It's not love

This isn't Crazy Love, this is everyone is an *ssh*le but they seem to have apparently good reasons to be one, or so they think.
They even try to reform someone who did a hit and run over a bet and someone who left his best friend to die with absolutely no reaction whatsoever and even fed him something that could potentially kill him.

The main male lead is an *ssh*le and only stops being one after someone threatens to take "something" he thinks belongs to him. He then turns into the complete opposite by letting people who betray him gain his complete trust just because they feel bad or are crying. He's seen as a rational, logical person and all the logic goes out the window.

This would have been great as a shorter story and one where both leads don't end up together. We can't give a pass to guys who are rude, egotistical and arrogant just because they're hot and have money. There's absolutely nothing likable about him, he just has a difficult past. So do a lot of people and they don't go around being an absolute menace to others, especially staff.

To make things worse, as per usual, the female lead goes from being opinionated and strong to being a decorative vase on the night table. In the last episode we can't almost hear her voice from how low her voice got. The crazy is left to a demonstration of possession in the last episode.

As if this wasn't enough, the mystery culprit had so many layers that it made me lose interest completely. When we found out, I was ready to give up on the drama.

I don't like Disney in the kdrama world, we should leave things separate. You don't have to reform everybody, toxic masculinity is not desirable, women aren't meant to be tamed, suicide and mental health problems aren't excuses to commit crimes, the happy ending one should hope for is not always a ring or marriage, it can be choosing oneself.

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How about the journey?

I hate how kdramas depict capitalist struggles and the stoicism they attach to it. Suddenly the struggle gets 100 times harder than it already is without the stoicism.
I hope, as a global community, we can all go to the root of the problem so we can move forward as a healthier and more humane society. We're not made for capitalism and we're social animals, we need community, we strive in community.

I don't believe the FL had low self-esteem. Not relying on other people is usually a symptom of trauma. It's usually experienced by people who have, throughout their lives, found out they don't have anyone they can rely on. Having to pay back every help you were offered, means you have had many people let you down and know there are no free lunches. Failing to build trust and friendships as a result is what she would have to overcome. It doesn't make much sense that she can't seem to rely on anyone since she has a very supportive mother and she had received help from a friend. She doesn't seem to know how friendships work. It would have been better to end at episode 5 instead of painting the issues with the relationship in such superficial terms.

The male lead suffered from something very typical of heterosexual men. They don't listen or pay attention and do as they please. Not listening to something someone with trust issues says or goes through furthers the trust gap. Where there's no trust, there can't be a healthy relationship.

Capitalism in action, where your worth is dictated by what you do and how much money you have, will certainly interfer with a normal relationship. A fragile relationship will certainly suffer even more. But, all the money in the world can't get a man to start listening and paying attention. He did, however, show maturity when he proposed to communicate instead of ignoring the issue.

Camiño de Santiago is seen as a spiritual journey and a journey of faith, very closely linked to the Catholic religion and the spiritual struggles of being a Catholic. It felt like they treated the journey as a vacation, we didn't get to see the impact, we saw all the problems solved but we don't even know to which extent. Did she relent all control? Did he start to listen?

It seems weird that she goes on a journey of self discovery with company. I honestly don't understand the message. Is there a message?

Anyway, it made more sense than the first one. I know shorter dramas can be challenging to adequately portray a story. It was a good and fun, at times, drama to watch.

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Capitalism is the problem

It's one of those dramas where everyone's an asshole.
Probably Ari's brother is the one that is not actively an asshole, but he was hardly in the story.

They chose to go for an anonymous hater, with no real motive who represents the working class, instead of addressing the real issue with this stratification of society. Calling someone with depression and someone who clearly sees the disparity in society a nut job is dismissive, offensive and villainizing. It was a choice to make her a hater. It was a choice not to go to the root of the problem.

Their self-importance remains unchanged in the end. They didn't learn anything.
I do know there are a lot of online haters and trolls but social media is only a reflection of society. If we cared for the people and solved the disparities there would be a lot less hate. Many people are mad at the disparities and don't have the tools to figure out why they're mad. This drama made it seem like a jealousy problem instead of the real issue, which is inequality, that derives from some having access to privilege and also from salary theft.

