Cele Trei Surori (2022)

It was good but it could have been great!

A solid 8/10 for me.

General Remarks:
Excellent writing, brilliant acting and a suspenseful story that keeps you on your toes.

1. Story about 3 sisters with absentee parents.
2. A mystery surrounding a girl who stole 70 billion won and left it in the account of one of the sisters before she was killed.
3. Main focus is one of the sisters trying to find out what happened to her friend and why she was killed.
4. Characters mysteriously being killed and willing to go to their graves to find this stolen money.
5. The interconnected storylines and drama in each of the sister's and their enemies lives.
6. Mystery behind the blue ghost orchid and the people wrapped up in a society that pledges their lives to it.

Let's start with the positives:

I really enjoyed the storylines of all the sisters. I felt like In Joo and In Kyung always had to be so strong for In Hye and tried their best to take care of and provide for In Hye because of again. absent parents.

I thought the plot was amazing and unlike any other drama I had ever seen or watched. I didn't know so much about orchids and I thought it was refreshing to see a show centered around a rare species of orchid (the orchid of death) and the whole group of people wrapped up in the organization.

I found In Joo battling what to do with all that money to be a realistic portrayal because really and truly most persons wouldn't know where to begin if that amount of money somehow fell into their hands.

I like how everyone's storyline became interconnected and it was like each character was serving a greater purpose in Song-A's "play" of sorts. They were all like her little dolls and she basically called all the shots. At first I was led to believe that she was being forced and coerced by Park Jae Sang but soon it became apparent that everything she was doing was a ruse. She believed herself to be an actress and presented herself differently to each person. Each person was treated like a new canvas or stage of sorts.

Personally I think Sang A was the most interesting character because she was a truly evil serial killer / psychopath. She had no qualms or regard for other people or their feelings (typical sociopath behavior). Finally, a villain being a true villain without any regretful backstory as to why they became that way. Song A was just born that way and though they tried to justify her actions by saying she killed her mom on accident and was living with the guilt and the trauma in her "closed room" (ie. the door that she never opened) Imo her recreating that tragedy was sooooo sick and I loved every minute of it. She was downright horrible and at a point I believed she was going to try and take everything away from both In Joo and In Kyung. I thought In Hye would have never escaped her and she was gonna get rid of Hyo Rin and mold In Hye in her image – creating the perfect daughter. Thank god that didn't happen though!

In Joo and Do Il left much to be wanted at the end – I am disappointed that we did't even get a kiss or a hug lol! The chemistry was there and despite everything they went through you could feel the sheer care they developed for one another. They may not have ended up together but I believe important lessons we learned. No amount of money in the world could make In Joo happy / satisfied and that she would give it all up in a heart beat to protect her sisters and the people she truly loves and cares about. Through In Joo, Do Il too realized that there are some people worth fighting for and more important than money.

I never thought In Kyung would give Jong Ho a chance but I lwas literally so happy at the end when they finally got together and admitted their feelings for one another.

Though In Hye was a really complicated character I thought her message at the end was sweet and behind her depressive and cold hearted exterior was a troubled teenager with a heart. She did care for In Joo and In Kyung but just had a sh*tty way of showing it. Her message to her sisters was sweet and I could kind of understand her reasoning for being distant and wanting to find herself first before appearing in front of them again. Even though she appreciated all the sacrifices they made for her in her life she needed to go her own way and find independence.

Negatives:

I could not stand their mother. She was awful and didn't give a singular f*ck about her kids and it was so infuriating to watch. She took her daughters field trip money and just ran away with the sh*tty excuse that In Hye is young and has so many opportunities to travel and that she needs to go now because she's "old" essentially. That was just soooo absurd to me considering the fact that the mother knew damn well that was In Hye's dream and the thing that would make her the happiest????? Imo she stifled those poor girls and was not fit to be a parent, not to mention their good for nothing father who the mother ran away to help and barely heard from ever since. In Joo and In Kyung practically raised themselves with the help of the great aunt who raised in Kyung for a while and then them turning around and raising In Hye.

I found In Hye to be ungrateful and selfish and the fact that she chose to find herself and travel the world with her friend rather than stay with her sisters even when the danger was eminent left me shocked.

I wish In Kyung's alcoholism was tackled more and we could see her path to recovery not like she just woke up and magically got over it. It's a touchy subject yes but I feel like many people struggle with alcoholism and it would've been nice to see a kdrama tackle such an important issue in the midst of all the mystery and chaos going on.

I wish we saw more character development but I understand it was hard to do so in 12 episodes.

I thought the last episode was rushed but again it was hard to fit everything into 12 episodes. I felt like Sang A died a quick and mildly painful death but she deserved to suffer wayyy more for her crimes... so it was upsetting seeing her die without having to atone for any of it while Hwa Young was badly burnt, survived and still had to go to prison. Imo Hwa Young has mental issues that also need to be taken care of because I don't know how someone can endure all that + their fake death and still be mentally sound. Also I am not sure how I feel about her getting involved in another gardening program (like especially if it has anything to do with orchids) like that was strange and it gave me the creeps. Hwa Young has the perfect demeanor and makings to be a villain / antagonist so it would be interesting to see her character arc in S2 (if there is one) Honestly I feel like she wasn't able to fully get her revenge and have peace of mind so I kinda do hope if there is S2 that opportunity presents itself.

