TDrama to Watch: Murphy's Law of Love (2015)

Murphy's Law of Love (2015)

Grade: B-

31 Episodes, 40 minutes each
Viewing Platform: Netflix

Psychologist Guan Xiao-tong quits her job at the hospital to become a matchmaking website's “Dr. Love” after her rich boyfriend dumps her for not being from a wealthy background. It's her attempt at shaking Murphy's Law – the curse that “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong” – from ruling her life. Meanwhile, the handsome and aloof entrepreneur Ji Jia-wei opens a divorce firm directly across the street from the matchmaking company, and the two are instant enemies. Their relationship becomes a bit more complicated once one of Jia-wei's employees signs up his boss for the matchmaking service as a joke. Now Xiao-tong must convince Jia-wei to help her since he is the website's most popular new member. Will the love doctor be able to shake the Murphy's Law curse to save her job and enlist the help of the cold businessman? How will Jia-wei's ex-girlfriend impact his budding relationship with the determined doctor of love? And what will the handsome, single chef working events with the matchmaking company have to say about Jia-wei moving in on his longtime, long distance crush?

*A couple plot points felt nearly identical to the Taiwanese drama, “Just You” - mothers abandoning their only child and girlfriends leaving suddenly, scarring the lead man's heart, then both reappearing. This show was a bit more somber than “Just You,” however, with less comedy and fewer lighthearted moments. It felt more realistic yet at the same time less intense – each dramatic plot twist fizzled out because of normal, mature adult reactions from the characters. The first part of the show was fun, but by the last third of episodes, spotting the random, long, single strand of facial hair waving from the middle of Jia-wei's cheek was more exciting than the plot. For whatever reason, I just didn't love the characters, and the idea of celebrating divorce (what Jia-wei's company did) bothered me. There also isn't a strong secondary story line going on, and I felt its absence. The romantic gestures were fun (more than I've ever seen in any one drama), the last episode is sweet, the music/production value seems to be a bit better than “Just You,” and the dog in the show was super cute (a Shiba Inu), so I might watch it again.*