Plot:
Something in the Rain is about a woman in her mid-30s, Jin-ah, who lives with her parents and manages a coffee franchise. She has a terrible boyfriend, who is both boring and abusive. She comes in contact with her best friend’s little brother, Jun-hi, who is now in his 20s. They end up working in the same building and forming a close friendship, which buds into a relationship. This is an against-the-odds love story, with their age difference and the fact they knew each other through childhood. How will they tell their friends and family? This premise was one I absolutely adored and it had so much promise. Warning: spoilers ahead!
Something in the Rain started so well. I’ve never seen a show portray new love this accurately and detailed. The little expressions as you stare over at your crush. The rush of excitement when you receive a text message. The butterflies were tangible from these characters. It was incredible to watch and I found myself happy crying at their new love. I would rewatch the first five episodes just for that fantastic portrayal. But it all goes downhill from there.
And the problem is, it’s not the usual K-drama downhill. Obstacles were bound to come up; that’s what makes a good drama. This was an abyss of crushed hopes and inflamed hatred for the character of Jin-ah. This woman’s choices were infuriating and made me want Jun-hi to dump her ASAP. She didn’t seem to care about his feelings and defied the boundaries that Jun-hi explicitly stated. She was selfish and prideful and would manipulate Jun-hi when he called her out. This made me want to scrap the show because it was incredibly frustrating. She didn’t deserve this man in the slightest. Jun-hi was the only saving value in this show, but I hated watching him get trashed on by the woman he loved. To be honest, I also ended up fast-forwarding through a lot of the second half of the show. Plot: 4/10
The setting didn’t promote any feeling of excitement, and perhaps that was the point. This drama was meant to be in an everyday setting. You have the offices, the coffee shop, and their homes. However, I didn’t feel connected to any certain space. Other dramas have been set in the everyday and have still managed to pull this off well. An example would be Because This is My First Life or Itaewon Class. I didn’t hate the environment to the point where I felt it ruined the show. It was just “meh” overall. Setting: 4/10
Characters:
Jun-hi was an incredible character, despite his flaw of being Jin-ah’s walking mat. I wish he stood up for himself sooner. He excused so many of her poor behaviors. Not that he wouldn’t speak up about them every now and again, but she had no consequence from him for her errors. It took him to the last few episodes to finally draw the line in the sand. Jun-hi was selfless to a fault. He always put her above himself. He’s funny and sweet and brave. Who wouldn’t love him? Characters: 5/10
Jin-ah’s character on the other hand only plummeted. She started sweet and so incredibly relatable. She needed to be broken out of her insecurity and Jun-hi helped that. Unfortunately, Jin-ah swung the pendulum in the opposite direction. She made one selfish choice after another, not looking out for anyone else’s interests—including her best friend and Jun-hi. Her pride, trusting herself above all else, made me dislike her in the highest degree by the end of the show because of how she treated the characters I grew to love.
Age is just a number. I loved this theme because it really is true. It’s a bit taboo to have a large age difference between couples and it comes with its challenges. However, with the right mindset, anything is possible. I think some of this show displayed how not to go about this (i.e. don’t hide it from your BFF and don’t treat the younger person in the relationship like a less mature individual). Yet it did display that Jun-hi’s maturity outgrew Jin-ha. Don’t judge someone just on a number! Theme: 7/10
This OST included almost all English tracks. The track “Stand by Your Man” by Carla Bruni was a bop! I sang along to it every time it came on. Another one that was often played in this drama was “Save The Last Dance for Me” by The Cats. A rendition of “I’ll Stand by You” by Jake Wesley Rogers was also a highlight. Besides that, nothing stood out. OST: 5/10
FINAL:
This show took me through the wringer. So many emotional lows and a few highs from the beginning. It is a drama I would re-watch the first few episodes of and turn it off before it’s ruined. I would recommend it to a friend who has already watched the better ones out there and needs a bit of a twist. I still watched Something in the Rain to the end but did so painfully. There are better romances out there, but few first episodes that are so good in displaying new love. Watch the first five or so episodes and then stop—that’s my advice! FINAL: 5/10
—-E. Boyd
32 Comments
Completely agree with everything, I wanted Jun-Hui to break up with Jin-ah by the end. I felt so sorry for him and it annoyed me that Jin-ah was incredibly selfish by the end when Jun-hui gave her everything
Let’s be real.. “SOMETHING IN THE RAIN” is very popular and loved by MOST PEOPLE world wide. Not just in Korea
So clearly, the FEW overly judgemental idiots like YOU, is the problem. You got nothing better to do with your life?
