Marry My Husband: Episodes 1-2
by solstices
When a terminally-ill patient has her entire world crash down in a single day, she’s given a miraculous second chance at life — and she’s determined to make the most of it. Zippy, fun, and empowering, this is a premiere with a good deal of potential.
EPISODES 1-2
We’re introduced to our browbeaten heroine KANG JI-WON (Park Min-young) in the hospital — having been diagnosed with stage four gastric cancer, she only has six to twelve months left to live. With both her parents out of the picture, it’s all she can do to quietly bear the abuse of her nasty mother-in-law.
Her husband PARK MIN-HWAN (Lee Yi-kyung) isn’t much better. Min-hwan is a mama’s boy who expects his wife to wait on him like a maid, and his reaction to Ji-won’s cancer diagnosis is to whine about who will make his meals for him if she’s sick. Ugh.
Just in case you might think Ji-won has her best friend JUNG SOO-MIN (Song Ha-yoon) in her corner, the show quickly establishes that isn’t the case. Soo-min may be sweet and supportive in front of Ji-won, but in her free time she’s jumping on Min-hwan and sharing some steamy sessions.
Ji-won’s unpaid hospital bills — courtesy of the two moochers who are supposed to be her family — leave her with no choice but to take a taxi home. When she opens up to the driver about her long-suffering life, he veers off course and takes her on a detour down a beautiful cherry blossom road. “Only when you follow a road to its end can you know its outcome for sure,” he tells her. There are other paths, and maybe even better ones. Ji-won tries to pay for the ride, but he returns the cash, telling her to think of it as an allowance from her father.
Arriving home, Ji-won is faced with an ugly truth — her husband and her best friend are cuddling in bed, gleefully snickering about how Min-hwan had the foresight to take out cancer insurance and discussing what they’ll do with the money after Ji-won dies. Utterly heartbroken, Ji-won confronts the canoodling lovers, which escalates to a fight that ends with Min-hwan shoving Ji-won away from Soo-min and into their glass table. It shatters, and the frail Ji-won bleeds out to her death.
The next thing Ji-won knows, she’s back in her office, faced with her cheating husband. His betrayal still fresh in her mind, she instinctively attacks Min-hwan in a fury, until the general manager YOO JI-HYUK (Na In-woo in adorably nerdy glasses) intervenes. He saves Ji-won twice more, pushing away a falling jug and pulling her back from tripping down the stairs, and he even retrieves her lost shoes like her very own Prince Charming.
We don’t spend a lot of time with Ji-hyuk this week — he’s mostly hovering in the background, watching over Ji-won with furrowed brows and an inscrutable look on his face — but he’s already equal parts likable and intriguing. For one, he’s always showing up at just the right moment for Ji-won, almost as if he already knows all her troubles. Hmm, could he be a time traveler too?
Ji-hyuk is also thoughtful and considerate, which already sets him miles apart from anyone else in Ji-won’s life. He doesn’t hesitate to reaffirm her capabilities and reassure her in times of need, which is already nudging her towards rebuilding her self-esteem. (Bonus: In 2021, Ji-hyuk succeeds his father’s company and becomes the CEO!)
Ji-won may have been dropped headfirst into her second chance, but she’s quick on the uptake. Realizing that she’s time-slipped back to 2013 — which means she has a decade to change the awful fate she still remembers all too vividly — Ji-won decides to use her knowledge from the future to invest wisely and grow her meager savings. She hasn’t yet married Min-hwan, and a hospital checkup reveals that she’s still cancer-free, which means she still has a chance to avoid being chained down.
Before all that, though, there’s just one burning question — how did Ji-won even resurrect in the first place? She finds her answer when she digs through her pocket and discovers a note with a heart drawn on it. It’s the bill the taxi driver had given her, and it sparks a memory of her late father doodling on a note in the exact same way. We see the taxi scene again, and this time, it’s her father in the driver’s seat, as if he’s giving her one last gift.
Resolving to live her life to the fullest this time around, Ji-won puts her thinking cap on. The wound that Ji-hyuk had sustained when protecting her from the jug is exactly the same as the burn scar she had back in the original timeline. Furthermore, Ji-won circumvents a knee scrape she’d gotten, only to incur that same wound in a different way. However, when Ji-won evades the path of Soo-min’s “accidental” food spill, she successfully keeps herself clean, and Min-hwan’s designer shirt ends up ruined instead. (Ha, serves him right!)
It all becomes clear — events will always play out as they’re supposed to, but the involved parties can differ. With that, Ji-won cooks up a plan. She’ll foist her horrid fate upon Soo-min, to kill two birds with one stone.
When both moochers try to crash at her apartment, Ji-won sees the perfect opportunity to engineer some alone time. Whiskey? Check. Hubby who’s been mooning over her best friend? Check. Said best friend? Check — uh, scratch that, Soo-min’s decided to throw a tantrum and not come over after all. Whoops.
Min-hwan’s gotten home earlier than expected, since Ji-won had previously acted cute and coy in order to throw off his unfounded suspicions about her and Ji-hyuk having a burgeoning affair. (The projection is strong with this one, eh?) Under the impression that Ji-won is in the mood for some sexy times, Min-hwan flings his towel off with a dramatic flourish, grinning with anticipation. Cornered by the eager Min-hwan, Ji-won shrieks in horror.
Ha, I like the drama so far! It’s moving satisfyingly fast, especially with how Ji-won is throwing herself into her self-improvement mission with gusto. I cheered when Ji-won immediately recognized Min-hwan and Soo-min’s true colors; if not for the need to keep up appearances (for now at least), she’d be dropping them like hot potatoes. Ji-won may have been demeaned and discredited, but she still has a spine, and she’s slowly rediscovering the self-worth she’d lost sight of.
It’s why I love that the drama is spotlighting female solidarity, demonstrating the positive influence that Ji-won has on others and the support she receives in return. There’s her professional partnership with the meek assistant manager YANG JOO-RAN (Gong Min-jung), who’s constantly dismissed by the arrogant, embodiment-of-a-boomer-uncle team manager. Then there’s her friendship with the adorably enthusiastic coworker YOO HEE-YEON (Choi Gyu-ri), who has both the lively optimism to brush off barbed comments and the forthright confidence to put Soo-min in her place.
