THE SHORT VERDICT:

Show’s a good example of a drama that is solidly entertaining – provided you keep its pedigree in mind.

What I mean is, Show is a solid B-grade makjang, and sits in the moderate range of makjang-ness (in my opinion, at least). It’s makjang enough to be classified as makjang, but it’s not in the range of the more extreme makjangs out there.

Reasonably consistent and well-paced, with an appealing contract marriage OTP in the center of it all, Show works out to be very watchable, despite being a little rough around the edges.

Works better binged, with your logic lens on a blurry setting.

THE SHORT VERDICT:

Well, this is a case of FOMO working out quite well, my friends.

I’d honestly had no intention of checking out Perfect Marriage Revenge when the promos came out, because it looked like a typical B-grade makjang, and that’s just not my usual cup of tea.

However, I do like a well-done makjang from time to time, coz they can be such juicy, gleeful fun.

And, as the positive chatter around this show grew, I basically got to the point where curiosity – and FOMO! – got the better of me.

Dipping my toes in while auditioning shows for freshly opening slots on Patreon, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that this show was grabbing me much more than more polished, more expensively produced dramas that were also in the running.

Just goes to show that story is more important than production values!

Overall, this worked out to be a much more engaging watch than I’d originally anticipated, and I’d call that a win. 😁

OST ALBUM: FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

Here’s the OST album, in case you’d like to listen to it while you read the review.

Overall, I found the music pleasant and serviceable, if unremarkable.

If anything at all, Track 1, Halo, stands out in my memory, because we do keep hearing its chorus peppered through our show, and I did find it catchy and a little edgy as well.

Here it is as well, in case you’d prefer to listen to it on repeat; just right-click on the video and select “Loop.”

HOW I’M APPROACHING THIS REVIEW

First I’ll talk about how to manage your expectations going into this one, and what viewing lens would be most helpful.

After that, I talk about what I liked and liked less, covering both the more macro aspects of Show, as well as selected characters and relationships. Unlike many of my other reviews, I won’t be doing a separate section on characters and relationships, for this review.

Of course, I also spend some time talking about my thoughts on the penultimate episodes, as well as our finale episodes.

If you’re interested in my blow-by-blow reactions, &/or in all the various Patreon members’ comments during the course of our watch, you might like to check out my episode notes on Patreon here.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS

Here are a few things that I think would be helpful to keep in mind, to maximize your enjoyment of your watch:

1. Show isn’t shiny or polished

Unlike its trendier cousins, Show doesn’t have a big budget, nor high production values to boast of.

In fact, some of the sets are obviously repurposed (thanks to MC, for pointing this out; I’d missed it myself!).

(Also, pro tip from Jiyuu – watching this with earbuds will amplify Show’s imperfections in the sound quality, so do what I did, and watch it without earbuds. I found that that way, I was perfectly fine with Show’s sound quality. 😁)

I think remembering that Show is, after all, a B-grade makjang, is helpful. This way, you wouldn’t expect Show to be shiny or polished, when it isn’t.

2. The writing isn’t very elegant

..but Show manages to be fun to watch and engaging, in spite of it.

Again, adjusting your expectations so that you don’t expect elegance in the writing, is helpful.

3. Think slurpy soap opera

Maybe that doesn’t sound very complimentary to you at first glance, but this is a compliment, I promise.

Credit to Trent for pointing out that this show vibes a lot like Lie After Lie (review here!), and our protagonist Yi Joo (Jung Yoo Min) really vibes like Lee Yoo Ri’s character in Lie After Lie, Eun Soo.

I remember finding Lie After Lie very slurpy to watch, at least for its first half. Show did wobble a bit towards the end, which was a bummer, but while Show was good, it was very binge-worthy in a soap-operatic, juicy sort of way, and this show feels a lot like that.

Also, although the story premises differ, our female leads both have that “good person who’s been very, very wronged” sort of vibe to them, so I immediately and instinctively feel protective towards them, and want to root for them to set things right in their lives.

4. Be ready to suspend disbelief

Because makjang and logic aren’t natural friends, there will be times in the story where stuff doesn’t quite make sense.

I think it’s best to keep your logic lens at its blurriest setting. Better yet, tuck your logic lens away completely. 😉

If a makjang makes sense, that’s not par for the course; that’s a bonus. 😁

STUFF I LIKED

Show manages a nice balance between angst and satisfaction

Originally, I’d been a little worried that I’d find the opening episode to be too angsty, because, if our female lead is to have a valid reason for revenge – which is a huge central premise of this story – then she’s got to have a hard time, right?

I’m happy to say that Show doesn’t go too heavy-handed with it.

Like, yes, she is poorly treated by her in-laws and her husband, but it’s not to the extent that it becomes hard to watch. And yet, I do still back her up, in her decision to pursue revenge.

That’s a delicate balance and a big ask, honestly (some other do-over shows that I’ve loved, had initial stretches that I found really tough to watch, like Familiar Wife), and I’m impressed that this little show manages that balance nicely.

Show’s brand of makjang

There are a couple of things that I really appreciate about Show’s brand of makjang.