Final Remarks:

Kim Go Eun really puts so much into her acting and you can feel that translate across the screen no matter what role she undertakes. Wi Ha Joon's character was mysterious and throughout watching I couldn't quite place him. Was he evil or was he good? It became clear that he was a morally grey character (which I ate up btw) essentially a wildcard that could swing either way depending on the situation.

I hope there is season 2 with a whole other mystery that the sisters are swept up in. Maybe this time it can start with In Hye and her friend Hyo Rin and then the others have to help save her. I would also love Hwa Young to make a reappearance and help them from prison if she can or this mystery finally frees her as we meet an even bigger contender / mastermind than Sang A was.

I liked it so much as I am still thinking about it and wishing there was more even though it's finished. I would definitely recommend it to others :)

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a good show with a weak ending

I really enjoyed watching 'little women'.
I was hooked from the first episode and watched until the end as the story was interesting, several of my favourite actresses were in it and I liked the general vibe.
It was mysterious with all the orchid business, you could easily empathise with the three sisters, with some more and some less though - and tension built up nicely for the final episodes. There where some storyline weaknesses before but I was able to ignore them, sadly not so in the final episode.
So whatever happened then? Was this another drama that was short cut from 16 to 12 episodes? Was there not enough time left to write a good final episode?
This final episode had severe logic weaknesses and they were just left unsolved to give the show some kind of happy end.
So what bothered me was:

1. So what was all that satisfactory scene when reporter Oh In-Kyung could finally prove that Won Sang-A is a devilsih murderder? She has CCTV matierial showing Won Sang-A brutally mudering a person. And after that? No police goes immediately to arrest Won Sang-A, instead she can joyfully go to the hospital and kill that old man who gave her away, in front of a nurse witnessing this? Still no police. Time passes and she then has time to stage all that final scene under the orchid tree in her cellar. Still no one arresting her while the incriminating material of her being a murderer was on live TV probably two days earlier?
So she can manage to abduct Jin Hwa-Young, and lure Oh In-joo into that cellar too, still no police at her house arresting her?
That was so nonsensical and made that reporting and proof of Oh In Kyung totally useless.

2. So Won Sang-A then had enough time to prepare the sprinklers with acid. Ok. So she turns on the sprinklers and the acid dircetly hits Jin Hwa-Young being bound to that chair, and the pure acid drops hit her for quite some time, she is screaming on and on, but nothing really happens to her, she is not really hurt by the pure acid drops.
Then in a twist of actions Won Sang-A falls into the pond under the orchid tree and - suddenly burns completely in huge blisters from the acid? How?
If the pure drops of acid did not harm Jin Hwa-Young for quite some time, why would the water, only containing a few drops of acid totally burn Won Sang-A if she falls in there?
That was even more nonsensical as nothing would have happened to Won Sang-A falling into that pond, it would just have been water with acid so thinned out that nothing would have happened to her.

3. I'm always in for a happy end but also that was questionable. So the youngest sister gives a lot of money to her older sisters out of gratitude. That is a nice gesture and I would have loved to just see it as that.
But, Oh In-Joo was just convicted with serious money matters and is on probation for the next years. Does anyone really think the authorities would not check on her if she suddenly had 23 million Dollars in her account? No way would they have left her untouched and the whole trouble would have begun again, her youngest sister then being a suspect and internationally sought for.
Also the two young girls were travelling with their real passports and real names, it would be very easy to track them down as long as they wouldn't have fake identities. (and they didn't as Park Hyo-rin needed to use her real name to achive all that money at her becoming aif age)

4. And what happened to Go Su-Im? Is she also still roaming free? If so, wouldn't she try to harm the three sisters still?

I found this to be such a good show until this final episode which seemed hushed and not thought through. The focus was on creating this final scene under the orchid tree without considering the rest of the before given circumstances and the fact that Won Sang-A would never have had the chance to do all that because shortly after the live TV airing of her mudering someone the police would have taken her.

So, this annoyed me so much that my rating weng down from 8,5 to 7.0.
I wish the producers of the dramas could manage to not hush the last episode and storyline like that (and it's not the first time this is happening) for the sake of logic and common sense that totally goes overboard in this final episode here.

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Painful to Watch

I struggled to finish this series. Except for the title, it has little bearing with the original Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. The three sisters were so unlikeable. It was painful to watch them being played over and over again by the people around them ie, Jang Mira, Park Jae Sang and his equally demented wife as well as their aunt who used them for her own ends.

I like Choi Do Il. He's the redeeming character throughout the drama. He's very smart and calculated, secretly exacting his own revenge behind the scenes. Without him, Oh In Joo would have not survived. She was so ditzy, clueless and naive. Money hungry she allowed herself to be used and abused not only by her so called best friend but the family who also happened to be their nemesis.

Oh In Kyung was a determined reporter but she sometimes sabotaged her own investigation by her impulses of acting out without thinking.

And the most deplorable, Oh In Hye, an ungrateful kid who'd rather stay with the murderous family than her sisters who loved and sacrificed for her all because she wanted to live the rich life. She humiliated her sisters in public by siding with her wealthy benefactor and she did not care if she placed them in danger.

When I started to watch this drama, I was full of expectation and I was looking forward to them taking on the wealthiest families and kicking ass like David against Goliath, But alas, what I saw were three pathetic women who scraped and bowed in the name of money.