As much as the drama is leaning into the entertaining cheesiness of the campy premise, it’s also doing a remarkably realistic job of depicting the struggles that women face. Sometimes, it’s uncomfortably so; I couldn’t help but shrink away from my screen when Min-hwan grew violently forceful in the face of Ji-won’s rejection. (Kudos to Lee Yi-kyung for deftly balancing Min-hwan’s pathetic loser qualities and his terrifyingly aggressive side.)
So far, the drama is consistently and directly calling out the rampant misogyny in society. It’s evident in how the police victim-blame Ji-won and commiserate with Min-hwan, or how Ji-won’s mother-in-law berates her for the lack of progeny when that had been Min-hwan’s decision, or even something as simple yet as pervasive as Soo-min’s pretty privilege.
Speaking of Soo-min, she clings onto Ji-won because she needs someone to put down in order to elevate herself, resulting in a possessive sort of affection that borders on obsessive. Ji-hyuk seems to have cottoned on to this, and if his brief meeting with the celebrity chef BAEK EUN-HO (Lee Ki-kwang) is any indication, he may be pulling some strings to ensure the high school reunion dinner goes in Ji-won’s favor. (No fake earrings and public embarrassment this time!)
The show’s social commentary is uncomfortably true-to-life while simultaneously ramping up the zany antics, and so far I think it’s doing a pretty decent job of balancing the tone. I’m rooting for Ji-won to steer her life in the direction that she wants, I’m curious what Ji-hyuk’s deal is, and I can’t wait for Min-hwan and Soo-min to get their much-deserved comeuppance. In other words — I’m cautiously optimistic, but for now, I’m all in for the ride!
RELATED POSTS
- Premiere Watch: Marry My Husband
- Cheering for Park Min-young’s take two in Marry My Husband
- News bites: December 16, 2023
- Park Min-young reclaims her life in Please Marry My Husband
- News bites: December 27, 2023
- News bites: December 16, 2023
- News bites: December 14, 2023
- News bites: December 5, 2023
- News bites: November 30, 2023
- Park Min-young rejects Lee Yi-kyung in Please Marry My Husband
- News bites: November 23, 2023
- News bites: November 11, 2023
- Park Min-young resurrects in Please Marry My Husband
Tags: Gong Min-jung, Lee Ki-kwang, Lee Yi-kyung, Marry My Husband, Na In-woo, Park Min-young, Song Ha-yoon
Required fields are marked *
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
1 Seon-ha
January 3, 2024 at 10:12 AM
I'm enjoying Marry My Husband so far more than I really ought to and that feeling of forbidden drama-fruit is totally going to keep me coming back for more.
STAY GOOD, drama. And by that, I mean, get really, really petty and baaad.
Required fields are marked *
Cecee is done DramaQueening
January 4, 2024 at 1:19 AM
I think I can only do a revenge marriage time travel plot per year, and it's been barely a month off for me! But I may check on this one a little later :-) (Just so I can have the full pleasure of trying to binge-watch on Amazon Prime and enjoy the new ads that Prime will play... because the only reason I pay for Prime is to get all those extra ads before anyone else)
Required fields are marked *
Diana Hansen
January 4, 2024 at 12:12 PM
LOL! More ads mean more time to find snacks! Its another reason I am glad I don't pay for it sans the good dramas I miss but its not worth it to me especially now. 0^0
Required fields are marked *
2 Soyesterday
January 3, 2024 at 10:18 AM
I had fairly low expectations going into this, Park Min-youngs last two dramas were......
But honestly, this wasnt bad, they are clearly playing it "straight" unlike Perfect Marriage revenge, which seemed to wink at the audience at times.
I like that Ji-Won is not pitiful or a woe-is-me type heroine, shes clearly adjusting to her "new/old" surroundings while making sure shes not gullible enough to fall into her previous traps.
The question is... will it remain consistend and stick its landing or will it fall apart midway, only time will tell.
Required fields are marked *
Cecee is done DramaQueening
January 4, 2024 at 1:22 AM
I am not a fan of her dramas usually — Except for Healer. But I can not fault her acting. My heart just prefers other female characters.
The last writer who took a marriage-time-travel webtoon to the screen did a great job with Perfect Marriage Revenge. Who's writing the K drama adaptation for this one? (I'm assuming someone different, but perhaps they've already proven their worth elsewhere?)
Required fields are marked *
3 Kurama
January 3, 2024 at 10:21 AM
I didn't specially like it. It lacks subtlety. Each character looked like a cliché without any depth.
I didn't understand the logic. An accident or an assumed choice are not the same. How destiny could force her to marry if she doesn't want it? (The coffee scene was really weird).
The new friendship between the 3 women was the only good part for me.
I didn't really like the actors neither. Park Min-Young looked the same as cancer patient and when she came back in 2013, she should have looked healthy and younger. Nam In-Woo's character is not clear, he looks like he's cosplaying an office employee.
Required fields are marked *
vienibenmio
January 3, 2024 at 12:09 PM
If it's like the webcomic, the lack of subtlety will only get worse.
Required fields are marked *
Kurama
January 3, 2024 at 12:17 PM
Oh... It's not really encouraging... 😅
Required fields are marked *
vienibenmio
January 3, 2024 at 12:26 PM
(If it's like the webcomic) this is not a story you watch for a nuanced, well-rounded story with three dimensional, well developed characters who learn and grow as the story progresses. This is a story you watch for sheer schadenfreude and wish fulfillment, lol.
Required fields are marked *
Seon-ha
January 3, 2024 at 1:18 PM
yaaaaaassssssss
indyfan
January 3, 2024 at 10:28 PM
@attiton 😂 😂 😂 I think I'll join you for the "sheer schadenfreude and wish fulfillment."
vienibenmio
January 4, 2024 at 5:58 AM
@indyfan I forgot to include catharsis, too. This will definitely give you that!
Mrs Buckwheat
January 3, 2024 at 2:51 PM
It was weird that there wasn't a very obvious difference between 2013 and the current PMY, as both in my opinion looked unhealthy.
Also when they focused closely on the PMY's face, sometimes her upper lips looked normal and other times they looked odd. I don't know what the makeup team were doing but it kept pulling me out of the story and made me think of the actress not the character.
Required fields are marked *
Samdong
January 3, 2024 at 3:44 PM
Though the characters seem one-sided and cliche, I'd argue that it is very much realistic, that people like that exist in real life, esp in this patriarchal society. Thus many are living vicariously through the drama in getting revenge to those people (if they follow the webtoon well) \.
