I really loved the premise of this drama — I was sure that I was in store for some emotional healing. And the drama did give us that in the beginning. The best part of this drama is undoubtedly the relationship between Tonmai and Thannam; there was no blaming each other and it really just felt like two people spending the time together they never could.

We were always in store for a little more drama, however; the question of why Thannam committed suicide was treated a bit like a mystery — and that's fine. I think the strongest part of this drama was when they showed just how much Tonmai didn’t know about her life, with the message that suicide doesn’t usually result from one big event or person, but from a lot of little stressors that build up over time until someone can’t handle it anymore.

With that being said, the drama devolves into a story that’s a little too cliche and overdramatic. We have a lot of scenes of parents slapping their children (with pretty bad sound design that actually makes them feel weak and unconvincing but that’s another story lol) and one big plot about one single person — Thannam’s birth mother.

I knew there would be a main plot but here’s where my biggest issue with the show comes in: I just don't agree with its final message. In the end it feels like Thannam’s decade of waiting for a parent who left her “for her own good” — with no goodbye and with no contact info — was treated like a good thing. It should be shown as a toxic relationship and a problematic parental choice, but ultimately Thannam was thanked, congratulated, and rewarded for it.

Since the story went that way, it started feeling like there was a weird emphasis on the irreplaceability of biological family, when I would’ve preferred the drama go the opposite way and show how adopted families, found families, and friends could mean just as much.

I know everything I’m saying here would massively change the entire plot of the drama in the first place particularly in the second half. I do still think there were good parts of the story; there are lessons to be had about forgiveness and closure…but it didn’t sit right with me and thus didn’t have the gut punch they intended.

Other than that, the acting was pretty good. I definitely think Thannam’s actress was the strongest of the bunch, but everyone did a pretty good job. Part of that is just character-wise, Thannam is unequivocally the strongest too. I like Tonmai but he felt pretty passive throughout and wasn’t really as interesting. I would’ve loved for Noina to get more of an intertwined subplot because there was so much potential with their friendship but she ended up just being really annoying.

So there we go. It started out good and was pretty well-written, but ultimately not a story I really supported.