THE SHORT VERDICT:

To my eyes, Show’s fatal flaw is that it worked hard — just not on the things that would’ve really made its story pop.

What we got: Show spending most of its time throwing obstacle after obstacle at our core underdogs (and those obstacles mostly coming from one single source — another fatal mistake, in my opinion), shoehorning in romantic beats so that the loveline often felt like some kind of non sequitur, and randomly showcasing Junho’s idol abilities.

What I would’ve liked: Show spending that time creating more meaningful character journeys, a deeper sense of found family, and giving the Typhoon team the chance to actually work together and grow together in the face of obstacles that felt organic to the times.

In the end, this was not the worst show ever — but it sure could’ve been better. SO, so much better. 😅

THE LONG VERDICT:

My journey with this show started strong (I had hopes! Expectations! Dreams! 🙊).. only to slide, bit by bit, into a gentle but stubborn decline – one that only got more dogged the more episodes I watched. 😅

I assure you, I really did try my best to love this show, but partway through my watch I realized it just wasn’t going to happen for me.

As a Junho-appreciating fangirl, though, I felt obligated to stick it out to the end – clinging to whatever hope I could muster that I’d somehow find a way to love this one.

Uh. That was not my decision-making finest, I’ll admit. But.. I survived..? 😅

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 OST pleasant and effective, but I have to admit that, because I had issues with the show itself, the music felt like.. hm, pretty wrapping paper on a not very substantial present..? 😅

My gripes with Show aside, I have to admit that my favorite track on the OST, is Track 2, Did You See The Rainbow?, sung by Junho.

It’s a very pretty and melodious song, and Junho sings it well, I feel. Here it is on its own as well, in case you’d prefer to listen to it on repeat instead. 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 stuff I liked or didn’t like, on a more macro level, before I give the spotlight to selected characters and relationships, in a separate section. Finally, I spend some time talking about my thoughts on the penultimate and finale episodes.

If you’re interested in my blow-by-blow reactions, &/or 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

Uh. I might not be the best person to offer advice here — clearly, I didn’t manage to help myself love this show — but these small lens adjustments did help me get to the end, so… that counts for something? 😅

In any case, here are a couple of suggestions that I think might be useful to keep in mind, if you want to maximize your chances of enjoying your watch:

1. Show isn’t very deep

I’d gone in expecting something a little more serious or introspective, especially with the IMF crisis as our backdrop. But that’s really not the story Show wants to tell.

It isn’t deep — the themes are technically there, but the exploration is clunky — so adjusting your expectations on that front will definitely help.

2. The manhwa lens

This lens didn’t magically make me love the show (sadly 😔), and I honestly have no idea if writer-nim intended it… but wow, does it make everything land more smoothly.

Too much character struggling? Emotional beats that feel shallow? People behaving in ways no real human ever would? Comedy that feels just a bit too loud?

Viewing it through a manhwa lens makes everything go down much smoother.

STUFF I DIDN’T LIKE SO MUCH

The writing

The writing in this show was very uneven, in my opinion.

It started off reasonably strong, but after a while, it felt like writer-nim got tired and began reaching for the easiest possible ways to keep the story going.

Kinda like someone starting a pizza business making everything from scratch… only to lose steam halfway and switch to all the pre-made, cheaper, instant ingredients.

Yes, in the end, you still get pizza — but the depth of flavor just isn’t there. It’s nowhere near as rich or satisfying as the version made with care and quality all the way to the finish line.

And that, unfortunately, sums up my experience of this drama’s writing: technically “pizza,” just… not the good kind. 😅

Let me break it down broadly.

[BROAD SPOILERS]

1. How Show musters up narrative tension

At its heart, Typhoon Family is meant to be an underdog story — but writer-nim doesn’t seem to want to spend the time to actually build a good one with proper narrative ingredients.

To my mind, a solid underdog story (and this setting in particular!) should highlight resilience in the face of adversity, and a community that comes together during times of tribulation.

On top of that, our core group of underdogs needs to score some real victories along the way — because who wants to watch them struggle non-stop until Episode Freakin’ Sixteen, right? 😅

Instead, writer-nim leans almost entirely on the Pyo father-and-son duo (Kim Sang Ho and Moo Jin Sung) as the Big Bads, who just keep popping up to make life miserable for our underdogs again and again — and then, inexplicably, again.

And every single “win” our team earns is a fake victory, because it gets reversed almost immediately. Nothing sticks. Nothing gets to breathe. Nothing matters for more than five minutes.

It’s exhausting and demoralizing to watch — and after a while, it just feels pointless.

Our underdogs aren’t grappling with the realities of their time, or the weight of the IMF crisis; they’re just getting battered by two bullies. Where’s the meaning in that? 😔

2. How Show uses the rest of the Typhoon crew

Like I mentioned earlier, teamwork is something that really ought to shine in an underdog story — especially when said story is literally titled Typhoon Family.

However, aside from a few early-episode gestures showing that the rest of the Typhoon office folks do care about the business, writer-nim promptly sidelines all of them in favor of Tae Poong and Mi Seon (Lee Junho and Kim Min Ha).

Time and again, Tae Poong and Mi Seon are the MVPs in practically every situation. Not that I begrudge our leads their spotlight — they are the leads, after all.

But writer-nim seems to forget that teamwork and group dynamics are part of the emotional backbone of a good underdog story. Instead, the rest of the office is often assigned… odd narrative tasks.

Suddenly Manager Koo (Kim Song Il) is a quasi-religious fanatic who seems literally hypnotized by a cult leader just to give the plot a jolt. And Manager Cha (Kim Jae Hwa) becomes a corporate spy for what feels like forever.

I tried to tell myself not to spend precious brain cells being perplexed 😅 — but honestly, this did our story no favors.

All that screen time could’ve been spent letting the office crew work together, struggle together, and grow together — allowing us to genuinely invest in their strength as the titular “family” they’re supposed to be.

[END BROAD SPOILERS]

Show’s sense of humor

I mostly didn’t jive with Show’s sense of humor, which, in my opinion, leaned a little too hard into the OTT side of things — exaggerated reactions, big flailing energy, and lots of mugging for the camera that never quite tickled my funny bone.

What perplexed me more, though, was Show’s tendency to suddenly wander into the bizarre.

[SPOILER ALERT]

Like in episode 7, when Tae Poong jumps onto that other vessel and starts loudly eating flour to distract the coast guard officers who want to inspect the ship after receiving that false report (from Hyeon Jun, of course) about drugs on board.