On the logic, doesn't matter the process, the result will be the same. Accident or assumed choice is part of the process, but regardless, the result will be the same. For example: if one people is bound to get hurt, someone will get hurt - no matter who it is. The main premise of the story (which I find to be most interesting) is how Jiwon plays with the process and how her fate is transferred (you don't know to whom is being transferred though) - which is why she said in the episode "i need Sumin to steal my fate" - so that the bad luck goes to the right person.
Hope it makes sense!
Required fields are marked *
Kurama
January 3, 2024 at 8:55 PM
I didn't say I didn't understand, I said it didn't make sense.
Destiny can't force to say yes, if she doesn't want it. But the issue is not the marriage but her death. And who will die instead of her.
Required fields are marked *
indyfan
January 3, 2024 at 10:29 PM
Ooh, then someone else will have to die...dun, dun, duuun.
Required fields are marked *
Cecee is done DramaQueening
January 4, 2024 at 1:27 AM
Well... we've already got a few names on the replacement list. And in case she didn't think of any, I can suggest two names just from reading the recap, and a third one with the MIL I spotted on my social media feed.
#IAmHereToHelpJiWon
Required fields are marked *
Samdong
January 4, 2024 at 4:05 AM
I was thinking to explain so that it makes sense hehe
on the death.. exactly - who will die instead of her? dun dunnnn
Required fields are marked *
RenOIshi
January 3, 2024 at 10:12 PM
I cringed at the triple save 😂 what are the odds if you slipping and falling and the same guy rescues you within a span of 15 minutes!
Required fields are marked *
redfox
January 3, 2024 at 10:23 PM
the probability is the same as you saving yourself 3 times.
Required fields are marked *
indyfan
January 3, 2024 at 10:41 PM
I normally cringe as well, and, well, I did here too. But, I also took it as a clue that he knows about her misfires and is there to prevent them. But also, this show so darn heavy at times that the silliness is needed to leaven it. So I minded it less.
Required fields are marked *
chillichocolate
January 4, 2024 at 12:33 AM
That WAS cringe especially since it was in public. They didn't had many interactions in previous timeline, so why this time? Did he came from the same timeline?
Required fields are marked *
indyfan
January 4, 2024 at 6:31 AM
Exactly. We're supposed to notice how improbable this is. Something's up...or I'm giving the writer too much credit, also possible.
Required fields are marked *
Kurama
January 4, 2024 at 7:03 AM
I think he had a story behind too.
But how he remembered after so long she fell on this day? And every little accidents...
Required fields are marked *
indyfan
January 4, 2024 at 7:51 AM
The first and second saves happen when she has her breakdown at the moment of returning to her past self in the office. Everyone's there watching but he's the only one who intervenes. And then he's the only one following her out when she runs away and falls for the third time.
It wouldn't be a choice I'd make if I was the writer (a bit heavy handed for my taste to establish his new suspicious interest in her). But it didn't require him to remember her past life (as she never had this breakdown before). It did require him to take a very public interest in her at that precise time slip moment which made it plausible that he knows this is when she goes back in time.
potatodrama
January 4, 2024 at 11:08 AM
I've decided to read the webtoon because the drama felt really cliché, and now I understand better In-Woo's character BUT still, as you've said, it lacks subtlety as well. The webtoon is very plain and obvious, with just a few moments of good storyline.
Required fields are marked *
Sam
January 6, 2024 at 10:40 PM
So much criticism in here, but yours is the one I couldn't scroll past.
I guess you should go act a drama or write one, at least. Let's see how better you do than them. Tsk
Required fields are marked *
Kurama
January 6, 2024 at 11:53 PM
It's called an opinion. If you are happy with their acting or the writing, it's good. Write a comment about why you like it instead.
Required fields are marked *
4 Blue (@mayhemf)
January 3, 2024 at 10:42 AM
Just looking at PMY's lost weight makes me nervous for her well being. Hope she gains back the weight so she remains healthy.
I will probably watch it when I am in the mood for a revenge drama.
Required fields are marked *
Kurama
January 3, 2024 at 10:58 AM
For me, a lot of things she said during the press conference were weird. But the fact, they insist on the fact she lost weight to be 37kg, then she gained 5kg in 2 weeks, as a marketing thing is unconfortable for me.
Required fields are marked *
Blue (@mayhemf)
January 3, 2024 at 11:05 AM
For a role that spent 30 min on her being a cancer patient?
It doesn't make any sense. A simple no make up look and audience would have accepted her as a patient. This 37 kg weight loss seems extreme ( I don't even think its possible given how these female actors maintain a 50kg weight.. unless they means 37 pounds, even which is crazy).
Required fields are marked *
vienibenmio
January 3, 2024 at 12:17 PM
That's what gets me, it's not like the entire story revolves around her having cancer. It's a very small part.
Required fields are marked *
Martine
January 3, 2024 at 12:48 PM
I have this feeling that she did not lose the weight for the role but that she has been struggling in her personal life this year (she said as much) and she is the type of person who loses weight when under stress. I suspect the director took one look at her and handed her a pile of sandwiches with the order to EAT. Thus the weight gain. It will be good that she is under the daily eye of a crew that will ensure she eats properly.
I hope she regains her equilibrium and that 2024 will be a good year for her.
Required fields are marked *
Kurama
January 3, 2024 at 12:50 PM
She had already lost a lot for her last drama Love Contract.
To be honest, I didn't really buy her excuses for her "scandal". But I'm happy she can still work and wasn't cancelled.
Blue (@mayhemf)
January 4, 2024 at 4:36 AM
I don’t know anything about her personal situation and I hope she is taken care of by her agency and that she regains her health and stays well.
Martine
January 3, 2024 at 12:49 PM
I think they meant she dropped to 37 KG, not that she lost 37kg which would mean she's dead.
Still way too low.
Required fields are marked *
Krispy Oz
January 6, 2024 at 9:35 AM
50kg? You're being generous - believe 46kg is the acceptable maximum weight. SMH! Disturbing that starvation is not only encouraged, it's downright expected. South Korea has such toxic beauty standards. I love PMY, but her weight has always been incredibly thin, and dropping to 37kg is sickly.
