sorry for the long post ahead i don't know how to cut text yet :(
LOVE LOVE LOVE this drama i wish i could put into words how lovely it was and how i wish i could wipe it out of my memory and watch it all over again . it obviously isnt a perfect drama (is any drama perfect?) but it plays its strengths Very well and that's enough for me tbh i can ignore some of the things i didnt rlly like about it but its okay bc i don't have a lot of negatives abt it anyway
weaknesses: some parts were confusing at times idk if im just dumb or i wasnt paying enough attention at some points But i was lost a couple of times during the first few episodes? i feel like the pace was a little wonky during the earlier episodes BUT!!!!!! all the confusion easily disappeared once the plot started moving forward and the show eventually found its pace and it wasn't a turn off to me at all bc everything else made up for it
strengths: characters! definitely the characters. they made the show worth watching and they were just sooo lovable to me (except the bad guys obvi... and the chief police lady) . their relationships with one another were all so precious and powerful and relatable . ive seen my fair share of media abt characters w terminal illness so i came into this expecting it to be super sad (and it was quite sad) and depressing like the fault in our stars or something LMFAO like two people fall in love and then someone dies and its just a miserable time??? but the drama wasn't quite like that and to me, at least, the drama did a pretty good job exploring different stories and narratives for multiple characters who are terminally ill . like, i guess i can't really be a good judge on What a good way to portray terminally ill characters is because i'm not ill? but i CAN say that there was a variety of narratives that all offered fresh perspectives on what dealing with illness is like/loving someone who has a terminal illness . it wasn't always depressing in a way that u know the writers were just trying to get intense emotional reactions from viewers nor was it super preachy in a sense that it kept trying to shove positivity and sugarcoat things ? it was a good balance of pain and hope and i think the drama did it well
speaking of characters, im a huge sucker for friendships so LIKE??? to the ladies of The Green Ray room from Morning's Light Hospice... i love u girls so much and i'm in pain because i want them to be happy forever and be best friends forever like i just love them!!!!!!! when i see those three girls have fun and smile it makes my heart leap w joy and i can't explain it but goddd it was so powerful and wonderful and beautiful . i wish i could join them and be their friend like its crazy . each of their stories were also so good??? cos i really hate when i watch dramas and dislike/feel indifferent towards one of the subplots bc it feels like my time is being wasted??? (ex: the storyline for the wives in snowdrop lol) but when it came to this show, i genuinely enjoyed seeing each character get their spotlight and ESPECIALLY when it came to the girls of the green ray room (and woocheon of course but i'll save him for later)!!! i just. want to sob when i think about my girls and all the suffering they faced T___T my poor seyeon, mido, and insook u guys deserve the world . i won't go into detail abt seyeon and mido but really!!!!! they were perfect and i love them and the actresses who portrayed them were amazing!!! especially surprised bc joy from red velvet is a fantastic actress!!! idk its my first time seeing her in a drama so u can imagine how amazed i am by her rn cos that girl can ACT!!! kang yewon did sooo well too she delivered in all the scenes she was in no joke .
insook... my fave... no kidding but i think she might be my favorite main girl from any kdrama ever so far??? i suddenly forgot all the other dramas ive seen but insook's character was just!!!!!!!! i love how she has a temper and how she rarely smiles (relatable) and how when she does smile it's just so beautiful (ahn eunjin is a very very very gorgeous woman) and how shes stubborn but kind and how shes so selfless and so Human . she cares so much about people despite being let down by the world but also i just Love how she tends to hold her ground when she wants to and how her stubbornness and temper gets in the way of her relationships w/ others at times bc again, they just make her feel more real and relatable . her fears are also so valid and i adore her character to bits---flaws and all . love how u can really see her grow through her relationships with the people around her and how her character slowly develops until the very end / also, ahn eunjin def won me with her acting in the first episode when she breaks down . she needs AWARDS im serious she's a terrific actress
woocheon was also a super well written character to me and while i do wish the show explored more of his background as a hired killer, i understand that his past kills aren't super relevant to the plot!!! he's a lovable guy and he deserves all the love too and i like how the show didnt just go like 'broken girl and broken guy find each other and fall in love and its enough' because woocheon obviously needed support and compassion from other people as well and not just from insook? his interactions with other characters were very much needed and im glad the show rlly didn't just make insook and woocheon need Only each other!!! BUT! im so obsessed with how he just loves insook so much and cares so deeply for her it makes me sad when i think about it like i need a woocheon so bad but for real he loves her so much and is always so gentle and understanding and patient when it comes to her that it makes my heart ache