Nothing is perfect, and nothing can please everyone. Especially no film or TV series. Something you find great, many others will find it “disappointing” as well. Biased personal opinions.. That’s reality
“SOMETHING IN THE RAIN” wasn’t perfect either. The main OST theme music should’ve been better. Most of the lyrics in that main song just doesn’t fit. And the writing behind some characters felt extremely stupid and overdone. Along with many Korean “cliches”, which is very annoying. “mothers/fathers” or “in laws” being horribly delusional and ignorant Hitlers. That cliche is always too over done in most Korean Tv shows. Feels like a 1980s thing
But SOMETHING IN THE RAIN wasn’t disappointing, since everyone only tuned in and watched the show only because the two main characters and Noona romance. Especially since it’s Jung Hae In and Son Ye Jin. Their chemistry on and off camera IRL is extremely contagious and powerful
So THAT alone made the show quite fascinating, and excellent. Just having them together like that was worth it, and every scene between THEM made the show worth it. Exceeded expectations, because of their chemistry
It’s all about perspective. You can find anything disappointing if you keep on Nit picking and being ignorant or ungrateful. There’s too many flaws in everything
Just appreciate the great moments. Hae In and Ye Jin made this show truly great.. That’s all that matters
The show just desperately needed a 2nd season. Too many loose ends and waste of character development. Many Korean TV series desperately needed a 2nd season, minimum
Wow is the comment by ‘M’ ridiculous. Don’t be so hateful of an honest review, seems more like you have nothing better to do. Everything in this review was completely on point! Except the ost deserved a 2, not great. Especially when her behavior went completely against the lyrics!
Just because lots of people like something does not mean it’s in good taste, there is a whole load of trash TV out there that says otherwise. Haha!!! A lot of people watched this because of Crash Landing…and most I know we’re disappointed to the max.
She didn’t deserve him, she broke every promise she made, waisted their time, broke his heart immediately after swearing loyalty, and then gets him in the end anyway with no effort on her part. The ending was a flop. It never even showed her standing by him after that. For all we know she cracks and blows him off again the next week. Haha
Wow, that’s silly. Throwing hate speech and calling names? There’s nothing ignorant or nitpicky about noticing the obvious flaws in a bad show. Saying something is a great in spite of all the trash is ridiculous. There are far better shows out there. By your methods any terrible show should be praised and celebrated, trophies for everyone!
Don’t eat the ice cream in spite of the bugs! This show was a bust for lots of people!
Also, tons of people, me included, love that Korean shows don’t have a second season. It’s refreshing to not be stuck with one show for ages! That’s one of the best parts. Don’t try and make K dramas be like American shows.
I really love this drama. I think your opinion is too over. Too much expectation. If you don’t like just skip. Bye.
I’m on the second to last episode and I’m pissed. I was getting annoyed with her constantly lying to him and hiding things but I thought she would come around and change for the better. This show makes no sense! She said she couldn’t live without her best friend and now she’s being so disrespectful. She needs to stay single.
Nah, this review is spot on. Jin-ah treated Jun-hi like trash and I was so done with her. How could anyone enjoy her character by the end? She completely took Jun-hi for granted. Totally agree with Namsandong. Don’t say something is good when it obviously cannot compare to other storylines and is poorly written. The best actors in the world couldn’t save this plot. And SUPER agree that K-dramas are wonderful because many do not have a second season that ends up worse than the first. Made me hate American dramas because they end up getting ruined later on.
Although I did love certain elements about this series, I did find it incredibly frustrating. Firstly there were too many episodes with Jin-ah’s mother, horrible woman. I couldn’t understand why she moved into an apartment without telling Jun-hi and then he cleared off to the USA. Her character development was such a letdown in those final episodes.