Required fields are marked *
hacja
January 3, 2024 at 11:55 AM
I am with you! I understand that she lost weight for the role, but I would have appreciated it even better if she then gained it back and more.
Let me be clear, that I am not judging her appearance in terms of beauty at all--she still is very beautiful, so its not that. Its just that over the last couple years her physical transformation has seemed to affect her acting vitality, so that even when her character is well in this show, pre-cancer, the character seems extraordinary frail, with not even a resolute strength for revenge. Perhaps she'll show some of that in later episodes.
Moving beyond just Park Min Young, the stress on weight is another area in which kdrama/kpop executives and managers deserve severe criticism. Even in the still backward U.S. entertainment industry, there are stars who are normal or different weights than emaciated models, and who are appreciated for their attractiveness, as they should be!
I know that this show has a (still quite thin) woman who enjoys eating, but the fact that there are comments on her eating (albeit by the villains) and one scene where Park Minh Young's character looks shocked when she says she'll happily eat all the desserts, still makes it an "issue" rather than something normal. And after all, it isn't just pleasure in eating we're talking about--its acceptance of all different body types for women. (My personal concern in this comes as a father who saw too many of my children's friends in high school afflicted with body image issues, including one particularly tragic case.)
Required fields are marked *
vienibenmio
January 3, 2024 at 12:41 PM
In the US, I think they would have filmed this backwards so she would be at a healthier weight for the scenes after the timeslip
Required fields are marked *
potatodrama
January 4, 2024 at 11:17 AM
I must agree with you, she looks extremely frail.
Required fields are marked *
5 miso
January 3, 2024 at 11:01 AM
I'm among those who liked nothing about this. It was ridiculous and OTT but not in a fun way like PMR. When the FL fell into the ML's arms THRICE in like 5 minutes, I was done. I agree with the other Beanies on Na In-woo too - he looks like he's playing dress-up and his acting is not up to par.
Required fields are marked *
vienibenmio
January 3, 2024 at 12:22 PM
I don't think Na In-woo will have much to work with, either, unless the drama fleshes out Ju-hyeok's character.
Required fields are marked *
miso
January 3, 2024 at 12:48 PM
Makes me feel better about not sticking around 😅.
Required fields are marked *
RenOIshi
January 3, 2024 at 10:15 PM
Oh my god I just mentioned the same thing above! That was just ridiculous!
Required fields are marked *
6 hacja
January 3, 2024 at 12:12 PM
This definitely has a different tone than Perfect Marriage Revenge, in part, because the husband from whom the FL is trying to escape is physically threatening so there's a real danger there. Also, although there was attempted poisoning in PMR, the evil-stepmother had a cartoonish menace about her, whereas the "friend" is genuinely sinister in her bullying.
Still, the start really is s so similar to PMR that I wonder about the webtoons on which they both were based. Are they written by the same person? Or did one sue the other for plagiarism? And who decided to put these shows back to back?
The one genuine twist in this one is the fantasy rule that what happened in the pre-time travel timeline has to happen in some way in the post time-travel timeline. But I have some questions about that. How much of the event has to happen? So we know that a hurt knee has to happen from tripping over boxes. But does the scrape have to come from the floor? Could it come from the cart or the box itself? And then her friend and her husband have to sleep together. But is that it? Do they actually have to marry to release the FL from her nightmare marriage? Could he just marry someone else after a few years into the relived time period? And what about the good looking manager who is actually the owner's son? Did he get married, so that Park Minh Young will replace his wife? But then what happens to his putative wife?
The complexities involved in this time travel are going to keep me glued to the screen!
Required fields are marked *
vienibenmio
January 3, 2024 at 12:19 PM
They are not by the same artist. I just checked and PMR was released in July 2021, whereas MMH was November 2021. Sooo although PMR technically came first, not by much. I think it's just a coincidence.
IMO PMR's worst quality was that it just simply dragged story-wise. The opposite is true of MMH, it does not drag at all but it has many, many flaws.
Required fields are marked *
bbstl 🧹
January 3, 2024 at 12:23 PM
That’s a really interesting line of thought, with all the similarities in kdramas-based-on-webtoons lately, have there been lawsuits over plagiarism among the Webtoon writers? It sure feels like there should have been.
Required fields are marked *
vienibenmio
January 3, 2024 at 12:29 PM
Time slip webcomics (character meets tragic end, then time travels to being alive in the past and tries to change their fate) are all the rage right now. As is the dynamic with Su-min or Yoo-ra, where you have a second female lead who is just absolutely terrible, hates the FL, and ruins her life. There's also Rashta from The Remarried Empress (probably the platonic ideal of this character trope, lol), Liese in Not Just Another Reincarnation Story, Diana in For my Derelict Favorite, etc.
Required fields are marked *
vienibenmio
January 3, 2024 at 12:32 PM
OH, and how could I forgot Ra-im from Operation True Love! She's also jealous of the FL and bent on stealing anyone who's interested in her.
Required fields are marked *
Britney
January 3, 2024 at 1:41 PM
Operation True Love & The Remarried Empress aren't time slips.
vienibenmio
January 3, 2024 at 2:00 PM
@Britney Yeah, I was referring to the "2FL is jealous of FL and tries to ruin her life" archetype (regardless of the plot itself)
Dylan [JooJoo couple, fighting!]
January 3, 2024 at 8:07 PM
I love this subgenre of time slip stories, adding all of this to the list lmao
Required fields are marked *
vienibenmio
January 4, 2024 at 6:12 AM
Remarried Empress and Operation True Love aren't timeslip, and most of the others are otomeisekai, although that is SORT of timeslip, lol. Only Hope is my favorite timeslip webcomic so check out that one!
Emily Hewett
January 4, 2024 at 9:32 PM
Only Hope is my favourite time-slip webcomic, too. Well, to be honest my only favourite time-slip webcomic. I've tried my share of isekais & time- slips, but they didn't work for me.
Seems like you are pretty much into web comics. It would be fun if we could share recommendations time to time😁
Required fields are marked *
vienibenmio
January 5, 2024 at 5:15 AM
Ahh, another Only Hope fan! It is soooo good imo. I think it'd make a great kdrama.
