Park's Contract Marriage Story (2023)

Lovely leads and a decent story brought down to the ground by holes and cringe

This drama starts off all fun perfectly balanced between the cold, warm, the tight slightly wet buttoned downed shirts and dimples for as far at the eye can see... The male lead who had had heart surgery actually had a scar..

The over top potential pot holes where kept to minimum and the "oh my god I am in the future" potential over the top low humour was kept to a minimum. The Product placement was top of the top!

The leads out of this world with great chemistry and an amazing use of flowers and butterflies everywhere... The side character are lovable too, the evil is evil and there is this nice mist of know who the real enemy is all over the ground...

But then came the cringy monologs, the twists that just stoped making sense in the context and the lovely scar from the heart surgery was found to be lacking as they either placed a pace maker either from the wrong entrance or it magically grew there... And well in this drama there was indeed a whole lot of magic but creating cyborgs just was not really part of it... The lovely wet shirts got covered up more and more with not so good looking suits (still ok, just not as good)... The evil villains started to get these meeeh back stories that kind of killed the mood.

So the score that was way up there started to go down, down,... and almost hit a 7 before it went back up to an 8.

So what can I say, this is a sweet easy binge with great leads and just a little to much cringe for it to be a great watch

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Started out strong, ended up being BAD!

I have loved the first 6 episodes and every week I used to rave about this drama and how nearly perfect it was and then, what happens in drama land happened. The curse of the second half, where a perfectly good drama just takes a nose dive and end up ruining all the set up it had worked so hard initially to charm and engage the drama viewer flying out of the window.

To begin with the sweet grandpa turning to be a mid villain or how his character took a 180 turn for me was one instance but then as it continued the drama couldn't explain the loophole of how the same Kang Tae Ha in the past and present is one with all the characteristics but couldn't be a reincarnation but different people at the same time! Huh? Like, if Yeon Woo could time travel and be in the modern world, why couldn't Tae Ha be an reincarnation of himself but two different identity and why did the Joseon Tae Ha have to suffer and see his wife fall for someone else, (more like his future self) but not him. How was that fair? How did it make sense? I mean do I make sense? Why couldn't it had been the same person with the same memories and just have lived in both worlds?

I hated the ending. I hated how past Tae Ha just died not knowing why his wife suddenly was with in love with someone who looked like him but not him but him and on and on...grr

This drama was just confusing with confusing characters with loophole like land mines every corner with no escape. The chemistry between the leads was amazing and I swooned in the initial episodes at how great they were together and also the secondary characters were worth the screen time they got. This drama had all the ingredients but then the second half just had to go and blow it all up.

I wish the writer took some time to flourish out the ideas and explained more about the connection of the past and present world and its inhabitants.

I would recommend the first 6 episodes since it was just too sweet and cute. The rest? Naaa...

Rating 2/10

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Fun and silly ride with a few potholes that make it bumpy

The first half of this drama I really enjoyed. It was light and silly and the strong willed Yeon Woo was fun to watch. Sa Wol was one of the best characters in the show. She was so funny and lightened every scene she was in but also carried her loyalty and wisdom well.

Overall and nice watch to pass the time. But there are some things about this show that I found reduced the rating for me. First was the future Tae Ha's unbelievable jerk behavior when they first meet. I know that is a trope of the overbearing boss kind but it bothered me here. When he finally lightens up and starts to accept the situation he does become more likeable. Next is how quickly the women adjusted to the changes. It did not feel realistic with how fast they changed the way they dress and act in a time that was so dramatically different than what they lived in. And finally, is the love story. While it was fun to watch them bicker and find their way to each other then the love story gets a little boring. It almost felt like filler to watch them after that and while I love romance I thought that time could have been cut out for me and just moved on with the plot.

Slight spoiler here so be warned but I also could not stand the ending for the Old Joseon Tae Ha. I was annoyed the whole time I was watching it as the character did not deserve it.

Overall the music is quite nice, the production was done well from sets to costumes, and the parts were acted well. A good way to pass the time but I could also recommend several other shows I would find better than this as well.

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Unexpectedly Captivating!

This series is from a web novel, which (in my view) often portends good things. I confess, it was a surprise to me, as I was expecting something lighthearted, rather than the very impactful way in which her story is told. There are comedic moments..such as her first ever revolving door and her first taste of ketchup…lol…but it is also very affecting as well. 



Lee Se Young stars as Park Yeon Woo, who lives in 19th century Joseon. Her father is the Minister of the Interior. He is a kind man who adores his only daughter and gives her enough freedom that despite the constraints on women in the 19th century she has some independence. Her relationship with her parents, her friendship with her maid, and the story with her grandfather and the crepe myrtle tree were very touching.

