How do I start this review! Hmm... Anyway, HELLO guys! I have a new review for you and it's on SBS's High Society also known as 상류사회.
So... I started watching this drama on Saturday and finished it on Sunday. Seriously, I've never been so captivated by any drama like this before (okay, maybe I have but not in a long time). I didn't even feel the time passing as I watched episode after episode. No, I'm not a drama addict, I just had a long weekend. Haha. Cheers to the Jubilee weekend!
Here's the synopsis of the drama:
A love story between a woman, who is looking for a man who can love her although she is not wealthy, and an indigent man, who thinks love is simply a tool that the ruling class uses in order to control the people under them.So before I begin discussing this drama, do take note that it will contain spoilers so for those who haven't watched the drama, you may not want to continue reading.
- HanCinema
The Characters.
The female lead and main character is Jang Yoon Ha played by Uee. She's the youngest daughter to a chaebol - a person that owns a business conglomerate. Despite that fact, she continues working part time at a supermarket. Her wish, to find a man to love her for who she really is instead of loving her for her status and her money. Yoon Ha also had a sad past, being the youngest in her family, she wasn't treated very fairly and was always alone. Her brother, Gyung Joon, treats her well and takes good care of her but this was revealed to only be so after his divorce.
The male lead is Choi Joon Gi played by Sung Joon ♥. He is a hardworking man but from a poor family background. I'm a little confused about his character because I think the producers were trying to portray the idea that he didn't have pure intentions so his character was a little confusing. I guess ultimately, he turned out to be a nice guy that just started out evil but changed when he fell in love with Yoon Ha. I guess this was rather predictable since they put Yoon Ha's wish out there so they were preempting viewers that her trust would be betrayed. Heh.
The other two important characters would be the second female and male leads, Lee Ji Yi and Yoo Chang Soo played by Im Ji Yeon and Park Hyung Sik ♥ respectively. Their relationship also played a major role in the drama. To me, it was like giving the viewers something to compare to. By that I mean like although their relationship wasn't perfect but it was pretty smooth sailing as compared to what Yoon Ha and Joon Gi went through.
Basically, it's quite a typical rich-poor family kind of story. Usually dramas with this kind of theme are kind of similar because there are only a few routes they can take. I think for all such dramas I've watched, it'll always touch on the topic on inheritance, money and marriage. Basically how the rich look down on the poor. I wonder if it's the real situation in Korea.
So our main character Yoon Ha is introduced to viewers as the youngest child of the Jang family and the family owns Taejin group. She isn't a happy person as she's been outcasted by her parents and siblings. Her mother blames her for all the bad things that happen and basically she doesn't feel like she belongs there.
Yoon Ha works part time at a supermarket hoping to find love that loves her for who she is instead of her money. Although she isn't close with her family, she doesn't escape blind dates arranged by her mother though. And from just that one blind date, all the different plot ideas extend from there. She meets Chang Soo who is friends with Joon Gi. Joon Gi ends up working at the supermarket where Yoon Ha works at with her friend Ji Yi. Ji Yi has a crush on Joon Gi and while passing him a gift, she meet Chang Soo. So like basically this is how their romantic relationships started.
I think the highlight or the key point of the drama would be when Yoon Ha's older brother goes missing in an accident. Although I thought they didn't develop this aspect of the plot well as his reason for disappearing was kind of lacking and it doesn't feel well thought through, I thought it played a key role in the plot. It helped Yoon Ha to join the company and eventually gain some recognition by her other family members.
Although I could see how they were trying to make the viewers wonder whether Joon Gi really likes Yoon Ha but I think they might have overdone it as ultimately I didn't feel that he had feelings for her. All I felt was that he had evil intentions of being with her. I think maybe they focused too much on that and didn't bring out the other side. Since they wanted it to be that he had fallen for her at the first sight, they could have shown the inner conflict a little more instead of waiting till the end. It's just my opinion, others might feel differently.
Another theme that was quite prominent would be the theme on inheritance and money. It is quite a common theme as mentioned above. Throughout the drama, everything was related to this theme. The fact that Yoon Ha wanted to meet someone outside from her social circle was because of money and ultimately she was using it partly as an excuse to escape from her reality as a chaebol's daughter. This was also seen in the other couple, Chang Soo and Ji Yi. They obviously liked each other but it was difficult to be together or it was seen as something impossible because of their varying backgrounds.
The Ending.
Well, as expected, it was predictable. My friend didn't complete watching this drama because she felt it was too predictable. On the other hand, despite being able to guess what the ending would be like, I still wanted to find out if my suspicions were correct. And indeed they were. It's rare to find a Korean drama with a sad ending (or maybe I haven't watched one yet).
*Those who don't want to be spoiled please skip this portion*
So of course, Yoon Ha and Joon Gi ended up together and so did Ji Yi and Chang Soo. Despite what the viewers were put through, they all ended up in their happily ever afters. In terms of Yoon Ha's life, we also see that there's a huge improvement. Her mother starts treating her better and she's doing well at work as well.
On a side note, although Yoon Ha's father believed in Yoon Ha but I still think since he doesn't really spend time with his family that he seems like a cold hearted person. I thought it was rather encouraging that he believed in Yoon Ha being able to do well. But then again, if her brother didn't go missing, Yoon Ha might never have entered the business world. So that's why I think Yoon Ha's brother disappearance played an important role although the reason why he disappeared was lacking since he came back in the end. Maybe it was just poorly explained.
I was pleased with the ending as it provided closure to all the problems and it answered all the questions. I don't think it left viewers hanging very much neither did they have a cliffhanger so I'm contended with the way that it ended - happily.
My Thoughts.
I think the point that made me want to watch this drama would be that Yoon Ha wanted to find somebody to love her for herself instead of loving her for her background and riches. It might sound like a really cliche plot but I was curious to find out how the writers would write it out and how they would end up in the end. Of course, I expected that the ending would be also cliche and predictable, however, I kept watching and I wanted to know the process of how they got to that ending. I wasn't too disappointed with the process. I thought overall, the writers did a pretty good job.
I was able to feel what the characters felt and I could understand the pain that they were facing so I think kudos to them for finding the right actors for the job. To me it's important that I'm able to feel the emotions the characters are going through. It means they've succeeded in making the drama believable and realistic. That's a way how I judge whether the actors are good or not. If I don't cry along with the actors then there's something missing.
Phew! That was a really super duper long drama review! I just had so much to say and I tried to be detailed in reviewing this drama so I do hope there are people reading this >< Do share your thoughts and feelings if you have anything to say! Stay tuned for my next drama review coming out soon! ^^
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