the woosook relationship as a whole really sold the show for me too uhhh just . theyre so sweet and in love IT MAKES ME SICK!!!!!! theyre always touching it's insane to me actually how their hands are always on each other <///3 but also their personalities also mesh so well and OKAY like 80% of romance kdramas are like person a meets person b and fall in love and their pasts are somehow connected/its revealed that they crossed paths already when they were kids so it's destiny trope (ex: homecha, iotnbo, etc) BUT LISTEN!!! i forgive the writers for doing it to woosook because i love it and it works for ME and that's all that matters . they were made for each other... sobbing and shaking and crying... fate and destiny and the stars brought them to each other!!!!!!!!! the money airplane thing? crazy. the teddy bear thing? i actually lost my shit. i need an au where they go to venice together or something / side note: im also a sucker when two ppl r in a relationship in dramas and they have the Moment wherein they share a bed together, sleep side by side, and wake up together AND the amount of bed sharing in this drama is crazy . there was even a montage iirc . but like WOOSOOK sharing a bed trope u own my heart. woosook skin contact compilation i need it badly . side side note: the ep 8 [redacted] ... it never leaves my mind. the tenderness of that specific part??? and the scenes before it were so funny too esp when insook and woocheon entered the inn's room and had That conversation . side side side note: brilliant chemistry between the two leads. their first meeting alone is so iconic and memorable i love their first (technically second) meeting so much
i feel like i have so much more to say about this drama but i just realized it's almost 3AM and ive been writing this bad review for more than an hour now so i have to stop at some point??? but like i just love this drama so much and have so much thoughts about it so i might come back to this post to add more or make a new post . again, i don't think it's perfect but it holds a place in my heart for how wonderful it is and how attached i got to the characters and their dynamics with one another that i don't think i can forget about it so easily. it's sad how it's pretty underrated too bc i barely see anyone talk about it on twitter or tumblr when it deserves more recognition!!!!!!!! i need more edits and fanfics to read (i checked ao3 and no. there are ZERO fics) and i need people to understand me when i say this show ROCKS . it's a beautiful drama that explores life and death and relationships and the cast is amazing, ost is bomb, plot is interesting, characters are lovable, and SPIDFVHSIFUV i need to stop rambling but yeah <3 i love this show a normal amount :) i doubt anyone will read this post but i HIGHLY recommend it :)
LOVE LOVE LOVE this drama i wish i could put into words how lovely it was and how i wish i could wipe it out of my memory and watch it all over again . it obviously isnt a perfect drama (is any drama perfect?) but it plays its strengths Very well and that's enough for me tbh i can ignore some of the things i didnt rlly like about it but its okay bc i don't have a lot of negatives abt it anyway
weaknesses: some parts were confusing at times idk if im just dumb or i wasnt paying enough attention at some points But i was lost a couple of times during the first few episodes? i feel like the pace was a little wonky during the earlier episodes BUT!!!!!! all the confusion easily disappeared once the plot started moving forward and the show eventually found its pace and it wasn't a turn off to me at all bc everything else made up for it
strengths: characters! definitely the characters. they made the show worth watching and they were just sooo lovable to me (except the bad guys obvi... and the chief police lady) . their relationships with one another were all so precious and powerful and relatable . ive seen my fair share of media abt characters w terminal illness so i came into this expecting it to be super sad (and it was quite sad) and depressing like the fault in our stars or something LMFAO like two people fall in love and then someone dies and its just a miserable time??? but the drama wasn't quite like that and to me, at least, the drama did a pretty good job exploring different stories and narratives for multiple characters who are terminally ill . like, i guess i can't really be a good judge on What a good way to portray terminally ill characters is because i'm not ill? but i CAN say that there was a variety of narratives that all offered fresh perspectives on what dealing with illness is like/loving someone who has a terminal illness . it wasn't always depressing in a way that u know the writers were just trying to get intense emotional reactions from viewers nor was it super preachy in a sense that it kept trying to shove positivity and sugarcoat things ? it was a good balance of pain and hope and i think the drama did it well
speaking of characters, im a huge sucker for friendships so LIKE??? to the ladies of The Green Ray room from Morning's Light Hospice... i love u girls so much and i'm in pain because i want them to be happy forever and be best friends forever like i just love them!!!!!!! when i see those three girls have fun and smile it makes my heart leap w joy and i can't explain it but goddd it was so powerful and wonderful and beautiful . i wish i could join them and be their friend like its crazy . each of their stories were also so good??? cos i really hate when i watch dramas and dislike/feel indifferent towards one of the subplots bc it feels like my time is being wasted??? (ex: the storyline for the wives in snowdrop lol) but when it came to this show, i genuinely enjoyed seeing each character get their spotlight and ESPECIALLY when it came to the girls of the green ray room (and woocheon of course but i'll save him for later)!!! i just. want to sob when i think about my girls and all the suffering they faced T___T my poor seyeon, mido, and insook u guys deserve the world . i won't go into detail abt seyeon and mido but really!!!!! they were perfect and i love them and the actresses who portrayed them were amazing!!! especially surprised bc joy from red velvet is a fantastic actress!!! idk its my first time seeing her in a drama so u can imagine how amazed i am by her rn cos that girl can ACT!!! kang yewon did sooo well too she delivered in all the scenes she was in no joke .
