I have to be in the right mood for a weekend drama, because they take patience and commitment, traits I wouldn't say I have in spades. But Wolgyesu has just enough to keep me reaching for more, even though I wouldn't necessarily say it's an objectively 'good' show.
The drama revolves around the family owning Korea's oldest bespoke suit tailor shop, as well as their friends and acquaintances, whoa ll become closely knit over time.
I'm going to start with my criticisms this time, because I actually love this drama and don't want to make it seem too bad. In the triad of what makes a show great - good direction, good writing, good acting - Wolgyesu is only lacking in one.
Having looked up this writer, I haven't found anything else of theirs that I've seen. Until now, they mostly stuck with MBC weekend drama, which could explain some little tonal inconsistencies. (I should probably explain that differences between how weekend dramas are written between stations can be quite big. KBS often create heartwarming family-orientated stories, like Five Kids, whilst MBC more often entertains itself with big dramatic messes.) The show regularly goes back and forth from ridiculously over-dramatic moments to smaller more endearing ones.
That's not my biggest problem - even Five Kids, the reigning King of weekend dramas, was guilty of playing the same conflict on repeat for about twenty episodes. No, no, my problem is that writer has managed to craft wonderfully quirky characters, and then given them all the same voice. This becomes less noticeable in the second half, so I can forgive it, but when most of the characters use the same intonations and little catchphrase, it somewhat mars the personality each of them has.
I could now complain about half of the characters. It wouldn't be difficult, since half of them are unreasonable or plain toxic, but writing them this way was definitely on purpose. Most of the pulling power of this show can be attributed to the extensive and frankly brilliant cast. Even the awful characters are somewhat redeemed by their physical counterparts. Lee Se-young's character, for example: the director knows that they can make up for her shortcomings and selfish behavior by exaggerating how cute she is. Thus, in pretty much every scene, they use close ups of her beautiful smile to show how appealing she must be regardless.
In general, the direction and music choices seemed clever and appropriate, and how they were used became a running gag for anyone paying enough attention. The director hasn't really been at the helm of a comedy before, so I'm impressed.
The most impressive feat that weekend dramas are capable of is pulling out the character development to the extent that the beginning and final people seem completely different. Yet, you don't notice it happened as you watch. This was best expressed with Choi Won-young's character, who now has a special place in my heart. The writer definitely isn't all bad, just a little lazy.
I'm so glad everyone on board is as talented as they are. Moreover, the chemistry between actors is stunning. My favourite part of the drama is the blossoming romance between Jo Yoon-hee and Lee Dong-gun (which some of you may know existed off screen, since the couple married later that year.) I can't understand why the other couples were favoured at the KBS Awards, because these two were cuter, more communicative, and easier to love than anyone else. It's solidified Lee Dong-gun in my mind as a perfect romcom lead.
And that's about it. You can go watch Wolgyesu if you want on the KBS World Youtube channel, they have fully subbed episodes there.
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