Here’s my perfect ending:::
Six months (??) after he leaves for the US he returns home, and they meet at the airport, as she is on her way to the US to try and salvage her relationship with him. During that six months they have both had time for some serious reflection. She has worked hard, saved money and has grown into a more independent woman. He too has matured and perhaps not so idealistic.
They soon get married and everyone attends their wedding day accept that impossible mother.
They move to that little seaside village, where Jin-ah works at her friend’s cafe and Jun-hi still works as a graphic artist from home but she encourages him to pursue his dream of being an artist.
Time fast forwards to 3 or 4 years later. He has an art exhibition of his works and is highly successful. Her estranged mother attends the exhibition (in disguise) and soon realises the paintings of two (twins) children are her grandchildren.
In the final scenes, Jun-hi, Jin-ah are having a picnic in their backyard with the children, it’s playful and sweet. Her mother turns up, watches them being a beautiful family, until Jin-ah makes eye contact with her. She isn’t that happy to see her but Jun-hi is the catalyst for the path of forgiveness and healing.
The End.
See it should have been about personal growth, through character development and experience. Forgiveness, acceptance and healing.
Jin-Ah made a lot of baffling decisions. She started so sweet, and was always deeply in love with Jun-Hui, but she becomes less willing to adapt or compromise over the course of the show. I believe the changes were due to her character development, from her obedient child to rebellious adult and finally into the woman she is.
Jin- Ah’s decision not to go to the USA with Jun-Hui becomes difficult to understand when she later turns around and leaves everything anyway when HER FRIEND asked her. Why not with the guy who she loves?
At first, I thought she was angry that he made the decision to go without talking to her. Maybe she felt like he was planning to run away from the situation, with or without her, and that made her doubt his sincerity. That his ego had taken all the bashing it could and he was leaving. I also thought maybe she didn’t want him to be abused and disrespected by her family anymore so she decided to end things to prevent him from being hurt anymore.
But in the end, I felt she was just still trying to be the perfect daughter for an impossible to please, overbearing mother who kept her infantalized. Throughout the show, she wavered between obedient child and independent adult. Near the end, she could not rebel enough to leave her mother completely. She had not yet broken away to become her own person.
By the end of the show, though, she had evolved into a mature adult. That adult however turned out to have alot more in common with her mother than I was comfortable with. She too was pigheaded and unmovable. She must have her way and could be remorseless. And Jun-Hui, like her father to her mother, was devoted and eager to let her have her way. They are likely to have a similar marriage in that respect.
You ending would take away a lot of our pain,over the last episodes,maybe be a script writer.
Totally agree. Everything you wrote was all on point. Conclusion : Yoon Jin-ah doesnt deserve Seo Joon Hee. She’s a constant liar covered herself with customized packaging such as “this is the best for us” – “i dont want to bother you” – “i dont want you to worry about me” – etc etc which all of them turns out become a living hell and gives nothing but highest degree pain for Joon Hee. Joon Hee should get over Jin-ah and find a really kindhearted woman who’s willing to give all of her heart for Joon Hee too. Definitely Jin-ah is not capable to be that woman.
Wow, the second comment is really hateful and aggressive for no reason! Especially considering the fact that I think you are 100% right and some more. I really hated Jin-ah’s character and wished for her to end up alone, or at least I was hoping that she would be the one to take the step forward in the last episode. Yet she never did and it was always Jun-hui who would come to her – I hated that!
Plus, I felt like after they got together everything went downhill in terms of show quality: nothing was happening, everything was incredibly still and I had to FORCE myself to keep watching for something to go wrong. It wasn’t well constructed at all because it’s not normal that the viewer has to wait and go through a whole dull episode to give you time to build up some tension.
Finally, the whole sub-plot of sexual harassment at work really bothered me as it felt like a space filler which didn’t even lead anywhere.
Overall, I was so very disappointed in this show, which is a shame because I really like both actors. However, I think the last straw is that I found they had no chemistry at all – even during the cute scenes, I couldn’t bring myself to care because it felt icky and weird.
