A Esposa do Meu Marido (2024)

Un drama à découvrir

Voilà bien longtemps que je n'avais pas été embarquée comme ça dans un Kdrama, romantique certes, mais pas que.
Les acteurs sont au top, tous sans exception. Le couple principal a une magnifique alchimie.
Le scénario est génial et super bien ficelé. C'est une Romcom mais pas que. Certains côtés sombres et policier du scénario sont bien présents, et imbriqué à merveille avec le reste de l'histoire. Toutes les histoires des personnages sont intéressantes, et on a envie d'aller au bout pour chacune.
Pour une fois, je trouve la fin travaillée, et sans sentiment d'inachevé, on apprécie jusqu'à la dernière minute.
Bref, pour moi, il est à découvrir !

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Skipped half the things after 8 episodes

Watched this simply bcoz of the heroine. I love her presence. Many have listed positive aspects. I'll concentrate on boring ones for change. This doesn't mean that I didn't binge watched it in 2 days 😁:

* Things became boring the moment the 2nd female villain entered the viewframe. That actress is boring to look at especially when you compare it to how the two main villains were so refreshing to watch until then. Afterwards their habit of taking clues fr this new villain was too predictive. I get that her presence was meant to indicate ML lead's personal struggle against his fate but she simply comes across as irritating filler after 8th episode.

*Su Min didn't have to have childhood or familial connection to FL for her to have grudge against her. We know that ppl hold gudge and jealousy without any familial connection. This urge by showmakers to connect love or hatred to early years in such blatant way takes you away fr whatever little realism is present in the shows.

* Do all the disapproving grandparents need to use that sound note to speak?

The BEST thing about this show is main 2 villains upto 8th episode. I simply skimmed over the rest of the episodes. Don't have that much patience. Loved the heroine but the actors who played the villain couple stole the show making audience think about all the vile ppl of these sorts they have come across in their own lives

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Interesting premise, decent execution despite a few shortcomings, overall a satisfying watch

SPOILERS
The premise is interesting but also tricky to execute well, and I think for the most part it was very well executed.
I really like the characterization of all of them, but especially Jiwon - she's kind, but not a Mary Sue. It's a little understated what passing on her fate to Sumin actually entails - it's not just "if you want Minhwan so bad you can marry him", she's actively trying to make sure this woman dies instead of her. Not that it's a bad thing, it's fair enough considering Sumin was so eager to see her die, but it makes it clear that Jiwon is not altruistic, her kindness has boundaries and this is reinforced over and over - if someone screws her over, she has no hesitation to screw them over in return.
Jihyuk feels a bit like there's not much to him beyond him being in love with Jiwon, but well he is her allowance so I guess he gets a pass?
Slowly unravelling the many ways in which Sumin has constantly manipulated Jiwon and the people around her to make her life difficult makes it all the more cathartic when she gets her payback.
I really appreciated the direction it seemed to be heading in after Sumin and Minhwan get married, with Jiwon thinking that she has successfully passed on her fate to Sumin but realizing that it's more complicated than that when her situation ends up mirrored to someone she is close to instead. Juran being at the risk of dying better contextualizes what passing on her fate really means and reminds us that fate is not that straightforward and manipulable. It would have significantly weakened the plot if Sumin marrying Minhwan was all it took for Jiwon's fate to be transferred to Sumin. While they did carry this arc to a decent conclusion, I wish they had focused on it more.
I do have a few gripes, mostly with the later episodes. The pacing and structure was pretty good in the first 11 episodes, and then it seemed to devolve into utter chaos. The stakes dramatically went from 0 to 100, while the plot derailed into something overdone and predictable.
Did we really need Oh Yura? She serves a purpose, not just as the one to put things into motion and then take Jihyuk's fate in the end, but also as a way to balance Jihyuk's all-powerful protagonist with an all-powerful antagonist. On the other hand, I've never liked this archetype and she felt even more unnecessary in this story. Her introduction and the escalation she caused felt like a detraction from story that had been set up through the 11 episodes before, and frankly a natural escalation from the events and characters that were already set up would have felt a lot less jarring. The final episode manages to get back on track and give a good balance of action and emotions as well as satisfyingly tie up all the loose ends, which makes up for a lot of the issues I had.
I like that it's Minhwan who gets Jiwon's fate, that after terrorizing and trying to kill the women he had power over multiple times in both lives, he's the one who ends up dead at one such woman's hands. This also means that Sumin gets to live - and be miserable as she watches Jiwon be happy and be unable to do anything about it. For her, this is a fate worse than death. Yura felt too much like a cartoon villain for her life or death to provide any emotional value, she needed to be dead because of the danger she posed and so she had to die - and she took Jihyuk's fate while she was at it and finally made herself useful.
This is a bit nitpicky, but it bothers me that the things that were set to happen over the course of 10 years ended up happening in a few months time. Obviously, they can't stretch it out for 10 years, but it might've been better to go for a more reasonable time frame to begin with, like 2 or 3 years at most. The premise is that things that are destined to happen will happen anyway, and you can only change who it happens to. To some extent it makes sense that their interference may accelerate some events, but it felt like one plot point too many getting preponed by years, especially Juran getting Jiwon's fate 10 years in advance. It also felt a little funny to see the bag and heels ten years before they were originally bought - which would mean that in the original timeline they were outdated by a decade and not nearly as expensive and trendy as they were supposed to be.
Overall, I think the show hit the mark. It has it's shortcomings but they don't hold it back from being a satisfying watch with many powerful and cathartic moments. It's also important to mention the lighthearted and heartwarming moments of friendship, family and romance interspersed in between to balance it out. All of the cast were amazing, and Song Hayoon and Lee Yikyung especially deserve their flowers for playing the antagonists so well. Park Minyoung, as usual, knocked it out of the park. All in all, a good watch.