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watched weekly as it aired

WOW!.. i have a lot to say but this drama was genuinely such a thrill and a ROLLERCOASTER from the start. i was so excited when it was announced that there was going to be a Korean drama loosely based on the original western little women because i loved the movie, tho i was not expecting much because i don't like to get my hopes up and then get disappointed later on :) but i was mostly anticipated to watch because of the main lead i mean there's so many good recognizable actors and a talented director and writer! i was happy to see them together and see more women working in these big projects !
onto the storyline: from the very first episode, i will say it started a bit slow, not too much but i did slightly feel the same when i watched Vincenzo (a drama with the same director) but i knew the pacing would pick up later on and it did. the oh sisters were all such unique character until the end and i loved that each had their own storyline, though i wish we could have seen a bit more of in hye (the youngest). throughout the show i did notice some similarities between certain characters and storylines with both little women adaptations but i also loved the thriller twist they made with this one, though i would not recommend someone to watch this expecting it to be the same, but there are huge differences! onto the characters: i think every single characters honestly gave it their all and you can tell especially kim go-eun, i mean she really deserves all awards because the endings she gives us is just amazing and i became a fan of her after the drama since this is the first time i fully watch a drama with her in it!
- there were many annoying characters who are obviously the villians but i gotta say won sang-ah absolutely slayed this as a villian and i was not expecting her to become the "final boss" instead of park jaesang. there was so many twists in this show that just left me gasping for air and it reminded me so much of Vincenzo and i looooved it so it made me happy (ALSO THAT SONG JOONG-KI CAMEO?!?) . i do wish oh in-joo and do-il would have at least kissed ONCE or said i love your or SOMETHING more than just a simple goodbye at the airport that reminded all of us of vincenzo and cha-young
sometimes the storyline would get confusing for me especially with the orchid history and the history distortion was just not it, they should have fixed that from the beginning and there were things i wish they would have added.

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Dragging suspense

Personally, one thing about kdrama they do right is they want us to keep guessing, but there is also a downside to that because how long do you drag on the suspense to make the audiences want more? I am so glad I watched this with friends because I would have never finished it. I stayed because of the amazing cast, I love their acting and their characters but the way how the story unfolded, the dragging suspense, and adding unnecessary problems one after another was a typical kdrama move that I absolutely find dull and boring. Nothing made sense and some of the issues just didn't seem real enough to convince me.

I recommend it for the cast and if this is your type of suspense but forget about it if you're there for the storyline.

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little women but real humans

both this drama and the 2020 adaptation of the novel 'little women' were really good and feminist in nature. i don't have to explain why the 2020 movie was so revolutionary because really it speaks for itself but in this drama, the feminist tones are more subtle in nature.

our main character (albeit disliked by a lot) was someone who openly defied the usual female main character mold for whom money does not matter at all. she openly claims to like money and is willing to play a little dirty to get it. also, she has been divorced, she works a normal job and she openly states wanting to marry a rich man! what an unusual main character! she is not a superhuman though. she's just normal, average and ordinary. she isn't sending people flying with just one punch, she's just trying to live her life and provide for her younger sisters. she likes girly things (she is LIKE the other girls), she likes lip glosses and she still likes to binge on ice cream. she knows she's popular among men, she isn't modest about it. yet, she knows she is not very intelligent and is honest about her depositions. injoo feels like a real person. she is not a blank slate you can project on, she is not the quirky 'not like other girls' character, she isn't park shin hye's 'the heirs' character. she's somewhere in the middle. she is an amalgamation of all the heroines who weren't given a chance to be themselves, who were put in a box, who were just there to be the male lead's arm candy- the difference is that she was actually allowed to be who she was. she is oh injoo and she is a real person trying to get by.

our second sister is oh inkyung. now oh inkyung is a badass, okay? for me, she is the most relatable out of the three sisters. i could see so much of myself in her that her scenes were sometimes hard to watch. as a highly sensitive person, navigating the world could be hard. when every single thing affects you and you let yourself be affected by it, your life is anything but a smooth sailing ride. ignorance isn't for us. inkyung is tough yet soft, she is determined yet wavering. she has a strong sense of justice and for her, justice is more important than money. although, she juggles between what is more important: her family or justice which is understandable. she is rash and makes some horrible decisions but they come from a place of wanting to do the right thing. inkyung loses and loses during the entirety of the show but her morals never lose. she's what i call a 'strong female lead'. she is a superwoman but not in the sense that she can land a punch on you and you are done (sorry saebom from happiness, this all feels targeted at you) or even using a bitchy attitude to overpower you. she uses facts, logic and yes, emotions to defeat her nemeses. and although it's slow, she surely wins at the wind which is so satisfying to watch.

our third sister is oh inhye. to inhye, her sisters' love is suffocating. it is a burden. she can be immature at times but that is okay, she is just a teenager. she is our meg march. although, she is still very different from the actual meg march. she too chooses true love over anything else. for inhye, chosen family is much more important than your real family. while it is an obligation for injoo and inkyung to love her and provide for her, hyorin loves her for who she is so sets off with the love of her life. it's a fairytale come true and although, a lot of people might think that her art is more important to her than anything else, it is actually her love for hyorin and vice versa that is the single most important thing in her life.

so these are our three sisters and who make this show what it is. there are other characters as well but none of them are written as well as our three main leads. all three of them are very different from each other, yet all three have something that connects them to each other. it is love, familiarity, obligation and duty. as the plot progresses, we see where each character's priority lies and how differently they interact with different situations and characters.

