This was just a punishing experience from start to finish! Why did I watch the whole thing? Because other reviews said it was a slow burner and I was hoping it would catch fire at some point; it never did. Don't be fooled like I was - this is just unbelievably slow, monotonous, depressing, even unwittingly comical at times and I don't know who or what to blame for it. Was it the one-note performances from the main leads, lacking in light and shade? Was it the ridiculous storyline of adults behaving like primary school kids when faced with an issue, instead of trying to solve it with a bit of smarts like most grown ups do? Was it the unflattering wardrobe, hair and makeup choices? There were so many creative choices made that made NO sense:
1. The female lead acts like the burden of solving all of her family's issues lies with her, when she is only the middle child; while her mother is alive and well and her elder sister too.
2. The FL has no plan to retrieve their family home but only thinks of taking revenge; yet she doesn't even try to take revenge from the person who took her home away and goes after someone related instead.
3. The male lead carries around a bag with a frayed shoulder strap throughout the entire drama, without replacing it with even a cheap one from the market; yet his suit is always neatly pressed, his face clean shaven and his hair perfectly blow dried.
4. The female lead (problem middle child) tells off her siblings for not living their lives to her standards but she doesn't apply those same high standards to herself; like putting herself in the awkward position of falling for her stepbrother.
5. Once her mum re-enters the seen, this loud and o problem child suddenly clams up and decides to just let the real grown ups deal with all the real problems.
These are just a handful of things I can recall but the actual list of sins committed by this drama is much longer. I can understand wanting to create a certain "mood" with the cinematography and art direction but that's not enough to sustain interest. I caught myself drifting off to sleep many times or just scrolling on my phone to keep my mind occupied. It's a pity, because the leads are quite capable and I have seen them do better in other dramas, with a better script and perhaps more empowering direction. The supporting cast give some wonderful performances, especially the stepmother, so it's a travesty that the leads weren't allowed to shine the same. The drama starts off sad and then just gets sadder. The saddest thing is that they only let the lead actor show his wide, handsome smile, right at the end.
1. The female lead acts like the burden of solving all of her family's issues lies with her, when she is only the middle child; while her mother is alive and well and her elder sister too.
2. The FL has no plan to retrieve their family home but only thinks of taking revenge; yet she doesn't even try to take revenge from the person who took her home away and goes after someone related instead.
3. The male lead carries around a bag with a frayed shoulder strap throughout the entire drama, without replacing it with even a cheap one from the market; yet his suit is always neatly pressed, his face clean shaven and his hair perfectly blow dried.
4. The female lead (problem middle child) tells off her siblings for not living their lives to her standards but she doesn't apply those same high standards to herself; like putting herself in the awkward position of falling for her stepbrother.
5. Once her mum re-enters the seen, this loud and o problem child suddenly clams up and decides to just let the real grown ups deal with all the real problems.
These are just a handful of things I can recall but the actual list of sins committed by this drama is much longer. I can understand wanting to create a certain "mood" with the cinematography and art direction but that's not enough to sustain interest. I caught myself drifting off to sleep many times or just scrolling on my phone to keep my mind occupied. It's a pity, because the leads are quite capable and I have seen them do better in other dramas, with a better script and perhaps more empowering direction. The supporting cast give some wonderful performances, especially the stepmother, so it's a travesty that the leads weren't allowed to shine the same. The drama starts off sad and then just gets sadder. The saddest thing is that they only let the lead actor show his wide, handsome smile, right at the end.
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