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Park Min Young's Impossible Dream & Fanfic Request for the Villain

The signature song in the Broadway musical "Man of La Mancha" is The Impossible Dream. It's a complicated context for those unfamiliar with the production, but the main character has gone mad and forsaken his lands and status to pursue a prostitute he thinks is a maiden, to acquire junk that he believes is magical and to battle a knight who, in reality, is a physician trying to get him to regain his senses. The song is meant to be an inspiration to never give up your passions no matter how crazy they may be.

Yeah. Uh, well. Actually...

It turns out that some passions are actually crazy and bad and should not be pursued.

Exhibit "A" is Park Min Young's performance in "Marry My Husband".

Her character, Kang Ji Won, has suffered prior to a time loop, the following:
-abandonment by her mother
-orphaned at a young age by her father
-bullied by her peers in high school
-abused by her manager at her job
-tortured by her mother-in-law
-suffered financially due to her husband's bad investments
-unable to get pregnant because her husband is sterile
-unnoticed by her colleagues
-passed over for promotions
-betrayed by her best friend
-cheated on by her husband
-diagnosed with terminal cancer
-murdered by the betraying best friend and cheating husband

The only misfortunes that Ji Won has not suffered would be a short list. She's not blind. No indication that she's deaf. Baldness? No, she probably got that too thanks to the chemo. Uh, shortness? No. Bonus points to the writers for really kicking this character as low as probably any character has ever been kicked. And then stomping on her just because.

Somehow. SOMEHOW. Park Min Young takes this nearly inexhaustible list of tragedy and what should be a classic fairy tale princess overcoming the odds to triumph over evil kind of character and not only makes Ji Won not very sympathetic and not totally endearing and not an admirable and cheerable heroine but, instead, kind of a evilly stepmothery ice queen. It's such a total flop of a performance that it not merely overshadows, but practically obliterates the wooden and uninspired performance by Na In Woo. On what planet did this production team decide that the damsel in distress should be clomping around in 5 inch stilettos and haute couture fashion in every scene? Why is she so humorless? When there is a ripple of trouble in her relationship with Ji Hyuk, why does she immediately drop anchor and run for the hills? But most of all, when Ji Won is out for revenge and is settling her scores with Min Hwan and Soo Min, it feels like Park Min Young really feels it. She can sell that. But the scenes where she's being nice and friendly and supportive with Joo Ran and Hee Yeon? Nope. No sincerity. No feeling. No sale.

There's some awful performances from other actors too (Lee Gi Kwang, Cho Jin Se and BoA) but it must be pointed out that Lee Yi Kyung is great. Gong Min Jung nails it here like she has in everything. She's deserving of bigger and more demanding roles. Choi Gyu Ri is very fun. Ha Do Gwon is solid. Jung Suk Yong nails his cameo. So while there's plenty of bad here, there's plenty of strong acting as well.

The star, however, is Song Ha Yoon as she is a breathtaking supernova as the dastardly Yoo Min. It is a scintillating villain as a character, but the performance as this character is astonishing. She is extraordinarily insecure and incisively intuitive and to see how these traits twist her and consume her is both a horrifying and entrancing experience. The hope is that somewhere some genius has written a convincing fanfic account of a way in which Yoo Min somehow by some inconceivable multiverse jump, turns out to be the hero. Because that it would be a show worth watching beginning to end and every second in between.

As for "Marry My Husband"? Recommended but only for every moment with Song Ha Yoon. Very not recommended for the rest of it.

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It was good until ....