So disappointed.
I am one of those people who is not easily influenced by fads and trends, so when a lot people started to become crazy about k pop particularly k-drama, i had to accept i was ignorant and out-of-touch until very recently when out of curiosity, i finally decided to give it a go. Needless to say i was initially really picky on what to watch, so started off with Hi Bye Mama, then Yong Pal, Good Doctor and Crash Landing on You on which i got stuck for a little bit. But it was not until i watched this series, Something in the Rain that changed my perspective and appreciation of K-drama. While, other people told me it’s too early for me to judge when i have not yet watched so many others, i could already say this has been my favourite by far. I could not believe Kdrama would be as close to reality as this one (although there are depictions of conservatism and traditional values to some degree here that probably may no longer exist in most western culture or families). If i were only after a feel-good story, this would not exactly meet my expectation, and yet i was satisfied with how the ending went. Truly the female character Jin-a should not deserve Jun hui’s one-of-kind love and pure intention, but this does not mean, this kind of relationship does bot exist in the real world. The male lead’s character was depicted to be too good to be true, but there are people like him out there who really would surrender themselves to a girl like Jin-a without reason, except love. Anyone can argue that this would not likely be a balanced (or healthy) relationship in the end if Jin-a will not change in her character. But that’s the story. And it’s been highlighted enough in at least 3 scenes where Jin-a recorded a message for Jun-hi thanking him for loving her in the way he does,” that when people love, they should love like him”.
Over-all, i believe in my personal opinion, this TV series was understated. It may not have the higher rating and following from people as other kdramas, perhaps because it is more realistic than others and people watch TV dramas for entertainment or to chill , to break away from stress of the realities of their everyday life. I would love to see them again together in future projects, whatever the story is. ❤️
I loved it 🙋🏻♀️👏🏻 !!!!!!!!!
I thought that their chemistry ⚛️
Was off the charts !!!! Soo Good
Completely agree with you!! This drama started off so good, i liked that it was not like a typical kdrama. It was realistic and went with the flow until the second half. Then it just slided down constantly. I can go on forever with how dissapointed it got in the end but yeah towards the end I completely disliked the leading lady’s character. No character development, no respect for your lover, he was way more mature for her inspite of him being younger than her. The graph went like this 📈 and from second half went downhill📉
I agree with this review COMPLETELY. a review is literally opinion based I don’t understand why people are getting mad for hearing an opinion (which is totally reasonable). loved the beginning up til maybe episode 6 the portrayal of that new romance was so sweet but jin As character was so disappointing she didn’t deserve him fr, she was manipulative and selfish and completely crossed so many boundaries that joon hui made clear not to mention all the lying?????? n then she’d get mad at him and throw him insincere apologies. there was no character development for the mum and the ending just felt incomplete, they just didn’t solve any of the issues the repeat of the past episodes would just reoccur again. And it’s like so what? he’s back n she just took him?????? she didn’t even apologise for her mums words towards joon hui and his sister. i love jung hae in and son yejin but i think her character was badly written. i don’t think the show was terrible I just hated how things turned out and I feel bitter at the ending.
there should’ve been that character development, personal growth, forgiveness and acceptance but there was none of that.
Haven’t finished the whole show yet but I think aside from the romantics etc. the main things are the taboos that are revealed in the series and how ridiculous they are and widely accepted by the society. In this aspect the show is really good at touching those points which is why they are popular in Korea I suppose as they resonant with the daily frustration they have to these social norms.
I’ve watched “One Spring Night” by the same director, same scriptwriter, and starring the same male lead (Jung Hae In). They say those who did not like Something in the Rain had a higher chance of loving One Spring Night, and vice-versa.