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Perhaps the only significant misstep is in the title

There's scant overlap between the source material of "Little Women" and the Korean drama that bears its name. Louisa May Alcott's novel has three sisters that struggle in a family afflicted by poverty, but there's only scattered other parallels between the present drama and either the novel or previous adaptations. And perhaps the most jarring twist in an almost endless string of them is the one that hits quite early on - that this is not at all what a viewer would expect from something called "Little Women".

Kim Go Eun, Nami Ji Hyun and Park Ji Hoo play the sisters In Joo, In Kyung and In Hye respectively. In Joo is a bookkeeper in a corporate office but an outcast among the staff. In Kyung is a reporter at a news station where she seems to get the worst possible assignments like covering a typhoon from the middle of the typhoon. In Hye is a prodigy at oil painting but resents that her older sisters sacrifice for her to pursue her art.

The narrative kicks off with In Joo's only friend at work nonchalantly asking her to help with a side business project she's been working on. And then bad things start happening and it's not clear who's behind them, but there's little question that the Won family and Uhm Ki Joon's Park Jae Sang who has married in to the family are involved. Before long, each of the In sisters entangles herself with this clan and it very likely will not be a healthy relationship.

Kim Hee Won directs and does so masterfully. The production value across the board is flawless. It is exceptionally well shot. The sound editing and score are sublime. The wardrobe, hair and makeup crews killed it. Each episode is a compelling watch in isolation and as the tension builds quite quickly early on, it only ratchets tighter as the series progresses.

The cast is led by some big names like Kim Go Eun and Nam Ji Hyun and Wi Ha Joon. Of those three, Nam Ji Hyun stands out, although all are very good. There's some terrific performances by supporting cast too. Gong Min Jung is a viciously combative colleague of In Kyung. Kim Mye Sook plays a distant, wealthy relative of the In sisters and is terrific. Park Bo Kyung is a frightening operative working for Park Jae Sang.

But the most captivating work is by Uhm Ji Won. Her Won Sang A is definitely not a mentally well person. Is she simply a spoiled princess of the powerful Won family? There's a lot more than that (A WHOLE LOT MORE) and while plenty of mystery surrounds the character, when she's on screen, everything else shrinks. It is hands down the best supporting performance in the genre this year.

If there are flaws, it's that the screenplay gets a little too tricksy at times to feint this way and that. Most often, things are adequately explained, but not always. And there's some inconsistencies in how much control a powerful group holds over courts and judges and prosecutors and the media. At times, it is unlimited and a moment later, they are no more powerful than a corner convenience store.

Highly recommended for the above reasons as well as what is unquestionably the cameo appearance of 2022. "Little Women" is almost certainly the best drama of 2022.

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The Clickbait

Little Women is a Korean Thriller Drama adapted from the novel "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott, until it wasn’t.

Before reviewing the drama itself, I will try to define this matter without spoiling anything from the novel and the drama.

~Novel & Drama Comparison~

The novel revolves around the life of 4 sisters from a poor family. Each of them has her own personality, flaws, charms, worries and dreams, creating her own path in life. All of them together create a chaotic & dynamic companionship filled with many happy, sad, comforting but above all, sisterhood moments. The novel is set in the 1860s, but the core of its story is timeless. Thus, whatever changes plot wise, as long as the adaptation stays true to the original story’s vibes, it will successfully deliver the original message.

But this particular adaptation, despite having Little Women’s family tree (kind of), has nothing else in common with the novel. It’s a pure Makjang with a completely independent story, which is not even slightly inspired from the novel as its conflict between poor and rich is the most common theme in Makjang. It looks like the writers had a story already planned in mind and used the novel as a reference in order to promote it.

The Drama production should have mentioned the novel only for copyright purposes and of course, they should have used a different title. The fact that they didn’t, was a foul move which makes the drama a clickbait, something I personally can’t ignore.

I’d advise you to not start the drama thinking it is a modern retelling of Little Women. Think of the drama as another Makjang and don’t get scammed by the drama’s sly marketing. This way, you will enjoy the drama, or not, but at least the reason of deciding to watch Little Women will be sincere.

~The Story~

So where to start and where to finish with that chaotic mess which is called "story"? Ι have many issues with it and to set the record straight, the drama not being actually a modern adaptation of Little Women didn’t affect the story’s rating more than 1 point in my books.

~Main theme & escalation

Little Women consists of 12 episodes and its story is actually very fast paced as a lot of things are happening in a very short amount of time. The first 2 episodes gave the drama a very promising start while they set a thrillery and mysterious aura around the main characters. Also, the sisters were presented having different personalities and problems, that could be explored through the story. But unfortunately all these didn't last long.

As the story escalated, it turned into a vendetta between the poor sisters and the wealthiest family in the nation. And that’s all folks, nothing else is going to happen except from a series of unfortunate plot twists alongside stupid actions (and some plot holes, because why not?).

In the name of suspense and uprediction the writer made a story with more ups and downs than a harmonic oscillation diagram. The result of it was two, 1) to make an unfocused story with an unclear goal from the writer's perspective which couldn't lead to any conclusion 2) to make the story complicated and confusing without any specific reason. In addition, the story consisted of some fiction elements which made it even more unrealistic and far-fetched.

The climax of the above was the final act, the last 2 episodes. As the story was processing it got messier and messier to the point that there wasn't any way for the story to reach an epilogue. So, what happened? A plot twist coming straight from the Neverland worked as Deus ex machina and saved the day with the most simple and canceling way possible.