I like that the makjang is quite moderate, all things considered, yet manages to be slurpy-juicy stuff, a lot of the time, particularly when Yi Joo manages to thwart the baddies in our story.

It gets pretty darn delicious sometimes, truly. 😋

On top of that, I really like that there’s heart, to our characters – at least our good ones.

That helps to ground all the makjang goings-on, so that I feel emotionally connected to our characters, and invested in their happiness.

Together, this worked very well to keep me engaged through the course of my watch.

The way Show manages its varying tones

I feel like Show is quite the expert, at managing the varying tones in our drama world.

From the more dramatic makjang notes, to these more mellow, vulnerable emotional ones, to the cracky romcom moments, Show is able to shift from one to the other, without missing a beat, and I liked this a lot.

It made for what felt like a nicely textured rollercoaster ride. 😁

Show’s pacing

With a lot of story to get through, and only 12 episodes in which to do it, stuff happens pretty quickly, in our drama world – even when it may not feel like it.

What I mean is, sometimes, I would feel like Show was moving a little slowly, like nothing of serious note was happening our story – but then, I’d turn around, and realize that, somehow, a lot actually has happened.

[SPOILER ALERT]

I mean, when I stack it up, we begin episode 5, with the aftermath of Do Guk’s panic attack, and by the end of episode 6, our OTP is married, they’ve had an unplanned honeymoon – which surprisingly comes with unplanned sexytimes – and then, I feel like I blinked, and suddenly, Yoo Ra’s not only slept with Se Hyeok, but is now planning to marry Jung Wook??

Woah. 🤪

That’s a dizzying list of plot points to squeeze into two episodes, yes? And we’re not even yet talking about the fact that Yi Joo finds out that she’s her father’s real daughter! 🤪

[END SPOILER]

To be clear, I do love this rollercoaster of improbable plot points; it works nicely, for this show.

Lee Min Young as Jung Hye

I’ve got Jung Hye in this section, and as the first among the characters mentioned, because I feel like she’s quite the MVP, when it comes to putting the M in Makjang. 😁

Among our various actors, I feel like Lee Min Young hams it up the most, as Jung Hye, and I really kinda love it. 🤩😁

I just love how she swans around as a general rule, and in particular, I love how, in the first scene where we’re introduced to her, she swishes around in that black gown while in the art gallery, like she’s the queen of the ball.

It’s like she’s from a different world, almost, with how larger-than-life she is, and it’s really quite perfect, for her character.

Lee Mi Sook as Yeon Hwa

I love Lee Mi Sook, as a general rule, so I was very pleased to see her cast as Do Guk’s mother, Yeon Hwa.

In fact, I was thinking, right off the bat, that since Lee Mi Sook has just as much Queen energy as Lee Min Young, if not more, it’d likely be delicious, cackle-worthy stuff, when they’d both swan onto the screen, ready to take each other on. 😁

This is where Show surprised me, because Yeon Hwa turns out to a much more pleasant and reasonable character than I’d first expected.

I ended up liking her quite a bit, and here are some highlights around that.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E3-4. I must say, I’m pleasantly surprised that Yeon Hwa sees right through Jung Hye’s fake niceness, at the family introduction meeting, and even talks with Do Na (Oh Ha Nee) about it, being all huffy and disdainful about them putting down their own child in front of their family.

I mean, she even remarks that it’s equivalent to child abuse!

These glimpses, that Yeon Hwa likes Yi Joo more than she’d like to admit, give me a great deal of gratification, not gonna lie. 😁

E5-6. I also like that Yeon Hwa is quick to pick up on all the indications that Yi Joo’s not getting the love and support that one would expect from family, like when Yi Joo asks if Yeon Hwa would mind making the wedding arrangements with her, instead of Jung Hye.

I am liking Yeon Hwa more and more, honestly.

E5-6. It feels like a really nice stride forward, when Yeon Hwa greets Yi Joo with that heartfelt hug, after hearing that Yi Joo had been kind to Su Jin, when Su Jin had been treated like an outcast while in school.

E7-8. I just love every indication that Yeon Hwa has grown fond of Yi Joo.

Granted, I was a little disappointed at first, that Yeon Hwa gets upset with Do Guk and Yi Joo for their contract marriage, but I was happily relieved, when she has a change of heart quite quickly, and defends them to Jung Hye instead.

I think that’s partly because of how Yi Joo comes to her defense, during the cooking class, when that other lady verbally attacks Yeon Hwa, and partly because of what Do Guk reveals: that Yi Joo had been poisoned in her own home.

That showdown between her and Jung Hye was just so delicious to witness.

Yeon Hwa being all regal and elegant, while serving up pointed barbs at how Jung Hye’s an evil stepmother, AND making it clear that she thinks it’s Jung Wook and Yoo Ra (Kang Shin Hyo and Jin Ji Hee) who need to break up, not Do Guk and Yi Joo.

YESSS. I luff her. 🤩

At the same time, I do believe Yeon Hwa’s plaintive statement, that she’d feared that people would say that she was an evil stepmother, and that’s why she hadn’t brought up the video evidence that showed that Do Guk hadn’t been responsible for Jung Wook’s accident.

