Screenwriter Im Sung Han has returned. One cannot help but be hugely interested in the writerŌĆÖs next work, as she returned from five years of putting her pen down after creating masterpieces such as The Apgujeong Midnight Sun, Princess Aurora, and Miss Mermaid. LetŌĆÖs have a look at what kind of twists and turns Im Sung HanŌĆÖs new work Love: Marriage & Divorce has, as she paved the way for ŌĆśMakjang dramasŌĆÖ along with Kim Soon Ok and Moon Young Nam. (TranslatorŌĆÖs Note: ŌĆśMakjangŌĆÖ refers to stories or plotlines which are extreme, unrealistic, ridiculous, or aloof. This usually includes plot twists such as birth/family secrets, acts of revenge, terminal illnesses, or deaths.)
Boo Hye Ryoung, Sa Pi Young, Lee Si Eun are each in their 30s, 40s, and 50s respectively, and are co-workers at the same radio station. The three are not only successful in their careers each as a radio DJ, a producer, and a writer but they also strongly believe that their families are happier than anyone elseŌĆÖs. However, their husbands Pan Sa Hyun, Shin Yoo Shin, and Park Hye Ryoon are all involved in extramarital affairs, or something like it. Sa HyunŌĆÖs extramarital partner is pregnant and Yoo Shin keeps spending time alone with his stepmother ŌĆŌĆØ Dong Mi, who is not much older than him ŌĆŌĆØ after his fatherŌĆÖs sudden death. Hye Ryoon suddenly asks Si Eun who devoted herself to the family for decades for a divorce saying, ŌĆ£How can you love only one person for a lifetime?ŌĆØ The lives of the three main characters, which were considered happy, slowly begin to fall apart. The first half of the drama (until the eighth episode) focuses on how the main characters struggle with their husbandsŌĆÖ affairs. The plot makes the viewers feel sorry about the three people who learn the secrets of their husbands, and at the same time curse them out for their audacious acts. Furthermore, the show gets exciting as it is not revealed who those other than Yoo Shin are having affairs with, making it dramatic like the ŌĆśWhoŌĆÖs The HusbandŌĆÖ of the Reply series. The problem is that you can feel a significant sense of D├®j├Ā vu within the work. The way the main characters deal with affairs is not much different from the existing works, and at times the plot develops so slowly that you feel bored. Of course, the works of Im Sung Han tend to be progressed calmly. ItŌĆÖs like a food that gives you a subtle and different kind of spiciness instead of a spiciness which makes you lose your mind as soon as you take a bit. However, Love: Marriage & Divorce feels a lot more detached than the writerŌĆÖs previous works. Especially as there have been many dramas that depict the subject of affairs in much more provocative ways, this does not come as shocking as before. This work provides stimulus and shock from the relationship between the characters instead of from the subject of ŌĆśaffairŌĆÖ itself. Such of Yoo Shin and Dong Mi can be exemplified. While Dong Mi was considered to be dedicated, she shows a relieved look while ignoring her husband Ki Rim, who has a heart attack in the movie theater. It also turns out that the reason for her marriage was actually for the son. Yoo Shin also calls Dong Mi ŌĆ£Mrs. KimŌĆØ instead of ŌĆśmotherŌĆÖ as he enjoys a date with her at the amusement park, which is usually considered a coupleŌĆÖs date place. In addition, it is difficult to sympathize with Sa HyunŌĆÖs father Mun Ho who got his dogŌĆÖs name from his first love Dong Mi and treats it more affectionately than his wife, or Hye Ryoung who gets interested in her boss despite being so stressed out at Sa HyunŌĆÖs affair that she threw up blood. As relationships that are difficult to understand are continued, viewers get tired instead of enjoying the show. However, this is undeniably something that is based on peopleŌĆÖs taste in dramas. Though it has already reached 10 episodes, Love is yet to unravel many more stories. While Song Won, Ah Mi, and Nam Ga Bin were expected to be the husbandsŌĆÖ extramarital partners, they were found to have had a past relationship with them in the 9th and 10th episodes. Furthermore, there are more pieces and puzzles to be found, including those about the existence of Yoo ShinŌĆÖs twin brother. The theme of this work which is ŌĆ£How much happiness does God allow humans?ŌĆØ also seems to only be a fantasy at this point. The final evaluation for this work is likely to depend on how the plot is unraveled in the remaining six episodes. Verdict: I say bad things about the show yet cannot stop watching it. The skills of the ŌĆśmakjang expertŌĆÖ are everlasting. (5/10) Editor Yang Young Jun: There is at least one good part in every movie or TV series. A media geek who isnŌĆÖt picky with genres.