~The Characters

Even though at first it seemed that the Sisters were well written characters, they weren't. Generally, the drama was very plot driven (not that it had a certain plot as I said but anyway) so actually none of the characters had any space to grow and develop. Oh In Joo, the main character from the sisters, was bound to be naive girl who loves money, her sisters and making stupid decitions. Oh In Kyung was supposed to be the cleverest sister but oh well, at least she tried. The little sister Oh In Hye could draw, that's it, she was a moving puppet during the whole drama.

The flatness of the main heroines didn't bother me so much though. What frustrated me most was the poor reference to the phenomenon of alcoholism which is a very serious matter that can't be portrayed in a drama as lightly as it was portrayed in Little Women. The story had the easiest solution to alcohol addiction: just to forget that it was ever mentioned in the previous episodes. This just proves how much the writer cared about giving the drama a decent story and an ending that would respect the time which viewers had spent on it.

~The Production~

Production wise, Little Women is masterfully made. From visuals to music, to styling, to framing and directing, Little Women is one of the most exceptional Korean productions I have ever witnessed till now. Thus the drama was very captivating and putting aside the plot, very enjoyable to watch. But if you care the slightest about the plot, the drama felt like a present with extraordinarily beautiful wrapping which was empty inside.

~Conclusion~

Well, Little Women is not a drama that I would recommend in general as I believe the story doesn't have anything to offer. I tend to ignore things that bother me in the stories, trying to find the meaning behind everything the writer wanted to do and tell through their story, but Little Women hit me under the belt countless times, so in the end, I couldn't ignore any of these triggers.

On the other hand, if you are willing to turn off your brain and enjoy the view, maybe Little Women can be an enjoyable and visually beautiful ride for you, as it was from the eyes of many other people who watched it.

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Sisterhood caught up in a conspiracy

Likes:
1) Kim Go Eun and Nam Ji Hyun being in the same drama - When I heard that 2 of my favorite actresses were going to star in the same kdrama, I was elated with excitement because that rarely ever happens. I absolutely loved watching the sisterhood or womance between them and their natural acting continues to shine in my eyes.
2) Wi Ha Joon - this guy is so hot! Not only is he great at acting, but he's also so versatile and he's good at action. I thought he perfectly portrayed his character. You never knew which side he was on. I look forward to seeing him showcase more of his abilities in the future (Maybe a bigger role in Squid games 2?)
3) The interactions between In Joo and Choi Do Il. Although the romance is light as this is a conspiracy mystery, I was completely hooked on the question of will they or won't they.
4) All the twists. I really enjoyed not knowing where the story would end up...that is until I found out who the villain was which brings me to:

Dislikes:
1) Once the Villain is revealed in the latter half, the story becomes a bit too over the top. You will def have to suspend your belief and overlook some ridiculous loopholes at the very end.
2) Having the title Little Women, you would expect more similarities to Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, but I didn't find that to be the case, but it has been awhile since I've read that book.
3) The character development could have been better. There were a handful of times where the character was doing something that seemed "out of" character. We weren't shown enough to understand why they were acting a certain way.

But overall, I enjoyed 75% of this drama. I liked all the twists and cliffhangers leading up to the villain reveal, but especially loved seeing 3 of my fav people in a drama together.

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Outrageous but interesting plot led by three unlikable sisters.

My final review after the series completion. I’ll just list some questions and comments and end it.

1. Deep down, I knew they were going to bring back Hwa Yong. I was so hoping not but they did it. And the explanation about another woman who was suicidal she met happened to be at her place to be killed? Maybe I missed some details but major sigh.

2. So everyone saw Sang A murdering someone. I get that it was a video they couldn’t verify but at least, she’d get detained for investigation? She just walked out of the courthouse and business as usual. This enabled her to go on (almost) a murder spree.

3. Speaking of Sang A, how is she so powerful and rich? I get that her dad set up some stuff and his people infiltrated the society at different levels for a long time but I’m not sure if that explains the influence and wealth. Does she own Samsung? Hyundai or both?

4. If she’s so powerful, why did they try so hard to be the mayor and then the president? Apparently, it wasn’t that important at the end because she casually “killed” her husband.

5. Is the Orchid Society a cult? How do they control the members so that they would just give their lives? What were they promised? Eternal life? Maybe some members may feel like they owe a lot to the general but really?

6. If Sang A owns the police and the media and whatever else, why didn’t she own the judicial system?

7. When Haw Young entered the courtroom, she was given the most underwhelming response to her being alive by other characters, especially by Sang A. I would’ve fallen off the chair and screamed at the least.

8. I think, ultimately, the writer and director just fell in love with their crazy ideas and kept adding more and more shocking/convoluted stuff and things got away from there. I wish they actually thought about how all these ideas would work together or were even remotely feasible in that fictional world before they kept adding.

9. Maybe Kim Go Eun’s movie career is winding down? I think she’s great and she’s acted well here but this show feels like it’s beneath her?

10. So Sang A was so nuts that her father’s people didn’t choose her as the successor. But they left her to do her crazy stuff and risked ruining everything? Which she did. Hmm.

Review after Ep. 10

So I came to realize that this is a soap opera rather than a drama. Soap operas often sacrifice logic and realism for the sake of sensationalism. Storyline has gotten more and more convoluted and extreme with constant bait and switch. Rating lowered to 5.

Review after Ep. 8

This show just became one of the dumbest show ever.

The main character is literally the dumbest person ever. She thought her friend was alive after seeing her dead. She walks in to her dead friend’s apartment and drinks an iced drink without asking why or who made it. OMG.