The love interest (I can't consider him a male lead. He wasn't a lead in the story) said if it wasn't for him his workers would be unemployed, so he doesn't mind providing them with undignified work because, for him, he's being charitable. We don't need charity, we need proper salaries and proper jobs and we need the rich to pay a fairer amount of taxes that will support a strong network of social services. Then no one needs to die because they can't afford food, healthcare or even a house.
We all know millionaires and billionaires don't provide for more work or for more money to be in circulation, they are hoarders of wealth. Trickle-down economics doesn't work, and there's no such thing as an ethical rich person, just like we saw, those rich influencers weren't ethically created as well.

Social media is a way to numb the working force and to make sure we don't organise and create a fairer world. They kept saying throughout the drama that life is unfair. Yes, life is unfair, but knowing the root of the issue helps us create a fairer world. If you were going to talk about inequality, you should have gone to the root cause. I believe art has the power to conduct change and this drama could have been a spark in that direction.

It was a good mystery drama. It was annoying, especially for someone who doesn't care about influencers, like me. It was a good social commentary, but it will go over people's heads if they aren't aware of the root causes of our social imbalance. With all the fascist propaganda going around, I'm assuming that it will be a lot of people.

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Not just summer, a strike of a lifetime, hopefully

Why did you kill Halmeoni?!!?!?!

Now that that's out of the way, let's get into the review.

I find the dramas and films with the most dreamy posters tend to be the most traumatising and yet again it was proven true.
Besides the trauma, the drama was peaceful, purposeful and exciting. I loved that the main couple decided they didn't want to live up to anyone's expectations and did their thing. I'm hoping that's what I'm doing too, so it was relatable and inspiring. I wish I were that brave sometimes.

In kdrama world we're often bombarded with a work ethic that is unhealthy and inhumane, it's refreshing to see someone realising exactly that and going the other way.

The romance was inevitable since the leads are two of a kind. I would love to see it being developed more but I know they're shy and that's part of their charm. Still, you robbed us of a kiss IN THE RAIN and I'm never going to forgive that.

I found the solving of the mystery sloppy, it could have gone horribly wrong. It was probably the most fictional part of the story. The mystery was important but wasn't as interesting as the more mundane parts of the story.

The vibe was good, the place was beautiful. I wouldn't mind moving there too. I hope one day I can live by the ocean.

One last thing, there's no need to follow harmful Disney stereotypes. You don't need to have dogs growl at bad people. Dogs can't measure morality, that's a harmful stereotype for people who can't get along with dogs for whatever reason and that doesn't make them bad people. It didn't even make the ones in the drama bad people. Whenever you think that's a good way of telling people's intentions, please remember Hitler had dogs that loved him.

I'm still not over Halmeoni. I cried so much watching this drama. Note to self: don't trust dreamy posters.


15.02.2024
I rewatched the show again (except the Halmeoni part) and I've been listening to the soundtrack since yesterday too. Summer Strike has, indeed, turned into one of my comfort shows. The theme, the ambience, the characters, the struggles, the simplicity in the way of life they enjoy and pursue are what mainly draws me to it.
It's the definition of contentment and that's my ultimate objective in life. To feel content. To feel like nothing is missing and I can simply enjoy every second of all that life brings.
Friends, food on the table, time to oneself, a fulfilling and paying job I can do from wherever, a calm city by the ocean, access to art materials and the internet and health and energy to enjoy it all.
It does seem like the perfect life. A life of enjoyment and contentment. A goal and, hopefully, not just a dream.

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Healer or Ji Chang Wook always delivers

It's a good drama but, naturally, it has its flaws.

The story was interesting and engaging up until episode 15. This could have easily been a 16 episode drama. The back story was sometimes confusing.