I mean… that was a choice. A strange one. 👀

[END SPOILER]

Show shining the spotlight on Junho’s idol background

So… here’s where you may want to revoke my Junho fangirl license, because even though I am a self-proclaimed Junho-appreciating fangirl, I actually found myself chafing at Show for repeatedly reminding me that Junho is an idol.

I was already struggling to see Tae Poong instead of Junho when I looked at my screen. 🙈 (Perhaps this is my burden to bear, for having consumed too much Junho content? Very possible. 🤷🏻‍♀️😅)

Now, I’m used to dramas giving a small wink or two to their leads’ idol backgrounds, where applicable. But here, it really felt like Show was leaning extra hard into it — shoehorning in references, or tossing in little moments of Tae Poong singing or dancing for reasons sometimes so flimsy they barely qualified as reasons.

I found myself more bemused than delighted… and honestly? A bit distracted.

Around the episode 11–12 mark, Junho released a vlog showing behind-the-scenes footage from filming that shoe CF for Shoe Park.

And what struck me — aside from the reminder that Junho is working really hard in this drama — was how PD-nim was praising him for looking cool in a way that sounded… well… very much like a fangirl.

And suddenly, this unexpected extra lens — that PD-nim herself might be low-key fangirling over Junho, or perhaps deliberately serving up all these idol-esque moments for Junho fangirls everywhere — added a new layer of amusement to my watch.

Was it still distracting? Yes. But imagining that PD-nim was simply doing “a little something special” for fellow fangirls smoothed the landing a bit for me.

Is it true that she’s a fangirl? I have absolutely no idea. This was just my brain reaching for ways to make this watch go down more smoothly — and this little soundbite happened to come in handy. 😁

STUFF THAT WAS OK

The OTP loveline

From very early on, Show starts low-key hinting at a potential loveline between Tae Poong and Mi Seon. I wasn’t opposed to it, but honestly, I would’ve been perfectly happy for their connection to stay platonic.

Overall, I found the introduction and development of this OTP arc a little awkward. It often felt out of place against the high-stakes survival game that Tae Poong — and really, the whole Typhoon Trading crew — is supposed to be caught up in.

On top of that, the writing around this loveline felt more than a little shaky to me, which made it harder for me to connect with it as an emotional throughline.

It also didn’t help that the OTP chemistry felt a bit patchy — sometimes I caught a spark, and sometimes… not so much, no matter how hard I squinted. 😅

Chemistry is wildly subjective, of course, so your mileage may vary. I just couldn’t feel it consistently, and that didn’t do the arc any favors from where I was sitting.

That said, I did enjoy several of the moments that Show serves up between them, which is why this loveline lands in my neutral zone rather than on the negative side of the ledger.

The casual chauvinism

There’s a good helping of casual chauvinism baked into this drama world, and Mi Seon is the one who bears the brunt of it most often.

I get that this is a sign of the times — people were largely products of their upbringing — but still, I didn’t like it. It’s just not fun to watch, no matter how you slice it.

That said, Show does make a clear effort to frame this behavior as undesirable, which nudges the whole thing into the neutral zone for me rather than the negative.

[SPOILER ALERT]

From about episode 7 onward, Manager Ko (Lee Chang Hoon) starts regularly spouting chauvinistic comments at Mi Seon — telling her she doesn’t belong in sales because she’s a woman, insisting she should stick to bookkeeping and coffee-making, and other such eyebrow-raising gems.

It goes on for quite a while, long enough to feel repetitive and legitimately frustrating.

But eventually, Manager Ko learns — in rather humbling fashion — that he’d been badly underestimating her. And after that, he spends the rest of the show being extra nice to her, which honestly made me chuckle gloat a bit.

In that sense, Show does attempt to correct the dynamic, and while it doesn’t make the earlier bits magically fun to watch, it does help even things out overall. 😌

[END SPOILER]

STUFF I LIKED

The 90s setting

If there’s one area where Show put in the work and got results, it’s the 1990s world-building.

From the fashion and hair, to the cars and storefronts, to entire city blocks that look gloriously retro, the whole thing feels like someone opened a portal to 1990s Korea.

I genuinely felt transported — like Show snuck me into a time machine when I wasn’t looking.

Who knew the time-travel trope would sneak its way from reel to real like this? 😁

When Show shines the spotlight on the times

Aside from recreating a world that looked like 1990s Korea, I really appreciated the moments when Show actually took the trouble to shine a light on what life felt like for ordinary people living through those troubled times.

[SPOILER ALERT]

The scenes of everyday citizens responding to the national call to donate their gold; Manager Cha walking through the underpass, visibly affected by the sight of so many homeless people; Manager Koo huddling around a fire with the jobless crowd and fighting (in vain) for a spot in one of the vans offering limited hard-labor work — all of this comes together to paint a vivid picture of the struggles faced by the average Korean then.

These glimpses were thoughtful, grounded, and genuinely meaningful. In fact, I would’ve loved even more of this woven into our main narrative.

[END SPOILER]

When we get lashings of humanity

Show may not have fully delivered on crafting a meaningful underdog journey, but I genuinely appreciated the moments when flashes of humanity broke through.

It’s these little moments of humanity that really lifted this show for me.

I love the message they quietly put forward — that yes, the troubles are big and daunting, but the human spirit endures… and keeps pushing through. 🥹

[SPOILER ALERT]

E5-6. I thought it was very kind, the way CEO Jung and Tae Poong help CEO Park (Jin Seon Kyu) pull off that instant Christmas party for his daughter, so that she wouldn’t be able to see that her dad had been beaten up.

So heartwarming.

E7-8. In the whole thing about sending the shoes to Mexico, the part that hit me in the heart, was when CEO Park volunteers to sail with the ship, which would solve the captain’s problem of the ship not having a marine engineer on board, and which would then allow the captain to enter into this agreement with Typhoon Trading, to deliver the shoes.

The fact that this decision will separate CEO Park from his daughter for 2 whole years, is very poignant to me, especially since our story is set in a time when technology wasn’t as developed as it is today, and so it’s not like CEO Park can just FaceTime his daughter every day, right?

In this time, he will really be separated from his daughter for 2 years, and so, when he says ruefully, that this is the least he could do, since he’s the cause of the problem in the first place, I really felt my heart pinch for him.

Like, yes, it is a difficult thing for father and daughter to be separated like this, but at the same time, there is a sense of honor about it too, that he’s doing his part to solve the problem, instead of running away like he’d once did. 🥲

E7-8. I also really liked the beat where Tae Poong mets his friend Yun Seong (Yang Byeong Yeol), and they act all gruff with each other, but each secretly slip money into the things they leave with each other.

