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Great acting, story and sharp dialogues lifted this above the rest
This show has been a sleeper for me for a while. When I stumbled across it in Viki I thought, not another rom-com and moved on. I then saw some very positive reviews and got interested. How glad I gave this show a go. It is truly amazing! The acting is great but the writing is the true star. It is both tropey and original at the same time. There are so much content in this show that some of the sub plots could have powered a standard 16 episode drama. The plots all move along in their own space and intersect when required without confusion. The show is a true ensemble. You start with 4, 5 main characters and then more are introduced. They are not just throw away characters either but really fleshed out people with their own back stories and goals and motivations. There are no cardboard characters here, thank you very much. Pacing is spot on. When one plot takes a breather, the next scene amps it up with a complete switch of tone. You just don't know when it will be funny or sad but you will never be bored. The first episode is probably hardest to watch because so much happened but also explained so much of the show's dynamic relationships. At the end of that hour, you would have laughed, cried, be shocked and wanted a hug. You are all in or you are out. Because the show is about the k-drama world, it can get very meta and almost fourth wall breaking but that is the fun! There are so many references to other popular drama series and in jokes. For instance, towards the end, there is a scene of the first script reading of the in-show drama and all the key players are seated around the big table and introduced themselves. What fun the actors would have in real life doing that! That really gave me a chuckle. While every episode is good/great, the last one is a gem. It really took the whole idea to town. In one scene the director and writer sat down to a script review and talked about how their show should end and what should happen to their in-show drama characters/plots. They were saying "the viewers want this and that" or "they won't buy that", were they talking about us?! Are they talking about what we (the actual viewers) want?! So meta! Kudos to the writer-nim for keeping the progress of the story real. There are no magical happy ending(s) but there are positive developments. Some might led to a happy ending but we can't be sure but each key characters are spotlighted so that we have a sense of progression. With that approach, you feel satisfied like a late night ramen that just hits the spot. It might not be fine dining but you will be contended. Oh, BTW, don't miss the episode about farting and the in jokes about PPL. One final comment, as an English speaker, I have to really pay attention while watching, the dialogues are very important and a lot are elevated beyond banter into verbal jostling. They also speak very fast a lot of the time so you have even less time to read the sub (kudos to the sub-titlers, well done!). You can't just put it on in the background and glance at it from time to time. You will miss the best part of the show and probably much of the nuances. Be warned.
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