The Fabulous: Episode 1 (First Impressions)

by DaebakGrits

With a title like The Fabulous, one would hope that Netflix’s foray into the romance genre and the world of high-end fashion would live up to its name. Visually — from the wardrobes to the camera angles — it delivers, but our first episode also introduces us to a cast of flawed characters that may or may not win you over.

Editor’s note: This is an Episode 1 review only. For a place to chat about the entire drama with rampant spoilers, visit the Drama Hangout!
 
EPISODE 1 FIRST IMPRESSIONS

As someone who has watched a fair number of Project Runway marathons and dabbled in designing and sewing my own clothes, I was eager for Netflix to drop this K-drama original. I wanted to like it. I really, really did, but I think I’m too much of a romantic purist to fully enjoy the premiere episode of this particular story, which begins with our leading lady PYO JI-EUN (Chae Soo-bin) waking up after a one-night stand — with a man who isn’t her current boyfriend.

Now, we don’t immediately know this little tidbit of information, of course, but Ji-eun’s face when she wakes up naked in some to-be-determined man’s bed indicates that she’s not happy with her recent decisions. And in order to know exactly how she ended up in her current predicament, we rewind to the night before — when she attended her friend JOSEPH’s (Lee Sang-woon) fashion show. There, Ji-eun bumps into her ex-boyfriend JI WOO-MIN (Min-ho).

If the palpable sexual tension between them isn’t enough of a clue that he’s the man she’s going to end up shagging at the end of the night, then the shirt he’s wearing — which is very recognizable as being one of the discarded items of clothing on the floor from our opening scene — is another sign of what’s to come. But then, of course, to make things sticky, Ji-eun’s boyfriend arrives on the scene. She has to introduce her boyfriend to Woo-min, explaining that her ex is totally just a friend. That’s all. Nothing to worry about. (Cue: my extremely knowing and judgmental side-eye.)

Meanwhile, Joseph’s runway show is almost as much of a catastrophe as Ji-eun’s awkward backstage encounter. The night starts off rough, when his introduction to iconic fashion editor AHN NAM-HEE (Choi Hee-jin) is rudely interrupted by stylist HONG JI-SEON (Lee Mi-do), a member of Nam-hee’s entourage who keeps chiming in with her unsolicited negative opinions of Joseph’s collection. And then the show ends in disaster when a pissed off rookie model pulls the plug — literally — on his runway, causing the stage to go dark right before he’s to make his curtain call. The one bright side of the whole event is that his lead model and bestie YE SEON-HO (Park Hee-jung) absolutely slays her water siren look — even if it seems more inspired by a jellyfish, in my opinion.

After all that drama, Joseph is understandably in a mood, so Ji-eun and the rest of their quartet drink and have a “ride or die” night to cheer him up. They all hit the dance floor, where Woo-min’s shirt comes off, and the alcohol, music, lights, and dancing act as an aphrodisiac. The sexual tension builds between Ji-eun and Woo-min until they move things to his place, and once they’re alone, Ji-eun asks, “Is it ok for us to do this?” In response, Woo-min brings her in for a kiss, breaking the string of pearls around her neck that were a gift from her deceased mother. (Hello, symbolism.)

The next morning, after picking up her broken pearls, Ji-eun takes a walk of shame to the restaurant where she’s supposed to meet her boyfriend for brunch. He’s calm and collected, and his quiet disinterest unnerves Ji-eun to the point that she over-explains her whereabouts the night before, unintentionally digging her own grave. If her boyfriend notices her suspicious behavior, though, he doesn’t acknowledge it. Instead he breaks up with her because, well, she talks too much about fashion, and he wants a partner who can converse with him about topics more aligned with his own interests.

At work, Ji-eun and her boss are gunning for a collaboration with Nam-hee, but after a consultation with Ji-seon, who ridicules all the selected luxury brands they intended to provide for the trial photoshoot, Ji-eun needs to find a way to worm herself into Nam-hee’s good graces. She calls Joseph, who tells her about Nam-hee’s affection for a very specific kind of bread made at a difficult to locate bakery. And so, even though it’s beneath her pay grade, Ji-eun acts like an errand girl and jumps through a dozen different hoops to secure the bribe bread.

Her hard work pays off, but it may not have been the bread that saved the day. The broken strand of her mother’s pearls accidentally ended up in the bag with the bread, and the pearls were the accessory featured in the photoshoot. Either way, Ji-eun’s agency won the opportunity to work on Nam-hee’s upcoming editorial. But while Ji-eun is celebrating her professional success, her friends are having a less than perfect day.

The reviews of Joseph’s latest collection are not good, and unlike last season, people aren’t clamoring to use his brand. Joseph is forced to eat some humble pie and face the facts that he’s going to maybe have to do more self-promotion — and groveling — than he’s done in the past. On the bright side, he has an awesome support group that includes his mother, who cheers him up by playing old home videos and encouraging him to dance and sing along with them. It’s downright cute.

At the same time Seon-ho’s fashion designer boyfriend JIN YOUNG-SOO (Jo Eun-sol) is acting suspicious, hiding behind the excuse of professionalism to avoid answering her probing questions about the mysterious mark on his neck. Seon-ho, bless her heart, is either extremely naïve, in denial, or blinded by love because anyone over the age of twelve — including the other models getting ready for the runway show — can tell it’s a hickey. So when the other models start gossiping that Seon-ho slept her way to the top — and shouldn’t be surprised that she’s been replaced — Seon-ho snaps and gets into a physical altercation.

Her completely unprofessional actions earn her a bruise on her face, for which Young-soo cuts her from his fashion show. Although she can understand and accept that he has dismissed her as a model, she’s disappointed that he showed no compassion as her boyfriend. She storms off, and later that night she and her friends gather for drinks and a pity party. The excessive alcohol leads to another “ride or die” moment, and the intoxicated trio convince the sober Woo-min to drive them to Young-soo’s place, where she intends to apologize for her previous outburst.

When she arrives at his house, though, she hears a woman’s voice (presumably with her super sonic hearing), and retreats to the car where her friends are waiting. When they all see the shadows of Young-soo and another woman behind the upstairs curtains, Ji-eun is incensed. She picks up a rock, and chucks it at the window. The glass breaks, the curtains open, and there’s Young-soo — with Ji-seon.

Well, so much for Ji-eun’s recent victory in charming over Nam-hee, because Ji-seon is bound to make Ji-eun’s professional life miserable now that Ji-eun has thrown a rock at her and given her a middle finger salute. While I’m sure there are many viewers who will applaud Ji-eun’s brazen defense of her best friend, I find her actions disappointing and hypocritical.

I mean, destruction of property isn’t very commendable, and that very morning she cheated on her own boyfriend. There’s a whole saying about how people in glass houses shouldn’t cast stones, and Ji-eun somehow missed the literal and metaphorical message behind that particular idiom. Admittedly, the chemistry between Ji-eun and Woo-min is undeniable, and the bits of their backstory that we’ve been shown are intriguing. Unfortunately, I’m struggling to get on board with this particular ship. Chalk it up to me being old fashioned, but I have a hard time rooting for a romance that begins with an infidelity.

That said — if I am to continue watching this drama — I’m going to do it for Joseph and Seon-ho. Joseph, who has his moments of artistic ego, is still charming and endearing, and I don’t believe the gossip that Seon-ho slept her way to the top. There’s more to her story. I’m curious to see how both of them overcome their current professional setbacks, but is it enough to keep me watching? I’m not sure, and I suspect it will depend entirely on how much time I have during my winter staycation.

 
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