I shall begin by saying that I enjoyed this show. It is not perfect by any means and both the plot and execution is fairly old school but what it lacks in impact is more than made up by its steady pacing and consistency. A bit like an old friend that you caught up from time to time and retell old stories or share some gossips. When I first started watching dramas, this show would have been deemed mediocre and a bit boring. After watching many shows and suffered through some whose sole purpose seem to be to find the bottom of the barrel, my perspective has certainly changed.
As I mentioned before, the plot and characters are fairly old school. Feisty FL paired up with a honest, decent ML. There is the usual push-pull and fake relationship which turned very real in an nice way. It doesn’t try to shock or confuse us but just stick the well-thumbed playbook. I certainly appreciate the consistency. Plots and romances progress just as you’d expect. Characters are true to their personas. There are no whiplash changes or shock twists. If there is a realignment, they are usually for the better. The love lines are sweet and pure. Almost too pure but there are some skinship but not a lot of passion.
Of course, there are plot holes and minor subplots that seemed to lead nowhere, but the overarching theme is always there and unwavering. Most of the enemies became friends, brain usually wins over brawn. Plots are resolved with satisfaction while rewarding the good and punishing the bad. I have to say that there is a little too much emphasis on making money, but it is balanced by using some of that money to do good, so you have to cut them some slack. This emphasis on doing business did cause the middle part of the show to feel samey and a little draggy but it is bearable.
Acting is mostly solid. A few one-dimensional characters and there is not a lot of dynamic range for some roles but the actors play them earnestly so props to them. OST is serviceable.