I am and it would! My favorite of all time is Daily JoJo (by the same artist as Yumi's Cells). Jn fact I just reread it for the millionth time 😂 It's finally back from hiatus in Korea but not other places yet
Samdong
January 3, 2024 at 3:48 PM
I don't really think in the case of PMR and MMH, it qualifies as plagiarism though. Time traveling for second chance is a popular manhwa genre (sort of similar to Isekai in anime), and although these two are the popular ones, I am pretty sure there are many variety of these kinds of stories. Plus, the story and the characters are totally different.
On the complexities - if it follows through the webtoon, then you're in for a satisfying ride!!
Required fields are marked *
hacja
January 3, 2024 at 5:31 PM
Yes, even though I was joking about the arbitrariness of the rules I will definitely continue watching--I actually liked these first two episodes. As far as the similarities, I was just judging from the first episodes, not having read either webtoon, but based on those, I have to say the opening circumstances are VERY similar. You have a timid FL whose talents are considerable but unrecognized, caught in a nightmare domestic situation, with a selfish and mean spirited mother in law who dotes on her son, who is in love with woman who is quite close to the FL, a woman who is contemptuous of the FL and always looking to undermine her, and the dashing ML who is considerate and sensitive and seems to know something about the FL--could he be a time traveler himself? That's a lot of overlap even in the imitative world of webtoons!
Required fields are marked *
late as always
February 2, 2024 at 11:46 AM
Hacja, you never fail to crack me up.
Required fields are marked *
7 vienibenmio
January 3, 2024 at 12:16 PM
I'm not watching this because, unless the drama drastically changes something, there is a story element that seriously messes with my mental health and makes me feel awful. But I was told it'd be okay if I comment on the recaps, which I'm reading, and I've read most of the webcomic, which I openly hate. I will try to hold back my hatred for the story--please let me know if I'm ruining the mood for anyone who's enjoying this.
Anyway, right now it sounds pretty similar to the webcomic story-wise. The comic starts off very strong too, so I'm not surprised people overall seemed to like eps 1-2. I think it's interesting that the drama apparently handles IPV and women's issues well, when the webcomic has imo some pretty misogynistic and offensive elements. We'll see if the drama manages to pull them off better and perhaps even well. But I also think that what I disliked about the comic is difficult to avoid unless the adaptation goes completely off script (I guess Lee Hye's comics have that happen, so it's not impossible). If the drama does keep them, I will be curious to see how other people feel about them. The webcomic is VERY popular but it does have its detractors, even if we feel like we're in the minority.
I am tempted just to watch this for the actress playing Soo-min, too. She was great in the promos and I can see her totally pulling off the character's super grating mannerisms. I think she'd be really fun for an actress to play.
Required fields are marked *
8 KittyKate
January 3, 2024 at 12:23 PM
I like👍! Park Min-young's acting here is great so far, it's a feel good series and I'd rather not nit pick and just enjoy this 'coz there are a lot more stressful stuff I have to deal with irl.
Required fields are marked *
KittyKate
January 4, 2024 at 4:21 AM
...And... Na In-woo is sooo handsomeeeee 😍and sooo talllll 😲. I've read (and finished) the webtoon version, he is supposed to be stoic, so far here, he is getting it 👍
...And... PMY ugly cry upon realizing the cab driver was her father tugged my heart strings real baaaaddddd 🥲
Required fields are marked *
9 ryunami
January 3, 2024 at 12:28 PM
Oh finally we got the recap for the 1st and 2nd episode! Thank you, @solstices , you have summed up everything fellow Beanies have discussed earlier about these two episodes in fan walls and premier watch sections.
I wasn't expecting much because the leading actor and actress were never really intrigued me before but I was wrong. I actually enjoy it! I really like NIW as Clark Kent in his unsuitable clothes. And also PMY, because her character finally sees the light and tastes her first sweet revenge, hopefully the new friendships she forms with the two colleagues will be her strongest allies in the company to beat the two cheaters and the evil team manager.
I have nothing much to say because I have expressed my excitement about this show almost everywhere 🤭🙈 so now I'm going to be good and nice and wait for the next episodes patiently
Required fields are marked *
ryunami
January 3, 2024 at 5:18 PM
Oh I can't wait to see Lee Gi-kwang appearance in the reunion.
I wonder why Ji-hyeok wants to make sure Ji-won attend the reunion.. he definitely knows something in the future.
Required fields are marked *
indyfan
January 3, 2024 at 7:31 PM
Did you see his look when she showed him the bank note with the blue heart? He’s definitely sus.
Required fields are marked *
ryunami
January 3, 2024 at 8:50 PM
IKR and he always has that longing look in his eyes whenever he sees her.. my speculation is, Ji-won's dad also brought him back along with Ji-won, knowing that these two are soulmates... Ah, but thats only a speculation from the hopeless romantic me 🤭
Required fields are marked *
10 Kafiyah Bello
January 3, 2024 at 12:40 PM
So this was fine. I would echo everyone in saying I hope PMY gains the weight back. I will also add NIW is completely miscast here, I don't think he has enough charm to carry off what a character like this needs. I will continue to watch and hope to eat my own words.
Required fields are marked *
vienibenmio
January 3, 2024 at 12:48 PM
The webtoon community was not happy about NIW's casting. I feel like this is just a recurring theme with webcomic adaptations (miscasting the ML)
Required fields are marked *
Martine
January 3, 2024 at 12:53 PM
or maybe just a lot of whining from the webtoon community
Required fields are marked *
vienibenmio
January 3, 2024 at 1:01 PM
A lot of it was definitely whining because they thought he was too skinny. Ji-hyeok in the webcomic does NOT have a realistic body type for men who don't do, like, Marvel actor-style body training.
Even aside from that, though, he isn't who I would have cast.
Required fields are marked *
indyfan
January 3, 2024 at 7:21 PM
Oof. So he’s also being judged for being too thin?
Not having read the webcomic, NIW is doing just fine for me. That said, his scenes are very limited for now so it’s hard to judge.
Martine
January 5, 2024 at 11:24 PM
I have to question this idea that an actor should try to emulate the body type of a TOON character. That's going too far. Wearing glasses, and changing your hairstyle/clothing is fine, but that is as far as it should go.
Kafiyah Bello
January 3, 2024 at 6:09 PM
Oh interesting, I'm not a webtoon reader, but he is not believable as this suave team manager. He is acting fine, but it is a paint by numbers, as said above, he is complying. That being said it is only the first two episodes, so I'm willing to be wrong eventually, plus PMY can have chemistry with anyone.