And, of course, it’s the wife of the bad guy…. I knew it. This is nuts. I see the rating dropping but we’ll see.

Initial review after Ep. 5

For whatever reason, I thought this was a comedy. So I was a bit dumbfounded after the first two episodes. I’m looking forward to how the storyline unfolds. I do think it’s a bit coincidence heavy with every sister being involved with the villain’s (?) family but it is K-drama’s favorite way to advance the plot so…

I hope the villains don’t turn out to be the usual bad people. I hope they try a bit harder to be creative this time. But so far, the shadowy villain seems all powerful so most likely not.

Kim Go-Eun is such a great actress. She’s so natural but I feel like she’s overacting here, especially, when she’s in trouble. The way her face contorts basically shows she’s guilty. Also, the character she plays isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. She can’t put two and two together and can’t act cool if her life depended on it and it literally depends on her trying to hide the fact that she’s got the money. And the way she just brought a pile of cash to a strange woman right after being told to be careful with money! Wow. It’s like she wants everyone to know she has a pile of cash.

And by all means, let’s talk about the secret ledger in the middle of a freaking cafeteria loudly! But the plot must advance, I guess.

I can’t figure out the middle sister. She seems like the smart one but we’ll see what role she plays here. The youngest one seems to be there just to play the impressionable kid acting like a pawn. Not interesting at all.

The biggest flaw of this show, so far, is that none of three sister is likable. The oldest is dumb and clueless, the second is a drunk, pseudo-activist hothead and the youngest one lives in an alternate reality. It’s like she’s not affected by the way her friend’s parents act. She’d rather live with violent rich people rather than her poor sisters. They want us to sympathize with them but failed miserably.

Where are they going with the orchid? Is it super natural? Drug induced hallucinations? They keep digging deeper and deeper to make everyone suspicious but I hope they know what they’re doing and tie all this up in a satisfying way.

Hope it goes well. It’s promising that it’s a 12 episode show so hoping for a tight storyline without much fluff.

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March sisters walked so Oh sisters could run.

The first report about this remake had me excited to the seven heavens; I was overjoyed not only to have a Korean version of one of my favorite classic novels plus movie adaptations but also to see how exactly they blend it into a sageuk (historical). Was a little upset upon learning that it’ll be based in modern urban times but it didn’t take long me to make terms with it. However, starting the drama and finishing two episodes left me very confused and had me pondering about the intentions of the makers. Not long after, I had to realize that only a few elements of the original have been picked up for the so-called remake and hence this one deserves no comparison. So, what are the similarities?

◆ Sisters (4 there, 3 here) living with their mother; father long gone to places.
◆ An artist among the sisters (2nd one there, 3rd one here).
◆ Poverty-stricken lifestyle, hard ways of earning food and necessities.
◆ The great grand-aunt who favors the middle sister for her intelligence and tenacity.
◆ The prince charming with not-so-significant role, two distinct male leads here.

Let me know if I missed out any ;)

Developed and produced by ‘Studio Dragon’,” Little Women (작은 아씨들)” is supposedly a loose adaptation of the 1868 classic novel of the same title by Louisa May Alcott. Screenwriter Chung Seo Kyung creates the story in a modern Seoul-styled Korean backdrop with essence of thriller, melodrama and makjang while Kim Hee Won takes charge of direction. The 12-episode drama was originally broadcasted on tvN and internationally distributed by Netflix. Several parts of the major happenings of the drama were also filmed in Singapore.

The original plot is about struggles, love, compassion and dreams, whereas this adaption is about greed, goals, urges, fear, somewhere love and of course, dreams. The story follows a poor Oh family of three sisters with separate professional goals who, without their consciousness, get involved with the richest family of Korea and a supposed cult that is connected trough a mysterious orchid, which starts with a missing sum of 70 billion won.

Oh In Joo (Kim Go Eun), the eldest sister, works for a salaried office job and having lived in extreme poverty, she dreams about money and wishes to live an ordinary life. Oh In Kyung (Nam Ji Hyun), the middle sister, is a righteous reporter who doesn’t value money and starts working on a case that was long-forgotten in order to unveil the truth. Oh In Hye (Park Ji Hu), the youngest sister, is an aspiring artist who gets acknowledged for her natural skills though she is a realist and considers her sisters’ love for her as a burden.

Choi Do Il (Wi Ha Joon) is a part of Wonryong Group whereas Oh Hye Suk (Kim Mi Sook) is the Great Grand Aunt and Ha Jong Ho (Kang Hoon) is her neighbor and childhood friend of In-kyung. Park Jae Sang (Um Ki Joon) is a politician aspiring to become Seoul’s Mayor while his wife Won Sang A (Uhm Ji Won) is the daughter of Wonryong Group, created by her father Commander General Won Ki Sun (Lee Do Yeop); Park Hyo Rin (Jeon Chae Yeon) is their daughter, also an artist who is In-hye’s best friend.

Other familiar faces in the drama are Jo Seung Yun, Gong Min Jung, Park Bo Kyung, Park Ji Young, Lee Min Woo, Kim Myung Soo, etc. Several big faces have made special appearances: Song Joong Ki, Oh Jung Se, Choo Ja Hyun and Jang Gwang.

