KDrama to Watch: Oh! My Lady (2010)

Oh! My Lady (2010)

Grade: B+

16 Episodes, 1 Hr each

Viewing Platform: Viki

Yoon Gae-hwa is a divorced housewife and mother in her mid thirties, barely making ends meet since her own mother's cancer and early death used up all her alimony. Gae-hwa does her best with the odd jobs she is qualified for, but housekeeping doesn't pay much and isn't steady work, and she soon finds herself homeless. After begging her ex-husband to watch their daughter for a couple months, she stumbles upon a production company job opening through her temp agency's mistake. The production company offers Gae-hwa a paid internship position, despite her having no qualifications, but with one major stipulation: She has to “bring in” top star Sung Min-woo to be the lead in their original musical! Little do they know, Gae-hwa had just met the young star while fulfilling her temp agency's housecleaning assignment AND discovered an incredible secret about him. Will the housewife be able to convince the cocky star to join the show? What happens when Min-woo's manager also discovers the actor's secret? And how will Min-woo deal with his burgeoning feelings for the older woman thrust into his life?

*I was genuinely surprised at the complexity of the characters in this simple drama. Even my least favorite, the meddling scandal reporter, showed more than one side (albeit for him it took until the last episode). The plot is relatively simple, and each individual scene is at a slower pace than newer dramas, but I enjoyed the whole experience. Choi Siwon is adorable throughout, with a strength and energy that is charming yet unique to his character. Gae-hwa's character felt genuinely older than Min-woo, as she had the confidence in herself that comes to a lot of people in their thirties. I did have a problem with the youngest actress; the character's age was too old for the actress herself. The music was cute though, and it wasn't a totally predictable plot. I'd watch this again.*

KFilm to Maybe Watch: My Little Bride (2004)

My Little Bride (2004)

Grade: B-

Viewing Platform: Amazon Prime

Bo-eun is a 16 year old high school student, dealing with everything that comes at that age – grades, potential first loves, fights with other girls – with one major exception. Her grandfather is demanding that she marry her lifelong friend and senior, the art major about to graduate from college, Sang-min. The two were practically raised together, all because Bo-eun's grandfather and Sang-min's grandfather had made a pact of friendship that their families would one day become in-laws. After falling ill, the living grandfather manages to manipulate the two kids into fulfilling his wish, and they are married! Will Bo-eun be able to keep her marriage a secret from her peers? What happens when she tries to date a boy her own age anyway? And how will Sang-min convince Bo-eun to return his affections?

*Compared to most kdramas I watch, this had a much lower film quality and a very simple, slow plot. All the dialogue felt familiar though, despite the film's age. It was an interesting look at what might have happened in ancient times, when women were often married as young teenagers to older men. Sang-min was a gentleman though. For something that could have been very awkward, it was tastefully done (aside from one scene where Sang-min is watching porn at his newlywed apartment...). It was also interesting to realize just how much older he was – at first I thought he might be 24, but then they mentioned his 3 years of military service, making his character closer to 28 years old for an age gap of 12 years. That means he felt affection towards her as a toddler, preschooler, kindergartner, while he was in high school – it's a very different way to view love, to consider that it could grow along with the object of affection's age. I might watch this again.*