How many plays, books, songs, TV shows, and films have been made about love over the centuries? Too many to count, I'd wager. Some have given us exceptional and even beautiful depictions. Others have been incredibly superficial. Love is like the wind. You know it's there, but you can't really grasp it. There is a reason for this. Love is never about holding on. It's always about letting go. And true love is completely unconditional.
I personally believe Shakespeare described love the best when Juliet states, "My bounty is as boundless as the sea. The more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite."
It is highly likely that, as a viewer, you will be able to relate with one or more of the characters of this drama. Most everyone has been in similar positions: getting together out of convenience, loving someone whose ambitions are greater and perhaps even different than your own, or loving someone who doesn't share the same feelings that you do. We also have characters who are too afraid to love for fear of being hurt.
This K-Drama works well because it doesn't get bogged down in needless melodrama, and it presents six characters that--on some level--nearly everyone can relate to. It is also fairly light without any big emotional twists that, too often, are typical of these kinds of shows. Instead, the writing is crisp because it stays true to the natural course of events rather than forcing them.
Along the way, the narrator, often Ji-ho and sometimes Se-hee ponder what love and marriage are, what their purpose is, and how to best make it work. Is it enough to marry only for love? Is it foolish to marry without any compatibility or shared interests? Sometimes, they resort to quotes from famous authors, and other times, they speculate on their own.
Too many people, due to the pressures of parents, society, and religion (sometimes all three!) believe that marriage is the only way to be happy. Marriage is not for everyone, and too often, couples treat it as the Finish Line rather than the Starting Gate. Yes, marriage is the beginning, not the end. And, yes, it IS work!
People also marry for the wrong reasons: to prevent having to be alone, to feel a sense of completion and well-being by being with someone. Happiness in marriage can never be found in your partner. It can only be found if you already have that happiness, and you are ready to share that with someone else. You cannot give what you do not have, and too often, we unfairly and unrealistically make our partner responsible for our happiness. Any relationship that takes on this idea is already doomed to fail.
These are topics, themes, and even questions that are addressed throughout the run of this series. Perhaps that is why it is a series that can be enjoyed by young and old alike, as well as people in/out of relationships as they address questions regarding love and marriage...topics that have been talked about since the beginning of time.
There are many cute, funny, and even ponderous moments. And in my book, that makes this a true treasure of a series to watch and enjoy...perhaps even with your partner!
