Manny (2011)
Grade:
C+
16 Episodes
Divorced mother Seo Do-young can't keep a
nanny to watch her two bratty children while she works full time. The
children's father is not in contact with them or sending support, so
Do-young has moved in with her sister, Janice, a successful
businesswoman who runs her own modeling agency. Through a chance
encounter, famous “manny” - or “male nanny” - Kim Yi-han owes
Do-young a favor. Unfortunately the manny was involved with a scandal
during his last job, so all his assets are frozen and he cannot
return to the United States for the time being. Out of her own
desperation to find someone to watch the kids, Do-young asks Yi-han
to move in. Soon Do-young starts to develop feelings for the handsome
younger man, despite his commitment to never become involved with the
mother of the children in his care. What will Janice and the children
have to say if they find out about Do-young's feelings? What happens
when the father tries to come back into their lives?
*Do-young
is a bad mother all around, what with yelling at her children all the
time instead of actually disciplining them and not even trying to
explain things to them. She is also one of those weak, simpering
female characters that cry all the time without stirring any sympathy
on the part of the viewer. Yi-han was handsome, but his character was
somewhat bland, and other times just plain rude to Do-young. I
related the most to Janice's character – strong, driven, and
confident – but even she couldn't carry the show all on her own.
The worst part is the ending (spoiler alert!): what mother goes to
school in a foreign country for two or more years, leaving her
children ages 11 and 6 with their aunt who has a busy career?? Sure,
Yi-han encouraged Do-young to pursue her ambitions because “if the
mother doesn't dream, her children cannot have dreams,” but it's
not okay to just leave your children for a few years to go after said
dream! I would not watch this show again or recommend it to others.
The characters were not endearing, and it was fairly slow overall.*
