frommelbtoseoul
Melbourne
This review also appears on: https://frommelbtoseoul.wordpress.com/2020/05/17/review-the-world-of-the-married/
I wouldn’t be the first to say this, but what an epic rollercoaster. The twists and turns of The World of the Married has rightfully landed itself in one of the top viewed dramas of all time, and I am so glad I jumped on the bandwagon right before it completed airing.
There are a lot of elements that work seamlessly together to deliver the brilliance that is The World of the Married. The show nails plot progression, character development and acting performance. There really isn’t much to fault how this drama has played out, from start to end. The drama rides on an intense and fast pace, without ever wanting to stop. The whole time I was watching, it felt like my heart and mind was going to go into overdrive and I kept bracing for the sudden crash. Yet, the show just kept going along with the constant speed, compelling me to hold on for the ride as the characters blindly race through the events of the series. I’ve learnt that I like a drama that is quick to build tension and keep its viewers in suspense, never wanting to look away. I think what I liked best from having the drama be at such a quick pace is that we, as viewers, discovered secrets and lies at the same rate as the protagonist. It made the show feel real, or at least, made me feel like I was there with them as the story progressed. The drama also didn’t hesitate to reveal these secrets to other characters albeit the pain and damage it could create, and I was there for every moment of it because I didn’t want our heroine to have to struggle alone.
I’m aware that The World of the Married is an adaptation of the BBC series Doctor Foster so whilst the plot didn’t have to be created from scratch, the performance from the actors and actresses really helped the drama excel. It’s one thing to have great writing, it’s another to have great performance. The casts ability to display how complex humans are were a highlight to this drama. The characters are all immensely flawed, barely any of them have redeeming qualities and don’t seem to be redeemable, but that’s what makes this show so much better. In that, these characters are relatable. Kim Hee Ae is an absolute standout, living up to her reputation of being an incredible actress. She puts on an impressive act in portraying a woman, struggling to find a balance with her marriage, career and being a mother. I loved her character as our heroine because of how headstrong she is, her ability to go as far as she can to protect what really matters to her and her, somewhat frustrating, inability to take a loss. She’s constantly striving to win, which is something I feel like a lot of people want but never really have the guts to acknowledge or fight for. Park Hae Joon as Lee Tae Hee was also scarily impressive. There was so much wrong with his character and the display of ambition, justification and honestly, some really psycho acts, from him left quite an impression. His character arc, alongside the son, Lee Joon Young, were the most interesting. Whilst one character showed a sense of remorse and growth, the other, so consumed by his own failure and resentment, fails to realise how selfish and pathetic he is. If there was a character I didn’t really care for but played a major part in the drama, it was Han So Hee’s character Lee Da Kyung. Han So Hee played her role well but Lee Da Kyung was never likeable and I couldn’t sympathise or feel any pity for her, even at the end. There’s a lot she did that I couldn’t forgive even if it seemed like her character arc ended in a rather positive note. I mean good for her? Also, I was disappointed though of the lack of ending for my favourite character, Min Hyun Seo, played by Shim Eun Woo. Her role was to support Sun Woo, but then it felt like the drama forgot about her after she served her purpose. Hyun Seo deserved better!
In fact, what I loved the most from this drama using its plot and characters to ultimately deliver strong messages on themes of love and relationships, hate and revenge and being human. I find The World of the Married to be one of the more realistic dramas I’ve watched through its exploration and presentation of these ideas. Of course, the main focus is the break down of Sun Woo and Tae Oh’s relationship, as we discover his betrayal right from the beginning. However, whilst many dramas would have that the characters resent and disconnect from each other, in this drama there’s a rather scarily accurate of how much more complicated relationships between two people who feel strong emotions for each other are. Questions of love, hate, loyalty, betrayal and the act of grief for something that has ended abruptly are thrown in the air and I found myself constantly running these thoughts through my head. I also loved that the show used a number of relationships between different characters to draw distinctions between how emotions can dictate various behaviours, dependant on a person’s nature. How one relationship starts and ends is not always going to be the same for another, even if the circumstances are similar. As well as not all toxic relationships will look the same and doesn’t always necessarily involve physical abuse. The relationship between the characters, Go Ye Rim and Son Je Hyuk’s, is a great example of these points. I actually grew to love these two for what they represented, both together and individually. There’s a lot to learn from them about broken relationships, whether it’s worth repairing, especially if it means risking your own mental health and happiness.
I feel like the numbers really speak for itself when it comes to The World of the Married. Its popularity is well earned and well worth the ride. You would be signing up for a realistic and confronting representation of life and the frightening aspects that it contains. From start to end I was hooked, and whilst I can admit that I’m not a fan of how the drama ended, I do appreciate it for continuing to commit to the realistic representation of life. Strap yourself in tight and get ready to be enthralled.