What put me off the most was the increasing eagerness to make Chae Yeong Shin afraid and/or repulsed by Seo Jung Hoo. She was the one who believe in his good side from the start, even before she met him, it makes absolutely no sense that she would be afraid of him after knowing him. It didn't seem natural to the character and so it made absolutely no sense to me to lead the story that way.

I liked the yearning, that's something I find myself missing in the dramas I've recently watched.

The OST is of its time, you can definitely tell it's an older drama because of that. It's very cringy at times but the start of the main theme and ending theme still get me excited.

Driving people to change for someone else will lead to resentment. I'm glad they put the parallel between being a journalist and a truth seeker, it's something that is missing in journalism today, they report without informing and without putting the truth above all else. Maybe watching this drama could inspire some journalists.

It disappointed me a little that they went with such tropes as asking the father for permission to date. Their meaning of being normal turned out being boring. You can be interesting and exciting without committing crimes. At least I'd like to think that I am. lol

I know he's supposed to be somewhat the best at everyhting but it didn't add up him being bedridden without any strength to push her out the door and in the next moment they have what seems to be hours of intense love making. He could barely open his eyes! Be for real! It took away the supposed "magic" of the moment.

Some other things don't add up but we'll leave it at that. It was a good watch nonetheless. The action was fantastic, Ji Chang Wook is one of the best in kdrama land.

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Love in times of a global pandemic

Ok! The word baby has been redeemed! I don't mind if someone calls me like that anymore! Hehe

It's cute, real, a bit cheesy sometimes, a bit sad as well, fun and heart fluttering.

Love in times of a global pandemic.
Or what a relationship is probably like all the time for me! Lol

The whole series has several layers of relatability. Besides showing what living is like during a pandemic, it shows life stories that I can recognise even in my own life and it shows the dynamics of relationships and dating long distance.

It's a rollercoaster most times but we all have those phases in life. It seems like nothing really happens for a long time and all of a sudden the whole world falls on you.

Their jealousy quarrels made me feel very uncomfortable because I lived that. It was pointless and frustrating. I don't think I can see a way out of the circle an argument like that creates. I didn't seem to see a solution in what they presented and in real life that would have resurfaced once again.

We'll see if it carries to season 2. (Hopefully not because I really hate jealousy!)

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Meh not meow

The beginning was promising but it turned into something else.
As soon as she realised who Hong Jo is she becomes distant and annoying. I almost dropped it right then and there. I honestly should have since it doesn't get any better.

The ending wasn't satisfactory at all. Cat live up to almost 20 years. If he was 3 at the ending, will they live in limbo for 17 years more waiting for the occasional Hong Jo appearance.

The second couple was honestly cuter. I loved that she's shy yet she's had life experience and they don't portray her as a 30yo damsel.

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I don't think making fun of the #metoo movement and having men saying they're now afraid to interact with women was a smart move in 2019.
This was just the last drop. Ageism, story holes, unfunny jokes or the old fashioned body comedy. I also don't think they know how amnesia is supposed to work. Also how come can they walk after 20 years of not using their muscles? Even if they're frozen, there has to be some sort of adaptation period.

I really have to talk about ageism.
The actresses playing the leads' mothers are supposed to be in their late 60's from what I can understand, one of the actresses (the girl's mother) is 55 years old in real life and is playing someone who is 60 something but talking as if she's in her late 80's. The woman doesn't even have wrinkles. How are we supposed to know how we'll age if the media doesn't depict ageing accurately? I know it will vary from person to person but we need more realism in the media. They also depict most of the 40-year-olds (his sister, the girl's friends) as if they're walking xmas trees with aboslutely no taste and the need to be flashy to avoid aging. Just stop. Put real women in your dramas already!

Another thing that really got to me was when the leads' brother is praying at the temple. He wishes for his daughter to grow beautiful. Not successful, not happy, not intelligent but beautiful. The girl is sassy, smart and doesn't go by stereotypes. That character should have been treated with more respect.

I really wanted to check out Ji Chang Wook's return but I just can't with this drama. I'm hoping he gets a good one next.

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I guess there was a reason I waited so long to watch this. It did disappoint me a lot.

