A newscaster’s life is messed up when he loses his ability to lie but everything gets back on track when he regains that ability. Hmmm... He and reality show writer vacillate between surfacing and burying truths.
Acting
The acting is generally fine, in that it lived up to what was written for each character.
It was refreshing to see Kang Han-na (playing On Woo-ju) in a more light-hearted role. Some people referred to her as “delightful”. This is only my second time seeing her and I will just say that now I know she can do comedy. She also has lovely knit tops!
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| (a significant 'minor' role for Patricia Yiombi!) |
I would use “delightful” for Go Kyung-pyo (playing Song Ki-baek). First time seeing him and he is great for rom-coms! One of my top scenes is when he reads the horrible poem with all the animal sounds so diligently.
His family members come across as the people they are supposed to be, and so do his and Woo-ju’s colleagues. The boy playing Gu-won (Park Jae-jun) is a very confident actor and was fortunate to be given a quirky personality.
Another refreshing appearance was Kwon Yul playing Dr Kim. He is intriguing and abrasive, and I liked all the times Ki-baek suddenly materialises at his elbow, at a loss and earnest at the same time, funnily juxtaposing with Kim’s annoyance and matter-of-fact style dodgy explanations.
My scene stealer is Baek Joo-hee, playing Woo-ju’s mum Bok-ja, with her piercing eyes (would love to see her in a historical drama) and pretty clothes. She has that same strong mind and loyalty that Mi-hee had and I’m glad she was made to go further. Loved how she picks up hidden feelings and vibes quickly and accurately, yet has a mysterious, regal aura and always just knows what to do. Even more “delightful” than Go Kyung-po! All her scenes stood out as more substantial than the main storyline, I felt. Wonderful job!!
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| having a go at Madame On's special salon chairs for people who are searching... |
Head-scratchers
Jung hyun (played by Joo Jung-hyuk) – although he’s supposed to be part of the love triangle, it was like he is in another drama on his own and he is mostly bland, especially when compared with, say, even Dr Kim.
Ji-hoo (played by Ko Kyu-pil) –a wonderful friend and father but what was the point of his character?
Ha Young (played by Lee Bom-sori) –she’s beautiful but perhaps a lost opportunity to create more tension in the story. Why introduce her as a sneaky rival when nothing is going to happen in the end? I thought she was going to steal the production from Woo-ju but she turns out to be helpful, not antagonistic. We didn’t need another friend. Woo-ju already has Chae-yeon (Kim Sae-byuk) and the rest of her team.
Ki-baek’s family – yes, he never said they were a burden but he sure carried a huge load from the time he was a student. I don’t know why his brothers aren’t doing more and it is true that the whole family is dependent on his salary. At least Un-baek (Hwang Seung-bin) has the gym (with only one member) but why isn’t Poong-baek (Lee Jin-hyuk) studying or working, and just watching dramas with the mum? The dad has an injured leg but surely he can still do some work instead of merely helping the mum distribute those facial products? And his past history as a fighter called Beethoven – how does it help the story?
Cho-hee (played by Han Dong-hee) – what becomes of her and do her followers unfollow her after it was revealed she made the other girl leave the show? I thought that more could have been made of this character since she is a conniving, manipulative ‘first love’.
Woo-ju’s birth mother ‘s tale – Bok-ja says she has a birthmark on her hand but it sure looked like burn marks instead of birthmark. Plus, there was the candles going out image in Bok-ja’s mind when she came to the salon. Did this have anything to do with why she left Woo-ju at the orphanage (a story we are never told)? And Woo-ju was old enough to remember being brought there but didn’t have a name yet – why?
Various scenes didn’t seem to have much purpose, such as the fight in the warehouse, or even Ki-baek’s mum being in the hospital. The reality shows were ridiculous. There was so much more the show could have featured about the entertainment industry and social media.
The school performance – the children are cute, especially the bunny, but why have them in a play that is a parallel of Ki-baek and Woo-ju’s stories (making us go through the show all over again)? I might have had them do a magic show instead! Gu-won seems to have imbibed grandma Bok-ja’s shamanic stage presence and the bunny could be given a “delightful” role. And please, can we stop having children kiss children in shows?
My biggest question is: what happened with Bok-ja and her boyfriend? I thought there should have been some conclusion for this side story and she certainly deserves a happy ending.
There were many parent-child relationships and among them, the portrayal of the Song parents was a disappointment. The mum obviously favours Ki-baek (is it because he is successful? is the eldest son?) and the dad is largely the cause of his family’s hardships and Ki-baek having a tough time, but all he has to say at the end was that he is sorry, and that was it!
The other meaningful theme was personal growth and yes, all the characters went through important changes. One redeeming factor for the show.
Watching this assembly of absurd reality shows, social media engagement, random characters and weak connections here and there, my conclusion is that we’re not supposed to take much of the story too seriously. Was this meant to be a parody of reality shows and social media (= reality shows and social media posts are nothing but outright lies and manipulated ‘truths’)? That’s what it seemed like to me and a better title would be Lies, Catharsis and Loose Ends.
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| liked him best as newscaster |
Frankly Speaking
JTBC, 12 episodes
[might have benefited from more episodes to flesh out the themes properly]
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