A promising drama about finding happiness and moving forward pulled back by awful tropes

Finding joys in life and learning to enjoy the many details in things is difficult, and that struggle is amazingly captured in this drama. Three siblings find themselves in a hopeless rut, commuting, working, and barely living. What ensues are antics, attempts, and pledges to live better, more fulfilling lives.

Unfortunately, this drama is plagued by some of the most common tropes in Kdramas. A mysterious character (Mr. Gu) is actually running from mafia-themed problems. This kind of random action genre isn't needed in a drama like this, and is often jarring in terms of pacing and storytelling. Not every mysterious character needs a dramatic backstory like this, and in my opinion he would have been a better character without it.

However, the sisters' arcs are the bigger issue. How can two main female characters have their story arc be resolved by relying on a man in 2022? Yeom Mi Jeong finds solace in having Mr. Gu worship her, and slowly gains confidence from them being acquainted. Her older sister, Yeom Gi Jeong, is worried about finding a relationship, and how to deal with all the emotions she has when she eventually gets into one. Both sisters are built up by their relationships in the end, learning to take life one step at a time. But do we really need both of them to learn this by seeking a man? Yes, you will need to rely on others and their support to get you through tough times. No, you do not need to explicitly have a relationship with those people for that to happen. Frankly, it's just unacceptable for two female leads to still require romance arcs in 2022 to actually learn or do anything.

Overall, the drama is well-acted, and it's pacing is excellent but can be too slow for some. The inclusion of bad tropes though is a huge negative for what this drama could have been. The drama does not live up to the potential it has, and I think it would be more well-received if it kept with the slow-burn slice of life genre throughout the entire show.

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A good drama let down by its marketing and expectations

Thirty-Nine starts as a peek into the lives of 3 middle-aged women who have been inseparable for nearly 30 years, when suddenly one of them receives a terminal cancer diagnosis. What follows is an emotional and often heart-wrenching story about how the bonds you form with others are stronger than the ones you are expected to have, and about the sacrifices and hardships that go into caring for someone so deeply.

The story and acting are often supported by Jeon Mi Do (playing Jeon Chan Young) and Lee Moo Saeng (playing Kim Jin Seok), who are both excellent and often have the most emotional scenes in the drama. The rest of the cast are relatively boring or bland, and often have short story arcs that only serve to wrap up into a happy ending where every character is satisfied.

The marketing for this drama will ultimately be its downfall and why it won't be rated higher. Son Ye Jin (playing Cha Mi Jo) turns out to be the main actress in this drama, despite the descriptions and summaries promoting it as a story about three friends. Cha Mi Jo's story arc is predictable and drags on through the middle of the drama. The other actresses showed interest in Son Ye Jin taking a larger role in this drama since they are both relatively new to the acting scene, but it only takes away from the story. Kim Ji Hyun (playing Jang Joo Hee) took the backseat in this drama, which is a shame because her acting has been great, and her character's story of continuing to live from home into your thirties and working a unsatisfactory job could have been a relatable tone to strike with viewers.

Is this the best drama about friendship? Certainly not. But it is not as bad or poorly written as others make it seem, as long as you do not read or watch anything about the drama before starting it.

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Heart wrenching and beautiful drama about how love isn't guaranteed, undermined by tonal whiplash

What does it mean to be a mother?

The Good Bad Mother explores that question through the relationship between mother and son. An untimely accident causes Choi Kang Ho (played by Lee Do Hyun) to become paraplegic and suffer amnesia. His mother, Jin Young Soon (played by Ra Mi Ran), must once again raise her son through the trauma of their past relationship.

Heartfelt and heart wrenching moments shape the drama, as it explores the traumatic past both mother and son hid away from each other. However, interspersed are some of the worst moments of tonal whiplash I can remember in a drama. Neighbours of the family are caricature hillbillies that are often meant to provide comedic relief. Instead, heartfelt and dramatic scenes will immediately cut to an attempt at comedy. A mom is hiding spousal abuse from their kid and neighbours? Well that's alright because the teenaged daughter is pulling the dad's ear to some lighthearted music right after! The first few episodes suffer from this heavily, with the later episodes toning it down, although not outright removing it. While I appreciate the attempt to be funny, almost all of the comedic scenes don't land, and their timing/placement are so terrible that it draws you completely out of the drama.

This drama could have been a masterpiece if not for the forceful nature of it's comedy. Inclusion of some of the most boring tropes also detract from it's messaging, including characters with amnesia, destined lovers, and political corruption. Ra Mi Ran steals the show in this drama, but even her outstanding performance is not enough for me to recommend this drama.

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