Feb. 20, 2024

Marry My Husband could have been that A/S-tier Kdrama of 2024. So much hopes and endearment for this drama until it crashed and meticulously added unnecessary plots during its episodes 12-15.5.

As someone who have read the webtoon, I did expect changes to the plot. However, I still believe that even after reading the webnovel version as well. The webtoon is just the best version of Marry My Husband.

Now on the good of the Kdrama version:
- The first 12 episodes were done well.
- Even with the subtle changes of the plot, you can tell that everything was moving at a desirable pace the keeps you hooked until the latter episodes.
- The growth of the characters were also well done during this portion of the series
- The subplots were amazing and were still connected to the main plot. In a sense, that it gives more flavour. More texture to the series. (talking only about up to ep 12)

The bad:
- Yura's subplot single handedly ruined the show for me.
- I personally hated all of her scenes, and it just made me skip everything and put it on fast-forward.
- I love BoA as an idol but oh my god, her acting skills did not help either with Yura's character. It made everything so bland, annoying, like she is not giving anything. Her expression were bland. I just think that maybe if a different actress portrayed Yura, then maybe I would have liked her subplot more. 🤷‍♂️ I still think that Sumin was the better villain and she's all the villain that we needed to be honest.
- The disappearance of the other characters subplot. Yes I am hoping that the kdrama could at least cover the lovestory of Eun-ho and Hui Yeong as well as the female manager who got divorced from her husband. I just wished that at least they followed and gave details like the webtoon did. I feel like these two subplots could have easily outshined and taken over whatever length of airtime that Yura took.

Rewatch quality? Yea of course Ill rewatch this again. Only ep 1-12 then jump ep 15.5-16

Overall feeling I really just wished they sticked to the webtoon version. I could have taken a 14 episodes instead of 16 episodes if that means Yura will be removed from the storyline.

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A delicious, addictive time-travel drama marred by a third lackluster villain

At first glance, Marry My Husband might just be a new addition to the ever growing list of time travel k-drama released this year. However, powerful and electrifying performances from Park Min Young and Song Ha Yoon will keep you running back for more.

The story revolves around Kang Ji Won (Park Min Young) getting killed by her husband Park Min Hwan (Lee Yi Kyung) after she learns he's having an affair with her best friend Jung Soo Min (Song Ha Yoon).

As if by miracle, Ji Won wakes up 10 years earlier and she is now determined to change her life and get back to those who have wronged her. She also gains an unexpected ally Yoo Ji Hyuk, played by Na In Woo and together they execute her revenge plan and transfer her fate to Soo Min.

The blood-boiling villains is one of the highlights of this k-drama. Min Hwan and Soo Min has constantly kept me at the edge of my seat and made me want to choke them through the screen. Every move they make, every word they speak will leave you seething with rage and will keep you rooting for Ji Won. This villanious duo never runs out of tricks up their sleeves.

The first act is over the top and melodramatic with its twists and turns. However, it failed to deliver interesting plots on the last four episodes. The story could have explored more variables regarding the rules of time travel and transferring of destinies to other people instead of adding another one-dimensional antagonist. We did not even get answers as to why Ji Won can easily pass her fate to someone else without any repercussions. It felt like Ji Won and Ji Hyuk can change anything to their heart's desires.

Once Ji Hyuk's fiancée O Yu Ra (played by BoA) took center stage, my curiosity to the show has diminished. She is nowhere near Soo Min's two-faced character whose actions are unpredictable and can seamlessly act kind or wicked as the situation calls for. Yu Ra is just a chaebol who kills people just for fun and to kill time. Her character is not even properly set up and she just came out of the blue.

Overall, this was very entertaining albeit only for its first act. The story is not trying to break new grounds but still strives on being a guilty pleasure watch. However, one thing is for certain—Soo Min will go down as one of the best villains in the k-drama world at par with The Penthouse's Cheon Seo Jin.

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thoughts from a WEBTOON reader

I can’t believe it’s over already. I got used to the weekly Monday/Tuesday release. Now what am I going to do with my weekdays :(

Anyways, compared to the WEBTOON, the show definitely focuses more on romance. In the WEBTOON, it was mainly about revenge THEN shifted to romance, but the show had a good balance going on. It was also more empowering to Ji Won as the webtoon leaned more on Ju Hyeok. I really liked the show’s progression of events and the comedy they added.

All actors were great despite this not being their forte, which makes them very versatile.

Overall, solid watch. It was fun to pass the weeks with.