Rating: 4.5/5
I wouldn’t be the first to say this, but what an epic rollercoaster. The twists and turns of The World of the Married has rightfully landed itself in one of the top viewed dramas of all time, and I am so glad I jumped on the bandwagon right before it completed airing.
There are a lot of elements that work seamlessly together to deliver the brilliance that is The World of the Married. The show nails plot progression, character development and acting performance. There really isn’t much to fault how this drama has played out, from start to end. The drama rides on an intense and fast pace, without ever wanting to stop. The whole time I was watching, it felt like my heart and mind was going to go into overdrive and I kept bracing for the sudden crash. Yet, the show just kept going along with the constant speed, compelling me to hold on for the ride as the characters blindly race through the events of the series. I’ve learnt that I like a drama that is quick to build tension and keep its viewers in suspense, never wanting to look away. I think what I liked best from having the drama be at such a quick pace is that we, as viewers, discovered secrets and lies at the same rate as the protagonist. It made the show feel real, or at least, made me feel like I was there with them as the story progressed. The drama also didn’t hesitate to reveal these secrets to other characters albeit the pain and damage it could create, and I was there for every moment of it because I didn’t want our heroine to have to struggle alone.
I’m aware that The World of the Married is an adaptation of the BBC series Doctor Foster so whilst the plot didn’t have to be created from scratch, the performance from the actors and actresses really helped the drama excel. It’s one thing to have great writing, it’s another to have great performance. The casts ability to display how complex humans are were a highlight to this drama. The characters are all immensely flawed, barely any of them have redeeming qualities and don’t seem to be redeemable, but that’s what makes this show so much better. In that, these characters are relatable. Kim Hee Ae is an absolute standout, living up to her reputation of being an incredible actress. She puts on an impressive act in portraying a woman, struggling to find a balance with her marriage, career and being a mother. I loved her character as our heroine because of how headstrong she is, her ability to go as far as she can to protect what really matters to her and her, somewhat frustrating, inability to take a loss. She’s constantly striving to win, which is something I feel like a lot of people want but never really have the guts to acknowledge or fight for. Park Hae Joon as Lee Tae Hee was also scarily impressive. There was so much wrong with his character and the display of ambition, justification and honestly, some really psycho acts, from him left quite an impression. His character arc, alongside the son, Lee Joon Young, were the most interesting. Whilst one character showed a sense of remorse and growth, the other, so consumed by his own failure and resentment, fails to realise how selfish and pathetic he is. If there was a character I didn’t really care for but played a major part in the drama, it was Han So Hee’s character Lee Da Kyung. Han So Hee played her role well but Lee Da Kyung was never likeable and I couldn’t sympathise or feel any pity for her, even at the end. There’s a lot she did that I couldn’t forgive even if it seemed like her character arc ended in a rather positive note. I mean good for her? Also, I was disappointed though of the lack of ending for my favourite character, Min Hyun Seo, played by Shim Eun Woo. Her role was to support Sun Woo, but then it felt like the drama forgot about her after she served her purpose. Hyun Seo deserved better!
In fact, what I loved the most from this drama using its plot and characters to ultimately deliver strong messages on themes of love and relationships, hate and revenge and being human. I find The World of the Married to be one of the more realistic dramas I’ve watched through its exploration and presentation of these ideas. Of course, the main focus is the break down of Sun Woo and Tae Oh’s relationship, as we discover his betrayal right from the beginning. However, whilst many dramas would have that the characters resent and disconnect from each other, in this drama there’s a rather scarily accurate of how much more complicated relationships between two people who feel strong emotions for each other are. Questions of love, hate, loyalty, betrayal and the act of grief for something that has ended abruptly are thrown in the air and I found myself constantly running these thoughts through my head. I also loved that the show used a number of relationships between different characters to draw distinctions between how emotions can dictate various behaviours, dependant on a person’s nature. How one relationship starts and ends is not always going to be the same for another, even if the circumstances are similar. As well as not all toxic relationships will look the same and doesn’t always necessarily involve physical abuse. The relationship between the characters, Go Ye Rim and Son Je Hyuk’s, is a great example of these points. I actually grew to love these two for what they represented, both together and individually. There’s a lot to learn from them about broken relationships, whether it’s worth repairing, especially if it means risking your own mental health and happiness.
I feel like the numbers really speak for itself when it comes to The World of the Married. Its popularity is well earned and well worth the ride. You would be signing up for a realistic and confronting representation of life and the frightening aspects that it contains. From start to end I was hooked, and whilst I can admit that I’m not a fan of how the drama ended, I do appreciate it for continuing to commit to the realistic representation of life. Strap yourself in tight and get ready to be enthralled.
Rating: 4.5/5
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