Required fields are marked *
Scottie
January 4, 2024 at 4:35 AM
I particularly like NIW here, he is the only person to show warmth, a tower of strength, all the others are cold and selfish and PMY far too fragile.
Required fields are marked *
11 StacyA
January 3, 2024 at 1:34 PM
I agree with the Clark Kent comparison and I'm sold, because I've always had a weakness for Superman/Clark Kent lol. I'm really interested in finding out the ML's story. I strongly suspect he's also been sent back in time, but whether he's been sent back just to help the FL or whether he has his own fate to try and change, I don't know.
Nice twist on the whole fate thing. Instead of it being the PERSON that's fated to have certain things happen, it's the EVENTS that are fated to happen and who they happen to can be changed.
I just want to add how thankful I am that time travel, entering a story or game (or story/game characters coming to life in the real world), and other fantasy elements like these are not banned in Kdramas like they are in Cdramas. I refuse to watch these kinds of Cdramas because everything is explained away as a dream or a novel plot or something, which is stupid and frustrating after investing 30+ hours of my time in the characters.
Required fields are marked *
vienibenmio
January 3, 2024 at 2:01 PM
Really? I had no idea! Is that a cultural or government thing for why Cdramas do that, or none of the above?
Required fields are marked *
StacyA
January 3, 2024 at 2:24 PM
Government ban. I know it's specific for time travel and certain other fantasy elements, so the dramas work around the ban with "it was just a dream" or the drama ends with showing that it was an author reading a novel to an audience, etc.
At least there's no ban on xianxia dramas.
Required fields are marked *
Britney
January 3, 2024 at 5:03 PM
Hmmm, I wonder the rationale behind that.
Required fields are marked *
StacyA
January 3, 2024 at 5:36 PM
I have no idea.
chillichocolate
January 4, 2024 at 12:40 AM
Government have banned timeslip, rebirth or bodyswap dramas. Apparently these type of things gives wrong ideas to impressionable youths, who will believe these are real.
Required fields are marked *
Blue (@mayhemf)
January 3, 2024 at 3:51 PM
I am watching Derailment now and I wonder what nonsense they willl throw at me in the end 😂
Required fields are marked *
StacyA
January 3, 2024 at 5:35 PM
Now that I think about it...Kunning Palace didn't explain it away, or so I've heard. Wonder how it passed the censorship.
Required fields are marked *
chillichocolate
January 4, 2024 at 12:44 AM
Comment was deleted
Required fields are marked *
12 jerrykuvira
January 3, 2024 at 2:18 PM
I was initially questioning why Lee Yi-kyung was casted as the saucy husband and now I see why. It required skilled hands so it won't border on the lines of prickly.
But, the adulation aside...Min-hwan is one of the worst. His mom? I don't know what to say about that woman. I think it was a wise choice to keep her out of the screen for most of the two episodes cause if looks could send one to oblivion...my eyes and glares would do a perfect job.
Su-min. I thought she became an annoying piece later on after Ji-won's marriage. I was further aghast to note that this was her usual behavior.
Cafeteria scene 1.0 nearly killed me. Cafeteria scene 2.0 gave me joy.
Ji-won. Something I found especially noteworthy about her character is the fact that her prior knowledge didn't erase some things from happening. The hand burn clearly got borne by Ji-hyuk, but the kneecap injury reared its head one way or the other.
Ji-won's Clark Kent moment... absolute delight. Them taking off their glasses to have the meal at the gukbap restaurant...I struggle with it sometimes. Many a time I forget to take off my glasses while cooking so the whole steam blinds me and I'm suddenly better off without the glasses.
Ji-hyuk. I like him. And Na In-woo is way better here than in Longing For You. For the first time, he's a romantic interest and it doesn't bother me or feel possessive.
As a boss✅. I was thinking Ji-won would boycott incompetent ego-stroking manager and submit her proposal directly to Ji-hyuk, but I had to remind myself that this is Ji-won's story.
For the record...Park Min-young's innocent acting is very excellent in here. She captured all the nuances that comes with it. I look forward to the school reunion 2.0 where she lets them no they do not deserve the pure innocent treatment she accords them all.
Bottomline, I enjoyed every bit of this.
Required fields are marked *
Becky
January 4, 2024 at 8:02 AM
Yes to every point. I am enjoying every bit too.
Required fields are marked *
13 LaurenSophie
January 3, 2024 at 2:37 PM
Maybe it's simply the fact that having exceedingly low expectations makes one thrilled to not hate something, but I had fun with both of the premier episodes. Prior to her last two dramas, I always felt that PMY made some very interesting and worthwhile drama choices, to the point where I liked and often loved everything she did. Oftentimes, too, I'd recognize a feminist undercurrent or themes of female empowerment that felt like she herself had advocated for them. Watching MMH I had the same feeling, and it was a welcome one. I mean, I understand that this is still a tropey drama full of anti-fat bias and body shaming that is decidedly NOT feminist or about true female empowerment and autonomy, but still, I didn't feel cheap or dirty or stupid watching this. In fact, after the initial over-the-top set-up was done, I found myself totally immersed.
Like others, I vacillate between genuine concern about PMY's extreme thinness, shame at myself for judging her body, and despair over the fact that we still live in a world where a woman's self worth and employability is inextricably tied to her dress size. That said, her performance is impressing me so far, and I'm rooting for this show to be successful so maybe her personal life and health can get back on track as well.
Beyond that, as someone who has found NIW to be bland and unnatural on-screen, I think this Clark Kent role suits him. He has solid chemistry with PMY, too, so I'm cautiously optimistic.
One very hard thing for me, though, is to see Lee Yi-kyung play such an awful character. I loved him so much in "Welcome to Waikiki!" So when he's being really menacing--although he's doing a perfectly fine job--I keep expecting it to be a comedic bit. But this is not his fault. I'm the problem. It's me.
Required fields are marked *
Seon-ha
January 3, 2024 at 4:45 PM
It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero! 😉
Required fields are marked *
ryunami
January 3, 2024 at 5:31 PM
I still cannot take Yi-kyung seriously after so obsessed with Waikiki; and he still uses the same goofy expression saying his famous line "Gwenchana, gwenchana" when Ji-won's bestie keeps apologising for his dirty white shirt in the cafeteria 😂
Required fields are marked *
indyfan
January 3, 2024 at 7:10 PM
You’ve articulated my hesitation over participating in the commentary over PMY’s appearance. However, when she is shamed by her boyfriend in the show for overeating…huge eyeroll even tho this is definitely a controlling tactic.