He he he, I did watched it too. I guess, it’s more ti blame to the director and writer who runs this story. But ket us also face it that when you are in a critical situation luke this, older than the man, brother of your best friend and other situation aside of being harassed ?!!!… You can be worst position in deciding things. I would say this is more realistic and more to understand that love, life and friendship has some complications. I dont like the part where jin ah keep making mistakes and part that she is older and yet she is more like immature and weak for herself but thats how stories goes and also in reality if this happens in real life , it could be really more worst on the part of the woman . I dont like this drama because at some point the role by YeJin should be diffrent but I ADMIRE here taking and playing this kind of role because somewhere out there on same position and age , it is very realistic. I say this because I married at age 36 and that point you start to act and take whatever last option offered to catch the stage of having someone to love you and build a family. You will even feel all insecurities . I totally realize that this movie have a very more realistic real act and am sorry for those who are disappointed. This drama is more outstanding than you ever knew. The lesson here is the man should all the way be supportive as what happened here because he understood how hard would it be to her than to him . Not all story should be all good but story like this is more real in anyones life . I admire the actress who took this role knowing the other part of the story is a bit annoying but this only shows the actress knew and the director and writer knew how women on this age feel . Younger viewers cant fully understand as this is not prince and a princess story . This is one of the best story that could and have happen in real life and the ending might be even worst to some . Now the actress is married to her first love in real life at her age that mostly women in real life questioned their own self if when she really know and find her man? Her patience for keeping herself decent even is something someone to be proud of . The actress knew well what this movie is all about and why she took the role . We have each opinion and i say i admire the actress so much for taking this role . She knew the part is not something to be like but it is to tell us also in real life to women who are at this age stage really is tough. I am happy abd relieved that the actress now is married.
While the sexual harrassment that happens at CoffeeBay was attempting to piggyback on the #metoo movement, in similar fashion, it is unfortunate that the vitriole expressed here toward the lead protagonist is so quickly lashed out at the female in the narrative. The lawyer who counseled Jin-a on what she would face if she pursued her case was right… she would be blamed for everything and would be labeled the cause of the sexual harrassment she was alleging. That same mysogyny/victim=blaming is playing out right here in all of these comments. Is it possible that Jin-a’s actions were not out of selfishness? Ever heard of “When you love something, set it free?” She did not want Jun-hui to assume responsibility for her. Letting him go so that he could pursue his dreams was the right move. When the same offer was made to him to go to China, he turned it down, because he didn’t want to be without her. The second time, she made sure his move to the US would not be about saving her, because she had already moved out of her parents house on her own. While he may have suffered during their break-up, did she suffer any less, or more? She had to endure all of those rude comments at her brother’s wedding, what with all the women asking why she wasn’t married, and did she feel bad that her brother married before her, and that she was getting old.,, the worst part of all this is that it comes from the women!!!! Women are the first to tear each other down, and this show correctly shows this, at the wedding and in the drama among the female co-workers at CoffeeBay as well. None of them supported her when she was fighting the sexual harrassment issues., yet they too had been victimized. Let’s not overlook the fact that she did go against her family, she did rebel against her mother., she went through a lot. In the end, she realized that her maturation and need to distance herself from her family had to be about asserting her own independence. Her mother was abusive, unreasonable and controlling, and that was never going to change. Her mother would have had her marry some abusive monster, all for the sake of so-called “prestige and honor.’ Perhaps Jin-a made one more mistake by trying to date that work-a-holic that her mother approved of, even after breaking up with Jun-hui. But this just illustrates how deep and powerful her mother’s controlling influence was. Jin-a had to break away from her physically, and psychologically as well. That last foolish choice that Jin-a made was meant to illustrate this fact. She does however, break-up with the work-a-holic who would not get off his phone, and moves away to Jeju Island. Why wouldn’t this be a good choice? Some say she could just as well have gone with Jun-hui to the US. Excuse me, but I didn’t hear a marriage proposal in that offer. She was following her own path. Nothing wrong with that at all. It is easy to forget that Jun-ui’s sister points out that Jin-a was a kind, and generous friend in their early years. Let’s just stop demonizing women who want to assert their independence. A man who does so is mature, self-reliant, and responsible. A woman, on the other hand, is called a selfish-b. Can we make it stop? I loved Jin-a, and I love the actress who played her, she is terrific.
I wish that Carla Bruni song would end! I had to turn down the sound each time!