The theme is great and the relationship is mature and those were the only positive sides for me.

At the beginning it's all extremely silly, instead of it being a comedy, it turns into just silliness. The soundtrack didn't help with that at all. I do understand this drama is adapted from a webtoon but sometimes they forget the adaptation part.

Then there's a point when the main actors don't seem to be acting anymore and everything turns into a melodrama we can guess how is going to turn out that we've seen time and time again. The magic that was barely there (except for the scene at the writer's house) disappears and the overconfidence and comfort appear but that just left me uncomfortable. It was like I wasn't invited to the story anymore. It disengaged me completely.

Everyone keeps talking about the chemistry between the leads but I couldn't feel it. There wasn't any spark in their eyes and they didn't manage to put one in mine.

In the end, it was extremely boring to me. My love for the leads wasn't enough for this drama to leave a positive memory in me.

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I still don't know why her

It was exciting for a little bit and then it was just meh.
It was very predictable from the start but predictability is OK so long as the right decisions are made and the interest is kept. That's not what happened.

Some decisions were ridiculous, others infuriating. The ending is anticlimactic.

I still had some fun and enjoyed some of the secondary characters. There was too much emphasis on Oh Soo Jae. I know she was the main character but there comes a point where you can't have so many secondary characters and they simply disappear or are simply plot devices. Even the male lead wasn't a lead, he was a secondary character.

Still, I couldn't figure out why her. It's very random that this all happened to her.

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It lacked conviction

I'll start with what's more obvious for me, they're very incompetent for those who are praised to be the best detectives. The mystery solving part of the drama was very lacking and that's what annoyed me the most.

A lot in this drama lacks conviction and commitment. Deciding to trust someone just because they're supposed to be your friend but had hidden important information from you doesn't seem very sensible for someone in the middle of an investigation. Even when things are blown out of proportion like FL's expulsion, the train of thought associated with everything around it doesn't make much sense.

I couldn’t finish it all, I just watched the last episode. The ending also lacks conviction. It feels like lukewarm water when you're trying to take a shower on a winter day. It's not satisfying

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The fox could redefine its diet

I really liked this. My biggest issues were the pacing, that was too slow for the issue and that was frustrating - but, perhaps, that was the point, and the main take away, the moral of the story, let's say.

They had the opportunity to do something fantastic and help redefine sex. They almost did that, because they redefined the relationship and gave us a fulfilling relationship that is what it is in their own terms. But they could have gone farther to the actual point and the point is that sex isn't penetration alone. They did have a sex life and a fulfilling one where both of them got to orgasm. How many relationship do you have where (mostly) women don't orgasm at all? It was a fair and purposeful relationship. Nothing was missing, except communication.

Sex isn't love and love isn't sex, but sex also isn't penetration. Sex is any sexual activity with the purpose of, hopefully, reaching an orgasm. There's no such thing as foreplay. It's all play! It's all sex! Penetration shouldn't be the "holy grail" of sex because, in heterosexual sex, 75% of women don't reach an orgasm through penetration alone. Any man who only relies on their chinpo is absolutely useless to most heterosexual and bisexual women.

Relationships don't have to follow a formula and neither does sex. We're all individuals with our own issues. One of the most important parts of life is finding our people. Finding someone who likes us and respects us and sees us as the person we are with all our quirks and shortcomings. They made their journey, they grew together, they filled the gaps that were driving them apart and I believe that's beautiful.

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It doesn't make sense

Wishful thinking shouldn't bring back your loved ones even in a fantasy story. This is a time travelling story which has absolutely no rules to the time travelling and breaks the very few ones it has when they find it convenient. The maid being left in the future is ok, while changing any other aspect affects the course of history? Such a proficient maid, with so much action in the story, would certainly affect the course of the story.
You never truly know the device or the set of factors that make them travel through time. At times, it seems like it's the watch, or the magical lady, or the water, or the tree. In the end, it was his wishful thinking. It doesn't make sense.
It also doesn't make sense that everyone has their corresponding person in the future, except for the FL and the maid. And the only person important to the action who isn't in Joseon is the ML's secretary.
They also couldn't decide if the ML was a completely different person or a reincarnation of her Joseon husband. If he truly was a reincarnation of her husband, like it's suggested several times, her not loving her original husband once she got back doesn't make any sense, since she loved him from the start.