Required fields are marked *
14 Jingbee
January 3, 2024 at 3:32 PM
Am surprised at myself for finding this interesting enough to stay on. Hopefully it keeps its pace and not get draggy. So far, this is better-acted than PMR (which I dropped) so still a good sign I will continue on. I also like the fact that the rules of the time slip are being explained as the FL learns it along which makes it a little bit less 'fantastical'.
Required fields are marked *
Samdong
January 3, 2024 at 3:49 PM
I kinda like the rules and the backstory of the time slip here compared to PMR - makes it compelling yet has a more sentimental feel with the dad
Required fields are marked *
Jingbee
January 4, 2024 at 7:01 AM
I agree. And though am supposed to not compare, at least the FL here has more backbone even before the reset and so far, is not a fainting damsel. The villains, while more vicious, are not just cardboard screeching caricatures.
Required fields are marked *
peiyeelai
January 9, 2024 at 9:58 AM
Comment was deleted
Required fields are marked *
15 Samdong
January 3, 2024 at 4:01 PM
I was skeptical about Na In Woo, but I think he nails it. It helps that I never really saw him in other dramas or 2n1d. They succeed in either aging down PMY or aging up NIW, or both.
There's some changes on how the girls' gang are put together, which I don't really like, but kinda understand since there are limitations in putting things in drama format
Required fields are marked *
16 too_much_tv
January 3, 2024 at 4:04 PM
Thank you for the recap! It got me to watch the show, which I wasn't planning to do. I am so glad that I got to see Park Min-young get her groove back. I remember how much I loved her in her earlier dramas. She was so awful in Love in Contract and disappointing in Forecasting Love and Weather. A person could forget that she's actually good at acting! With the right direction, she has the ability to draw your attention and make you identify with a character. I'm rooting for her to get her feet under her and take this show all the way. She still seems physically and emotionally fragile in repose. Though maybe the director is making a decision to use that in the role.
Na In-woo taking off his glasses over a bowl of soup was pretty amazing. Like, what if Clark Kent but guk bap instead of Superman? That was well done.
Required fields are marked *
17 john
January 3, 2024 at 5:39 PM
@Solstices, thanks for the recap !
I like it so far. The taxi scene reminded me of the Jdrama Time Taxi which is a fun drama .
PMY’s character building a team to fight against team evil !
Plus Clark Kent
I’ll tune in next week.
Required fields are marked *
Dylan [JooJoo couple, fighting!]
January 3, 2024 at 8:12 PM
A time travel jdrama I haven't seen? have to rectify that! have you seen Todome no Kiss, by any chance?
Required fields are marked *
john
January 3, 2024 at 8:56 PM
No, I have not. I’ll have to remedy that.
Required fields are marked *
Kurama
January 3, 2024 at 11:30 PM
I loved Todome No Kiss! It was so weird but in a good way.
Required fields are marked *
18 indyfan
January 3, 2024 at 6:59 PM
It’s fun to come a little late to the comments sometimes and see how opinion is shaping up. And while some Beanies definitely aren’t fans, it seems many are surprised to be enjoying it (tho cautiously perhaps). I’m definitely in the latter camp—one episode at a time. I’ve also chattered enough on the fan wall about this. But I can’t help but chatter some more. 😂
What’s making some folks, including myself, uncomfortable might be how (relatively) realistic the portrayal of domestic violence is in the show—physical, emotional, sexual and economic. And we see violence against women not only with intimate partners but within the larger familial and workplace context.
It was a *lot* but it wasn’t unrealistic IMHO, tho this might be a professional bias as I see so much of this. And also why I thought it more than likely that a girl whose self-esteem is shattered in school and lacks a familial support system would be vulnerable to bullies masquerading as friends, lovers and managers.
However, I am thankful that we have some good ol tropey fun (the catches, the clark kent moment), some solid sisterhood (love that she has both a fierce model to inspire her as well as a woman she can help in turn) and some delicious petty revenge in action already. That cafeteria scene was gold! We need the lightness to balance all the hard stuff in the show.
Required fields are marked *
chillichocolate
January 4, 2024 at 1:25 AM
That pretty much sums up my thoughts as well. The character may feel >i too much /i< but they are realistic. A girl with no support system falling prey to an abusive man is something that happens often. MMH is a revenge fantasy that is not supposed to be that deep but I appreciate them addressing the challenges faced by women in a patriarchal culture.
As a fellow glass-wearer I loved the little bits where both of their glasses fogged while eating. It happens to me all the time.
Required fields are marked *
indyfan
January 4, 2024 at 6:55 AM
Yes, as @vienibenmio helpfully reminded me, I'm watching this revenge fantasy for the schadenfreude, wish fulfillment and catharsis. 😅
That said, it does have that extra depth. It shows not only how men benefit from patriarchy but a subset of women too, who are incentivized to perpetuate it. It could be the best friend's pretty privilege as solstices mentioned or the mother-in-law (what did she suffer thru to benefit from the patriarchal bargain you have to wonder).
Required fields are marked *
19 Dylan [JooJoo couple, fighting!]
January 3, 2024 at 7:57 PM
Comment was deleted
Required fields are marked *
20 Dylan [JooJoo couple, fighting!]
January 3, 2024 at 8:17 PM
tl;dr for Marry My Husband ep. 1: "I sold my stocks for you pls respond???" Also wow, vengeful PMY is so cute in this lol
idk why she was so shocked when Na In-woo took off the glasses, he was hot before too. Reverse 'nerdy girl takes off glasses, looks instantly hotter' trope.
I can't hate Su-min, the actress is adorable? and you can tell she's having fun with the role. her facial expressions alone are killing me. almost makes you forget the gaslighting, toxicity and light complicity in murder.
Na In-woo is doing well enough but his clothes make him look like a 60yo salaryman ahjussi. They changed Su-min's look from the webtoon, they could've done the same for Ji-hyuk... I mean, in the webtoon he looked like a sexy triangle with abs...
I'm just happy Huiyeon in this at all, there was barely any promo of her character. if they don't show her romance storyline, I'll be super mad.
anyways, I loved these two episodes. I think the reason is that the drama is more light and goofy than the webtoon so far??
in hindsight, I really don't know why I was so worried about... anyways, time to try Love Song for Illusion/Fantasy Sonata next.
