The Virtual Bride (aka The Eccentric Daughter-in-Law) is a 12 episode KTV drama from the summer of 2015.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Story: A struggling young idol agrees to star in a variety show in order to gain popularity for her and the girl idol group she's a member of. This "fake" variety show involves her going to live and work with the mother of the guy she's "pretend" dating, along with said guy, and their extended family.
This shows stars Kim Dasom (I don't know what her actress name or real life name is, but she's a member of the idol group "Sistar"). I am familiar with Sistar and who Dasom is, but this my first exposure to her as an actress. She has participated in two other TV dramas prior to this, but they were both well over 100 episodes, and I have neither the time nor inclination to watch shows of that length. The first thing you should know about Dasom is that she is SMOKING hot (just like all of her Sistar idol mates). The entire group is built (ahem) to be as sexy as possible, while still trying to exhibit a cute and fun appeal at the same time; go watch some of their music videos and you'll see what I'm referring to. Can Dasom act though?, and, is this show worthwhile?...well, let's find out!
As our story begins, Dasom's character (Oh In Young) makes her way to the variety show set (which takes place in a farm/home setting which prepares various traditional Korean food & sauces for restaurants & other buyers). This is a place that requires you to work hard and get your hands dirty. In Young, however, loves her high heels and skimpy flashy outfits and she's ill-suited for this environment at first. As such, the family she's moved in with disapproves of her right away, but they've agreed to do the show, and if it's well received, their business will prosper (and so will In Young and her idol group & company). Over time, the show becomes popular as In Young fits in a little better, and starts slowly winning over the entire family and their ever discerning family matriarch. And of course, she and her nerdy but handsome "fake show love interest costar" begin to have actual feelings for each other.
You'll immediately notice this show has a pretty low budget. That's OK, but you must compensate for fiscal restraints by having some combination of a good story, solid writing, proper direction, and stellar acting performances. Unfortunately, this show doesn't really do any one of those things very well. You know you're in for some pain and suffering when the first couple of episodes consist mainly of a midriff baring lead having multiple gassy/fart problems, followed by the introduction of several stereotypical self-centered & annoying Korean cinema mothers, followed by a bunch of mama boys that need to grow up, followed by younger female characters who are searching for self-empowerment. YUK!
The second thing you'll notice about this show is that it resembles a long running day time Korean soap opera that's been compressed to 12 episodes and played on fast forward. Almost every scene consists of a one or two minute interaction between one or more cast members, then it's on to the next one or two minute scene. The way it's scripted and framed doesn't help matters either; it consists mainly of a close up shot of Character A reading a single line, then a close up of Character B reading a single line, then repeat some back and forth like this until the end of their short scene. At the end of each scene, someone references or mentions something about a 3rd party not involved in the current scene. Then, cut away to said 3rd party having their own short scene, then continue this formula FOREVER until the show eventually concludes.
Because of how the scenes are written, there never seems to be any personal interaction or meaningful communication among any of the character. It feels like everyone is just reading lines and nothing more. All of the characters involved are supposed to "evolve" over time, but it's a very cumbersome & repetitive process along the way; someone accepts someone, then turns their back on them, then accepts them again; this pattern of behavior is repeated often throughout this show between multiple characters, and, it really becomes tedious and just plain absurd as the show drags on. As a result, this show is severely lacking in any depth, and it fails to ever build any suspense, tension, or momentum.
The cast does what they're asked, and they mostly do OK (but just barely). There are several insufferable performances though, and no standout ones. The cast's star power and /or acting prowess (or lack thereof) isn't the problem here though; where this show fails clearly lies at the feet of the writers and the director. Good K-dramas build towards their climax and include multiple important scenes where you can't take your eyes off the screen, which in turn, engages the viewer to invest in the story, care about its characters, and look forward to the next episode. Sadly, this show doesn't ever accomplish any of this.
As far as Dasom's performance goes, she did all right with what she was given to work with. I doubt she'll ever win any best actress awards, but she could likely make a decent living in this field if given the chance to be aligned with shows that have better stories and some decent writing and direction. Until that happens though, she shouldn't quit her day job with Sistar (which she is excellent at)!
Summary: Unfortunately, I have to drop the hammer on this show; it's neither interesting nor intelligent nor original. This is clearly a project that was just designed to quickly fill a time slot and nothing more. In short, it has no heart and no soul. Don't waste your time with this.
Bottom Line: 4 out of 10 stars!...Not recommended!
