I almost never write reviews, so the fact that this is my FIRST review on this site should account for how much I loved this drama. It's inspired so much emotion and self-reflection in me that I think I've begun to view life differently as a result. This drama is probably going down as my top drama for 2018. I shouldn't have expected anything less from the writer of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, but the fact that she can do just as well, if not better, with a more mature and melancholic topic (whereas WFKBJ was a lighter campus drama) just speaks to how good of a writer she really is.

I think Familiar Wife hits that sweet spot between fantastical romance and relatable reality. Despite the large role played by elements like 'destiny', Familiar Wife never fails to feel like an everyman's story, one that everyone can see themselves be a part of.  Familiar Wife tackles two seemingly conflicting notions about love, showing that they, in fact, go hand-in-hand and complement each other. Should a couple belong together because they are fated? Or because they understand each other, communicate well together? Is compatibility predestined, or nurtured over time after knowing each other? Although Woo Jin and Joo Hyuk are clearly destined together, they still had to put in work to reach a happy place in their relationship. When they didn't, their relationship began to fall apart.

This drama had so many applicable life lessons and such larger than life characters, it was a complete joy to watch them. Characters that started off as unlikeable had such amazing growth trajectories and the situations mirrored real life to such a surprising extent, you could literally see yourself in them. The friendships and familial relationships were so sweet, and every emotion experienced by our characters was so palpable (all credit due to the amazing cast)

I know this drama draws a lot of comparisons to Go Back Couple, but they really are very different when it comes to what they are at their core. Yes, they're both about rediscovering your love for your spouse, but I think Familiar Wife tackles the subject of marriage breakdown more comprehensively and better. It focuses more on the husband and the wife and their relationship dynamics, which I found lacking in GBC, but that makes sense because GBC was more about reliving one's youth and getting closure for things in the past.

Familiar Wife requires a slightly mature and forgiving audience, because these characters are flawed, not unlike real humans. They make mistakes, learn, and make more mistakes - and that's how life works.