I did see the entire series! I’d say that to criticize something one hasn’t seen in entirety is just true ~ only of what the critic has seen. Myself, I struggled some to move from some episode to the next. I sometimes loved this character or that one… including many of them. But I felt to have been challenged by what may be a very common quality of human character. Yes, these characters in the story were challenging, but I couldn’t avoid shifting from loving some, hating some. Before long, I started to identify with small aspects of many of the characters. Some things I really disliked began to be just a part of a person’s multifaceted mind, heart, and social life. In order to continue watching, I had to admit that like these characters, I have a mix of characteristics. When I distanced myself from any of them, I grew a bit understanding of the people who didn’t want to have much to do with me. I grew even more able to “share” their strong objections regarding who/what I am.
When I finally managed to see the story to the end, I had to have accepted that fact about extreme aspects of everyone’s character. And at the ending of this story, I felt blessed with their reunion. Within myself it seemed even if I couldn’t erase certain things about myself; things I have trouble living with ~ let alone sharing, I might be able to love and share MySelf with a loved person who also has a Self with many challenging aspects. In short, I’d say loving may well include laughing & fighting, and very beautiful things.
I think you missed the point of the story although it is spelled out clearly. Perhaps you should look it less than a romantic ideal. Jin-a’s so called selfishness is a coming into her own. Her recognition that she needs her own place is a classic archetype. Did you want her to come out of people pleasing mode and then sacrifice her hard won autonomy to appease Jun-hui. That isnt adult love. She explains this to him and he comes to understand it. He wanted to rescue her and this is not the basis of a relationship.
I was very disappointed at the last two episodes. The last episode just was here and there and didn’t really tie up the ending. I would have liked to seen more come out of it it’s like they tried to do a rush job at the end.
I realize this is the Asian culture but I would have left my mother over this. The mother was overbearing, verbally abusive and thedestructiveness she’s has regarding her family. It’s amazing on the family backgrounds how they focus so much on that as if they think that it’s going to be genetic. Honor is the big thing and she did not behave in her honorable manner toward her daughter or the young man. As much as it was hyped up I was a little disappointed in it and the sad fact that she just had to keep lying to make sure everybody was content, happy and smooth.
I agree with the majority of the remarks that the second section was difficult to watch at times. I appreciate the writers’ and director’s efforts to portray some societal concerns in the hope that people will realise and start a dialogue that will eventually lead to changes in the fabric of society. Could such concerns be handled differently? Perhaps.
The overbearing/abusive mother, I personally found that the character put everyone’s emotional sanity to the test, affecting the two main characters the most, due to her unreasonable vision that Joon Hee was not enough for her daughter, simply because he was an orphan and his father abandoned his family.
A ruthless mother character who hides behind the mask of wanting the best for her children. She didn’t have her own life.
The sister, was possessive with Joon Hee and drowned her dissatisfaction in drink, just like Jin-Ah’s father, a pretty awful example of how we may end up if we don’t deal with our emotions properly.
Seung-Ho matured over the series, from a brother who ignored his sister to one who supported her .I admire how he was able to speak up to his mother and tell her certain truths that no one else could.
Jin -Ah was nice and good-hearted, but she didn’t know how to be honest, which harmed her relationship with Joon Hee.I really resent how easily she was able to lie to him, and as another commenter stated, I have no idea why she lied to him about renting the flat. I have no doubt that she adored him, but the relationship is certain to fail unless the flaws of dishonesty and manipulation are addressed. It’s sad to watch how affected Joon Hee was by the whole “you guys should not be dating” chant that people so important in their lives were singing. He was hurt only by seeing Jin Ah in pain, and vice versa. I just thought that since the director was attempting to show us such a wonderful love story, he should have also shown us how to connect with our partners, give space for a dialogue. Overall, I enjoyed SITR, but I would have given the audience an ending worthy of all the anguish the main pair endured, as well as a boyfriend for the sister (:
I chalked this drama up to be a non-rewatchable drama unlike One Spring Night. I consider One Spring Night a wonderful redemption by the director and writer and the only reason I watched Something in the Rain (in hindsight).
