Encounter (2018)

Very predictable and little chemistry

7.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2018/2019 South Korean television romance drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.

Cha Soo-hyun (Song Hye-kyo), has lived life in the spot light serving as a poster child for her politician father. Her mother, who sees her daughter as a pawn to further her husband’s political career, marries her off to a chaebol whose family has wealth and power sufficient to support her families‘ political ambitions. The loveless marriage soon falls apart when Soo-hyun’s husband declares he wants to marry one of the women he had been having an affair with. There are conditions to the divorce on both sides, Soo-hyun’s mother-in-law insists she continue to attend family gatherings until her son remarries. Soo-Hyun requests to be CEO of a hotel owned by the family which is on the verge of failing financially. Soo-Hyun makes the hotel so successful that she goes to Cuba to strike a deal to expand her hotel brand. It is while there that she has several chance encounters with Kim Jin-hyuk (Park Bo-gum), who saved doing part time jobs for a fun filled trip too Cuba before returning to South Korea and settling int his career. Soo-Hyun takes an impulsive trip out without her staff to see a highly recommended beach sunset and winds up being pick pocketed and stranded. She asks Jin-Hyuk to help her and they wind up spending a spontaneous and eventful evening together. They planned a good bye meeting the next morning but Soo-Hyun gets delayed and they return to South Korea separately thinking they are unlikely to see each other again. Fate has a say though and Jin-Hyuk’s new job is with Soo-hyun’s company. Differences in age, social class, and her ex in laws and parents desire for her to remarry her former spouse all stand in the way of the developing romance. Can the two overcome all the obstacles?

spoilers** Overall I would characterize this as boring. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t particularly good either. The entire story line was very very predictable. When they were in Cuba it was slightly interesting as it was intriguing knowing neither one of them really knew who the other one was so there was anticipation in that. Also, in Cuba, they were doing some interesting things in that cultural space. When they were back in South Korea there was a moment of uncertainty when it turned out he worked for her and her company and when he had to go to an office farther away. The female lead character had a very “flat” personality. It was supposed to be due to her upbringing but, other than a few more smiles, the character did not change or grow significantly. It made it hard to understand why the magnanimous male character would be so madly in love with her. I thought that her conflict with her ex‘s family would turn out to be a way bigger deal than it actually wound up being. The fact that her father took care of it made the entire struggle leading up to that kind of a mute point. Even their small break up was very predictable and the fact that they got back together even more predictable. If it seems like I’m using the word predictable a lot it’s very intentional there were no major surprises or twists which for me made the story very ho-hum. His mom and her actions is something you would expect within the context of a Korean drama yet I still found it very mean and irritating. I know it’s the American in me that finds the way parents in Korean dramas interfere in the lives of their children annoying. When it is just them disapproving and working on their own child it is one thing but when they harm someone else emotionally it is just abusive. I was disappointed he was not angry with his mom about it. The father was and I liked that. I was glad she finally came around but it was almost too late. Not one I would rewatch or recommend unless someone is a serious fan of one of the leads or just likes very predictable romantic dramas.

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A film script became a drama that works

Initially I dropped this show but came back to it later, and I’m glad I did. There’s a lot that could be better about it, but the heart of it is very good. What interested me was that a film writer (Yoo Young Ah), wrote a drama that filled 16 hours with a plot that could have serviced a two hour movie, and managed to pull it off.

Movies, like short stories, revolve around one basic idea. To try and do more is actually to do less because you don’t have the space to properly explore them. So, here she takes the basic noona/chaebol romance, stripped of any excess emphasis on politics, secondary romances, plot twists (the normal complexities written into long dramas) and plumbs the depth of it. Although I don’t think the characters had enough shade written into them to give them the full three dimensions, Park Bo Gum acted his heart out and gave a a really convincing performance, particularly towards the end.

I doubt there’s anything more than that comment, insightful enough to add anything to the already abundant comments in other reviews.

What my rating means: 8+ A great drama with interesting content and good writing, direction, acting, OST, cinematography. But didn’t quite have the requisite sparkle to bump it into my all-time fave list. Worth watching.

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Light and Sweet

Simple, light and sweet melodramatic romance.
I picked this show because of Song Hye Kyo and was not disappointed.

Not many complications and lame misunderstandings, thankfully. The FL and ML had a pretty strong love for each other. It would have been better if the show had say .. 4-6 episodes less as I felt things getting a little dragged out from ep 11 onwards.

I love the supporting characters. The driver, the secretary and even the ex-husband were all quite likeable. They made the show a lot stronger.