Its initially mystifying and allows one to think what might be the intentions of the writer though the follow-up picks up very entertaining and baffling elements creating arousing intrigues within the mind. The furtherance was as amazing with gradual disclosure of more engaging facts about several plotlines, major or minor, and what perplexed me the most was the storytelling and its naturalness despite a mixture of idealistic, realistic and real factors. There was this episode around the interval, that I clearly don’t recall, did felt a little off; the period where things were static and nothing huge seemed to be on its way, not like it became boring or something though. The later half was definitely much more marvelous with each episode bearing several peaks and each of them competing to excel. I was personally taken aback at episode 8 and how the presentations got the best of me, so this is my most favorite, though the show kept surprising even more in the rest 4 episodes. The ending

Writer virtuoso Jung Seo Kyung, known for her prodigious portrayals in staggering women-centric scripts, has once again proved how efficient her skills are to bewitch the audience and finest her creations to stagger the viewers. Admittedly and provenly, a copy-paste remake ain’t her style as reflected in “The Handmaiden”, so the decision to convert a classic English melodrama into a contemporary thriller with justifying dynamics and stupefying elements which turns out to be an appealing and positively appalling masterpiece.
Fascinating character arcs are a specialization of jakka-nim which undoubtfully is finely incorporated with satisfying development. The script is a bag full of whiplash twists, evenly distributed throughout and the picturesque convulsions that serve as delicious dishes of a sumptuous brunch. The theme creation is as bemusing as we see the ghost orchid, its backstory, the people it connects to and how it is at the center of everything.

Acquiring great skills despite less experience within a short period of time, is what Kim Hee Won known for. However, her previous work was a blunder that was finally recognised as a trumpery; though the script was hugely to blame. To see her work of creativity has always been a pleasure and without a second thought she strives to better. On that note, the cinematography of the drama is mesmerizing, from aesthetic shots to extravagant frames and swift yet detailed movement/shift, everything did their job in minds. The screenplay was visibly well-planned as the progression is periodic rather than episodic, seizing the viewer into one plotline but confusingly forcing them to other, albeit the manner was very comfortable thereby maintaining the quality.
What I also loved about the visuals are the reasoned and well-defined backdrops and setups. The Seoul-ic vistas of light and dark hue with polychromatic shades were very eye-savoring outside while rather plain and simplistic colors inside the mansions and buildings also did exhibit the contrast in between. The attempts to draw frame-wise parallels within the same show between the two halves were very ecstatic; admittedly, I wouldn’t have noticed if not for one of the users’ feed posts here.

Composed by Park Se Joon, there are two OSTs in the drama:
# “Enough” by Zior Park
# “La vie” by SOLE

(70 billion won-Truth-Art: Money-Justice-Dreams) … This is how I will draw the outline of the way the three sisters were connected to the show; one who thought money could solve all the problems, one who believed justice will bring everything to peace and one who desired art will help her escape. The combination could result in only one thing, money laundering through art pieces, haha. But the drama is much more than just power trip, greed for wealth and artistic perspective. Indeed, with her cinematic excellence, the writer uses the tool of social sin and the feelings of superior connivance in order to establish a story that reminds us how human mind is a complex matter that could cause catastrophes in the world while only truth and remain constants of time.

Oh In Joo was the most natural of a character in my opinion and apparently Kim Go Eun was the most suitable person for the role, provided her ongoing saga in “Yumi’s Cells” is also one hell of a realistic thing. From her desire for money to her being clueless and from acting cautiously to strangers to being overtly sensitive to everything, just average human being. Clearly, the best character development given to the one at the exact center, performed and excelled.

Nam Ji Hyun could have been used better, not like she was underwhelming or something, but in a way, I believed, both the character Oh In Kyung and the actress herself held lot more potential than what we saw. There were instances Inkyung was just pure dumb, as in dumb for someone who was a journalist plus it was visible the way she struggled a bit at first, which was a given since I don’t recall her playing such a fierce character(?). Anyways, it was satisfying to see her in action at times and how she changed from the beginning to end.

Oh In Hye had a magnificent arc to begin with and the actress did perform very well with her expressions and delivery. However, I was a little upset the way she was limited in the latter half; as in they forgot about her existence for some time and brought her back absurdly like oh she is a part too? All I mean her share of screentime did not suffice as someone who is tagged as a main character everywhere. Otherwise, her dynamics were naturally that of a rebelling teenager. Also loved how the makers decided to end the show with her prologue story and monologue note. The actress playing Hyorin did not have anything significant about her but she was good nevertheless.

Choi Do Il as a character is probably one of the most mysterious you will ever see and Wi Ha Joon should be commended for carrying it very well. His on and off dimension will apparently become the reason half of the audience will develop trust issues in real life. The introduction wasn’t really grand, rather felt he’d be only playing on the surface (to me at least), but the maker’s way of playing with their audiences’ mind worked like some sort of crazy drugs wow. I am not sure whether I should be saying that I was impressed but there was a point I just decided to sit at a corner with popcorn in m hand and see what he is upto. Nonetheless, I was happy at them screaming how he loves only one thing at the end of the day.

The drama is a heavy thriller; although it offered few bright and comforting elements, it mostly exhibited dystopia. Some events could be very frustrating like you are gonna drag a character out and beat the organs outta them. The plot devices like the orchid, the red heel and the architecture did serve as amazing scopes in order to create an artful story filled with thrills and excitement. And the progression is very unpredictable and mysterious for the current trend in K-thrillers, no doubt the screenwriter is a cinema maker; loved the suspense at the end of each episode as well. A galore of twists might even feel like burden in some episodes but their outcomes are relieving in some way. Again, the symbolisms, backed by their ingenious metaphors make the drama more entertaining.