insook... my fave... no kidding but i think she might be my favorite main girl from any kdrama ever so far??? i suddenly forgot all the other dramas ive seen but insook's character was just!!!!!!!! i love how she has a temper and how she rarely smiles (relatable) and how when she does smile it's just so beautiful (ahn eunjin is a very very very gorgeous woman) and how shes stubborn but kind and how shes so selfless and so Human . she cares so much about people despite being let down by the world but also i just Love how she tends to hold her ground when she wants to and how her stubbornness and temper gets in the way of her relationships w/ others at times bc again, they just make her feel more real and relatable . her fears are also so valid and i adore her character to bits---flaws and all . love how u can really see her grow through her relationships with the people around her and how her character slowly develops until the very end / also, ahn eunjin def won me with her acting in the first episode when she breaks down . she needs AWARDS im serious she's a terrific actress
woocheon was also a super well written character to me and while i do wish the show explored more of his background as a hired killer, i understand that his past kills aren't super relevant to the plot!!! he's a lovable guy and he deserves all the love too and i like how the show didnt just go like 'broken girl and broken guy find each other and fall in love and its enough' because woocheon obviously needed support and compassion from other people as well and not just from insook? his interactions with other characters were very much needed and im glad the show rlly didn't just make insook and woocheon need Only each other!!! BUT! im so obsessed with how he just loves insook so much and cares so deeply for her it makes me sad when i think about it like i need a woocheon so bad but for real he loves her so much and is always so gentle and understanding and patient when it comes to her that it makes my heart ache
the woosook relationship as a whole really sold the show for me too uhhh just . theyre so sweet and in love IT MAKES ME SICK!!!!!! theyre always touching it's insane to me actually how their hands are always on each other <///3 but also their personalities also mesh so well and OKAY like 80% of romance kdramas are like person a meets person b and fall in love and their pasts are somehow connected/its revealed that they crossed paths already when they were kids so it's destiny trope (ex: homecha, iotnbo, etc) BUT LISTEN!!! i forgive the writers for doing it to woosook because i love it and it works for ME and that's all that matters . they were made for each other... sobbing and shaking and crying... fate and destiny and the stars brought them to each other!!!!!!!!! the money airplane thing? crazy. the teddy bear thing? i actually lost my shit. i need an au where they go to venice together or something / side note: im also a sucker when two ppl r in a relationship in dramas and they have the Moment wherein they share a bed together, sleep side by side, and wake up together AND the amount of bed sharing in this drama is crazy . there was even a montage iirc . but like WOOSOOK sharing a bed trope u own my heart. woosook skin contact compilation i need it badly . side side note: the ep 8 [redacted] ... it never leaves my mind. the tenderness of that specific part??? and the scenes before it were so funny too esp when insook and woocheon entered the inn's room and had That conversation . side side side note: brilliant chemistry between the two leads. their first meeting alone is so iconic and memorable i love their first (technically second) meeting so much
i feel like i have so much more to say about this drama but i just realized it's almost 3AM and ive been writing this bad review for more than an hour now so i have to stop at some point??? but like i just love this drama so much and have so much thoughts about it so i might come back to this post to add more or make a new post . again, i don't think it's perfect but it holds a place in my heart for how wonderful it is and how attached i got to the characters and their dynamics with one another that i don't think i can forget about it so easily. it's sad how it's pretty underrated too bc i barely see anyone talk about it on twitter or tumblr when it deserves more recognition!!!!!!!! i need more edits and fanfics to read (i checked ao3 and no. there are ZERO fics) and i need people to understand me when i say this show ROCKS . it's a beautiful drama that explores life and death and relationships and the cast is amazing, ost is bomb, plot is interesting, characters are lovable, and SPIDFVHSIFUV i need to stop rambling but yeah <3 i love this show a normal amount :) i doubt anyone will read this post but i HIGHLY recommend it :)