Aw. That is so touching, honestly, because they are giving out of the little that they have, not out of plenty, and that is just beautiful. 🥲

In a similar vein, I also find it touching to see Manager Cha giving yogurt drinks and other drinks to the needy, as well as to her friends at Typhoon (the way she just lets Manager Bae have the ginseng drinks, when he whines that he’s been feeling weak lately).

Again, it’s not like she has much, and I’m sure at least a portion of this is coming out of her earnings, but she chooses to give the drinks away anyway. 🥲

On a similar note, there’s the way Manager Ko’s father gives that roll of money to him, so that his wife wouldn’t be forced to work after just having had a baby.

Clearly, Dad is living very frugally and doesn’t have much, and so, that choice, to give that money to his son, so that his daughter-in-law would be a little more comfortable, is really touching to me. 🥹

[END SPOILER]

The journeys of our secondary characters

The journeys of our secondary characters was honestly one of the big things that kept me going with this show.

Around the episode 11–12 mark, I finally accepted that I wasn’t going to love this drama the way I’d hoped — and I seriously considered tapping out.

…Which is when it hit me that I didn’t actually want to drop it, because by then, I was way too invested in the secondary characters.

I didn’t care all that much about Tae Poong and Mi Seon’s romance, and I was honestly tired from the endless stream of obstacles being hurled at the Typhoon team (mostly courtesy of Hyeon Jun).

But I cared enough about Mi Ho and Nam Mo (Kim Min Seok), and Mom’s journey (Kim Ji Young), that I wanted to see where they’d all land.

That’s how much they got under my skin. 🥲

The familial beats

Another thing I genuinely enjoyed was the way Show leans into its family relationships — not just the found-family dynamics, but the bonds within the actual families too.

There’s a gentle, lived-in quality to these connections, whether it’s siblings quietly having each other’s backs, parents and children trying (and sometimes failing) to bridge emotional gaps, or people stumbling from being strangers to becoming something that looks and feels like family.

These relationships aren’t flashy, but they feel sincere and heartfelt, and they give our story a comforting, human heartbeat that I not only appreciated, but actively looked forward to — even craved. 🥲

SPOTLIGHT ON SELECTED CHARACTERS / RELATIONSHIPS

Lee Junho as Tae Poong

You guys. It literally pains me to say this (because I am still a committed Junho fangirl), but… this might be the most uneven acting outing I’ve seen from him so far. (dives behind nearest sofa 🫣)

To be fair, I honestly think the root problem is the writing.

Whenever Tae Poong gets to sit in raw, grounded emotion, Junho delivers with that wonderfully real, quietly powerful nuance he’s so good at. Those moments land. And so well. 🤩

But it really feels like writer-nim decided to turn Tae Poong into a sort of manic pixie dream boy and just sprinkled in random off-the-wall beats to create that effect. And those were the moments where Tae Poong would suddenly behave in ways that felt odd or tonally mismatched — and where Junho sometimes looked like he was… kind of phoning it in? 🙊😅

The wide, manhwa-style grin; the sudden bursts of clapping; the exaggerated gleeful reactions — I found them jarring and a little distracting, if I’m being brutally honest.

So overall, Tae Poong ended up being a bit perplexing to me as a character. I think it’s safe to say that I liked him more in concept than in execution — and that’s without even factoring in my earlier gripe about Show leaning too hard on Junho’s idol background.

I’m sorry, Junho-sshi. I’ll love you extra in other shows, I promise! 😝

[SPOILER ALERT]

On the Appealing side of things

E3-4. Tae Poong’s shaping up to be a really likable, principled, stand-up kinda guy.

Just look at the way he takes those faxes to CEO Pyo, who’d scammed Typhoon of the fabric, and suggests that CEO Pyo return the fabric, because that would yield a profit.

It says so much about Tae Poong, that he understands that credibility is more important than profit, when it comes to longevity in business.

E3-4. Again, it says so much about Tae Poong, that the first thing he’d do when in possession of a chunk of money, is to seek out CEO Choi, who’d made a scene at Dad’s funeral, to return the money owed.

After all the terrible things that CEO Choi had said and done, because of the money, I really admire Tae Poong for seeking him out, not only to return the money, but also, humbly apologize for all the trouble caused.

What a guy. 🥲

E3-4. I do like how steady Tae Poong appears to be, through it all, as he takes Mom to the office, where they can at least have a roof over their heads, and cooks her instant ramyun.

It really feels like Tae Poong’s growing up, and is taking on the role of the head of the family now, doesn’t it? 🥲

Yet, in the quiet moments, like after Mom falls asleep, you can see the quiet sheen of tears in his eyes.

It’s in quiet moments like this, that we see that his grief over Dad’s death, is still very raw.

That’s when I realize all over again, that it’s not just that Tae Poong is strong; it’s that he chooses strength and courage, in the face of all his difficulties, and underneath it all, he’s only human, just like us. 🥹

E5-6. That scene, where Tae Poong sits on the dock on his own, fighting his tears, is quite brief, but is so effective at communicating how he’s battling frustration, hopelessness and fear. Really nicely done by Junho, I thought. 🥲

On the Perplexing side of things

E7-8. One of the things I find quite perplexing, is Tae Poong’s characterization in certain moments, where he seems to lack.. common sense?

Like in the scene where CEO Jung takes him Mi Seon to negotiate with the ship captain, it seems a bit clueless to me, that Tae Poong would ask if they have Dr. Pepper, when things in the room are already kind of tense, and they are not on the captain’s good side.

I feel like most people would have the sense to not make unusual requests in a situation like this, but not Tae Poong, which.. perplexes me, as I said, because I’d like to think that our protagonist has more common sense than this, especially since he’s now CEO of the company.

While I’m talking about this, let me also jump ahead and say that I felt a similar flavor of perplexed, later in these episodes, when Mi Seon’s being disdained and being treated as less than, by Manager Ko.

Even though Mi Seon does tell him that she will handle her own affairs, I do think that it’s his job as the CEO, to draw these lines clearly in the sand.

He’s the one who’d offered Mi Seon the position of Senior Officer, so it’s his job to tell that to Manager Ko, but he doesn’t, and he even acts all bubbly and cheerful, as if nothing’s wrong at all, even though he evidently can see that Manager Ko’s being rude and inappropriate to Mi Seon.

I felt quite perplexed by this as well, because it felt to me like Tae Poong doesn’t have the basic fundamental sense that I would expect of a CEO.