That really lends a touch of pathos to her character, and I liked this a lot.

[END SPOILER]

Jung Yoo Min as Yi Joo

I thought that this was my introduction to Jung Yoo Min, but apparently, she was in Celebrity, which I did watch – but I have no impression of her in that show at all. Whoops.

In my defense, she was playing one of several of very similar vapid influencer type characters, so I think I can be forgiven for having them kind of mesh together into clones of one another, almost. 😅

I must say, I definitely enjoyed Jung Yoo Min in this; she really lit up my screen as Yi Joo, and made her pop, and I definitely count that as a highlight of my watch.

And, I also appreciated that Show took pains to give Yi Joo a growth arc, not just a revenge one. This was another highlights, for me.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. I freaking love that the first thing Yi Joo does, upon her time slip, is call off her wedding with Se Hyeok (Oh Seung Yun), with such decisiveness and flair.

The way she rips that slit into the wedding dress she’s wearing, so that she can stalk off like a boss, is pretty darn great.

And it’s also great, that when Se Hyeok begs and whines, she remains unmoved, and tells it to him like it is, calling him out for choosing her for all the wrong reasons.

Of course, I freaking love that when Yi Joo overhears Yoo Ra saying that Do Guk is the only man she wants, she promptly decides to snag Do Guk for herself – by going out there, and asking him to enter a contract marriage with her.

It’s audacious, which is great to see from Yi Joo – and it works, because Do Guk already knows her and likes her (which I love).

E3-4. I really like how Yi Joo’s kind of winning over Yeon Hwa, in her own way – with a little help from her reporter friend Su Jin (Lee Da Hae).

I mean, yes, credit goes to Su Jin, for the tip to not try to suck up to Yeon Hwa, but lots of credit goes to Yi Joo too, the way she conducts herself, with that in mind.

I really like the dutiful but forthright vibe she’s got going on, as she attends that cooking class for the rich and influential.

She clearly maintains decorum, but does not do anything to attempt to curry favor with Yeon Hwa. And, when Yeon Hwa speaks to her, she looks Yeon Hwa right in the eye, and speaks with a nice mix of politeness and frank honesty.

Although Yeon Hwa doesn’t say it, you can just see that she’s intrigued by Yi Joo, pretty much right away.

I like this idea very much, that Yi Joo is winning people over, just by daring to be herself.

This is a great contrast to our earlier timeline, where she’d bent over backwards to cater to what other people wanted, and had ended up being ill-treated and betrayed, many times over.

Now, every time someone looks at Yi Joo favorably because she’s daring to speak honestly, I cheer a little, on the inside. 🥰

And I do love that scene where Yeon Hwa summons Yi Joo and Yoo Ra to speak to them together about Do Guk, and while Yoo Ra predictably tries to be all saccharine-sweet and agreeable, Yi Joo is demure but frank, about her relationship with Yoo Ra.

The way she states that she’d never let Yoo Ra have something her whole life, because there never was anything that had been hers, in that household, is really smart, I feel.

It looks like she’s answering to Yeon Hwa’s angle, about her giving in to Yoo Ra as the elder sister, but really, she’s exposing how her adoptive family had treated her, all her life.

This conversation gets interrupted by Do Guk, of course, but I like that this gives Yeon Hwa something to think about.

And, I really like that Yi Joo maintains this polite but frank manner of talking to Yeon Hwa, through the rest of these episodes.

On a related tangent, I also wanted to say that I like how Show does sometimes let Do Guk step in as the hero rescuing Yi Joo, but also, at many other times, allows Yi Joo to solve her own challenges, and prove her mettle – not just to us, but to herself as well.

I do really love what Yi Joo says to Yeon Hwa, when Yeon Hwa asks if Yi Joo loves Do Guk.

Yi Joo manages to skirt the question just enough, so that she doesn’t have to answer the question directly, while turning it into a statement of trust in Yeon Hwa’s own principles; that Yeon Hwa would never allow her son to betray a woman.

What a star. 🤩😁

E7-8. I like that Yi Joo’s starting to show more boldness in general, which means that her sense of confidence is growing.

The way she retorts, with blazing eyes, that how dare Yoo Ra say that she’s the fake daughter, is fist-pumpingly good, especially since we started this story with Yi Joo feeling so sad and rejected by her family.

[END SPOILER]

Sung Hoon as Do Guk

Although I found Sung Hoon’s delivery just ok, as Do Guk, I did enjoy Do Guk as a character, generally speaking.

I liked that he was consistently grounded, in that he didn’t rise to baiting as a general rule, and I also liked how he cared for Yi Joo – which I’ll talk about next.

Yi Joo and Do Guk

Remember how taken I was with the contract marriage at the center of Happiness (review here)?

I found a pretty similar dynamic going on for me, with the contract marriage in this story.

Like, yes, there’s a big revenge story going on, but the contract marriage at the center of everything, is the thing anchoring my interest.

I very much enjoyed the whole idea of the contract marriage starting out as a business arrangement, but inevitably turning into something a lot more real and heartfelt.