She is portrayed as someone who is dauntless and strong willed. Happy as she is, she sees no need to marry, but her parents have other ideas, lol. So to please them…she finally agrees to marry a man she doesn’t even know.
To her shocked delight… her groom Kang Tae Ha (played by Bae In Hyuk) is a man she has briefly met and liked.
Unfortunately for him and for her…he will die on her wedding day.
His mother angrily blames her and has her kidnapped and thrown down in a well, where she will travel to modern day Seoul.
She will surface in a hotel swimming pool where she will be saved from drowning by her dearly departed husband Kang Tae Ha. 
He of course has no memory of her and thinks she is deranged. However, he realizes she might be his chance for an immediate wife. So he convinces her to play the role of his wife for one day to please his grandfather.
Since Kang Tae Ha is portrayed as an emotionally detached, arrogant, chaebol heir..he sees nothing strange about using her for a day, paying her off, and assuming he will never see her again. But Fate ....has another plan. 



Things I Loved:

The Script: Even though time-slip romances are nothing new..still in this one...the time travel element was imaginatively well done. 
The storyline is also unexpectedly absorbing and appealing.
The Cast: Already, both leads are proving to be irresistible to watch. She is no stranger to most of us…having performed beautifully in several well-loved dramas such as The Red Sleeve and The Crowned Clown. She is mesmerizing in this one.

So if the script continues as it has begun, this series will be a ten, I cannot wait for the next episode and I am not alone. According to Nielsen Korea, this series scored an average nationwide rating of 5.6 percent for its first episode which is a great start, especially as there is stiff competition during this time frame, so we will see if they can keep pulling that off week after week.
Personal Note: I submit early reviews..because after much consideration, I realized the first thing I do when starting a new series is read the boards and reviews for clues. Reviews are a tool to help viewers decide whether or not to watch a series.
So in my view, early reviews ..have merit. Lol. My sincere apologies if that offends anyone.
But here is my promise to you. I never post a review without follow up. I promise ..I will be back to update this review, and be prepared...the rating may up or down as more episodes come in..
For now, this is a recommend...it has the potential to be very good.

@3..Really fascinating episode. Our watch party group had a blast with this one..it was funny, a touch whimsical and very affecting. And our ML...well, he is still a bit confused about her, but that is changing. Already he is having heart palpitations..only these are the good kind.

@6 This series is breathtakingly good and both leads are giving us a heck of a performance.
Their success however, would be nothing without a good scriptwriter...and this script has delivered the thrills.
There are funny scenes i.e. her learning to "curl" like an Olympian with the mop and robot vac...and some really tender and romantic moments such as when they got caught by the lawn irrigation and fell together in the wet sheets.
There are twisted characters with some sinister moments, all of which add up to very solid series.
I mentioned the ratings above...well, it has surpassed those numbers by almost double digits...
Nielsen Korea, MBC’s says for the 6th episode, it reached a new all-time high of 9.6 percent.
So ....pretty crazy numbers which tell us how good the viewing audience believes this one is.

@8 Riveting episode...loving this ML..what a surprise he has been...and notice by the last two episodes...his stylist gets his hair styled right...lol. the messy look is perfect and wow...he is a lot more handsome than first thought.
Also, there are new developments in this series... no one is easy to read, least of all, gramps, his character is complex.
But the romance is sizzling along...and the skinship is natural and lovely.

@ Final: I enjoyed this series. Loved the two leads, they are both wonderful together. Lots of kisses....however, I took one star off because it did a bit of a dive after episode 8 and some of the initial magic was lost. Full disclosure...some viewers are ambivalent about the ending..I thought the ending was fine. But despite these issues..overall it was a very enjoyable series.
Both short and sweet.

Happy Watching!

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Love it or Hate it

I feel like this is one of those dramas you either love or hate. On one hand, I found it entertaining. On the other hand, the plot was full of holes. It's a fish out of water story that involves a Joseon girl time traveling to modern day Korea. Unlike most leads in a fish out of water plot, FL is a quick study and adapts to modern life very quickly to the point that it's kind of unrealistic (but so is time travel so who am I to say anything). I found this drama to be mediocre, especially with the business succession part of the drama. However, I loved the cast, especially the lead actress (Lee Se Young). The main couple was also very cute together, but how they meet and fall in love is a bit cliché. The outfits were one of my favorite things about this drama. FL's outfits were simply gorgeous. I also loved the dorky secondary couple who acted as comedic relief. The last few episodes were a bit draggy which lowered my rating a bit. It's not a bad watch and even entertaining if you shut your brain off and enjoy the show. They even throw in a few good twists. Don't ask me how or if they make sense. I personally was satisfied with the ending, although I know a lot of people were disappointed. They certainly leave a lot of loose ends.