The group of antagonists were not really one of a kind but the performance of the cast was what made them lively. Both Uhm and Um for the seasoned actors they are, did put forward an enthralling and captivating show, and the bad times we had clenching our teeth stands witness to it.

I believe March sisters’ struggle to keep up their dining table occupied helped Oh sisters to not just protest but fight against capitalism as they indulged themselves with the evil, for the sake of prosperity and justice though separately. Their dispute with reality urges them to opt paths they thought would be treacherous and relying on a single straw they not only strive to remain true to themselves but also thrive like a single blade of grass in the dessert. Through thick and thins, this remake remains grounded to the original in portraying how the littleness of everyone leads to a grand world of big beauties

The finale was as satisfying in the sense, it was not rushed, or even dragged unnecessarily, rather every bit of it felt good. It is not an open ending either as some people might think though in my opinion they left one plothole regarding the burried pendrive. But again, in a way, the evidence was not really useful. The ending sequence was smooth and also made mr realize that Choi Do Il's efforts were equalized with his manupulative and intelligent skills.

A personal and silly observation about the show that I made towards the ending, was that the in-situ viewership was very accurately concurrent with the qualitative graph that I have made in my mind, i. e. my episode-wise rating. Idk why I thought it was necessary to mention it here but here you go TT.

Final Remarks… A show made by women, led by women and prospered by women was quite a piece of thrilling experience as Little Women hits the floor this time around. The time will cite the show as something that is not a good remake but nevertheless a great show, which is a perfect balance between the original and the adaptation. From high production values to outstanding presentation and from enchanting performance to entertaining outcomes, this was a unique approach and definitely a must watch and easily one of the best thrillers of 2022.

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More Alice in Wonderland than Little Women

Loosely based on Little Women is the sort of loose that happens when the elastic in your trackies gives way and they drop to your ankles in a wrinkled heap. Yes they are still trackies, but not obviously so. I spent the first episode distracted by trying to unsuccessfully work out how this drama maps to the book. But I was looking in the wrong place, because, although there are parallels to be found, the map is really in the theme: the significance of money.

This is fundamentally a story about money and its sidekick—power (the perennial obsessions of K-dramas, well maybe most dramas actually…). How and why it shapes lives, morals, choices and character. How poverty shapes your mentality and expectations. What you are willing to let it buy and what that does to your integrity. What risks you are willing to take to acquire and keep it. Under what conditions you will let it go. The price that your decisions exact from both you and those around you.

It puts the protectors, helpers, underminers and benefactors of the wealthy centre stage and examines their motives and desires. This is a rare perspective and I can only remember it being the centre of a drama in one other totally brilliant case, “Secret Love Affair” (if you are interested in this aspect, watch SLA, it will not disappoint, although it’s not a thriller).

As you can guess by now, it is not the plot that makes this drama special, (more about that later) although you can simply watch it as a thriller. It’s the examination and unfolding of motive behind the fight for freedom and opportunity in a world that values money over the individual. A society that insists we fight for limited resources to fulfil not only our dreams but our basic survival as well.

It’s almost impossible for us to imagine a society not based on money. But money itself is not of course concretely real, it is simply a universally accepted system of sharing resources that becomes meaningless if we lose trust in it. It is the illusion around which our reality and dreams are built. And if you are going to be fanciful, you could watch this drama as a commentary on the system’s strengths and weaknesses and the approach people take to best work it. Given that it is compulsory to engage in this system, the question as to what is morally acceptable and what is personally justified is core to the unfolding of the narrative.

Having said all that, there are problems in my opinion with how the drama is written and presented. There’s a vibe of the sisters being ordinary people (a reference to Little Women perhaps) who are unwittingly and sometimes unwillingly mixed up in something big.

However, through most of the drama, the sisters don’t display enough realistic, long-term emotional reactions to support their ordinariness in the extraordinary and violent situations that surround them. In a normal thriller we suspend disbelief because the whole thing is not related to any recognisable reality in the first place. Here, particularly in the middle section, I am being made aware of the gap between quasi normality and the world of the story with the result that I am also very aware of suspending my disbelief. And at times I found the approach is not subtle enough to make it work.

Because the women are presented as relative amateurs, there are moments that stretched my credulity to breaking point. For instance, without any preparation and seemingly without backup, they are willing to confront people they think are probably murderers. There are scenes where professionals who would never disclose information to anyone let alone the naive woman in front of them, disclose it. Etc, etc.

There’s an odd mix of the ordinary, the extraordinary and the completely surreal. The more surreal it gets the less the ordinary women at the heart of it are credible. It turns into conspiracy theory central with hallucinogens thrown in for good measure. Whether this was intended as a reflection of the madness that money creates in people is debatable.

The plot gets increasingly bizarre and takes off in strange directions and at times loses impetus. This has a fragmenting effect which leaks tension and can be frustrating. But at other times the sense of confusion and powerlessness is very effective in putting you into the shoes of the protagonists.

Overall, this is an ambitious drama and when it works it really works, and when it doesn’t, it really doesn’t. I’m someone who is prepared to put up with stuff not always working well if an attempt is being made to experiment with something new and different. I think this drama tries to do that, so I was happy to give it the benefit of the doubt, but even my goodwill was tested beyond its limits by the end.

What my rating means: 7+ A watchable drama, but nothing exceptional. Good enough to qualify for the race, but finished with the pack. The sort of thing that promises more than it delivers.

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