That’s like catnip for me, and I basically happily lapped up every little indication that our OTP was growing real feelings for each other. 🥰

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. I am most intrigued by the fact that Sung Hoon’s character Do Guk, so obviously has feelings for Yi Joo, from the get-go.

In fact, the way Show plays it, it seems like Do Guk knows Yi Joo from before; we just don’t know the details of the how or the when.

And, it’s curious, because Yi Joo seems to have no recollection of Do Guk; he might know her, but she doesn’t seem to know him.

BUT HE LOVES HER, and that’s The Thing, that is making this whole contract marriage thing so delicious to me.

E1-2. I love this idea that he’s the cold chaebol prince whom everyone wants to snag, but who seems to have no interest in any of his potential brides – except when it comes to Yi Joo.

Yes, it’s a trope that she’s the only woman who’s actually made him curious, but I don’t care; I love how it’s playing out in our story.

I love that every time Yoo Ra sees Do Guk with Yi Joo, she looks like she’s about to blow a gasket. And I love how smoothly Yi Joo carries herself, in those situations.

Like in the scene where Yi Joo picks up the hotel key card that Do Guk pushes at her, and smiles serenely at Yoo Ra, saying that she can’t talk now, because she and Do Guk have “business” to attend to.

Muahaha. So. Delicious. 😁

I am also enjoying how the connection is shaping up, between Do Guk and Yi Joo.

He’s obviously trying to understand her for real, because he’s genuinely curious about her, and he likes her, but she thinks it’s all business, and therefore keeps feeding him information about business trends and development – which just perplexes him. 😁

And I kinda love that when Yi Joo asks him what he thinks about choosing her as his business partner, he muses that he would’ve loved to have her on his sales team, because she’s more convincing than any employee he has.

Very nice. I love that he’s acknowledging her for her capabilities. Somehow, this feels needful, for Yi Joo, because her abilities have been denied on such a long-term basis, by her own family.

And, it’s also nice to see little moments of bonding, like when Yi Joo gets tipsy, and Do Guk helps her tie up her hair – which is when Yi Joo drunkenly murmurs about how she couldn’t find any happy moments when she’d faced death.

It gives us a twofer, with the accidental skinship giving us some physical closeness, and Yi Joo’s drunken mumblings giving Do Guk a better sense of who and where Yi Joo is, as a person.

Very nicely done, I thought.

On another note, I love the fact that Yi Joo’s connection with Do Guk is actively ruining the previously flirty-lovey connection between Yoo Ra and Se Hyeok.

This feels like a very good side effect, right off the bat, since Se Hyeok’s flirtations with Yoo Ra had been one of the horrible things to have happened to Yi Joo, before her death.

I have to say, my favorite moment in this pair of episodes, is when Yi Joo gets locked up by Jung Hye, for staying out all night, and manages to sneak a phone call to Do Guk, by borrowing that kid’s phone (genius!).

It’s so great, that just as Jung Hye catches Yi Joo for sneaking the call, and sniffs condescendingly that Yi Joo’s call will achieve nothing, because who does she think she is, coz Do Guk’s not the kind of man to come running when a woman like Yi Joo calls – Do Guk shows up right there, playing the part of concerned lover to the T.

Also, it’s really quite cute, how Do Guk gets a kick out of teasing Yi Joo, asking her to call him her prince, before he’ll agree to come.

This gentle teasing makes me think that he’s really having fun, with Yi Joo in his life, and that’s nice.

Back on track, though, Do Guk’s big entrance is made even more delicious, I think, by the fact that he wastes no time introducing himself to Yi Joo’s father Jin Woong, and stating his intention to marry Yi Joo.

Muahaha. I love how discombobulated this makes Jung Hye and Yoo Ra. 😁

Beyond all this delicious revenge-driven oneupmanship, it’s the emotional beats that Show also gives us, that help to ground everything.

Like that drunken moment that I mentioned earlier, as well as the tearful moment in the park, when Yi Joo talks about how someone had poisoned her food, at home, which is why she finds it hard to trust people, and why she feels more comfortable eating processed convenience store food.

After Yi Joo talks about feeling that she’s unable to trust people, we go from the emotionally vulnerable, to the romantic, pretty quickly, with the way Do Guk gets tears in his eyes from listening to Yi Joo, then asks her to tell him why she wants to marry him.

And when she replies honestly that she wants revenge, he gets this pleased smirk on his face, and goes to pick a flower to make a proposal ring.

..Which is how we get that initial peck on the lips, because Yi Joo thinks that that’s what Do Guk’s asking for, from her, to reciprocate his proposal.

..Which is how we get Do Guk getting that devilish twinkle in his eye, as he tells Yi Joo that in this case, that is not quite enough, and pulls her in for a proper kiss.

Eee! This is so great.

E3-4. As you’ve probably guessed, I’m most interested in the state of the relationship between our OTP, and this week, I have to admit that I was a little deflated at first, to realize that the whole kiss in the park had been staged by Do Guk, in order to have fodder for that article reporting his scandalous involvement with Yi Joo.

That flashback, where he remarks, post-kiss, that Yi Joo’s hair needs to look nice, made it look like this was all a business strategy thing.