I suppose this is being positioned as room for Tae Poong to grow, but I’m not entirely sure that Show holds up that end of the bargain.

[END SPOILER]

Kim Min Ha as Mi Seon

I love Kim Min Ha, and I was thrilled that she’s our female lead.

I really like the fact that Mi Seon is hardworking, smart, and generally wise and insightful, despite her relatively young age.

She’s quiet and doesn’t say much, but she’s so observant, and her heart is consistently in the right place.

Even while struggling financially, she still pours her energy into caring for her little family, and that grounded generosity is one of her defining charms.

[MINOR SPOILER]

Even when the company can’t pay her salary, she still prepares food for Tae Poong’s dad (Sung Dong Il) in the hospital, simply because she’s grateful for all he’s done for her.

That small gesture says so much about who she is. 🥲

[END MINOR SPOILER]

I found myself really rooting for her — waiting for her to rise up and shine like the star she is. If anything, I wish Show had given her more room to glow. ✨

Tae Poong and Mi Seon

As a self-declared Junho-appreciating fangirl, I sincerely want to love everything he’s involved in — including this loveline. Truly. My heart is willing. My bias is ready. 🤭

But I have to confess that this particular loveline ended up feeling pretty uneven for me. 😅

Part of it comes down to the writing, and part of it is the fact that no matter how hard I tried, the OTP chemistry… just didn’t spark consistently for me. It flickered now and then, but never quite caught flame in a way that I could fully buy into.

I hold both Junho and Kim Min Ha in very high regard as actors — I’ve enjoyed them in other lovelines where I wholeheartedly believed in the emotions unfolding between the characters. But somehow, in this show, the romantic connection between Tae Poong and Mi Seon felt more appealing in concept than in execution.

To my eyes, something almost always felt like it was missing. I couldn’t quite feel the genuine emotional current that should’ve powered their words, gestures, and slow-burn steps toward each other.

I know there are many viewers who really loved their chemistry and rooted hard for this pairing, so your mileage may absolutely vary. But for me — try as I might — I just couldn’t truly get invested in this romance. 🙈

[SPOILER ALERT]

Moments I liked more

E1-2. One thing that I find endearing about Tae Poong, is how he notices the way the other folks at the office take Mi Seon for granted, expecting her to do all the odd jobs, like make coffee, or mop the floor, and tries his best to look out for her.

Honestly, I’d felt that this show didn’t need a loveline, but with the way Show is teasing out the connection between Tae Poong and Mi Seon, and giving them time and opportunity for meaningful conversations, I think I might be on board after all.

The way it’s going, I feel like the slow but steady strengthening of the connection between them feels natural and unforced, and I really like that.

It’s in all the little beats, y’know?

Like the way Tae Poong insists on walking Mi Seon home because it’s late at night, and then takes the chance to thank her for what she’d said at the funeral, about sadness.

Which then leads her to mention how she’d given up on her dream, which then leads Tae Poong to ask her what her dream had been.

See, Tae Poong is interested enough to ask Mi Seon about such things, while everyone else at the office has just looked upon Mi Seon as an assistant who’s there to do the dirty work.

The fact that Tae Poong sees Mi Seon’s value like this, is very appealing to me. 🥲

E3-4. It feels meaningful and momentous, that Tae Poong would go straight to Mi Seon, to tell her his decision to become Typhoon Trading’s new CEO – and ask her if she wouldn’t consider joining Typhoon Trading, as a trader.

Augh. I love that.

I love that he remains so clear on Mi Seon’s dream, and looks for a way to help her fulfill that dream, even as he starts to dream a new dream. 🥲

It’s so affecting to see both their eyes well up with tears; her, likely because she feels so seen, and so moved, and he, likely because this is such an huge milestone for him, and it’s so desperately affirming, to have confirmation that he won’t be alone on this journey. 🥲

Afterwards, I freaking love that detail, that Tae Poong goes and gets new name cards made, not for himself, as the company’s new CEO, but for Mi Seon, so that she’d have a name card stating her new title.

AND, he even gets that pink cardholder for her too. It’s little things like this that really endear Tae Poong to me.

He doesn’t mind going around with his scribbled-over name card, which he uses to introduce himself as the company’s CEO, no less – but he would spend money (of which he has very little) to get Mi Seon name cards. What a sweet soul. 🥹

I also love that detail, that he shows up early at the office and makes coffee for himself and Mi Seon, even though he’s now the CEO, because, unlike everyone else at the company, he doesn’t expect Mi Seon to be an errands kinda girl. 🥲

Moments I struggled with

E7-8. I will say, that because Tae Poong doesn’t stand up for Mi Seon to Manager Ko, every single word or action that came from him, that was meant for romance, just landed as hollow, to me. Like, what good is your lovey-dovey talk about Mi Seon being sooo pretty, if you can’t stand up for her, when it’s literally your job to ensure fairness?

This is why it didn’t impress me that he brings food to her, after she walks out on dinner, due to Manager Ko making disparaging remarks her.

Like, do something to stop the disparagement, so that you don’t have to bring her food like this, y’know?

And so, it literally annoyed me, that Tae Poong looks all jovial and cheerful through that trip they take out to the dock, because Manager Ko continues to be disparaging to Mi Seon, through the whole thing. I honestly wanted to reach into my screen and shake Tae Poong. 😅

So no, I was not moved by Tae Poong looking handsome in a suit (Junho literally looks like he just walked off the set of King The Land (review here!), doesn’t he?), or Tae Poong crooning on stage and looking cool (Junho literally looks like he’s just having a fanmeeting, doesn’t he?).

E9-10. I don’t know if I would have felt differently if I’d watched this much earlier in my drama-watching journey, but I couldn’t get into Tae Poong getting all romancey with Mi Seon, while they were in the midst of their crisis.

I’m more with Mi Seon, in being more preoccupied with the urgency of solving the situation at hand, and therefore not being in the frame of mind to think about romance. (Which is why I wonder if I would’ve felt differently in the early days of my drama-watching journey, coz at that time, I really only cared about the romance. 😅)

And so, when Tae Poong pouts about Mi Seon assuming that he tells anyone that they’re pretty, when she asks him to do “his thing” with that Thai chaebol princess, to get her to help take some helmets off their hands, I didn’t really feel sorry for him (because, in my mind, this is no time for pouting, because your company is in crisis, and you’re the CEO! 😏)

I liked that they have some time for personal conversation over those watermelon juices that Mi Seon buys to make it up to him, but again, I felt like it was inappropriate for Tae Poong to lean in to kiss her (again, my brain is all, why are you even able to think about romance, when your company is literally in crisis?? 😦)

See how I’m struggling to get on board with the romance?? 😅

Most fangirls (and I count myself a Junho fangirl) would be swooning at the camera zooming in on Junho with lowered lids, and simmering intent. But I’m not, and perhaps my “Junho fangirl” license ought to be revoked, by this point. 😅

In the scene leading up to the actual first kiss, I’m trying to reconcile Tae Poong’s pouty peevishness (which is mild, but is certainly present), when he grumbles about someone telling him not to get to up close and personal, with that thought, that he’s young and immature.

