Fell off

Good enough but misses the mark and fails to maintain its momentum with the 2nd half being a significant downgrade to what we were presented earlier. By then, it seems even the cast got smaller including the extras in the background. There weren't as many people in towns or the palace anymore. The ML's kid was barely seen too. Possible budget cuts? The lengthy 20 episodes didn't help its case either. Even if we were to tolerate the downgrade, it's impossible for this drama to leave us with a good impression when every single scene of the last episode was laughably and shamelessly bad. Having two writers might explain why the drama ended up like that.

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Weak

I was losing my mind by the sheer amount of repeated flashbacks from their past. The exact same sequence of flashbacks was played more than any amount considered to be normal. The doubleganger didn't really have an active role in the drama, you see her once at the beginning and at the end. The chemistry between the leads was quite right. The introduction was interesting enough but once they switched the events to the family it fell apart. There were a handful of members in the family of which none of them were interesting or appealing, which is unfortunate because they occupy most of the runtime. All of them were a copy-paste of the exact bad-rich-scumbag character.

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Wasted

It started off poor with a tacky set up failing to construct a half-assed mystery element, even a thriller one for what it matter. Which broke off the tension right from the beginning. The violent scenes weren't there to contribute to either themes but to be violent for the sake of it. The villains were utterly comical and straight up ruined the drama shamelessly! As if things weren't bad already, they went ahead and turned the whole thing into a cult chase. it's been proven time and time again that cult focused plots have a dangerously high failure rate, yet we've been flooded by these in the recent years. The handful of violent scenes weren't enough to save the drama. Despite all of that, they had the audacity to tease for possible future continuation! What a load of rubbish!

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The drama was embarrassingly lackluster in all aspects. The writing was its biggest downfall, especially how the characters were written, nothing but a major disappointment from otherwise a capable cast. I wouldn't recommend unless you're a die hard fan of one of the cast members. Keep in mind that Gong Yoo isn't the main male lead here.

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A blatantly weak life/family drama

This drama was a one big exhibition of petty fights with a lot of noise and little to no substance. These arguments and fights were the main driving element of the drama and it's important for it to be supported by a good dialogue. Unfortunately, nothing profound came out of any of them. Most of them were "fixed" by clearing misunderstandings from the past. It didn't feel it provided a real development and growth for these characters. Especially for repeated offenders. None of the characters/relationships were appealing. There was no place for romance but they insisted on shoving it in for the last 1/3 to pair everyone. They should've kept it about the family only. I didn't like how they ended most episodes with a scene that wasn't resumed until 15 minutes of the next episode.

I was expecting a proper "life" drama grounded to reality but shoving too many tropes ruined it (miscarriage, misunderstandings, amnesia, birth secret, illness, cheating, friends to lovers, hidden past, ex-spouse comes back ..etc). This is a melodrama in disguise!! There was one particular really stupid misunderstanding that lasted over 30 years. The writers weren't even trying! However, the worst part of the drama has to be all the scenes of Eun Hee talking about her love life with Chan Hyuk, these were mind numbing. This drama doesn't have much to offer other than some pretty visuals.

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Not quite there...

I'm kinda disappointed, maybe I expected too much judging by who's behind it. It started off heading in one direction then ended up in a different direction. They took away the focus from the relationship/affair and brought the company issues in its place. The relationship already lacked depth and development but neglecting it in the later episodes harmed the drama even more. Speaking of which, I didn't like how they laid out the story with the any of the characters outside the 2 main ones. There was also no real tension or consequences to the affair. The husband failed to play any meaningful role in the story. The main leads brought a good performance but the same can't be said about the rest. Although, whenever there was a moment that required the leads to act "feeling guilty" it came across as artificial, they could have done better with these scenes. Which brings me to my last point that is the production, it was kinda a hit or miss, sometimes it was wonderful while other times was totally distasteful and experimental. Some transitions were off, as if some scenes were cut short and abruptly. At least the music bits were good. It's still a decent drama but not a one that I would recommend from this genre.

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Underwhelming!

The revenge didn't quench my thirst. While the first episode brilliantly set up the story and introduced compelling characters, the subsequent episodes veered off course and fell short of expectations. The drama started to show its cracks as early as the first third. It was no longer as engaging as its start. It continued heading in a downward spiral shortly after midway point where it started to get stupid and pointless. Stupid isn't good. At that point, any interesting elements it had were gone and it deviated from its original promise. For a drama themed around adults relationships you would expect a better and more profound dialogue but, unfortunately, it always favored the more melodramatic and senseless route. Even then, it wasn't spicy enough to keep me stimulated. One more thing, the last episode was bad. I'm not sure why they had to slap the +18 rating on it when the explicit scenes were tame and scarce anyway. Kim Hee Ae is an underrated actress and I'm glad she's getting more recognition but I've see better from her than this one. Overall, it's an okay drama that ended up being disappointing.

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Good

A fun little drama. Having an entire drama themed around postpartum is something we almost never see in drama. The postpartum club kept things alive while sticking to the theme, rather than spending postpartum at home. It also helps that it was only 8 episodes, otherwise, it would have gotten stale easily. The comedy was decent and kept it light. They actually used real babies which is a must for such a theme. Uhm Ji Won was a great casting choice as the lead mother. I wanted the main couple to have more attention since the drama did a good job starting with them. The other mothers' stories were fine but could've been better.

