alexhendrix
Disclaimer: This review reflects my personal views. I did not like the first episode and wrote a review accordingly. If you enjoyed the show, that's great! but this review will likely not be for you.Let's start off by saying that yes, I had some expectations for this show, coming off Lee Jong Won's spectacular Knight Flower and Kim Se Young's fantastic Business Proposal. Going by the show's description, a standard, feel-good rom-com does not seem to be too tall an order, and that was what I was looking for.It does not deliver.The show doesn't seem to know where it's going. It starts off immediately with a fight sequence that features a caricature villain being reprimanded by our female lead, Chae Yong Ju, and immediately it feels disorienting. Yong Ju is spitting brewery adjacent facts -- I personally do not care -- and her whole conduct and getup looks more compatible with some military personnel somehow being stuck with managing a state-run brewery than anything else. The whole scene is infused with forced comedic undertones and establishes next to nothing about our main cast besides the physical capability of Yong Ju. In general, the direction is all over the place. There are attempts at self-awareness with over-the-top gestures and breaking the fourth wall, much like A Business Proposal, but most are jarring and unfunny. Visual effects and sound effects that feel vaguely tongue-in-cheek are planted in a haphazard fashion. There is no clear storyline, or rather, there is no flow to the cinematography, and the story is disjointed as a result, with no sense of direction. Characters are cardboard cutouts with no personality beyond a single descriptive (eg. "happy-go-lucky" new employee, "girlboss" executive) or unestablished like the main characters. No, having a randomly inserted sad past does not equate good characterization. I genuinely have no idea what the male lead, Min Ju, is like. He's playful one moment, brooding the next. His introduction is one of the most egregiously constructed, unbalanced scenes I have ever watched. Happy-go-lucky Chan Hwi greets Min Ju with excessive happy-go-lucky, and Chan Hwi first stands still like a statue, wrapped in brewery equipment-armor, looking standoffish and weary. It seems like we're off to a solid start in the portrayal of an outwardly aloof male lead, possibly socially awkward, who knows? It's a direction, at least. But literal seconds later, there is a head-scratching, BL-evoking sequence of slow-mo, sounds effects (actual heart beat sound effects, no less!), and visual effects, and suddenly, the male lead accepts Chan Hwi and employs him. The dialogue that follows is nondescript and reactionary to Chan Hwi's quirkiness. We're left with a quirky employee and his employer the main character -- *as defined by "his employer"* , as if a main character with a quirky best friend wasn't bad enough.In short, this was as disastrous as a first episode can be. Nothing was achieved outside of the bare bones groundwork of the main leads and secondary characters' professions, and perhaps an off-putting illustration of Min Ju's "mindreading" capabilities that feels misplaced in a show that was not touted as supernatural/fantasy. There is no clear story. There are tonnes of unwitty dialogues and uninteresting monologues on brewing. I am not sure if I will find the capacity to watch a second episode, and I am sorely disappointed that this is my follow-up to two of my recent favourites.Update: So I'm seeing that Brewing Love shared the same director as A Business Proposal? That makes a lot of sense, with the over-the-top comedy and cheeky special effects. It's a shame that the same approach hasn't quite translated to onscreen coherence, let alone emulate the same brilliance.
