Bride of the Century (2014)
Grade:
B- (former grade: B+)
16 Episodes
Chaebol
Choi Kang-joo is in an arranged marriage with Jang Yi-kyung, and he
couldn't care less for his future wife. Yi-kyung's family business
is in trouble, however, and the marriage will save their company. There is a rumor about the Choi family, how the firstborn son's first
wife always dies, but the Jang family proceeds, hesitant but ready to take the risk. Meanwhile, Yi-kyung's half-brother Yi-Hyun randomly
encounters a girl who looks identical to his half-sister. It is then
that Yi-kyung's mother plots to use the doppelganger, Na Doo-rim –
at first as just a one-time stand-in, but later as a sacrifice to the
restless spirit that protects the Choi family (if there truly is such a curse). Will Doo-rim be able
to fool Kang-joo, and for how long? What will the ghost have to say
about all of it?
*This
is an epic-feeling fantasy romance, with lots of humor for the
initial “meet cute” between Kang-joo and Doo-rim. It did drag in
the middle and felt heavier and darker than I prefer, but it has a
good, solid ending, and the soundtrack definitely matches the epic
feel to the show. It's interesting how the generally accepted
cultural belief is that everyone is reincarnated eventually. Also, I
had a hard time taking Kang-joo seriously, simply because I had first
seen the actor Lee Hong-gi as Jeremy in “You're Beautiful,” and
he plays the comic relief in that show. The girl who plays Doo-rim is
pretty adorable, and I think she managed both her roles (as the evil
Yi-kyung too) quite well. I'd watch this again.*
UPDATE FALL 2020: This drama is about 5 episodes too long, with such a slow, heavy, dark pace and several character inconsistencies, that I actually changed its rating! This is the first time I've changed a previous rating for a kdrama. I did not enjoy watching the antagonists try to destroy each other, and one of the "good" characters is actually an adulteress, so it doesn't feel terribly satisfying for her to win. I won't watch this again.
