My Happy Ending: Episode 1 (First Impressions)

by solstices

My Happy Ending introduces us to a likable heroine surrounded by a solid support system, then proceeds to wrench it all away from her in one fell swoop. I was excitedly anticipating this Go Back Spouses reunion, but the show’s premiere episode leaves much to be desired.

Editor’s note: This is an Episode 1 review only. For a place to chat about the entire drama, visit the Drama Hangout.
 

 
EPISODE 1

Our story begins in medias res, with SEO JAE-WON (Jang Nara) fleeing from a masked pursuer. Dressed in formal wear and heels, she’s unable to outrun her assailant, who pins her against a bridge and begins to strangle her.

Rewinding three days earlier to an idyllic day in Jae-won’s woodworking workshop, we learn that our heroine is the self-made CEO of her own furniture brand. She splits her time between corporate calls and creating furniture pieces, which means she spends most of her time at work and barely has any left over for herself.

Still, our heroine is competent and self-assured, and she’s got a close network of people who have her back. Her loving husband HEO SOON-YOUNG (Sohn Ho-joon) is thoughtful and kind, taking good care of their daughter and cooking up a pot of seaweed soup for his father-in-law when Jae-won can’t travel down for his birthday.

In the professional sphere, Jae-won also has plenty of support. Her best friend KWON YOON-JIN (So Yi-hyun) is an artist, and she’s currently working on a piece that Jae-won commissioned. Yoon-jin may not be earning much compared to Jae-won’s flourishing career, from their adorable teasing, it’s clear they share a close bond.

Jae-won’s also on good terms with her subordinate, the team leader YOON TEO (Lee Ki-taek), and her trust in his craft and his faith in her integrity allow them to negotiate a new deadline for the home camera device they’re working on. They comfortably banter like good buddies, and I’m already enjoying their rapport.

Unfortunately, things start to go downhill in three awful ways. First of all, Jae-won’s approached by the life insurance agent NAM TAE-JOO (Park Ho-san), who raises his doubts about her mother’s death. She’d been hospitalized three times for ingesting pesticide, and Tae-joo suspects foul play by her husband. Jae-won is staunchly defensive, but Tae-joo’s done his research; her mother remarried, so he’s actually her stepfather.

Jae-won’s unwavering pillar of support is Soon-young, so when she returns home after three grueling days at the office, she hugs him and remarks that she finally feels like she’s gotten a proper rest. Soon-young reads her expression and instantly knows something’s wrong, and his gentle concern has her opening up about Tae-joo’s suspicions. Tellingly, she’s less convinced of her stepfather’s innocence now that she has the safety of privacy.

For the second incident, the drama takes a drastic tonal shift. One late night when Jae-won’s working overtime, a masked man wrecks her trophy display, then smashes his way into her office. Thankfully, a security guard arrives in the nick of time, but the close call leaves Jae-won deeply shaken.

To the police’s dismay, the office CCTVs were under maintenance during the attack, and a company-wide email had been sent to inform everyone about the lapse — which means any staff member could be the culprit. Unwilling to risk bad press, Jae-won declines an investigation.

When she discovers a parking ticket in her office, though, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Retrieving the car key with the ticket, Jae-won snoops through the vehicle and finds the clown shirt that her assailant had worn. Then she returns the car key and lies in wait, but the next revelation stuns her — the person who claims the key and gets into the car is Teo.

Reeling from her discovery, Jae-won beelines straight for Soon-young, but his gym informs her that he’d terminated his membership three months prior. It instantly sets off her paranoia, and when she tracks the location of Soon-young’s smartwatch, she’s dealt her third and most devastating blow. Soon-young and Yoon-jin are having an affair.

Jae-won’s barely able to pull herself together for a work event, and she wanders the streets aimlessly afterwards. Interspersed between are snippets of an interview, where she credits her success to her persevering father, her devoted husband, and her supportive colleagues. Oof. All that has crumbled to dust in a mere instant, and Jae-won breaks down into hysterical laughter and heartrending sobs as the rain pours down.

Barely has Jae-won recovered her composure when she receives a message from an unknown number: “Be careful. It’s dangerous to be out alone at night.” Then she notices a familiar car — the same one that had suddenly swerved into her lane and almost caused an accident a few days ago — and it’s all too much for her to handle.

She almost seeks help from a nearby police car, but she quickly gives up when she remembers her reputation is at stake. There’s no chance of a break for our heroine, though, because her assailant is after her once again. With his reappearance, we’re caught up to the drama’s opening scene, and he tosses Jae-won over the bridge and into the waters below.

Thankfully, she’s swiftly rescued. When she wakes up in the hospital, she’s surrounded by the three men who have betrayed her — all donning their deceitful masks and feigning concern. As Jae-won gazes up at them, their lies fresh in her mind, she vows to make them suffer the same hell they’ve put her through.

Oh, boy. I wanted to like this, but as the episode unfolded I found I couldn’t quite connect to the story. It’s all very… abrupt? The sudden tonal shifts don’t do the drama any favors, either. I know the double-crossing is the premise of the story, and we need to get the setup out of the way, but it feels like we barely had any time to connect to our main characters. As a result, their betrayal doesn’t cut quite as deep.

It’s a pity, because I want to like these characters. Jae-won may be a workaholic fueled by the passion for her craft, but she’s also a considerate boss and loving wife. Her business began from the dream of creating cozy furniture for her family, which speaks to how warm her heart is. Jang Nara is doing a lovely job of balancing assured assertiveness with winsome charm, and I was already rooting for Jae-won from the get-go.

Alas, the show’s overly-brisk pacing undercut Jae-won’s characterization. We’re told that she’s been stalked long-term, but we don’t experience it alongside her. All we’ve seen thus far is a passive-aggressive flower basket from someone who signed off as “Ami,” which makes Jae-won’s sudden panic and paranoia feel somewhat overwrought. If her intense reaction was meant to contrast her earlier confidence, then I think it went a little overboard, resulting in two dissonant sides of Jae-won that I couldn’t quite reconcile.

Right now, the narrative is very much The Count of Monte Cristo, and if the show wants to deliver a similarly thrilling revenge mission, I hope it commits to the bit and goes all-out in its vengeance schemes. Either that, or there ought to be a lot more depth to the motivations behind the betrayals. Otherwise, the show would have pointlessly sacrificed its potential goodness (house husband Sohn Ho-joon!), and our leads deserve better than a half-baked story.

 
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