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The ending felt weird even though it was concluded well

Jan 6, 2024

WAW, this is the first kdrama that I have finished for the new year of 2024. I really liked keeping up with this series and I didn't even realize that today would be the last episode. I feel like the story was good. It was captivating, enchanting. And I guess even though, the ending is loved by others and that it seemed complete.

I just feel like it went kinda flat for me to say the least. I guess this is the happy ending that everyone wanted. But I never realized how bad it has ended for the Joseon Tae Ha. He is literally the second male lead with a painful ending to say the least. I guess maybe I feel a lot of pity for how his story ended. But I guess that is the sacrifice that is needed so that our leads can have that happy ending that they deserve.

On a more positive note, the casts were amazing. I loved every single bits of the "villains", side couples, and our leads. The mixture of comedy, romance, and fantasy were pretty well done. I do feel like 13/14 episodes would have been better to explain certain chunks of the plots. As some felt, really fast-paced that, it almost felt like the story was jumping in a jagged way.

Cheers 🍻

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Annoying, clichéd, waste of time

This drama started out with such great expectations. Especially the nice looking lead pair.
But every episode went downhill after that.

Seriously - they couldn't decide who would be the evil villain - the step mother or grand father.
The evil stepmother's heart of stone voila turns to gold somewhere in some random episode for some irrational reason.
The grandfather couldn't decide if he wanted to be evil or greedy or a smart ceo. Thankfully he loses his memory along the way and spares us his confusion.

The time transfer between Joseon to Seoul is like traveling on a rattling bullock cart - you don't know which part of your intestine got twisted and jostled on the rough journey.

And the most cringey part was this plastic branch with a few flowers that the FL keeps carrying around waiting for the flowers to wilt and the ML to die.

Messy, shabby, poorly scripted.

The positives:
Beautiful outfits created for the fashion house. The runway outfits were fabulous.
Beautiful embroidery.

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time slip, contract marriage and bae inhyuk’s dimples… can it get any better?

Is The Red Sleeve end of year success happening again? the answer is YES. This drama is having such an incredible ranting in sk for a reason. Eye catching from the very first episode, this show is a a keeper. No unnecessary scenes, amazing pacing, well written characters and a great cast. You can’t ask for more.

After being done so dirty in his last drama, this story has made bae inhyuk some justice. Kang Taeha gets more entertaining with every episode. Of all the young actors in currently airing dramas, he’s got to be the one with the best performance. Of course, having the powerful Lee Seyoung as your co-star sure helps a lot! She can’t do nothing wrong. They are wonderful cp. Lots of chemistry.

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The reviews hit harder than the comedy in the drama

This is the first time I am writing a review and only because I am so had at wasting the hours of my life to watch this thing

To get the positive out of the way: the casting was great and the outfits were especially beautiful.

Onto the rest:
The plot is predictable and makes no sense. There were all the usual twists and you could see it coming a mile away had you watched other korean dramas. The motivation for going back in time makes no sense and the main character seemingly just forgets the origianl ML from the past.

The last 2 episodes were filler as they had absolutely no effect on the ending. They cried, she spent some time in the past rejecting the original Tae Ha after she got her win and then she came back to the 21st century and got married yet again. This series could have really ended around the 10th episode.

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Strong Start, Weak Finish | Amazing Rom-Com, Mystery But Failed to Tie the End

I went gaga as this drama began with all the right elements: beautiful romance of main & second leads, right dose of comedy and mystery that piqued interest in past/present timelines. They also maintained focus on women empowerment which was executed well through the FL's work in past/present. But ALL this is maintained and peaked till Ep 10, but the last 2 episodes seem to be written by some other writer/director, cause it was just a chaotic mess that leaves you disappointed especially after the high that initial episodes gave.

Best Parts:
- Amazing Cast &Performance in respective roles. Especially of ML, FL, SML, FML, FL Mon, ML's StepMom, Step Bro ❤️
- Great chemistry and Romance of ML/FL & SML/SFL
- Good build of of past/present timeline and mystery
- Pretty dresses, locations!
- Great intro & build up of evil characters

Messy Parts:
- Could not deliver the ending well for romance or the mystery
- Some support characters are just forgotten in end episodes

VERDICT:
Recommended for one time watch, just be cautious of the ending being a mess. So if you can handle it for the sake of concluding the story, watch it.

PERSONAL FAVS:
- Was already a fan of the FL and SFL - but now am also in love with the looks, acting and voices of the ML and SML.
- I really want the actress who plays Step Mom to be cast as a Good Mom role. Have already seen in negative roles here, Extraordinary Attorney Woo and My Lovely Liar. She deserves better although in all 3 she has a redemption arc.

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