Melting
Me Softly (2019)
Grade:
B-
16 episodes, 1 Hr each
Viewing
Platform: Viki
Go Mi-ran is a spunky college student
busy helping her family make ends meet in 1999. She most often does
stunt work for a local television program, with visionary Ma
Dong-chan as production director. Dong-chan is always on the lookout
for the next greatest idea when it comes to television, and his motto
is to do what no one else will dare to do. When an opportunity to
participate in a 24-hour cryogenic test hits his radar, Dong-chan
immediately signs up. However, the doctor running the experiment
needs a female participant as well, and Dong-chan finally persuades
Mi-ran to join him in the freezing chambers. What happens when the
doctor receives a mysterious phone call, leaves the lab with only 2
hours to go, and his car is blown up? What will happen to Mi-ran's
and Dong-chan's family as a result of their mysterious
disappearances? Will the doctor's assistant ever be able to finish
his mentor's work and wake up the frozen test subjects, fully restoring them to their pre-frozen state?
*The
premise for this drama is exciting and unique, but it is better
suited for an action drama, not the rom-com it ends up in. I loved Ji
Chang-wook in “Healer” and “Secret Garden,” but this was
definitely not one of his better works. The pacing was different,
with a weird swing between serious drama and lighthearted comedy
several times per episode in the beginning, but the drama really
loses steam and basically fizzles out by the tenth episode. There
wasn't much chemistry between the two leads, either, and minimal character development throughout. The doctor when
he has amnesia was my favorite part. If you like a sci-fi flavor to
your drama but without the action, then this drama is for you! I
probably won't watch it again, though.*