Required fields are marked *
KittyKate
January 5, 2024 at 9:48 AM
Sexy triangle with abs 🤣🤣🤣
Required fields are marked *
21 Mrs Buckwheat
January 3, 2024 at 10:40 PM
It's ok. :)
Required fields are marked *
22 emsel
January 3, 2024 at 10:44 PM
@solstices Thank you for tge recap. If I did not watch "Perfect Marriage Revenge" before this, I would have continued this drama, but life is too short to spend 16 hours on similar themed drama. I wish the best for the actors and hope beanies have fun with this. Bye!
Required fields are marked *
23 chillichocolate
January 4, 2024 at 12:29 AM
To my surprise, I ended up enjoying these 2 episodes. I kinda got bored of PMR after the initial episodes. I like that MMH is not that makjang and makes attempt at being realistic. That was one of the reason I didn't enjoy PMR as much as others.
The villains here may appear caricature-ish but you will find these people IRL. A complete waste-of-space husband who thinks of his wife as maid, a MIL who blames everything on her DIL, someone who put downs their 'friend' to feel superior, all of them exist.
One thing that concerns me is PMY's weight, 37 kg is extremely underweight for an adult woman. Plus, there is no difference between her as a cancer patient and her healthier version in 2013.
Required fields are marked *
24 KDFL
January 4, 2024 at 2:08 AM
It was too cheesy for me. I decided to quit watching after the first episode. Lately, I feel like Park Min Young has not been so lucky with her choice of dramas.
Required fields are marked *
25 Miss_elly
January 4, 2024 at 3:37 AM
I throughly enjoyed the first two episodes. I anticipate lots of juicy revenge. I have to say it very rare I hate a character from the get go, but her husband is utter scum no redeeming qualities and the “friend” is the rosy kind that gaslights you for their own benefit. Some of ten eps it seem like the obsession with the fired is bordering on a sick type of love .
Required fields are marked *
Miss_elly
January 4, 2024 at 3:55 AM
Sorry a
On Mobil and service sucks here. *in some of the eps it seems the obsession with PMY character is birding on a sick type of love especially the reference to soul mate and other half etc.
Required fields are marked *
26 Islander north
January 4, 2024 at 8:45 AM
I went in with little expectations having been disappointed by many drama offerings this past year; however, I instantly engaged and am enjoying immensely. Favoritie scene: Ji-won grabbing Min-hwan by the hair!
Required fields are marked *
27 Diana Hansen
January 4, 2024 at 12:17 PM
This is on my still to start list. I like the leads so I hope I like the story as well.
Required fields are marked *
28 Abi89
January 4, 2024 at 1:58 PM
Am I the only one who actually read the webtoon before ? When I read it, I thought it would offer a pretty good drama, I was right ! However yes, there are many cliché about the characters etc, but there were in the webtoon too, they are just following it, and you will be surprised - I hope, by the rest of the story ! ;)
Required fields are marked *
ryunami
January 4, 2024 at 4:08 PM
Cool! We don't really like spoilers but it is also nice if you can share with everyone any part of the drama that is considered fillers.
Required fields are marked *
vienibenmio
January 6, 2024 at 6:05 AM
Some of us have read it. I read most of it
Required fields are marked *
29 Ally
January 5, 2024 at 7:17 AM
So, with Twinkling Watermelon still fresh on my mind, I'm wondering if she's not the only person that has time slipped and maybe Ji-hyuk has also. He had a quizzical look about him when she showed him the bill with the heart drawn on it, like he'd seen it before too. So, maybe he's there just as much as she is to change both their futures! I would love that. I haven't read the manhwa (although my daughter has and refuses to give me any spoilers), so this will be fun to see if my intuition is correct.
I'm really liking Na In-woo in this. I'm a sucker for tall, handsome chaebols in glasses, so I'm pretty much a goner here. LOL.
And I can tell PMH lost a lot of weight for this. My medical training says this is not healthy at all, so I'm trying to force myself to not concentrate too much on this.
Overall, a great opening week for this show!
Required fields are marked *
30 BubbLEO
January 6, 2024 at 1:18 PM
i love how the FL's like song hye kyo as well as park min young taking challenging roles. The body transformation is not a easy one to pull off for females, they both did wonderful job by doing as well as the performance was exceptional. Even the revenge is taken place in both dramas(the glory as well as marry my husband) but the plot lines differ. I am quite impressed with FL'S as main lead of the series rather than being portrayed as poor girl in rom-com etc. We need more dramas like this.
Required fields are marked *
31 Northern Menace
January 9, 2024 at 7:17 PM
The protagonist is murdered and goes back in time to get revenge. I liked it better the first time when it was called "Reborn Rich".
Required fields are marked *
32 Candy
January 13, 2024 at 8:09 PM
Thank GOD I powered through the cringy clumsy/hapless FL antics to make it to the good part before dropping this drama like a hot potato -- I'm absolutely hooked! Min Young could be righting the ship with her script selections with this one.
Weirdly enough, for as put off as I was by the overdone dichotomy of the characters, I can put up with the ham fisted approach. When our leads were first introduced, I found it a little ridiculous that so many people in Ji-won's life could be so categorically evil, but it's actually really clever how those same characters are shown with the benefit of hindsight. I wondered how she'd deal with seeing Min-hwan and Soo-min before they betrayed her, but watching her piece together the puzzle of their true colors and recognizing those red flags in their tendencies before they grow to be extremely damaging has been soooo satisfying. I'm beyond curious to understand Ji-hyuk's role in her second chance at life.
Required fields are marked *
33 Kdramalove101
January 16, 2024 at 11:17 AM
I am pretty happy with the acting, especially the antagonists. I know get a visceral reaction of eeewww when I see either of them on screen. A little worried our heroine is not more wary if her best friend. She was in two abusive relationships seemingly, bus is more concerned about one than the other.
Required fields are marked *
34 Qingdao: likes scented candles
January 23, 2024 at 10:04 AM
The two opening episodes were engaging enough that I plan to continue watching! Yes, characters and plot are OTT, but it is still entertaining. This looks like it could be fun....
Yes, PMY is way too skinny! I agree that makeup would have been a better and healthier way for her to portray a cancer patient. What was she thinking?
Required fields are marked *