THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

A story of a child abandoned by her mother, who becomes a single parent, raising the child without the knowledge of her ex-boyfriend; a woman who falls in love with a happy-go-lucky policeman, all while being hunted by a merciless serial killer. Is it a slice of life? Is it a thriller? Is it a rom-com? The truth is, it's a little bit of each. But not the usual mish-mash of tropes one would expect from a drama of multiple genres. Its whimsical storytelling manages to warm the cockles of the heart but also makes it race with adrenaline. Indeed, the leitmotif is parenthood, or more specifically the relationship between a parent and child, the sacrifices, devotion and regrets that come with being a parent and the even the stigma around single parenthood. As saccharine as the romance was, it managed to take a backseat to the heart-warming parent-child relationship between the characters. If none of this tickles your fancy, watch it for the laughs, for there's plenty.

The drama doesn't solely focus on the lives of the main leads, but an array of uncanny characters in the equally uncanny little town of Ongsan. The norm for dramas that focus on multiple characters, is that they tend to neglect the main leads and over fixate on a bunch of incredibly banal secondary characters. However, I did not meet a single character in When the Camellias Bloom that I did not fall for. The characters are of varying levels of eccentricity, a truly delightful pack. They're not extraordinary. They're not perfect. Rather, they're all very flawed, very realistic characters, just like regular humans. Isn't it human nature, after all? No one is blameless. No one is impeccable- we may do erroneous things sometimes, but we're not bad by nature. Yong Shik's mother boasts of being tolerant when she's under the impression that her son is in love with a lawyer, but quickly recoils when she realises that it was, in fact, Dong Baek- an orphaned, single mother. She crosses the line by calling Pil Gu a burden, after which she swiftly realises her hypocrisy and changes her ways. The neighbourhood ladies pester and poke at Dong Baek with their prejudice, but come to care for her with sisterly fondness.

Gyu Tae starts as a flirty, obnoxious wannabe social figure, with an inferiority complex, but grows to comprehend his love for his wife and grows out of his immature ways. Ja Young, a highly educated lawyer and self-made woman, slut shames Dong Baek but later befriends her. Dong Baek's mother abandons her not because of the lack of love, but because of the abundance of it. Hyang Mi is a kleptomaniac due to her arduous childhood. She suffers silently and toils selflessly for her brother, despite his thanklessness. I liked that. I liked that no matter how horrendous the characters may have been, they had redeeming qualities. Even the serial killer was difficult to hate.

Dong Baek would have to be one of my favourite female leads that I've watched in a very long time. Often people complain of female leads being weepy, dependant beings whose badassery evaporates as soon as they fall in love. We identify crying with weakness. I'm not faultless either. I would rather cease to exist then let someone see me at my worst. Dong Baek is a paradox. She starts off as a clement, compassionate and timid character, who harbours pain from a motherless childhood and as a result feels scared to fill space. She tearlessly suffers as the resident doormat, blamed for every mishap that happens in Ongsan. Yet, she's not entirely diffident from the get-go. She's someone you would feel like protecting but is, in actuality, entirely capable of defending herself. Her often unexpected zingers and moments of blind fearlessness is testament. As the drama progresses, she learns to let down her iron-clad walls and learns that she's not as alone as she thought she was. Her strength is not necessarily physical. She cannot beat up 50 thugs like Bong Soon or outsmart obnoxious chaebol heirs like Yi Seo. Rather, it's her quiet fortitude, her resilience and her boundless heart that makes her strong. Her slow yet steady character development is a show-stealer.

Speaking of show-stealers, Kang Han Eul is undeniably the superlative. His portrayal of the boisterous, moon-eyed cop with a devil-may-care attitude, a mellifluous cachinnation, and a cotton candy heart and a ChungCheong accent that befits him is so spot on, that I don't think anyone else could have played it better. Dong Baek and Yong Shik's romance is not torrid and sultry. There are no heated kisses or sizzling skinship. It's slow-paced - an affection developing over time that builds into a mutually supportive relationship. They don't love with elan, but with sweetness and light. Yong Shik may look one fry shy of a happy meal, but he is anything but unintelligent. His unadulterated support and understanding towards Dong Baek and Pil Gu, delivered in clumsy words with his charming dialect is so lovable that it made my heart melt one too many times.

Pil Gu and Jung Suk are on the two farthest ends of the age spectrum, yet managed to shine equally. Kim Kanghoon's often mardy, but shrewd Pil Gu is so delightful to watch. He has miles and miles to go with his oodles and oodles of talent. This is certainly not my first rodeo with Lee Jung Eun, who is perhaps one of the most talented actresses in the Korean Entertainment industry. After all, she has an Oscar to her name. She delivers what she promises.

Watching Kang Jung Ryul finagle his way in and out of Dong Baek's and Pil Gu's life was perhaps the most grating part of this drama. He's a douchebag through and through. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to hate him. He is, much like the other characters, imperfect but not damnable. He has his shortcomings, but he manages to grow a backbone and make peace with himself and those around him towards the end. His redeemable quality is that he grows as a person and that's more than you could ask of most people.

I went into this with the assumption that it had 16 episodes. At episode 15, I was ready for a conclusion only to find out I had 4 more episodes to go, at which point I found myself losing motivation to finish it- a predicament which lasted only till the beginning of the next episode. However, this drama did not have a single unnecessary minute- no pointless fillers, fights or fallouts. There is a breakup, but it doesn't feel redundant. Initially, I thought that the editing of the episodes was a little confusing, simply because it was hard to ascertain the timeline of events, but as the series progressed, I grew fond of the way it added to the poignant pacing and storytelling. This is where one would say that they would definitely watch 10 more episodes of this and would even wish for another season. But, I dissent. This drama was perfect in its length and had the most satisfactory conclusion. Surely there's no better conclusion than growing old together. Any further elucidation like their married life or Pil Gu's teenhood would be overkill. This drama made me ponder a bit about the meaning of strength. I would rewatch this drama when in need of some reassurance of my own. It's one of it's kind.