The shows invoke many feelings. Even deep frustration for a main character that I have not felt since The Counselor (an American Movie). This show will be memorable as there are things you just remember in a show or movie, when you felt it has done you wrong. Not all dramas are “perfect” and this one has good intentions in my opinion, but I do regret watching til the end. Like the author here wrote, I did have to skip over some things. I do felt it was sloppily tied up and felt it would have benefited better by leaving it as a sad ending. One thing I know is sad for sure is Seo Kyung Sun, Joon Hee’s sister. A sister, abandoned by father, who had to acted in a parental capacity, enduring it all to raise her brother, got no real memorable piece in this drama. Like Joon Hee, she just got stepped all over but unlike Joon Hee has no one by her side at the end, no real justice, and no love. She does not even have a man to standby as her only man and brother is a total simp. A very mature one but a simp nonetheless. In this whole drama, no women stood by their man whatsoever. The song ended up making no sense to me and I’m starting to think it’s meant to be satirical.
Spot on! I ended up despising the character of Jin-a and couldn’t wait for the show to end. The beginning of the show was so beautiful and I really got pulled in to their romance. However, the female character kept making really stupid decisions, going behind the male lead’s back and choosing her pride at a thankless job over her professed love. She was pathetic.
Hum? I just finished watching this yesterday. While I felt the series could have been better, I’d like to speak to the criticisms of Jin-a. Yes, she seemed to lie a lot, but I think much of that was due to her being in an impossible position. She was trying to satisfy everyone and that could not be done. That she realized so late may was a failing, but believe me, it can take way more than 35 years to figure some things out. She may have lied about getting the apartment because she didn’t want Joon-Hee to know an alter his plans. Yes, he would find out eventually. I think that their breakup just before he went back to the US was most telling to me. She could not leave behind her coworkers, especially the younger vulnerable ones. Even Joon-Hee conceded that it might look like she was running away. She had plenty flaws, but I’m distressed by some of the harsh criticism of her. To be honest, Joon-Hee deciding to go back to the US, without consulting Jin-a first, seemed horribly ill conceived and rather selfish. He put Jin-a in an almost impossible position for which they both paid a very high price. I’ve never been to Korea and can’t claim to know Korean society, but the show seemed as much an indictment of Korean society as a love story. So much pain for such poor reasons.
I came here after watching SITR numerous times The first 5 episodes are a perfect description of that first flush of love Sweet bitter tense especially the circumstances I felt breathless tumultuous and then the lack of communication skills and She a different version to her mother The last episode was pathetic After all the wild passion I was unable to understand the timing – how long had he been in the US How did her brother marry so speedily Can anyone someone confirm how long they’d been apart? He will always be devoted to her and he is the love of her life but sadly she is her mothers daughter
As someone new to K dramas I’d iffer a slightly different perspective. The above comments are so interesting and very insightful, and I agree the Director did an excellent job portraying Korean reality as well as a very entertaining love story. Of course the back end of the series was very frustrating cause were hoping to the relationship could find real solutions against complex family loyalty, and certainly for Jin-ah to cut some slack with her misleading behavior toward Jun-hui. The wonderful developing love story was presented with such superb acting. His character fell in love with the otherworldly beauty and charm of Jin-ah, which he mentioned many times and continuously reinforced his love for her prettiness. Like everyone in relationships, strong points tend to eclipse true character in the beginning. Her true character, played brilliantly by Son Ye-jin, was quite flawed, even damaged, right from the beginning, as presented in her incredibly passive self depreciating work life. I think this created an almost impossible obstacle because there was real distance between their maturity, which would require both people in the relationship to slowly resolve out over a long period of time. It’s hard to find a writing device that’s going to quickly fix those kind of character issues in any believable way. Yes she really was her mothers daughter and it was sad to consider such an open hearted approach that Jun-hui ‘everything will be fine’ tried to take, to her almost robotic behavior after so many brutal family encounters with her mother and her best friend. The portrayal of Jun-hui’s father was character writing at its best, not offering us a simple feel good solution. In that regard Jin-ah went out on a limb to try to do the right thing for the man she loved.
