#and i will never say no to lee da hee's face on my screen

[wullu]

everyone here being very sexy and doing the most and I appreciate that on a visceral level. Like looking good while doing crime/fighting evil/being evil while being blood spattered is an art.

[onceuponakdrama]

The World of the Married KDrama Review

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Bingo Card for The World of the Married

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Synopsis: Ji Sun Woo is a family medicine doctor. She is married to Lee Tae Oh and they have a son. She seems to have everything, including a successful career and a happy family, but she is betrayed by her husband and others. Meanwhile, Lee Tae Oh dreams of becoming a famous movie director. He runs an entertainment business with the support of his wife Ji Sun Woo. Even though he loves his wife, Lee Tae Oh falls into a dangerous relationship.

TW: infidelity, attempted murder, suicide mentions, abusive relationships. 

Overall Main Plot: Rating - 9 out of 10 

Wow. Okay, so I have to clear up that I really like romantic comedy dramas better, but I gave this a shot because it was highly rated and I did not regret it. Like many other viewers, I was super invested in every episode because there was just twist after twist and it was the kind that was actually not expected (other than the mistress getting pregnant because I totally called that). It definitely felt like a thriller drama, especially as things got more and more tense between all the characters and how they were all pushing the plot. Just when you thought you were safe and knew what was going to happen—BAM, new plot device! I know this drama is surrounding the romance and the whole theme of infidelity, but it was so much deeper because it was focused on more than just the one relationship. It was about how these relationships overlap, class dynamics, and even a couple of notes about sexism when it comes to parenting and divorce. It was also about trust because Sunwoo’s trust was not broken between just her husband, but also her friends and there’s also the doctor-patient trust.... There is just so much happening and it feels so overdramatic, but it actually works. I guess what made it a 9 out of 10 rather than a 10 out of 10 is the fact that there were too many elements happening that if you missed something real quick, you might have actually missed a major part of it, but that’s just my opinion. 

Characters: Rating - 8 out of 10 

↣ Ji Sunwoo [played by Kim Hee-Ae]: y’all, the first thing I wanna say about Sunwoo is how bad I felt for her the entire time. She was just so fooled into thinking she had a perfect life, only to find out that her husband and her friends really just... hated her? Or, at least it felt like she was secretly hated amongst them. Not to mention the fact that Joon Young (her son) just felt more and more antagonistic towards her. While I understand how hard divorce is on a kid, the way he acted sometimes just felt lowkey misogynistic at times and I felt so bad for her. Not to mention that she kept going back to Tae Oh for no fucking reason. Well, I guess it’s just hard to break off ties when there are lingering feelings, but he’s tried to kill her! TWICE! Maybe, even thrice! I don’t know; her relationship with her family was the one thing that she wanted to protect but then it broke her in the end. One another thing that made me mad was also her relationship with that other doctor, Dr. Sul—that two-faced bitch needed to pick a side and she kept gossiping and... God, I hated that Sunwoo kept talking to her, like why. Overall, I just felt bad for her and how things played out; while she definitely handled things like a boss at times, there were moments that were too flawed for me about her character that I couldn’t overlook. I think I just really felt for her when she lost Joon Young (temporarily, but still) and, along that, herself and, her suicide attempt.... she really deserved so much better. 

↣ Lee Tae Oh [played by Park Haejoon]: okay, real talk. I hated all the men in this goddamned drama, but Lee Tae-fucking-Oh takes the entire cake. I have never hated a man more in my entire life. He didn’t even get everything he deserved, which is nothing, and, after everything he and his families had been through, he never once formally apologized or even took the fault of the problems HE started. His character alone is enough her to deduct a point because he was the only one who did not develop. He never once reflected on the fact that he was the problem and all he had to do was apologize. AT THE END OH MYGOD THE AUDACITY. He literally was just so stubborn and was the ultimate downfall for everything that happened because he couldn’t keep it in his fucking pants. 

↣ Yeo Da Kyung [played by Han Sohee]: I really hated her at first and I only really liked her at the end when she left Tae Oh with literally nothing. But, I started to go through the posts about this drama and... some good points were made. The most notable thing to me was the fact that she really was just a younger woman who was gaslit into thinking that this married man loved her. At the end, she realized that she was deluding herself into thinking that. It makes the viewers think about it too—the fact that she gave him a choice, but when Sunwoo left him, she thought he actually did divorce her when it was the other way around. I just wished she came to this realization earlier because we could have gotten some real epic scenes of Sunwoo and Da Kyung together. I think I really didn’t like her in the beginning because she really was just a spoiled rich girl (she still is at the end, but she’s just less gullible) who thought she owned the world because her father had so much power and her family had so much money and.... she was such a disrespectful and dumb girl. But, again, she is a younger woman who’s been sheltered and her development was really satisfying, especially when she rejected that one guy’s advance to focus on herself. There was a lot to hate about her until the very end, but it still feels satisfying to know that she wasn’t gonna let Tae Oh ruin her life completely. 