Additionally, I’m trying to focus on the positive, which is that he thinks to thank Mi Seon, for all the times that she’s been there for him, and that he moves in for the kiss very slowly and gently, and Mi Seon does indicate a kind of consent, with the way she grasps his hand, when he makes that flower appear, out of her hair.

While I’m not all up in my feels over this kiss, I do appreciate that the kiss is gentle and comes across quite well, as heartfelt.

I do think that Mi Seon is right in exercising some caution, even though she clearly likes Tae Poong, when it comes to the official label that they are to give their relationship, because it does feel a bit iffy, to be dating one’s boss.

[END SPOILER]

Nam Mo and Tae Poong

I actually have a big soft spot for the friendship — or really, the brotherhood — between Tae Poong and Nam Mo.

We don’t see them together all that often in the grand scheme of things, but the loyalty between them shines through unmistakably. When one calls for help, the other shows up. No hesitation, no questions asked.

It’s a simple dynamic, but a deeply touching one, and I honestly would’ve welcomed a lot more screen time dedicated to their bond.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E3-4. I found it endearing that Nam Mo would respond to Tae Poong’s call for help right away, and do all that hard labor with Tae Poong, even though he grumbles through it all.

These bros have each other’s backs, and this kinda reminds me of how Tae Poong had gone on that dating show, because Nam Mo had needed someone to fill in the empty spot left by their friend.

Tae Poong had grumbled about it too, but had done it anyway – which is exactly what Nam Mo is doing for Tae Poong now, isn’t it? 🥲

E9-10. I do find it poignant to learn that Tae Poong’s had to give up the Typhoon Trading office space, for the emergency funds that he’d needed in Thailand.

At the same time, I actually enjoy the idea of Tae Poong and Nam Mo being in the same space, because we haven’t had a lot of screen time with these bros for some time; in fact, ever since Tae Poong’s taken over Typhoon Trading.

And so, getting to see them in the same space, sharing a chat and a drink, while Tae Poong takes a break from work, feels so refreshing to my eyes. 🥲

[END SPOILER]

Nam Mo and Mi Ho

As much as I struggled to get properly engaged with our main loveline between Tae Poong and Mi Seon, I found it extremely easy to get invested in the loveline between Nam Mo and Mi Ho (which just goes to show that writer-nim does know how to write the kind of romance that works best for me — hrmmm 🤔).

I’ll admit I’d been a little suspicious when Show minted this relationship so quickly, but I was very pleasantly surprised by how thoughtfully this loveline continued to be handled.

Their connection stays sparky and meaningful, and I honestly found myself perking up every time this couple appeared on my screen.

This is how you do romance well, in my opinion. 😁

ALSO! Kim Min Seok and Kwon Han Sol are utterly charming and adorable together — such a cute pairing. 💕

[SPOILER ALERT]

E5-6. I do like the idea that Mi Ho’s moved by Nam Mo’s sincerity, even though he’s not the rich guy type whom she’s always dreamed of marrying.

I must admit though, that the way Nam Mo responds, when she tells him that her dream is to marry a rich guy – that it’s fine; he’ll just become the kind of guy she wants to marry – is very melty indeed.

Given Mi Ho’s world, where she’s regularly looked down upon and even abused at work, I can see why she would be drawn to someone who obviously thinks the world of her. 🥲

E9-10. I enjoy the little everyday beats, like them having a simple date at the restaurant before opening, where Mi Ho’s packed a lunchbox for Nam Mo, and tells him it’s the first lunchbox she’s ever packed, aw.

The way they’re so excited to see each other or be in each other’s presence is also very refreshing to me, because I find that lately, we don’t get to see this often enough, in Dramaland, where too many OTP couples are pushed into a “old married couple” sort of state, once the relationship has been minted.

I love the fact that Nam Mo and Mi Ho are already on kissing terms, and are all excited to be able to see each other, or catch a quick handhold here and there – as they should be. 😁

And then, when Nam Mo’s mom gets scammed and they have to close the restaurant, I love how Mi Ho doesn’t bail on him, even though she’d said earlier, when he’d been courting her, that she wanted to marry a rich man.

That’s why Nam Mo approaches her so hesitantly, to break the news, and even stands a bit farther away, when he tells her the news.

How touching, really, that Mi Ho goes up to him, hugs him close, and tells him that it’s ok to be honest and say that it’s hard on him, and then just comforts him while he cries.

Ahhh. This is exactly what I want from my onscreen romances – a nice balance between the thrill of giddy sparks, and the fortitude of real commitment, where both are given proper room to breathe. 🥲

E11-12. I really grew to love Mi Ho, these episodes. I feel like she’s a great girlfriend, and a very good sister.

I really like the way she’s cheerful, optimistic and affectionate around Nam Mo, and helps him out at work like it’s the most fun thing in the world.

On that note, I also really like how cheerful and affectionate Nam Mo is too, like the way he feeds her that popsicle, as a bit of a treat; this couple makes me smile, and I honestly wouldn’t mind watching more of them on my screen. 😍

It’s a bummer that Nam Mo’s mom puts her foot down and tells Mi Ho to break up with Nam Mo; that was quite a downer on the cute vibes that this relationship’s been giving off.

However, I really like that Nam Mo speaks up for Mi Ho, and points out to Mom, that Mi Ho’s family is actually in the best position, since he’s benefitting from Tae Poong, who’s benefiting from Mi Ho’s family.

Yes, he could’ve been less explosive about it, but I get that this is a very emotional confrontation for him, so it makes sense that he wouldn’t be able to talk nicely with Mom (who’s honestly being unreasonable – but ok fine, I get the emotion behind it, that she doesn’t want their family to take on another family’s struggle on top of their own).

And then, the thing that surprised me about Mi Ho, is that her reason for thinking about whether to break up with Nam Mo, isn’t anything to do with what Mom had said, but her feeling blindsided that she’d been unable to speak up to Mom with her usual fierce independence, on Nam Mo’s account.

She’s uncomfortable at the effect that Nam Mo’s having on her, and needs time to think things over.

