it took some getting used to the style of the drama, particularly not so much as the FL isn't your typical hottie older noona with the unfashionable clothes. But I have to put her wardrobe choice down to its context, and when we see the FL as the unmarried lady, who single-handedly took care of her mentally-challenged brother and her young niece since she was a teen, with very little money to her name, we can see that her lack of fashion sense was befitting. She had no time to be up-to-date with current trends, with so much responsibility in her hands. Kudos to the writer and production team to cast Jeon Do Yeon as Nam Haeng Seon. She was down-to-earth and at the same time quirky.

The rest of the cast were amazing as well, in particular Oh Eui Shik and Roh Yoon Seo as Nam Jae Woo and Nam Hae Yi. The drama carried a hodge-podge of themes: the noona-romance, the bestfriends-turned-lovers trope, a murder mystery, the political machinations behind the private education system, the prejudice towards "lower" social classes, the adverse effects of rumor-mongering, the treatment of those who are mentally-ill.

Some may claim that the FL does not deserve the "princely" ML (because of the disparity in looks and age), but I have to disagree. Choi Chi Yeol was set up since the beginning to be a person who values emotional ties, than superficial ones. He gets teary eyed just from eating the familiar flavors of Haeng Seon's cooking, despite not knowing who the chef is. He rejected the blind date set up for him, even though the woman's qualifications look good on paper and she was easy on the eyes. People bashing on his taste in women is the typical reaction of some fans who took issue with the FL's "unattractiveness."

News Flash: Not every body can look like a model and have a "perfect" personality. I like this drama that is rooted in realism and it is about time that we get more of these type of shows.

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Focuses not only on romance, but family friendship and education

Crash Course in Romance focuses on two major points - romance between a hardworking single aunt/mother and a renowed math professor, education and the ups and downs that every individual goes through the path of education.

The setup was good and initial episodes had good chunk of romance and comedy that we usually see from most of the KDrama, but the last 2 episodes felt rushed and a needless story of a serial killer might have been a painful thing to watch and consume.

The one thing the drama captured very well is the education system. The show captures the sheer desperation and frustration of parents in the form of a group of worrying and conniving mothers, and how they would literally resort to just about anything to ensure their children’s future.

Crash Course in Romance is mostly a fun and sweet watch, despite the contrived killer storyline and hastily done last two episodes that had numerous plot holes. Perhaps watch it for two people being adorable or the reality check on education, or maybe watch it because even if you don’t get mathematics or Korean, it just sounds like poetry when Jung Kyung-ho explains it, hahaha. At the end, a slight bitter feeling remains that the story could have been written better towards the last 2 episodes of the drama.

My Rating : 7.5/10

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Fantastic story with questionable subplots

Dnespite the obvious age difference, I though the FL and ML had great chemistry and hilarious moments with one another. Enemies to lovers is an overused trope for a reason, it’s amazing when it works well. Their reasons for interacting early dispite disliking each other fit perfectly with the tone and plot. Speaking of tone and plot…. I feel very conflicted about how some of the subplots were handled. Withiut spoiling much, let’s just say that people do very bad things without much punishment. The way that certain parents treated their kids was a massive contrast to how the main cast acted. I’m not saying that this portrayal is bad, but I felt someone of the darker subject matter clashed with the tone set very early on. This drama is not afraid to go to some interesting places with its story, I just don’t think it all fit together as well as it could have.

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