↣ Lee Joon Young [played by Jeon Jin Seo]: he was also another annoying character I didn’t like either, until time went and he slowly grew to understand things better. He is a teenager after all and there was a lot that he did that he’ll definitely regret looking back on, but his response to his parents and their complicated their relationship was totally warranted. He’s just a confused kid and his parents weren’t going to explain anything to him—it wasn’t until he and Sunwoo had an honest and open conversation that they were able to determine what it was that they would do and all that other good stuff. In a way, he was a major part in the plot because all this plot built up to him running away from home at the end. His parents were the downfall of his mental state and he really needed to just get away from them, which also helped his parents realize that they need to get their shit together. I also felt really bad for him too, especially when Da Kyung accused him of hitting her daughter to getting hit by his dad to getting bullied at his school (and I highkey thought that fight at school was warranted because of all those kids talking shit about his mom, like.. mind your own business). There was so much happening to him all at once and his behavior, while infuriating to us as viewers, it felt very on par for a teenager who is going through these issues. 

Personal Notes: I think what really made the characters great was how flawed they were and their development along the way. The ending was mostly satisfying for the most part, in which everyone kind of got what they deserved. Although, there were definitely some weird choices that made no sense and they kind of tried to reason it with all the emotions (like when Sunwoo bailed Tae-Oh out of jail... girl, leave him in jail to rot). I also did not predict Joon Young just flat out running away from home and it made me think about his parents: did Sunwoo and Tae Oh really learn their lesson? Are they going to change after he returns? I went through so many emotions with these characters and, those who developed, it felt satisfying to watch. 

Romance: Rating - 7 out of 10 

There was definitely chemistry between the three main characters. For romantic chemistry, there was a lot of it in both before the divorce and after the divorce. There was just so much push and pull from Tae Oh and Sunwoo and it was heartwarming (for a hot second) to see how they got together and decided to get married (you know, before he tried to make Da Kyung a copy of Sunwoo because he is obsessed). The biggest thing that put me off about this romance though is how toxic is. While that’s supposed to be main point of the drama, it just got me rolling my eyes because Sunwoo really needed to remove herself from this emotionally abusive relationship. It pushed her all the way to the edge—both causing her depression and her suicidal attempt. This drama made me distrust everyone because I wasn’t (and still not) sure of Dr. Kim (the psychiatrist). I was just pushing for self-love on both Sunwoo and Da Kyung’s parts because of how Tae Oh ruined these women. All of these romance relationships, while I was invested and the chemistry between them were present, I did not love them and root for them. I was screaming at my TV screen for them to get away from one another. The romance is the key in this drama, but it’s the ultimately downfall of the characters because of how it all broke apart so easily because the men in this drama are garbage. 

Second Plot/B-Plot and Secondary Characters: Rating - 8 out of 10 

I was actually really invested with the secondary plots, especially when it came to Hyun Seo and Ye Rim. They were in these situations that were similar to Sunwoo’s, but it was different in which one turned more dangerous and the other was more of a ‘what could have been’ had Sunwoo forgave Tae-Oh. I think these secondary plots were definitely interesting, especially in contrast to Sunwoo’s situation. I mentioned it earlier, but I was not interested in Dr. Sul, so I had no real interest in her becoming the associate director or whatever. Another side plot I didn’t care for was the whole issue with the women’s association. It was really unclear as to what they really did and it seemed to break apart after Sunwoo joined and quit, which followed by Yerim and Dr. Sul quitting. What I liked about this drama was the fact that the secondary plot could also overlap with the main plot because it’s all interconnected; it could also branch off into its own naturally because of the main characters and the damage they have caused onto the other characters. 

Additional Notes: 

Joon Young’s Development - while it took a bit, his character development felt the slowest and I just ended up feeling really bad for him because he just.... ran away from his problems. I really wished there was more communication between Joon Young and Sunwoo because then there would have been better outcomes for them and the whole family situation. There was that small moment and you could see how that was very positive towards their relationship, but then it all just fell apart and then he ended up running and then kind of coming back? It was just all bad writing and I just felt so bad for him. 

Lee Tae Oh’s Demise - I mentioned it earlier but I hated him and watching him fall into pieces was so satisfying. I just wished he got nothing nothing in the end. In the end, it was more that he was broke and that was fine, but I kind of wanted him to be homeless because he really did not learn his lesson until he lost Joon Young. But the question still kind of remains though: did he really learn his lesson? I really wished that he did, but knowing the men in this drama, I don’t think he would have. 

Social Commentary on Divorcees - I really liked the social commentaries on divorce and the double standards between men and women. There were so many married couples throughout this drama, but there seemed to be specific breaking points. But, even then, their breaking points might not have been divorce, but rather a complete break of trust within the marriage and things would not be the same. I just thought it was interesting to watch as things went down between each couple, whether they were apart of the main cast or not. 

Overall Rating: 8 out of 10 

Recommended? 

↣ Yes: this is one of those overdramatic dramas that have so much going on, if you’re into that, this is a good drama for you. Because it’s also a thriller drama, there’s a lot of action included—there is a violence warning though, since this is a more *rated* drama. It also keeps you on the edge of your seat because there’s a lot happening with many twists and turns that come unexpectedly. There’s also a lot of character development, even though it takes a while, but it’s really satisfying to watch as the drama progresses. This is a drama that is really about rooting for the characters to grow on their own and build their independence further. There’s also many side stories, which do cross with the main storyline; it all aligns and still manages to be interesting. 

↣ No: this is not a really romance centered drama—it’s more of indirect commentary about marriage and complications of divorce. If you wanted something with a couple to root for.... this is not it for you. Because there’s a lot going on, you have to pay close attention to details and if you wanted a less involved drama, this is not the right drama. This is also a very frustrating drama to watch because there’s so much happening, the development is very slow or very fast, and there’s also the fact that it’s about infidelity so there’s a lot of frustration between the main couple.