Our drama world might appear really tough, rough and gruff a lot of the time, but underneath all that loud bluster, there’s a lot of sincerity and wholesomeness.
That sincerity and wholesomeness comes through many of our characters and relationships, but none more than Jang Dong Yoon’s character, Baek Du, whom I consider to be the heart of this story.
A drama journey that I consider to be warm and worthwhile, despite the side of murder mystery.
Show is a sweet little ball of fluff that is funny, silly and sometimes quite ridiculous, but is, at its heart, warm, poignant and hopeful.
Our OTP is winsome and cute, and the secondary characters make a great little found family, but, for me, it’s Uhm Tae Goo as our titular sweet mobster that just makes the show, for me. 🤩
A tiny touch uneven in spots, but overall, this one’s easy (and fun!) to slurp up. 🥰
THE SHORT VERDICT:
At its heart, My Country is a polished, beautifully-shot tale of star-crossed brotherhood, and the search for acceptance, meaning, and self.
Granted, Show has its flaws. Sometimes the logic stretches require more suspension of disbelief than I would like; sometimes the emotional tension feels like it’s stretched out for too long and gets tiring; sometimes Show feels like it’s cycling in place, just a little bit.
On the upside, though, Show is filled with strong performances from its cast, knows how to take us on our characters’ emotional journeys, and is scored with a consistently evocative soundtrack that is by turn gloriously epic and plaintively poignant.
If you’re able to roll with Show’s shortcomings, it’s not hard to get sucked into this one.