I honestly admire that clarity and sense of self, on Mi Ho’s part. 🤩

And of course, I fully expect that Nam Mo and Mi Ho will stay together, because they make such an adorable pair.

On that note, I also wanted to say, I appreciate that as Nam Mo watches Mi Ho walk away from him, he understands that she needs time and space, and is feeling sad; he doesn’t try to force his presence on her, but lets her go, because he instinctively knows that she needs to, for a while.

I found that very appealing, honestly.

[END SPOILER]

Kim Ji Young as Tae Poong’s mom

Sometimes it’s the most unassuming arcs that end up grabbing you by the heart, and that was absolutely the case for me with Mom’s journey.

When we first meet her, she’s a lady of leisure who’s long been used to being provided for — so it’s no surprise that her world is turned completely upside down when she and Tae Poong lose their home due to debt.

I knew life would get hard for her after that… but what truly blew me away was the way she gathers her courage and shows such grit in the face of every challenge that comes her way.

Watching her start over, rebuild herself, and ultimately not just survive but thrive in this new chapter of her life, ended up being one of my favorite things in the entire drama. 🥲

[SPOILER ALERT]

E5-6. It was quite touching to see the way Mom looks for work and applies herself so earnestly, even though she’s clearly struggling to keep up and not make mistakes.

I thought it was very kind of her boss not to fire her, even though she’s clearly not performing at the desired level.

And then, I thought it was touching to see Mom use that money to feed her boys – both Tae Poong and Beom – while brushing off the bandaids on her fingers.

Mom’s only known privilege her whole life, so it must be incredibly overwhelming to now find herself in a position where she needs to learn to fend for herself, and I just really appreciate how she tries her best, even though it would be so much easier to give up. 🥲

E5-6. I love that scene where Mom tells Tae Poong that he can lean on her, and he cries for a bit, in her arms, even as she tears up too.

It’s scenes like this that really bring home how much our characters are struggling, and how overwhelmed they feel, and I love this moment of vulnerability and openness between mother and son. 🥲

E7-8. I find it very meaningful, to see Mom press on even though she was making so many mistakes, and now even receive praise from her supervisor, for having finished her work fast.

In fact, Mom’s journey is shaping up to be one of my favorites, in this story.

The way she’s assuming a place in the household, like she’s a legit member of the family, really warms my heart.

It’s in the way she steps in to help Beom wash up, and the way she makes rice balls and feeds it to Beom and then to Mi Ho, even though Mi Ho’s been rather cold to her. And there’s also the way she shares Gran’s room when Nam Mo sleeps over, like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Mom has settled down really well in this family, and I honestly love it, so very much. 🥲🥲🥰🥰

And when she contemplates giving her wedding band towards saving the country, musing wistfully that Dad would understand, I honestly felt proud of her, even though she gets spooked by that reporter wanting to interview her, and hurries away.

[END SPOILER]

Our little found family [BROAD SPOILERS]

I really loved the idea of Tae Poong and Mom moving in with Mi Seon’s family when they suddenly found themselves without a home.

There’s something genuinely touching about Mi Seon opening her doors — and her already-tight household budget — to take them in. She doesn’t have much, but she still chooses kindness.

What truly won me over, though, was how these two households slowly blended into one. The way Show leans into the idea that family isn’t defined by blood, but by care, presence, and willingness to show up for one another, just hit me right in the heart.

And I especially adored watching Tae Poong’s Mom become the de facto mom of this new little tribe.

Seeing her fuss over her new children — especially Beom — and seeing them quietly let her… honestly, it was one of the most precious things in this entire show. 🥰

[SPECIFIC SPOILERS]

E5-6. I find it wholesome and endearing, the way Mom settles into the household, despite telling herself that she’s not a member of the family, and therefore shouldn’t be bothered by their issues, like whether Mi Seon’s brother Beom goes to school.

The way she slowly but surely becomes Beom’s bonus mom, is very sweet.

Like that scene where Tae Poong rushes off without eating the eggs that she’s fried for his breakfast, coz when Beom asks if he can eat the eggs, Mom says no – because they’re cold, and she’ll make him a fresh one.

I was quite surprised by the turn of this scene, because this is even before Mom starts working for extra money, and also, there’s the thing where she’s been telling herself not to get involved – and yet, here she is, feeding Beom like he’s her bonus son.

I thought that was quite lovely. 🥰

E9-10. I love the way Mom casually tests Beom on this multiplication tables while hanging out the laundry to dry; it says so much about how well she’s assimilated into this household, and I love that for her, and feel so proud of her. 🥲

The fact that Mi Ho hands that bag of (what I think are) cosmetic samples to Mom, before hurriedly heading off the work, also makes me really happy, because it shows that Mi Ho, who’d been so against Mom and Tae Poong coming to live with them, has had a change of heart, and even welcomes the way Mom has become Beom’s bonus mom.

E11-12. I love how, when Mom sees the school newsletter announcement about mother’s club duties, she thinks to ask Mi Ho if she can do it – not because she can’t do this for Beom, but because she understands that Beom would likely be more delighted, if his sister showed up.

Aw. I like how Mom’s thoughtful and considerate that way.

And then I love how Mi Ho takes it seriously, and goes to great lengths to make it happen, from swapping shifts with her colleague, to buying a mature-looking dress that’s not her usual style, just so that she can show up for her little brother.

I just LOVE how happy this makes Beom, but the thing that I love even more, is how cheerfully Mi Ho goes about making this happen; you can see that she sincerely wants to do this – that this isn’t just a duty to her.

E11-12. I really enjoyed the little moment that Mom shares with Gran, where Gran puts that bandaid on for Mom, and then praises Mom for being a kind person, and never showing that she was struggling, and then tells Mom that everything’s going to be alright.

That feels like a precious bit of affirmation for Mom, who’s been working really hard, but likely hasn’t had much in the way of praise and encouragement, for hanging in there and doing well. 🥲

Yay Gran, whose moments of lucidity seem quite heaven-sent, sometimes. 🥰

[END SPOILER]

Sung Dong Il as Tae Poong’s Dad [BROAD SPOILERS]

I loved Sung Dong Il in our opening episodes; he gives Dad such a warm, caring, yet gruff sort of energy.

You can feel, right from the get-go, that he genuinely cares — about his company, his employees, his family, and most of all, his son, Tae Poong. Even though father and son are a little estranged at this point in their lives, that underlying love is unmistakable.

I was genuinely sorry to see him go… and so early in our story, too. 💔

What I truly appreciated, though, is how Show continues to echo Dad’s presence throughout the narrative.