I don't mind the evil grandpa, it was a good twist, but, again, it lacks consistency. If the stepmother wasn't evil and was trying to protect the ML in the present, that should have been mirrored in the past, since they repeated countless times that the past was repeating itself.

It could have been a better drama if they had dealt with the inconsistencies.

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Most of all, it's calm

I'm writing a review exclusively because I can't get over the fact that a partner (or any other person) reading a private diary is framed as cute. It's not cute, it's a violation of privacy. Being someone's partner doesn't give you the right to their privacy.

Other than that it was a drama that transmitted a lot of calm despite all the traumatic events it dealt with.

The supporting cast was excellent and without them, this drama would be reduced to almost nothing since I don't find the main characters remarkable or important enough to the action. To me, it would make more sense if the drama was set from the aunt's point of view.

There are some things in life that can never be amended. Not even time can do that. Time can't amend treason or violence. I don't understand the love for a physically abusive parent and it doesn't make a difference who stepped on the gas pedal. It was self-defence from someone who was threatening their lives and had already made their lives miserable for so many years. I do see a reason for the aunt's actions, she was hit too and her sister's and her life were in danger. It's very logical to me. Even if the lead's father had never hit the aunt, she had every right to protect her sister. Her sister's bruises hurt her as well, it's surprising to see that the mother's bruises didn't hurt the daughter. Her loving father is the same person that tried to kill her mother and her aunt and that's not something you can separate from that person, it's the same father.

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A hit and a few misses

"Choi Yoo Jin was once an innocent girl too, wasn't she? And it's only after girls grow up, they become witches."

The moment women don't allow to be messed with, they become witches. A powerful woman they can't touch is a witch.
Once you manage to see the patterns it becomes clear, they prefer snow whites because they usually prey on their innocence and lack of experience. Women are pawns that become evil once they can no longer be played with.
This is not a fairytale, it's like real life, only we're told witches are evil, we accept that men are necessarily evil but that's a good thing because it means they're strong, and at the same time, every woman should strive to be snow white. They forget the witches are, many times, a consequence of their doings, once the snow whites learn how to fend for themselves.

Instead of having a snow white, however, we got a child (which maybe isn't very far off from who snow white really is). I understand that she was sheltered in a convent but she still got her development as a person as we all do growing up. The innocence they thought they were portraying turned into nothing. She barely was a character, she could have been a pen drive with sensitive information and the story could have been the same.

There was no story between the leads, there was no chemistry, there was no sense, there was no spark, there was nothing. I don't believe it's due to Yoona's acting skills, I believe it was a direction and writing decision.

They tried to find parallels between them but we don't necessarily fall in love with people who share our story or our quirks, there has to be something there other than that, like seeing the person for who they are. Go Anna didn't know anything about the K2, how can you love someone you don't know? Do you love the shell or do you love the person?

Now, if we're talking about the real lead of this whole story, she did a great job! Song Yoon Ah was fantastic and Choi Yoo Jin was a complex character that deserved a better ending. Everyone seems to agree that there was chemistry between the K2 and Yoo Jin and that would have made this story into a 10. Fairytales should be put to rest. We need stories of strong, complex women we can relate to. She seemed like the evil witch yet she was so much more, a true Queen!

It would also have been extra interesting to see a relationship between Choi Yoo Jin and secretary Kim. They had great chemistry and the whole time I thought there should be something more in that story. Also the actress who played secretary Kim is absolutely amazing, she should be given so much more credit than she does.

To sum it up, it was a great drama in terms of action and mystery, it would have been better if they left out the romance part. It was definitely not a romance drama. The fight scenes were fantastic and the political plot was engaging. The music should have stayed in 2010, in a drama like the Secret Garden, where it belonged.

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