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Watch seasone 2!

Regarding season 1:
I found it to be very flawed from all angles and it only served as a learning experience for those who carried on with the second season. Its portrayal of a cult lacked a compelling thematic foundation, opting instead to draw inspiration from cheap rip-off D-grade movies themed around cults. Where cults are extremely over-dramatized to the point of crossing the supernatural territory. The cult apparently possessed super powers of hypnosis with only a few words spoken, even towards people who weren't perceptible to religious and spiritual beliefs. Everything surrounded the cult came off as cartoonish even within the context of a 'drama'. The narrative itself struggled to carry its own weight, particularly as it primarily focused on the perspectives of the outsiders. It always felt as if it was building up towards something bigger but it never got there. For a 16-episodes run, it needed a proper world building and foundation for the cult. Establishing a distinct "character" for the cult would have provided a stronger identity. Back to the outsiders, having the drama led by teenage characters was another weak aspect of it. Bland and cardboard characters. The mystery element was a crucial part of the drama yet it was lacking and under-delivering. The first season would have fared better as a standalone one-off movie rather than a drama. It doesn't make any sense why the drama was rated this high, according to MDL standards, especially when season 2 effectively addressed most of the issues with the cult and delivered an overall better package!

Regarding Season 2:
It managed to deliver a much more compelling package than season 1. The most important part is that it handled the cult theme properly. The characters and the cast were a lot more appealing than season 1. Having a more adult leading characters rather than teenager was a plus. Uhm Tae Goo was a perfect casting choice for his character. The story had a better and more natural progression than season 1. However, it got sloppier the closer it got to the ending. Speaking of the ending, it was a bit underwhelming and not as grandiose as I hoped it would be. Second season should have been a stand alone drama unrelated to the first one, not even in the name. If you don't feel like watching two seasons then you can ignore the first one and just watch the second.

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At least it wasn't as bad as Eun Hui

Whenever you see TV Novel in the title of a drama here, make sure to not have the slightest expectations, it's really helpful. One particular feature of these "TV Novels" dramas is having single digit IQ characters and this drama was no exception to the rule. At the end of the day, it's done purposely because it's easier to digest and provoke. The cast was barely average, however, it's hard to stomach when almost every single character was selfish and trashy without proper character building and motivation. The love square seems to be identical to most of the other TV Novel ones, two good vs two baddies. Speaking of which, the two main lead were such a bad pair with no chemistry. Lee Min Woo looks older than his real age and this only made the age gap much worse.

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Passable....

This family drama revolves around three brothers, each with their own distinct characteristics and struggles. The eldest brother faces challenges in life and always reach a dead end, the middle brother is obsessed with money, and the youngest brother relentlessly pursues the love of a girl throughout the drama's 70 episodes. Unfortunately, the relationships portrayed in the drama were plagued by extreme seething toxicity, which undermines their overall appeal. The drama lacked a clear overarching goal and instead focuses on a series of smaller, successive problems. Which resulted in underdeveloped storylines for most of the couples in the drama. Out of the three main couples, the youngest one had the most nonsensical relationship. While the banter between him and Eo Young may have moments of endearment, it can also be seriously annoying at times. The depiction of the three brothers' relationship was a mixed bag. While there were instances where their brotherhood shined and offered glimpses of potential, it ultimately fell short of delivering a truly compelling dynamic. Overall, the drama had an appealing set up but it didn't fully utilize that.

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This was "something"...

This drama was very strange and unconventional, in a bad way. To state the obvious, everything about this drama was low quality but that doesn't excuse the inept talents behind it. Especially the director whom has no experience or whatsoever. Weird edits/cuts, messed up pacing, incoherent storytelling, flawed production, failing cast. All of that was amplified by 10 folds in the 2nd half, most notably with the cast. The cast was somewhat ordinary at first but the infection spread down from the director to them and they became obedient to the director's wishes. They began having strange dialogue insertions, extremely over dramatic and cartoonish moments, and cringe-worthy and misplaced gestures/body language. The infection spread even further to the writing department and the whole production was infected at that point. The writing was nothing but bad, it's a poorly written story no matter how you look at it, its execution was even poorer. Even the characters weren't safe, for some reason, they made all females selfish, needy and entitled and made all males pathetic and stupid. This drama serves as a good example for what's considered objectively bad.

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Okay

This drama falls into the realm of being passable, but not much more than that. While the first two episodes succeeded in establishing an intriguing backstory, subsequent episodes failed to maintain a consistently engaging narrative. A clearer direction was lacking, as the drama attempted to blend various genres, resulting in a somewhat disjointed experience.The cast was a mix of half-decent performers and others who fell into the realm of generic and unremarkable. Characters such as Noo Ri and Soon Jung, for example, could easily be replaced with anyone from any team investigation drama and it wouldn't matter. Furthermore, in terms of team dynamics, there was a noticeable absence of a genuine connection. With the exception of the two main guys, the remaining members felt more like background extras in a team project.

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