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- there's a way with dark humor. this is not the way.- this series was touted as a rom-com. this is already headed towards makjang-land. - the tropes. god, the tropes. for a show presented as subversive (reversed ml/fl roles, the abundance of dark humor), how many tropes is the scriptwriter going to cram into the story? we've got a terminal illness (a terminal illness in a rom-com? are we being serious right now?), something that smells like it'll develop into amnesia, a nascent love triangle with bad blood brewing, conniving side character who is constantly picking on fl for no ostensible reason, and fl being blamed for causing a family member's death hence her cold disposition and tense relations with her family. please for the love of god, pick a few elements and make the most of them instead of biting off more than you can chew. case in point: crash course in romance.- and on an additional note, a minor complaint: resorting to lazy directing -- introducing 'english speaking' businesses as elite and grounds for proving your company's worth. - the dark comedy is honestly off-putting at times. the direction did not pull this off. you're only left wondering why the hell the bgm was all playful when fl announced her terminal illness (and thinking it was a gimmick she pulled to make the ml stay -- which would've been a far better way to take the show imo), how the ml is actually rejoicing over the fl's 3-month countdown to death and what in the world is funny about it. the family conflicts are portrayed 'humorously' but again, it falls on its face with how none of it feels really funny. the wayward aunt angle is supremely out of place with the rest of the comedy, too, and feels like it serves no real purpose. - the marriage angle. it definitely feels like the scriptwriter/director wants to showcase different marriages and their different dynamics, but most are hastily built and none feel established, not even our main couples'. perhaps not yet, but as of now, there is still no insight as to how the mains got to where they are right now. as such, it doesn't feel like there is a point to showing all the non-main couple relationships, because we're not even into marriage #1 and can't be bothered with the rest. there is zero nuance in the show's attempt to open up discussion about the concept of marriage.- the characters. everyone except the mains are cardboard cutouts so far, or just not important or memorable enough. and for the fl -- she's set up as this cold, abrasive, super-capable CEO, but she has shown so many instances of unreasonable, ill-advised, or straight-up sloppy decision-making. (1) the demand in ep1 for her husband to disregard the threat of lawsuits to terminate contracts with underperforming contractors -- at least explain why the pros outweigh the cons? (2) the surprise when she learns her ex is a super important representative for the company she's hellbent on getting her hands on. and let's not talk about how she needed saving twice already in ep2? (1) in ep2 when she's meeting with important people from international businesses, she needed a husband to impress the dude (also lazy writing. why not have her defy expectations and prove herself without conforming to the company representative's wishes? that'd be great for character development ; and (2) the convenient onset of misty disease-caused disorientation and ml's timely save??i liked ep1 somewhat, but ep2 dived straight off a cliff and got me rethinking everything good about ep1.
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When the Phone Rings Episode 4
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not much more to say about the overall quality of the drama, this drama continues to be fast-paced and engaging. seriously though, the theme songs are so good (esp saeon's theme!) and i need it like RIGHT NOW. just here to track some highlights:[SPOILERS AHEAD]- WHAT IS IT WITH FISH CHOPPING SCENES?? first the trunk, now when the phone rings. it's an interesting move in this drama, which has previously been romance/thiller/sprinkles of comedy. but props to the direction, production, and editing, the drama works really well rather than feeling like a frankenstein piece.- i really appreciate that heejo's becoming presidential spokesperson signer was well-deserved. i'm tired of the romanticization of nepotism just because it's the main couple and they're pretty. saeon's interference in heejo's job interview was, in an atypical twist, an endeavor to ensure fairness rather than to grant a free pass. this scene also manages to simultaneously advance the main characters' dynamic with a monologue disguised as a test for the translation job. that's a well done scene for you.- the section chief is blatant comedic relief but isn't annoying at all. he has some great moments: while discussing the interviewees with saeon, he asks for saeon's opinion on heejo and mentions that he likes her. saeon belatedly and resignedly responds with, "i like [her]. me, too." this is a nicely constructed moment, because the omniscient viewer can interpret it as a confession. then the comedic touch goes with the chief coming back and saying, 'come again?' and saeon's annoyed dismissal of him. - we have confirmation of the childhood connection. i usually despise this trope, but here it (1) makes sense considering their families' ties and (2) is continuously hinted at, through saeon's attitude (specifically in that wife-swapping deal with heejo's sister) and more explicitly suggested when he says he's known heejo for 20 years.