I decided to embark on a long-awaited watch of My Lovely Kim Sam Soon, considered a classic by many.
I knew what to expect – it was an early 2000s drama, an era notorious for kick-starting many of the classic tropes we see on TV today. So I wasn’t surprised to see any of those.
But can I just say HOW GLAD I AM that we’ve done away with the second female trope nowadays? I guess dramas today are more geared to pleasing their female viewers, so there’s a greater emphasis on the second male lead than the villainous SFL. Second female leads, if any nowadays, are ineffective at best. But back in the day, they were such compelling forces to our main couple, it made the main couple’s reconciliation look insincere, like the ML had chosen the FL as a second choice, while still holding deep affections for the SFL.
This was my biggest qualm in Goong (that show just spent WAY TOO LONG with the ML hesitating over his feelings) and it’s also my problem with Kim Sam Soon.
I’ve decided my problem isn’t the long-drawn out relationship between the ML and SFL, because I didn’t mind this in 2005’s My Delightful Choon-Hyang, or in 2007’s 9 Ends 2 Outs, but rather the way it’s done.
Maybe it comes down to the fact that the leads had a better established relationship before the angst hit, or that the FL had a hunky man of her own so she wasn’t left pathetically pining after him in the dust, I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS. But I just couldn’t come to root for their relationship in Sam Soon like other old dramas.
I don’t understand why it took Hyun Bin’s character such a long time to come to terms with his feelings for Sam Soon (gotta love the thing about old kdramas where the girl always falls first *sarcasm*). Maybe I’m being unfair to this drama by stopping at Episode 7 and not continuing, but somewhere along the way I wasn’t feeling the same crack-tastic spark I felt in the first 4 episodes. Oh right..because that’s when the SFL appeared…
Anyway, moral of the story. Romcoms back in the day were more raw, intense, and had more substance, but a goddamn SECOND FEMALE LEAD ruined the story. Realistic relationships or no second female lead? Gotta pick ur battles I guess
I personnally think the OTP shouldn’t have been together. Not because of the ML’s hesitation but just their different view on the future. Sam Soon said he was her last chance to get married and… he was not the best choice. I kind of felt bad she viewed him as her only way to find happiness when she could’ve been with someone else who could see her for what she was.
I re-watched it again this year and I remembered how much I hated the romance. He was awful to her for most of the drama and the scene when he left for the states made me so cross. The SFL was so extreme and nasty, it ruined the show completely.
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dopedramacongratz
December 8, 2019 at 7:24 PM
I decided to embark on a long-awaited watch of My Lovely Kim Sam Soon, considered a classic by many.
I knew what to expect – it was an early 2000s drama, an era notorious for kick-starting many of the classic tropes we see on TV today. So I wasn’t surprised to see any of those.
But can I just say HOW GLAD I AM that we’ve done away with the second female trope nowadays? I guess dramas today are more geared to pleasing their female viewers, so there’s a greater emphasis on the second male lead than the villainous SFL. Second female leads, if any nowadays, are ineffective at best. But back in the day, they were such compelling forces to our main couple, it made the main couple’s reconciliation look insincere, like the ML had chosen the FL as a second choice, while still holding deep affections for the SFL.
This was my biggest qualm in Goong (that show just spent WAY TOO LONG with the ML hesitating over his feelings) and it’s also my problem with Kim Sam Soon.
I’ve decided my problem isn’t the long-drawn out relationship between the ML and SFL, because I didn’t mind this in 2005’s My Delightful Choon-Hyang, or in 2007’s 9 Ends 2 Outs, but rather the way it’s done.
Maybe it comes down to the fact that the leads had a better established relationship before the angst hit, or that the FL had a hunky man of her own so she wasn’t left pathetically pining after him in the dust, I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS. But I just couldn’t come to root for their relationship in Sam Soon like other old dramas.
I don’t understand why it took Hyun Bin’s character such a long time to come to terms with his feelings for Sam Soon (gotta love the thing about old kdramas where the girl always falls first *sarcasm*). Maybe I’m being unfair to this drama by stopping at Episode 7 and not continuing, but somewhere along the way I wasn’t feeling the same crack-tastic spark I felt in the first 4 episodes. Oh right..because that’s when the SFL appeared…
Anyway, moral of the story. Romcoms back in the day were more raw, intense, and had more substance, but a goddamn SECOND FEMALE LEAD ruined the story. Realistic relationships or no second female lead? Gotta pick ur battles I guess
mango
December 9, 2019 at 12:01 AM
I personnally think the OTP shouldn’t have been together. Not because of the ML’s hesitation but just their different view on the future. Sam Soon said he was her last chance to get married and… he was not the best choice. I kind of felt bad she viewed him as her only way to find happiness when she could’ve been with someone else who could see her for what she was.
Ayan
December 9, 2019 at 1:09 PM
I re-watched it again this year and I remembered how much I hated the romance. He was awful to her for most of the drama and the scene when he left for the states made me so cross. The SFL was so extreme and nasty, it ruined the show completely.