Oh, Al-Hambra, the drama that could've been.

When I first tuned in to Memories of Al-Hambra, I was blown away by the visuals and the AR set up. It was a wet dream for a video game enthusiast like myself. From the get-go, it's clear to viewers that no expenses were spared for the production.

Unfortunately, my love did not extend to how the plot progressed. As with this writer's dramas, the more you watch, the more do questions pop up. And when you get to the end, you are just a confused mess. If I could identify the point where things go haywire, I would generously put it at episode 10. The first 6 episodes were drawn out, yet managed to remain enjoyable and relatively logical for an illogical setup. The plot did pick up at episode 7, but I found myself reading recaps after 10. Things started to get repetitive and it's because of the drama's biggest flaw: it's centrality to one character, Jinwoo.

Now, if you are familiar with video games, a lot of them share the same idea where you have one protagonist who goes on a quest and the game basically follows them. The drama followed this format, where everything revolved around Jinwoo and all characters were to some extent, plot devices; Jinwoo is always in action while others just react. I didn't really care for this aspect of the drama. I know it received a lot of criticism, but I actually found it refreshing. However, for a 16 episode drama, it could get quite boring. Imagine watching 16 hours of a character being pushed around, then fighting, then receiving moral support, then upgrading, then fighting again.. you get the gist. It's not a narrative that suits a drama of such length, which is one of the primary reasons why it lost me.

Another reason though would be character development. I actually love Jinwoo's character. As he is the protagonist, the writer obviously took her time to flesh him out. He was flawed, charming, and quite heroic. I really liked his change throughout the drama. You can see his vibrancy, that energy he was bursting with, just being drained away as the plot progresses. Kudos to Hyun Bin who did an utterly fantastic job in his portrayal of a complex character of this sort; it's why I kept tuning in. I wish I could say the same to other characters, or perhaps, the other? " main" character: Hee-ju. The writer herself said that the story was centralized around the male lead, and that she added Hee-ju because of Park Shinhye's casting (I read that a while ago, so apologies if I am wrong, but it explains a lot). For the entire drama, all Heeju did was cry, run, and offer moral support. Hell, Secretary Seo had more of an active part than she did. It was so obvious that her character was an afterthought. She existed for Jinwoo and only for Jinwoo. It was such a shame, because Hee-ju had so much potential as a character, for she was caring and passionate.

Overall, Al-Hambra is a good drama. It had fantastic music, beautiful ambiance, and a great performance by the actions. However, the story would leave you unsatisfied and confused. It's like a cheat day where you are just biting into the cake you've fantasized about, but it's taken away before you eat it. Yes, that's the perfect analogy. Props to me.

Would I rewatch this? Yes. I would definitely watch until episode, say, 8. I do think you should give it a try though; it might end up to be your cup of tea. Just don't raise your expectations.