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I like the premise of the story: how a conman ultimately wins the heart of a beautiful but tragically blind girl after passing for her long lost brother in an attempt to scam her money. Oh Young has everything in terms of wealth, but pretty much nothing else when it comes to family, friends, love, career, health, freedom, independence or the simple joy of living. Since this is a romance, we know she will fall in love with the charismatic but heartless Oh Soo, but why? How can she forgive him? does love simply conquer all and bestow healing despite the lies, deceptions and past trauma?
I hated both characters at first. Oh Young's cold personality and rich girl's entitled attitude does not endear me to her initially. But upon learning more about her tragic story one wonders what actually made her want to continue living at all. Gradually, despite or because of her pitiful existence, I began to root for her relationship with Oh Soo, who turned out to have an (almost) equally tragic life and the only salvation for both of them seems to be their falling in love with each other, however improbable.
Oh Soo's story is colorful and a great contrast to Oh Young's. However, after a while I don't care much for the backstory and subplots with the gangsters anymore - and ultimately they make little sense especially towards the finale. However, I liked the determination of Oh Soo to persist in rescuing Oh Young once he has truly fallen in love for her, despite his own troubles and dire future. The emotional moments when our unlikely couple gradually establish their relationship are the highlights of the show. That the initial relationship is based on a lie with an ugly motive and the subsequent and uncomfortable transition from a (fake) sibling love to romantic love somehow added an interesting dimension to the story, which would otherwise be more boring and classical.
The lead actors, Song Hye Kyo and Jo In Sung are excellent. Even though the script lacks subtlety, I feel their performance do convey a sense of conflict, loss, pain, vulnerability as well as joy and tenderness as their characters' attraction for each other grow. Visually, the show is effectively enhanced by the gorgeous cinematography and winter scenery, which I absolutely love.
To me the biggest disappointment comes from the ending. Not so much the outcome as the development and transitions leading up to it. Won't go into details or spoilers but suffice to say many things made no sense or are poorly developed. It's a pity as the characters and the actors deserve better and the story had the potential to be great. As such, I would recommend this show if you like the concept and can manage your expectations to overlook the incoherences.
score 7/10
Hwangkidong 27 June 2020
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5859700/ |
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8-11-2020 22:26:08