[Why you should watch] Buam-dong Revenge Club

by quirkycase

Sometimes you watch a drama that ticks all your boxes and feels like it was made with you specifically in mind. Buam-dong Revenge Club is one of those dramas for me. From the first episode, I knew it was going to be an all-time favorite. It’s heartwarming, funny, and refreshingly different. The focus is on female friendships and found family, but rather than the youth that are typically centered, we have three ajummas in their 30s and 40s. They’re all feeling trapped, and band together over a shared interest: revenge.

Setting the Scene

At the center of the story is KIM JUNG-HYE (Lee Yo-won), a chaebol socialite who is unhappily married thanks to her difficult in-laws who are obsessed with the family line (she hasn’t been able to have a child) and her disloyal husband. She’s quietly endured for years, but then comes the kicker: her husband brings his teenage son from an earlier dalliance LEE SOO-GYEOM (Lee Jun-young) to live with them. He only just discovered the kid, but he’s thrilled because it boosts his claim to inherit the company throne.

Jung-hye is officially done and decides it’s time to get revenge. But there are other mistreated women, so why should she do it alone? She recruits LEE MI-SOOK (Myung Se-bin), whose husband is abusive, and HONG DO-HEE (Ra Mi-ran), a single mother whose son is being bullied at school. When Jung-hye suggests they form their own social club – they’ll just do revenge rather than tea – Mi-sook and Do-hee think she’s unhinged. But they’re desperate and come around to the idea, despite their initial (warranted) misgivings.

However, there’s one surprise in store: Soo-gyeom is also out for revenge and asks Jung-hye to team up. He’ll play the good son part for the next year until he’s an adult, and then he’s cutting ties with both his bio parents who have done nothing but use him for their own ends. And with that, we have our fourth and final revenge club member.

Humor, Heart, and Healing

You think that, with how deadly serious Jung-hye is, this is going to be a no-holds-barred revenge situation. Instead, we get three clueless yet determined ajummas who don’t know the first thing about revenge. They’re hilariously inept, mostly because they’re too nice and don’t know how to be sufficiently devious, but they do their darndest. Soo-gyeom is the only one competent enough to formulate a realistic plan and execute it, so this teenager becomes their main strategist and evidence gatherer.

The characters are all so endearing that you immediately want to see them succeed. They’re kind-hearted people who have been pushed around by society, their families, and their circumstances. Jung-hye appears cold and aloof, but she’s surprisingly naïve and sheltered. She has no social tact but is so sincere it’s cute rather than offensive. She’s pretty much incapable of pretense and has no idea how the world outside of her chaebol bubble works (like when she gives Do-hee’s son $3,000 as “pocket money”). She’s adorably fascinated by normal life and does her best to pitch in, even when she’s more hinderance than help. But her genuine efforts make her the beloved dongsaeng of the group.

Do-hee, on the other hand, is a tough, working-class mom raising two kids on her own while working in a fish market. She’s the unni of the group, the dependable big sister who is kind yet brooks no nonsense. She’s a great mom with great kids, and despite having little, they’re a very loving family. Their main struggle now is that poverty and Do-hee’s job (considered low class) make her kids a target for the rich and powerful.

Mi-sook is the most timid of the trio. She’s soft-spoken and gentle, the perfect homemaker with the perfect life from the outside. Her husband is a successful academic running for superintendent. He’s also an alcoholic who regularly beats her. Mi-sook’s passivity angers her teenage daughter who will barely talk to her parents at this point.

Lastly, we have the teenage brain of the group. Soo-gyeom is mature for his age, likely because he was raised by his grandparents since his mom couldn’t be bothered with him. He had no interest in his father, but when both of his grandparents pass, he moves in at his birth mom’s urging – she can get more money if he’s accepted by his chaebol family. Soo-gyeom isn’t the type to be pushed around, hence his desire to backstab both his parents.

The characters are good individually, but it’s the relationships that really make this drama shine. First, we have the delightful friendship among the revenge club members. It’s quickly obvious that what these women need isn’t exactly revenge but support. They need the courage to change their situations and stand up for themselves. Watching how they grow together, learn from each other, and give each other the support they need and deserve is lovely. You want to cheer the first time Mi-sook tells her husband she’s not his punching bag or Jung-hye stands up for herself with her intimidating family or Do-hee refuses to cower before the rich woman making her family’s life hell.

Beyond the friendships, there are also great parent-child relationships of all types. The adorable relationship between Jung-hye and Soo-gyeom is one of my favorite aspects of this drama. They have a bumpy start – the situation is beyond awkward for them both – but even her prickliness can’t stand against Soo-gyeom’s persistent friendliness for long. Jung-hye can’t blame a teenage kid for her marriage problems and knows what it’s like to be amongst strangers and have a family that doesn’t care about you. They grow close and come to be each other’s true family, having each other’s backs when no one else does. I love seeing a good stepparent and child relationship, especially one so unexpected.

Just as sweet is the relationship between Mi-sook and her mother-in-law who has dementia. Mi-sook frequently visits her in the hospital and stays the night there when things are bad at home. She’s the primary caretaker and takes on the daughter role (while her husband, the actual son, barely pays his mother any mind) without question or hesitation. Their uncomplicated love for each other is moving.

We also get great biological parent-child relationships, particularly with Do-hee’s family. Do-hee has close, loving relationships with both of her kids who adore her. They’re a tight family unit, never taking each other for granted and supporting each other wholeheartedly. The trust and healthy communication between them is really refreshing.

While there are heavy topics here like bullying, neglect, harassment, and abuse – which, fair warning, is shown on screen – the humor and lighter tone keep the drama from feeling overly dark. It’s a hopeful drama about empowerment and agency as these four strangers come together and realize they have the power to change their lives, regardless of what everyone else tells them. An unconventional healing drama, Buam-dong Revenge Club is a delightful, underrated gem.

 
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