Unemployed Romance

Written by Kidge.

Could someone please explain to me why they chose to make this show only 10 episodes? Everyone wants to see more of Namgung Min. I feel totally jipped. It actually prevented me from being able to enjoy this show because it meant the storyline had to be condensed into a measly ten hours!

Quick summary: A man and woman who once dated are reunited in the unemployment benefits office as a result of Im Seung Hee’s recent unemployment. Kim Jong-dae is none to happy to see the woman who tore out his heart, so drama ensues. 

Thoughts:

I was so excited for this show to air because I love Namgung Min, plus the promos looked super cute. But I ended up feeling unfulfilled, mainly because of the number of episodes this show was slated to have. I knew this from the start but went in with hope, only to feel like a fluffy bunny had been taken from me.

There were things to love about this show, namely the central romance. We spent a lot of time seeing their relationship in the past, which was filled with some adorable scenes. Watching Namgung Min being frazzled and love whipped pretty much made my day. But unfortunately we always returned to the present, which was so incredibly slow. We don’t even see a single shot of Kim Jong-dae until like episode four. I was practically chaffing at the bit wondering when the actual plot line was going to begin.

That is what I found frustrating about the show. If it had been sixteen episodes, I wouldn’t have minded the slow build up and introduction to the central romance. But it was just frustrating, and ultimately a waste when there was only ten hours to work with. The result was a rushed ending which gave us no time to enjoy them as a couple in the present.

Unfortunately I can’t stand characters not being together for the good of the other, and being weak willed in going after what is obviously the right person for you just grinds my gears. So I found myself lacking a certain love for the writers of this show. However, I congratulate them on the oddity that is Park Jin-joo. This assistant writer stole most of the scenes that she was in.

Ultimately, I think if you go in knowing that the show is a slow burn, and mainly focused on working through issues from the past, rather than seeing a huge amount of progress in the present, then you will enjoy this show more than I did. Plus if you watch it now, you won’t have the frustration of only one episode per week, which makes me remember why I don’t watch Western TV series live.