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More makjang than expected

I read the webtoon, which was rather funny, so I was quite surprised by how makjang this drama adaptation turned out to be. Much of it seems to due to the choices made by the writer and director. It took too long for the female characters to grow backbones. Na In Woo, whom I find acceptable, could have done much better. The best actor definitely was Song Ha Yoon, who portrayed Jeong Su Min. She did a fantastic job of realizing the twistedness of the character. I also preferred the webtoon's treatment of the villains' outcome, as well as the webtoon's depictions of Jihyuk's family. Overall, the adaptation lacked the lightness that balanced out the crazy in the webtoon, a balance that I really appreciated. So watch this knowing that it'll be makjang with unnecessary additions to/deviations from the webtoon storyline, when the original storyline would have been just fine.

AND one more thing. What is with Jiwon's work outfits? An off-shoulder getup to work? A bustier to work? Is she going to a fancy dinner at a luxury hotel or coming into work at a big conglomerate with a fairly traditional corporate culture? Her outfits were such distractions.

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A do-over done right . . With caveats

I think I shall call 2023/24 the Year of Do-overs. Quite a few shows have the lead(s) shuffle off the mortal coil only to come back as the much improved Lead(s) 2.0.

To be fair, if anyone deserves a do-over and right some serious wrongs, our beloved PMY should be at the head of the queue. We are left with no doubt that her life has spiralled out of control and death is a blessed relief.

With her demise out of the way, the show completely changed tone. The FL was confused and stressed for the moment but once she accepted her situation and got her little grey cells working overtimes, she was on fire! She re-evaluated her life from high school onwards and noticed all the red flags she never noticed before. It was obvious in hindsight that she was manipulated and gaslighted constantly by someone with a singular purpose.

The middle section is the highlight for me. It was gratifying to see our OTP join hands and outsmart the antagonists at every turn. Everything seems to be going swimmingly. If you think there is a BUT coming then you have obviously watched too many k-dramas. ;)

Within a few scenes around episode 12, our writer-nim turned all the best made plans of our OTP into dumpster fires. It was makjang with a capital M. Every tropey subplots are dusted off and threw into the witches brew.

I know most viewers will feel aggrieved at this point. The show giveth and the show taketh away. It was as if a switch was flipped. The drama was injecting angst just for angst’s sake.

However, I do see some method to this madness. It largely comes down to the plot getting out of control as more and more characters are introduced which stretched the simple idea of diverting your worse fate to others difficult to sustain without creating a small singularity. I'm sure our writer-nim planned it all along but it was not a good look when the proverbial hits the fan.

With this in mind, the writer-nim basically did a hard reset, allowing her to set the stage for the final confrontation. It might feel like a hack job but the show gets away with it because it is a dark fantasy. Paring back the modern trimmings, it could have been a tale told by the OG Brothers Grimm. Gruesome deaths are far more likely than singing woodland creatures.

Thankfully, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and there is much rejoicing when the inevitable all happened on cue. This leads us to one of the most detailed and sweetest fan service episode for many moons. It is not brilliant writing but the little lumps of sugar just kept coming and we stop caring.

In terms of acting, I’m happy to report that PMY has got her mojo back. As a fan, it pains me to say that her last few dramas were (cough) patchy. It certainly was not on par with earlier shows like Secretary Kim or Her Private Life. While this show is still not up there, they definitely share some DNA.

This is further helped by the acting of the ML and their chemistry. He might not be the classic handsome lead but he more than made up for it with other attributes. He complimented her evolving character well. On the other hand, the antagonists are one dimensional and predictable. That's ok because this is not a convoluted mystery drama, their actions are all laid bare from the start. They are there as focus of our ire, this they managed to do with single minded efficiency.

In the end, I had high hopes and the series mostly delivered. However, it did stumble in the last 1/4 of its run. It almost stole defeat from the jaws of victory. I’m glad that the show recovers and ends well. It was a close call. I gave it an extra ½ point because of PMY. Fight me. :)

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An Endearing Romance Between Two Time Travelers

What started as a revenge saga turned into a “Forever Love Story”.

Personally, I’m a huge fan of revenge stories, especially those with beautiful FL’s who are hellbent on vengeance. “Marry My Husband” serves that revenge piping hot with a casting that take their roles seriously. It helps that the titular role was played by a veteran actress like Park Min Young. As Kang Ji Won, she is reproachful, aggressive and entirely manipulative when it comes to raining hell on her archenemies- namely ex-husband and ex-best friend. It was a gratifying experience least to say; frankly the show depicts adultery realistically. I guess that was the whole premise and intend of this show; to portray the mental and emotional torture that women experience when their so-called better halves cheat on them. It could be Kang Ji Won or Yang Joo Ran (Gong Min Jung); most women spend their lives adjusting to their husband’s crazy whims, unable to express their displeasure. This show will be a welcome relief to those women; it might even help them gather the courage to pack their bags and stage a walk out. For now, let’s review the show in detail!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/02/22/marry-my-husband-series-review/#more-561

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