But then, I realized that this was his way of forcing his family to accept his intention to marry Yi Joo.

I guess I’m still getting used to Do Guk’s droll sense of humor, because I’m now leaning towards the idea that his was teasing Yi Joo, when he told her that her hair needed to look nice.

Because, aside from this, I find that Do Guk’s really quite sincere with Yi Joo, and I’m beginning to get the idea that the flippancy is just his style of humor, that doesn’t reflect on his sincerity towards Yi Joo.

I love that he prepares a room for her in his home, and thinks of all the things that she might need, to be comfortable there.

The stockpile of processed food in his kitchen cupboard – because she’s said that that’s the kind of food she feels comfortable eating – was extra touching, I feel, because it shows that he’s really been listening, to everything she’s said.

And then, how sweet is the fact that he picks up on her hesitance to eat the instant noodles that he cooks, and voluntarily becomes her food tester, so that she can be assured that there’s nothing weird in the food?

These little details in his treatment of her, make me believe that he’s sincere in his feelings towards her, and genuinely cares about her wellbeing.

The vibe that I get, is that he’s being businesslike in his discussions with her, only because she sees this as a business arrangement, and therefore wants to meet her where she’s comfortable.

And so, I find myself glomming onto every indication that Do Guk’s sincere towards Yi Joo, like the way he assures her that he’s with her, in this fight. 🥲

I do like that the clause that Yi Joo adds to their contract, is about getting the permission of both sets of parents, for the marriage.

On the one hand, I just love anything that smacks of sincerity, for this marriage.

But also, I like that Yi Joo understands that this is the more effective way, in the long run, both for the investments that Do Guk needs for his business, and for the revenge that she’d like to take, on her own family.

E3-4. I do love how conversation between Do Guk and Yi Joo turns to making their relationship about true love, than about business.

Yes, Yi Joo sees this as a proposition to act like they’re truly in love, but the vibe I’m getting from Do Guk, is that he already wants to love her for real, and he wants to turn this into a real marriage.

His love confession at the end of episode 3 is full of smoldery intent, and I can believe that this comes from a place of true feelings, rather than an act, like Yi Joo assumes.

Plus, it’s notable that she’s very flustered nonetheless, indicating that she might be having difficulty convincing herself that this is all just an act? 😁

E3-4. I appreciate that Show allows us to see that Yi Joo’s reason for wanting to keep things strictly business between her and Do Guk, has nothing to do with how she feels about Do Guk himself, but about how long she thinks she has left, based on that time stamp on her wrist.

She thinks there’s a good chance she might literally expire, when that date rolls around, and I can see why she wouldn’t think too far ahead, as a result.

But still, we do see little glimpses that Yi Joo feels happy and content with Do Guk by her side; she’s just trying not to get too comfortable with that, because she thinks there’s a firm expiry date on her and therefore their potential for a real connection.

It was still nice to see her smiling while talking to Do Guk on the phone, and I’m glad she catches sight of herself smiling, even though she shakes it off right away.

E5-6. I can understand why Yi Joo would be so consumed by the realization about her identity and the implications of Jung Hye’s abuse in the light of it, that she wouldn’t seem like her usual self.

And I can also see how this would wear on Do Guk, since it looks like Yi Joo basically withdraws into herself and clams up, for the entire week or so, until their wedding.

I think it does say something about Do Guk, that he’s still able to get Yi Joo to gather herself together for the wedding, even though she’s thisclose to a meltdown, thanks to being overwhelmed by the secret of her identity.

For me personally, not only does it say something about Do Guk understanding Yi Joo and what drives her, it also says something about his ability to put Yi Joo first.

He’s personally frustrated about how she’s clamming up and not telling him anything, and he’s confused about why she’s behaving in such an odd manner all of a sudden, but he’s able to put that aside, and put her first, and talk to her in a way where he’s meeting her where she is – in order to help her gather herself together sufficiently for the wedding.

I’m quite impressed by that, honestly.

When Do Guk finds the note from Yi Joo, the morning after, about her taking a trip to Gangneung, I’d assumed that she had revenge-related business there, but as it turns out, Yi Joo apparently had just wanted some time to clear her head.

Which.. ok, is less interesting than something revenge-related, but it does afford us a good amount of OTP cute in a bubble of honeymoon-esque happiness, so I have no objection to it whatsoever.

It gives our contract-married couple some time to get to know one another better, away from the noise of their regular world.

I like that Do Guk doesn’t waste time, and tells Yi Joo almost immediately, about what had happened with him and Jung Wook.

I also like that Do Guk’s forthright in telling Yi Joo that he likes her, and a great deal, at that.

He’s always barely hidden his liking for Yi Joo – which is what really drew me to this loveline in the first place – and I like that this confession feels consistent with that.

And I like that, even though Yi Joo says that she can’t trust him nor anybody, she does tell him the big secret. And since actions speak louder than words, this shows that she does trust him, doesn’t it?

Plus, even though she says that she doesn’t – well, can’t – love him or anyone, she does kiss him on the cheek. Again, since actions speak louder than words, this does that she does like him, doesn’t it?