My only complain is the chemistry between the FL and ML. It wasn’t very sizzling and felt a little flat for me.

Overall a recommended watch if you want a light show. Minimal crying, I assure you.

Oh, and it’s a happy ending.

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The actors need to wake up and deliver what they signed up for. I feel like they're too afraid to cross the line, just cause SHK is married and PBG is close friends with her husband. Their kiss for me is the cringiest onscreen kiss ever, it's like kissing a wall. Even the editor knew it too, they showed the back of SHK'S head so many times and a very far shot of the kiss just to mask the god awful kissing scene. There's absolutely no heat between them which is impossible for this drama because SHK is playing a divorcee. Yes, she's a very respectable divorcee but she isn't some virgin. There were already many scenes where they were alone in a room and NOTHING HAPPENED. PBG is playing an innocent unassuming man but he is still a MAN, not some saint. The director needs to get a grip and manage these actors better than this. The lines in the script always say they have deep feelings for each other but I don't see it, so far they've been giving either a sis-bro or mom-son vibe. It's so frustrating because this drama could be good but the actors are holding back which is so unprofessional. All love stories even real ones are filled with lust too. The actors should show us what it's really like when a 30-something woman gets together with a hot 20-something guy. They should take pointers from the male and female leads of Something in the rain drama, now THAT was good acting. But in this one, it's just pretty faces and sentimental lines, that's basically it.

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I see many reviews saying that the drama is very slow and awkward, and I understand it. However, what I don't understand is those reviews are based on people who haven't watched this drama pass 2 episodes, and people who enjoy this, are people who have watched this past 2 episodes. Don't get me wrong I'm not bashing on anyone who doesn't like this particular drama, it's their taste and preferences. The first few episodes are very, very slow as if it was a prologue of a book that contains very few points to the initial plot then driving people eager to read chapter 1 instead. But, I believe the prologue is very important, it paves sets of emotions with the details given, giving a sense of the audience to dive deeper into this story. Similarly, in the first few episodes Encounter does this perfectly. At least give this drama a chance.

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At first I do hesitanting, Park Bogum and Song Hyekyo are classified as A+++ class actor but since I dont really like romance kind of drama. 1st episode I just wowing the entire thing, production house and screenwriter did their best for make a romance story not so childishly teenage love story or overly adult story in another drama just your everyday romance story. I'm feeling Something In The Rain all over again~~ plus realize that Park Bogum begin his flowery 20's age journey and Song Haekyo vampire beauty could win you right away to watch it. The supporting characters are not just for accessories but they could absorb viewers quickly to the story; like how we hate her ex in-laws mom and biological mom, the ex, the supportive secretary and daddy long-legs Mr Nam.

The cinematography SUPERB, every episode did fill a lot of colours. I really love the scene in Cuba, not only took scene in popular site but they tried to picturize the charms of old Havana, the street, the garden, I love it all. The sunset just to give us viewer a description of main character feeling, a warm and happy since both of them not really have an exciting moment in life especially Cha Soohyun her life just like a cold winter and shackles everywhere for our male lead Kim Jinhyuk, he suffers a burden of breadwinner since he is a 1st born male but luckyly he surround by a good family and friends.

The BGM and OST are top rate, when watching I dont know why but my heart beat so fast and happy pheromones leaking. I seriously dont know that Cuba have those beautiful places but after watching these I do want to go there. The sunset so beautiful~~

Btw I'm in awe by Kim Hyeun actress as Manager Kim after play as Park Hongjoo congresswoman in Son: The Guest, she in here play as a single mom who have a lot of love to her subordinates, loyal to Cha Soohyun and the elders; Manager Nam and Soohyun's father.

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Romantic story and that's it

Well I think the show is too long.
I don't agree with most reviews I saw because, for me, it is not a slow romance. The romance is there from episode 1 until the end. But...
Episodes were too long, almost nothing happened, only the way they deal with the pressure of society and family.
PLOT - good original idea but plot was very boring, with very dull Vilans...
Should have developed more the other actors
ACTING - good acting for me.
OST Interesting. It is always good listening Cuban music also
REWATCH? - Don't think so. It is frustrating the pace of the drama, not the love that is present, but the stupid pressure of all the surrounding actors.

The ending? If it is so slow, I think they should have deliver more closure. Also i think they could close the other relationships.
I don't understand why, in simple plot dramas, it is not so pragmatic the ending... Why leaving open relationships?