In episode 2, when Tae Poong chokes up at how pretty the flowers are, he’s reminded of Dad’s gentle reframing: that the flowers aren’t withering but doing their best to win — exactly the mindset he needs in this moment of crisis. 🥲

And in episode 4, we learn that Dad had established the company the day after Tae Poong’s birthday, naming it after him. Isn’t it heartbreakingly poignant to realize just how much Tae Poong meant to Dad, and how deeply he’d woven that love into the fabric of his life? Sniffle. 🥹

Dad may no longer be physically present, but Show makes it clear that his fingerprints are everywhere — on the company he built, on the son he loved, and on the story that continues without him. I found that incredibly meaningful. 🥲

[END SPOILER]

Special shout-out:

Kim Hye Eun as CEO Jung

I just wanted to give a quick shout-out to CEO Jung, because I genuinely adored her — and Kim Hye Eun is fabulous playing her.

She’s loud, she’s blustery, she’s dramatic in the best possible way, and she absolutely owns every scene in her dark-lipsticked glory.

I honestly couldn’t get enough. 🤩

SPOTLIGHT ON THE PENULTIMATE EPISODES [SPOILERS]

E13-14. Can’t lie, my friends. These episodes worked out to be a mixed bag for me.

Honestly, I enjoyed episode 13 more than I’d expected to, given my recent patchy watch experience with this show, and so, I was actually looking forward to episode 14, but that’s when Show went wobbly for me.

So, I liked episode 13 more than I’d thought I would, but I also disliked episode 14 more than I’d thought I would. Not the kind of trajectory I’d been hoping for, but unfortunately, that’s how the cookie crumbles, at least this time.

For a start, let me talk about what I enjoyed about episode 13.

Given how I haven’t really managed to get truly invested in the loveline between Tae Poong and Mi Seon, I was pleasantly surprised that I actually found the minting of their relationship more engaging than I’d expected.

I do think that a lot of that has to do with the fact that the relationship beats this episode land as quite heartfelt, without distractions (for me) in the form of Show putting the spotlight on Junho’s idol talents, or Tae Poong rubbing me the wrong way by not standing up for Mi Seon when I wanted him to.

I buy the idea that Mi Seon’s near-death experience makes her realize that she wants to be with Tae Poong, never mind about her earlier reservations, and I found the eventual OTP moments that we get.

Like the way Mi Seon is gentle and understanding, as she acknowledges that Tae Poong’s had a hard day, and the way sheds tears in response. This feels very honest and vulnerable, and I liked this very well.

I also like that the official minting of their relationship is quiet, low-key and down-to-earth, with a simple declaration of love, which is then sealed with a heartfelt kiss.

This is the most feels I’ve gotten from this loveline, and I am very pleasantly surprised. 🥲

I’m also glad that we get to see our secondary OTP reconcile, with Mi Ho first acting all angry, then crying that she’s fallen for Nam Mo, and will continue to like him even if his situation worsens.

Aw. Sweet Nam Mo looks like he’s literally about to burst into tears; he’s that overwhelmed. 🥲

I also liked that we get to see Nam Mo’s mom make amends for how she’d told Mi Ho to stop seeing Nam Mo, and it’s such an Asian parent thing to do, to express her acceptance via food – by giving Mi Ho the egg yolk in their ramyun, which she usually doesn’t even give to Nam Mo. 🥲

I also really liked that very poignant scene, where a discouraged Tae Poong goes to Dad’s old soju haunt and drinks alone, much like Dad had used to – but with a glass poured in Dad’s honor.

It’s really quite affecting to see Tae Poong feel regret at not having sat down with Dad for a drink when he’d had the chance, because don’t we all have regrets in life, where it’s too late for us to do anything about them? 💔

I’m just really glad for Nam Mo, who shows up, and immediately completely understands, from the glass set out for Dad, to the fact that Tae Poong’s feeling down. We should all have a friend like Nam Mo, yes? 🥲

This is when Tae Poong finally hears about Manager Cha searching the Typhoon office, which is when Manager Cha’s search for the promissory note comes to light.

I honestly don’t really like the way Manager Cha’s all defensive, to Tae Poong and later, the rest of the Typhoon crew, for her betrayal.

I mean, it’s clear from her eventual breakdown outside the office, that she knows that she’s in the wrong, and therefore, it’s not too hard to infer that her defensiveness is because she’s too ashamed to face what she’s done, but it’s still not something I liked watching.

I did rather like that Tae Poong just marches right up to CEO Pyo and makes a deal with him for the batch of gloves, and I also liked that we get to see Mi Seon marching right up to Hyeon Jun and socking it to him without missing a beat.

However, this is about where my list of things I didn’t like so much, starts. 😅

In episode 14, we finally get the backstory of the promissory note, and the more I think about it, the more I dislike the idea of it.

I hate that CEO Pyo had turned to Dad, and Dad had helped him, and now CEO Pyo’s actively reneging on the promise that he’d made so eagerly, and the reason I hate this, is because it makes Dad look like a poor judge of character. 😔

Another reason I dislike this, is that we’ve spent the entire show now, with one main source when it comes to obstacles getting in the way of our Typhoon crew.

It’s always something to do with either CEO Pyo or Hyeon Jun, and then Tae Poong will have to put himself on the line, in order to save the day.

This time, it’s not his eyes, but it’s his position as CEO of Typhoon Trading, and, well, I feel like Show could have done so much more, in the way of being creative with the obstacles and solutions inherent in our characters’ journeys.

Like, if we’re here to shine the spotlight on the IMF crisis, and the whole point is to show us that it’s people coming together, that enables them to survive, then why are we pitting a single father-son pair against Typhoon Trading, when there could be so many other environmental factors that could have been tapped into, that could have proven to be educational for the average viewer?

That way, Dad also wouldn’t have to look like a poor judge of character (yes, I am very upset about this).

Afterwards, I found it a very strange thing, that on the one hand, we’ve got Tae Poong, Mi Seon and the rest of the fam, taking a trip to the beach (which is explained as them taking a breather, but seriously, in the midst of a crisis, I can’t imagine myself taking a beach holiday, so I can’t relate), and on the other hand, we’ve got Hyeon Jun coming to a breaking point, and basically attacking CEO Pyo and leaving him for dead.

I don’t know about you guys, but it made for a rather whiplashy watch experience, for me personally. 😅

This meant that I couldn’t fully enjoy the wholesome beach holiday vibes, though I’ll admit that I did quite like the quiet kisses that Tae Poong and Mi Seon share on the beach.