And so, I do appreciate that Do Guk is quite persuasive, as he looks at her, his eyes sheening with tears in response to the tears falling from hers, that he can and will love her, and because he likes her more, he’s willing to be the weaker one, and she can use him as much as she likes.

In the context of a revenge story, that’s about as swoony as it gets, I think? 😅

And then, we get sexytimes, as Do Guk promises to help Yi Joo forget about everything, at least for a while, and I’m wildly distracted by the fact that Do Guk’s also got a timestamp on his wrist!

Like, WHUT.

[SPOILER FOR MARRY MY HUSBAND]

And here I thought that Marry My Husband was being different and unique by having our male lead also be a second-lifer?!?

Is this dual second-lifer thing a trope in this type of story?? Because it sure is starting to look like it! 😂🤪

[END SPOILER FOR MARRY MY HUSBAND]

I am guessing that Do Guk must have been in the oncoming vehicle that had collided with Yi Joo’s car, and therefore they must have both died as a result of the accident.

No idea why Do Guk’s also getting a second life, but.. I suppose it makes things interesting? 🤷🏻‍♀️

E7-8. Our OTP continues to maintain a solid relationship in spite of everything going on around them, and I really like that.

It’s impressive, given how they’ve only really been together for a pretty short period of time.

And yet, we see Yi Joo happily and easily eating the food that Do Guk cooks for her, when just a while ago, she’d struggled to eat anything but pre-packaged food.

I find it touching and heartening, to see how happy this makes Do Guk; he really does sincerely love her and care about her, and that feels really refreshing, in the midst of all the scheming that goes on in our story world.

[END SPOILER]

Oh Ha Nee as Do Na

I wanted to give Do Na a quick shout-out, because I found that I took to her instantly.

She feels like such a breath of fresh air, with her sassy, devil-may-care sort of style.

She gives me the impression that she literally doesn’t care about what anyone says; she will do her own thing, and make up her own mind, thank you very much.

[SPOILER ALERT]

Like the way she refuses to let Yoo Ra and Se Hee (Song Su Yi) color her perception of Yi Joo, with their gossipy remarks, in episode 3.

Instead, she puts them in their place, and declares that she will decide for herself, what kind of person Yi Joo is.

Gosh, I love her right away. She’s so self-possessed and fair. 🤩

[END SPOILER]

STUFF THAT WAS OK

Jin Ji Hee as Yoo Ra

I realize that when it comes to Yoo Ra being annoying and entitled, it doesn’t actually bother me all that much, because I expect it from her? 😅

That said, I thought Jin Ji Hee’s delivery of Yoo Ra was on the rather limited side of things, which is why I’ve got her in this section.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E5-6. When Yi Joo gets in a good put-down with Yoo Ra, I do very much cheer on the inside, like at the wedding, when Yoo Ra takes that wefie with Yi Joo, posts it on SNS, and then titters gloatingly, that everyone’s saying that she’s prettier than Yi Joo.

I LOVE how Yi Joo calmly takes her arm away, then tells Yoo Ra to keep on living her online life with her online friends – she’s going to live her real life, with a real person whom she loves.

Oooh. The burnnn. 🔥😏

That was quite delicious, not gonna lie. 😁

It’s really just like Yoo Ra, to decide that her best option, to win against Yi Joo, is to marry Jung Wook.

Although Yoo Ra mentions that Jung Wook’s in a higher position than Do Guk, my sense is that this is more about winning against Yi Joo, for Yoo Ra.

She’s smarting so much from having Do Guk “stolen” from her, by Yoo Ra, that she’ll literally do anything, to win against Yoo Ra, to get that lost dignity back.

E7-8. I have to say, I got a lot of satisfaction watching Yoo Ra’s scheme crumble around her.

I mean, I feel a little – just a leeettle – bit sorry for Se Hyeok, since he got so disillusioned by Yoo Ra this week, upon finding out that she’s got her sights set on Jung Wook, and is more than ready to kick him to the curb, but it’s better that he find that out now, than later.

And, it was really pretty satisfying to see him come clean about how Yoo Ra had instructed him to bring evidence that would help her destroy Yi Joo – because in effect, this destroys Yoo Ra instead. Muahaha. 😏

[END SPOILER]

STUFF I DIDN’T LIKE SO MUCH

When Show is cringey – sometimes

Even with my viewing lens set to its Makjang setting, there were times when I couldn’t help rolling my eyes at Show, for being, well, cringey. 😅

Here’re a couple of examples.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E3-4. I had to snigger a bit, at how, even as Do Guk is about to pass out from his panic attack, he’s still able to eke out that cheesy line about how Yi Joo keeps telling him not to cross the line, but she’s crossing the line herself, right now.

Muahaha. Sorry, this is so affectatiously makjang that I can’t help laughing.

E5-6. The psychiatrist-friend who comes banging on Do Guk’s door, and then politely introduces herself to Yi Joo as Do Guk’s friend, only to barge into his room and start yelling at him, and then come out and politely spill the beans, having no regard for patient confidentiality.