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was beautiful but could have done more in those 16 hours then this

1 ) I enjoy this drama until few last episodes i skipped them because i really don't understand there breakup at all
2) What with MLs brother this guy is there for nothing i thought they could have developed a 3rd couple with him and MLs bestie but they did nothing for whole 16 hour , they were so focus on Main story that they ruin everything else, side character are there to be used in story but they all look separate from main story even FL's ex-husband was like after 10+ episode he want FL back and was doing so little to get her back like he wasn't serious about that at all or he doesn't value her at all then he try to sack her off from her position which somehow will make her fall for him ? what weird logic was that.

Main story was most focus thing of the Drama without giving any side character any importance
i like main story had watched 2-3 time but after watching it more then once,
i really feel they wasted 3rd couple.....

I don't get the logic of alimony in this drama ,
how she was given a position of CEO as alimony in which she can be kicked out anytime they want ?
should she had received Company stocks, or the ownership of hotel as alimony.

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YOU NEED THIS REVIEW TO WATCH THIS DRAMA!!

FIRSTLY, the description given about this drama in the synopsis is doing the drama BAD. The drama has more to it than just that! Let me start by saying this is not gonna be one of the dramas you watch and regret wasting your time. I started this drama mainly because I'm into Noona Romances. This drama brings out a lot of emotions both happy and sad ones, and also gave me a new insight in life as well. The drama is correctly paced and the most realistic drama I've ever come across in my watching of K-drama's. Many a times when I watch dramas based on life I often wonder "how can this be possible?" or "there's no way this can happen in real life!" even though they aren't fiction or fantasy. This drama left no place for doubts like that and it potrays a very mature and strong relationship between the leads.

STORY: The overall story is quite wonderful! but kdramas always have a plot twist which you never expect. I personally think this twist wasn't really necessary as the drama by itself was going on really well!

ACTING: I couldn't have asked for a better casting than this, both the actor's brought out the life in their characters exceptionally well. For all of you saying the casting is a wrong decision, I would say y'all are blind! SHK and PBG's expressions as well as their acting couldn't have been better!

OST: The OST was a blessing to the ears! Right from when they were in Cuba to the ending . The music coordinated very well with the scenes! and enhanced the ambiance of the situation as well.

The only time when I was disappointed was when episode 13 ended. After that it was kinda unexpected and when everything came back to track the happiness was very short lived. I wasn't able to experience the joy of the drama I felt all along. It would have been better if there was 1 more episode added to it after things got back on track.
But overall this drama is ONE OF THE BEST dramas I'VE seen!
I WOULD STRONGLY RECCOMNED IT!! :)

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I enjoyed watching this show very much, that said it's not as light as I thought it would be, based on the reviews I've read on this site. In fact I think the melodrama tag is completely justified, yes there were no major tragedies, even so there was a melodramatic vibe throughout the entire drama. (melodramatic music, many ppl being perpetually unhappy etc, cinematography)
Song Hye-kyo was really amazing, maybe this was her best acting performance to date. Usually in kdramas I really hate interactions with foreigners, because both the foreign actors (seriously where do they get those ppl?) & the Korean actors speaking English all embarrass themselves so much, that I find it hard to watch, here however the Cuban scenes were surprisingly good. The foreigners spoke English naturally with a normal-ish Spanish accent & our main characters were also speaking like how I would expect a normal Korean to speak English in real life, it was actually believable. The secretary lady & that fat driver were also awesome!

I could go on and on about the positives, but the other reviewers already mentioned all the important points, so I'll just list what I did not like:
1, The ML looked like a female version of Matt Damon. I'm completely used to effeminate looking male Hallyu stars, but this was on another level. (too heavy on the lipstick YO!)
2, There is an insane amount of twisted logic, like that retarded clause ..
3, I didn't like any of the 3 mothers
4, The end of episode 13 was unnecessary & for me that alone made episodes 14 & 15 meaningless fillers.
5, There is that side character that only has one role, which is to recommend that W drink to his coworkers (and to us obviously).
6, The second ML hasn't had a single scene without having teary eyes, I hated his character even without this but ..
7, The ending could've been longer & more satisfying. (still it was ok)

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I dropped this after 8 episodes, before resuming my watch months later.
I thought it became rather stale at that time, but the development picked up quite a bit in the second half.

There's nothing groundbreaking in the story and the writing is pretty average.
What saved this drama was the directing, which elevated the writing above what it was.
Chemistry was very good, which was unexpected for me since I couldn't see it by their visuals alone.
They make quite lovely onscreen couple, SHK and PBG.

I love love love the OSTs. Made way into my playlist which I kept on repeating for quite a while after I finished watching this drama.
Still listen to them sometimes now.

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