- sae-on finding out that heejo's not actually mute. i sympathize with heejo's outburst on the rooftop, especially in light of her father's recent kidnapping in juxtaposition with being in a hostile rich people gathering. her mother's complete disregard for her father's safety only exacerbated her crumbling mental state. seeing saeon chatting away with the rich kids who demeaned just moments ago became the last straw. the phone call is basically drunk dialing an ex as someone put it, rather than a blackmail call, and we see how saeon's validation and declarations to her via the hacker phone finally break through her defense and pushes her over the edge. we can feel her anguish and heartbreak that he never showed her any affection despite his words to the ostensible kidnapper. while i appreciate the mental breakdown scene per se, i would have liked heejo to have played the cat-and-mouse game more deftly than she did. if she were better at the game, the show could have sustained the strength of the intensity from ep1, where heejo was inexperienced, but made ballsy and creative moves (ie hijacking the hacker phone and using her access to the rich people gathering and backing saeon into a corner). as it is, she's edging closer and closer to the pure and naive kdrama prototype despite her earlier offerings, and i would have preferred the opposite.- saeon's disbelief and incredulity at heejo being able to talk is very nuanced as usual. i think he's a little angry at both heejo and himself, her for hiding it of course, and himself for not finding out sooner as well as not letting her feel like she could confide in him. there's also a little horror in his expression, too. maybe he sees the implications that heejo could be the caller, or maybe it's simply that he missed out on such an fundamental part of heejo, leading him to realize that he might scarcely know his wife at all.[FINAL NOTES]the preview is crazy tempting once again. i cant believe we're getting only 1 episode for two weeks that's fantastic for my mental health 👏👏👏
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When the Phone Rings Episode 3
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ep1 and 2 were absolute rockets of episodes in terms of pacing, intensity, and chemistry. ep 3 slows down a bit and zooms in on the character dynamics, relatively sidelining the thriller and suspense. scenes are more drawn out for this reason, but the fast forward button never looks tempting. there are a few scenes i want to talk about but they obviously contain spoilers.--------------[SPOILERS DIVIDER]----------------[scenes i was less impressed with]- sae-on crashing the lunch. the pseudo double date with awkward and jealous headbutting feels a bit cringey and childish and is just generally not my thing. it was also longer than i would've liked, considering it didn't add too much to the characters or story. side note: im glad heejo immediately caught on to the fact that sae-on creeped on her private conversations under the excuse of scanning for malware.- the carpark scene. it was well done in a thriller context, don't get me wrong, but raises some questions. (1) HOW does the mystery man keep hacking the cars? they can't keep getting away with this! (2) after the remote controlling stops, heejo immediately drives off. IN THE COMPROMISED CAR. idk but i'd be getting the fuck out of that carsome [highlights] - baek sae-on being confronted for not wanting to confirm his wife's mole. it's a typical npc scene to move the romance for the main characters, but this one is actually well done. "he's a pervert, then." the comedic moment is well-timed and well-acted, and the scene continues to give us visual confirmation of saeon's true feelings towards heejo. the melancholy during his admission that he doesn't want to find out, and the resignation when his friend says that he must love his wife.- the motorcade scene ofc. this drama really knows when to cue its theatrical music. saeon's epic theme is SO GOOD. the show also cued it in ep 2's insanely charged moment of "do you want to take it off, or should i?" then following it up with the romantic ballad ost "see the light" after.finally i would like to once again take a moment to appreciate how well yoo yeon suk is portraying baek sae-on's pretty standard dominant ceo character. he infuses a vulnerability and passion to him so well.
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When the Phone Rings Episode 1
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this episode sets the tone of a romance thriller perfectly. you have distinct character settings, a great deal of twists and turns, and red-hot, sizzling chemistry. you know you're in for a makjang, and the show's not going to win any excellence awards in logical engineering, but HELL if it's not going to be cracktastically fun. speaking of, this drama is INTENSE. i'll have to attribute a good deal of that intensity to the yoo yeon-sook's superb portrayal of the good old smoldering asshole ml. beneath that cold, hard exterior, you can just FEEL the passion bubbling beneath and threatening to burst at any given moment. let's also give kudos to the excellent theme music that's always epic sounding and evokes the dramatic atmosphere SO well. bottom line: this drama is immediately addictive and tells you what to expect straight away. it is DRAMATIC and it KNOWS it and OWNS it. you're going to ignore the nitty gritty and sit back and enjoy the drama, mystery, romance, and CHEMISTRY.
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