I thought this was pretty eye-rolling, and also, delivered in a rather unnatural, stilted manner. Not Show’s greatest moment, in my opinion. 😅

[END SPOILER]

Kang Shin Hyo as Jung Wook

I’ve got Jung Wook in this section because not only do I find him unlikable as a character, I find that I didn’t really enjoy Kang Shin Hyo’s delivery of him as a character.

Altogether, I just found Jung Wook very blah and unsympathetic. His continual poor-me pity party also got old really fast.

I wasn’t a fan. 😪

SPOTLIGHT ON THE PENULTIMATE EPISODES [SPOILERS]

E9-10. We are officially at Show’s penultimate point, and I suppose it only makes sense for a makjang-at-heart show like this, to amp up the drama, to bring us to the finish line.

While there were no actual kimchi slaps during these two episodes, in my head, it kinda feels like “the kimchi slap” episodes, because the kimchi slap is such an iconic move in makjang dramas, and these two episodes – episode 9 in particular – felt strongly, proudly makjang. 😁

From Yi Joo hyperventilating and dropping into a dead faint, upon putting the pieces together and realizing that Jung Hye had actually tried to kill her and her mother, to Jung Hye’s wide-eyed sly glares, to Yi Joo bringing the DNA test results to Jin Woong and getting turned away, all the way to Chairman Gramps bursting through the doors at the shareholders’ meeting to stop Jung Hye from taking over the company it’s lots of amped up, heightened Drama with a Capital D.

Which is all very soapy, and quite entertaining, really – if your viewing lens is adjusted for soapy.

Personally, I enjoyed watching things slowly click into place, putting both Jung Hye and Yoo Ra in markedly disadvantageous positions.

I personally found a good number of developments quite predictable, but interestingly, that didn’t actually diminish my enjoyment of them.

Take for example, Yoo Ra’s pregnancy.

She’s clearly carrying Se Hyeok’s baby and not Jung Wook’s, and even though she thinks that she’s managed to convince Jung Wook that the baby is his, I’m getting the distinct feeling that Jung Wook knows that it isn’t.

Mostly likely – and this is just my drama gut talking – Jung Wook’s sterile and can’t have kids, which is why he knows immediately that the kid isn’t his.

But, because he can see the advantage a baby would bring to his position (being father of the Group’s first heir and all that), he’s going along with Yoo Ra’s story.

After all, he doesn’t actually see this thing with Yoo Ra as more than a business arrangement (even though they are clearly also sleeping together as part of the deal); I don’t think Jung Wook actually cares whether Yoo Ra has another man, as long as this doesn’t complicate their business goals.

And of course, in line with all the birth secrets that are showing up in this story world, I’m fully convinced that Yoo Ra isn’t Jin Woong’s daughter, but Jo Dong Soo’s.

I mean, it would practically be remiss of Show, to pass up this opportunity to embrace the deep irony that Yoo Ra’s been the fake daughter all along, while the real daughter, Yi Joo, has been treated like a parasite, all these years, yes? 😏😁

As for Jamie the teacher of the cooking class, I’m not super surprised that she turns out to be Ji Won, Ji Yoo’s bio mom, after all.

She’s always appeared to have such a soft spot for Yi Joo, after all, and for no real apparent reason; now that soft spot makes complete sense, because now we know that she’d been looking out for Yi Joo as her mother, not her teacher.

I’m very sure that Yi Joo will overcome her resentment towards Ji Won before our story is done, because it’s obvious to see that Yi Joo actually wants to connect with Ji Won, so I’m not feeling too fussed about the current situation, where Yi Joo’s upset with Ji Won, and Ji Won’s retreating apologetically, into the background.

As for Jung Hye, I got some gratification from seeing her getting kicked out of the house, no lie.

I think mostly, I liked that she was getting a taste of her own medicine, since she’d always wanted to kick Yi Joo out of that house.

Also, Jin Woong splashing coffee on Jung Hye for no good reason other than to make sure she’s got a big fat coffee stain on her clothes for most of the rest of the episode, made me giggle a bit, honestly. 😁

Her credit cards getting suspended, thus forcing her to get help from Jo Dong Soo, who’s clearly her ex-lover, feels quite fitting as well.

I guess the thing that surprises me a little bit, is how shocked Yoo Ra, to realize what kind of person Jung Hye is; I’d kind of assumed that she’d known all along, that Jung Hye was the lying, scheming type?

I suppose this does make me feel a tiny bit sorry for Yoo Ra, since it looks like she’d eaten up Jung Hye’s lies, along with everyone else.

Also, you kinda gotta give it to Jung Hye; even when Yoo Ra confronts her and asks her, eyes glistening with tears, if Jung Hye truly hadn’t known that Yi Joo was Jin Woong’s real daughter, Jung Hye continues her lies, without batting an eyelid.

I almost wonder if Jung Hye would be able to pass a lie detector test, she seems so convincing. 😁

But.. from her expression, after Jung Hye flees the restaurant, it looks like Yoo Ra isn’t super convinced, by Jung Hye’s lies.

..And we get confirmation soon enough, that at least one of Jung Hye’s claims – that Yoo Ra is absolutely Jin Woong’s flesh and blood – is an outright lie, coz Yoo Ra’s literally about to lose her mind, with the results of that DNA test.