I also didn’t quite think that Nam Mo jumping to conclusions about Mi Ho and her phone call with her ex-boyfriend made a lot of character sense, because I feel like Nam Mo would give Mi Ho a chance to explain, before cutting her off like that.

But ok, fine, I can rationalize that this quite possibly stems from a place of insecurity on Nam Mo’s part, where he feels like he’d lose out, when compared to another man.

As we close out these episodes, I find myself watching for much the same reason I finished Good Boy (review here!) – because I’ve come so far, and I need to finally see our underdog crew get a real win, with no strings attached, where the win doesn’t turn into a loss, at the next narrative turn.

C’mon, Show. You can do this. *weak fist pump*

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]

E15-16. Listen. If you loved Show’s finale, I’m genuinely glad – I wanted to be right there with you, y’know? 🥲

But as I watched the last two episodes, my experience turned out quite lukewarm – not that I’m shocked, given how I’ve been feeling about this show for a good chunk of my watch. 😅 Not bad, not dramatic.. just, “Well. That was a choice.” 👀

Still, there’s plenty to talk about, so let’s dive into my thoughts about it all – the good, the bad and the genuinely perplexed. 🤪

By this point, you probably already know that I was not hot on Show’s choice to basically ignore all the potential for narrative tension inherent in our drama world’s time period, and instead pour all its efforts towards narrative tension, into harnessing Hyeon Jun and to a lesser extent, CEO Pyo, as our Big Bads.

And so, in these finale episodes, I sincerely (sincerely!!) would have preferred not to have gone one additional round with Hyeon Jun going all out to sabotage Tae Poong, and Tae Poong then finding a way out.

I mean, we’ve already done that, what, 378 times already? (Ok not exactly 378 times, but it sure felt like it! 🙊😅)

This was a bit of a downer for me, because it felt tired and repetitive, though the thing that felt most underwhelming about this arc, is the fact that Tae Poong finally, finally finds the promissory note, but nothing really comes of it?

I get the idea here (I think), that Tae Poong’s beneath Hyeon Jun’s petty schemes, and that in the end, Hyeon Jun is his own downfall, but after Show’s been going on about that promissory note for so long, this did feel like much ado about nothing.

Speaking of Hyeon Jun’s arc, I thought the emotion around CEO Pyo’s “resurrection” was weirdly hollow.

Like, nothing from CEO Pyo to Hyeon Jun about, “You literally tried to kill me,” and all we get is CEO Pyo embracing Hyeon Jun before releasing him to the police, saying that he’s the one who’d lost?

The emotional arc between father and son lands as weirdly unreal, from where I’m sitting. 👀

One big thing that struck me, while I was watching these episodes, was that it felt like someone had finally gotten through to writer-nim, that Show’s focus should have been on the concept of family (hence Show’s title), and that’s why writer-nim hurriedly shoehorned these, “We’re family!” soundbites into these episodes.

We hear it multiple times, interjected like punctuation after each mini arc, explaining why Tae Poong would go to such lengths to help others, and well, I like the idea of fostering a found family vibe, but this feels like too little, too late, and I have to confess that I’m not impressed.

We’ve spent so little time on exploring how the Typhoon team is a family, that this lands as rather disingenuous, to my eyes. Unfortunate, but true. 🙈

Another thing that stood out to me, while I was watching these episodes, is that it feels like writer-nim had plonked some goalposts down for the finale, for various characters and relationships, and had then proceeded to do some reverse engineering, to get us there.

For example, one key goalpost that writer-nim had set, was for the Typhoon team to welcome Tae Poong with the kind of respect and enthusiasm that we’d seen them have for Tae Poong’s dad, when Dad had been the CEO.

And in order to create such a scene, writer-nim decided to have Tae Poong use his position as CEO as collateral in that arc with Hyeon Jun and therefore end up leaving the company, at least for a while.

Also, remember how I’d said that it hadn’t seemed in character for Nam Mo to break up with Mi Ho without at least trying to clarify things with her? These episodes, it became clear that the goalpost writer-nim had had in mind for this relationship, was them making up in front of a group of people, with Nam Mo singing her a song.

So in order to give us that reconciliation scene, writer-nim had to break them up first – and so it goes.

On hindsight, the inelegance of the writing is especially glaring, and, well, I didn’t enjoy that too much.

The single best highlight of this finale, for me, is that scene where Beom starts crying, because Mi Ho’s getting married.

Awwww. That was utterly delightful and absolutely adorable, and I loved it so much, that I immediately felt like it had been worthwhile sitting through this (in my opinion, unnecessarily long) finale, in order to witness this scene. 🥰

Beom wailing about his little broken heart is so precious, as is the fact that Mom cuddles him and consoles him like he’s her own little baby. 🥹

I also loved Mom’s idea, that they buy a bigger house in the future, so that they can all continue to live together as one big family.

Now that’s the stuff of warm found families, and I could’ve done with a lot more of that. 🥲

Instead, we get the remainder of our screen time spent on the Typhoon team, including a flash forward that shows that the company is still standing strong and doing well, even as the IMF crisis comes to a close.

..Which is something that I would have appreciated more, if Show had actually cared to highlight more of how our Typhoon team had weathered the crisis together, instead of spending all their time fighting against the Pyo villains.

Similarly, I would’ve found Tae Poong’s final voiceover – that he’d loved flowers because they were pretty and fragrant, but now, he realizes, as he looks at the rest of the team, that his flowers are here with him – a lot more affecting, if we’d actually spent more time exploring the team dynamics and actively growing the relationships within the team.

Instead, we had all these external situations and conflicts, like Manager Cha being blackmailed to spy on the team, and then it’s all just very quickly and easily swept under the rug and forgotten, coz our story needed to be wrapped up on a happy note.

So, when all is said and done, does Show leave us on a warm and fuzzy note?

Well, yes..? But to me, that warmth and fuzziness feels manufactured for the finish line, rather than organically earned and grown – and that just feels like such a pity. 😔

THE FINAL VERDICT:

A few heartfelt sparks, but overall, a sadly missed opportunity. (My heart tried, truly.)

FINAL GRADE: B-

TRAILER:

MV:

PATREON UPDATE!

The next drama I’m covering on Patreon, in place of Typhoon Family is Sniper Butterfly [China].

You can check out my episode 1-4 notes on Sniper Butterfly 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 Drop (Sundays) + 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): +Love’s Ambition [China]

Early Access Plus (US$10): +Twelve Letters [China]

VIP (US$15): +Dear X [Korea]