Of course I wanted to see them back together but as many of pointed out, sadly the ending didn’t hold up with the integrity of the idea. Based on what we spent 15 episodes viewing there’s no question she would blow him off over the next bottle of wine. He was a nice guy but certainly not saintly, but just committed to his vision of finding a wonderful partner that he could believe in 100%. SITR is really reaching into this idea of a massively unbalanced love potentially resolving itself I think there’s other directions to final few episodes could have gone, instead of using corny devices like chance meeting at the brothers wedding, or him running off to confess his love the final episode moments in a rain storm. That’s a good entertainment moment, but the elements were there, especially after Jin-ah was yelling to her drunken lover, about her shortcomings and frustrations, just before she moved to the island. That beginning of her character development could’ve come sooner for a more satisfying end for our 16 episode conclusion.
Fantastic acting and role commitment was wonderful to enjoy, and it’s no surprise K dramas have such a global reputation.
I know I’m late to the party, but I wanted to way in anyway. I’m not sure if this was the conscious effort by the writers, but they got Jin a’s character spot on. Jin a is an abused person. She has spent her life time with her mother, who is very abusive. Jin a has been conditioned to blindly except what ever a person in authority, says and does. This is evidenced by the constant abuse by her mother and her abusive relationships with men both personal and at the workplace. She allows this because it is all she has ever known. Emotionally stable. Women do not allow men to photograph them in the nude without their permission. The photos that her ex boyfriend have of her clearly show that she was surprised, ambushed, at the time the photos were taken, the fact that he clearly feels no compunction about printing and disseminating those pictures is just one aspect of his abusive nature. Also, an emotionally stable woman would not remain in a job for 10 years where she was being continually sexually harassed.
Jun Hui really has not spent much time with Jin a. He has been busy going to school, serving in the military, finding and working at a job, and working abroad for at least three years.
Jun Hui’s sister knows Jin an inside and out. Having had her own abusive relationship with her father, who abandoned her and Jun Hui, he, she has much more insight into why Jin a behaves the way she does. She is a good friend who puts up with all ofJin a’s behaviors, because she knows that she is dealing with a very injured person.
Jun Hui seems to instinctively understand Jin a’s trauma. He is careful and forgiving, even when she lies to him when telling the truth would be easier. His ability to show her love and affection that comes with no strings. Attached is just not enough to overcome 35 years of constant abuse. To expect Jin a to respond, any other way, shows a distinct lack of understanding of human nature.
Jun Hui’s kindness, and love for Jin a begin to help her heal, but it isn’t enough. Jin Hui asks Jin a to leave with him prematurely. She cannot possibly make a decision like that at that point. She has not done the emotional work necessary to become the partner that can live happily withJun Hui. Through her continuing to work for the company that turns its back on her and piles on more abuse as she tries to work through her sexual harassment lawsuit, she experiences emotional growth. However, even at her brothers wedding she still exhibits victim, behaviors. Her new boyfriend is also somewhat abusive, many powerful men use their positions to deny their partners, emotional support. Jin a doesn’t leave her job because her friend asked her to. She leaves because she has finally won her battle against her company and she needs some downtime and she no longer wants to work for that company. She instinctively realizes that in order for her to complete her healing, she absolutely needs to get away from all of her abusers. Knowing how badly she hurt.Jun Hui, she cannot even entertain the notion that there is a chance for her with him.
This is what makes the ending somewhat satisfying. One can’t help, but hope that the abused woman will find emotional strength and move forward. We want her to be happy. We want to see an end to her suffering. We want to see her being loved unconditionally. And we get that.
Am I the only one feeling this?? Victim Blaming is real…… This show is brutally unforgiving when it comes to that subject. It annoys me so much to see that no one is siding on Jin a even when she NEVER instigated / started anything, its was and has always been the dudes…but her as a female always gets the Major whoop-ass……… the poor thing was just trying to move on juggling between the new boyfriend and the douchebag ex but yet the parents especially the bitch mom is still wanting to sell off her daughter to her two timing asshole ex. Patriarchy AF!! Omg this is so annoying lol We live in the 2023, lets progress and show the younger generation that this is NOT the way to go.