ALSO. Isn’t it sooo makjang, that Yoo Ra feels the need to literally eat the results, in order to prevent anyone else from ever finding out the truth? 🤭

As we close out episode 10, we’ve got Jung Hye and Jo Dong Soo racing towards Yi Joo in that car, determined to mow her down, once and for all.

..I do wonder, though, if Jo Dong Soo will actually do it, since Do Guk’s promised him a much bigger cash incentive, if he were able to provide evidence to take Jung Hye down.

I’m kinda banking on Jo Dong Soo’s greed for money to save Yi Joo now – let’s see if I’m right?

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]

To be honest, I’d kind of already been somewhat spoiled for the ending, before I even started watching this show.

What I mean is, I came into this already knowing that our OTP would survive, and have a happy ending, and that a kid would come into the picture too, before the final credits rolled.

I just didn’t know exactly what would go down, in the process; I just had faith that our resident nasty people would get their comeuppance – I just didn’t know how Show would do it.

And so, I guess that took some of the surprise out of the finale for me, and therefore made it less delicious than it might have been?

I’m not exactly sure what it is (maybe it’s a mood thing?), but I have to confess that I didn’t enjoy this finale as much as I’d hoped to.

In fact, at points, I almost felt a little bored..? 😅

It just felt like Show was rushing through a checklist, to get everyone what they deserved, whether it was good or bad, before the final credits rolled, and personally, I felt it landed as a little.. mechanical, almost? 😅

Of course, this is a very subjective point-of-view, and I’m sure there are many folks out there who loved this show from start to finish. I think I just ran out of steam, a little bit, towards the end, is all. 🙈

Importantly, though, did everyone get what they deserved? Yes, I feel so.

Jung Hye gets thrown in jail, and loses Yoo Ra, her most precious daughter – thanks to the values that she’s taught Yoo Ra from a young age. So it definitely feels like Jung Hye had done this to herself.

Yoo Ra losing everything because she’d basically made the wrong bet by putting all her hopes on Jung Wook, felt just about right too, because we can’t have her doing well, after all the horrible things that she’s done, can we?

I did feel a bit bad for Se Hyeok though, because he’d been screwed over by Yoo Ra once before, and had just started to move forward in his life, only to lose that, once Yoo Ra shows up and announces that she’s having his baby.

At the same time, though, I did feel a bit of relief for Se Hyeok’s new-but-now-ex-fiancée, because this means that she’s been saved from having the most toxic of mothers in law. 😅

Jung Wook escaping from prison and going on a wild rampage, attempting to kill both Yi Joo and Do Guk was something that I didn’t particularly enjoy, but I can understand that writer-nim felt it was necessary to mirror the original timeline’s accident, to present a Meaningful Way for Yi Joo and Do Guk to overcome their fate.

I did appreciate that we finally get the answer as to how Do Guk had known Yi Joo, from the very beginning.

To be honest, I did feel like this was really quite late in the game for such an important piece of information that relates to our OTP relationship, but y’know, I rationalize that it’s better late than never. 😅

Also, I guess writer-nim wanted to use this to introduce some tension in the OTP relationship, which seems to be a main feature, in this pair of finale episodes.

First, we have Do Guk and Yi Joo taking some time apart, because Yi Joo’s overwhelmed and upset by Do Guk’s confession, and then later, we have Do Guk in (what felt to me like) an unnecessary coma, for what feels like no other reason than to contribute some form of narrative tension in our final episode, since we’re already certain that all our baddies would get their comeuppance.

To be fair to Show, Do Guk doesn’t actually spend that much screen time in a coma, but I guess I would’ve preferred if he hadn’t been in a coma at all. 😅

Happily, Show wakes Do Guk up with some time to go, before our final credits, so we do get some lovey-dovey happy-ever-after type scenes, with our OTP formally registering their marriage, and also, returning to the spot where Yi Joo had first proposed marriage – where Do Guk proposes this time, for real.

I personally found the callbacks a little bit trite, but it’s all in good fun, and I would much rather see our OTP happy than not, and I’m glad that Show ends on a firmly, solidly happy note.

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Solidly entertaining, in its own Moderate Makjang way.

FINAL GRADE: B+

TRAILER:

MV:

PATREON UPDATE!

The next drama I’ll be covering on Patreon, in place of Perfect Marriage Revenge, is Amidst a Snowstorm of Love [China]. I’ve taken an initial look at Amidst a Snowstorm of Love and I’m happy to say that I am enjoying it, so far.

You can check out my episode 1-4 notes on Amidst a Snowstorm of Love on Patreon here.

Here’s an overview of what I’m covering on Patreon right now (Tier benefits are cumulative)!

Foundation Tier (US$1): Entertainment tidbits + the first set notes of all shows covered on Patreon (that’s 2 episodes for kdramas and 4 episodes for cdramas)

Early Access (US$5): +Knight Flower [Korea]

Early Access Plus (US$10): +Amidst a Snowstorm of Love [China]

VIP (US$15): +Marry My Husband [Korea]