Secret Garden is a 20 episode Korean TV show that aired from 2010-2011. It's another poor girl meets rich boy Korean melodrama. Korean television will tell this same story over and over again until the end of time, and, lord knows I've seen a crap ton of these shows to say the least. Summary Verdict: this one's not bad.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Here's your story: Ha Ji-won plays Gil Ra-im; a poor & humble stunt woman trying to make ends meet working in the movie industry. Hyun Bin plays Kim Joo-won; a wealthy & arrogant heir to an upscale department store chain. Joo-won mistakes Ra-im as an actress his famous brother once dated, and as a result, they subsequently meet & spend some time together by accident. Need I even bother expounding?...comedy, romance, drama ensue. You know the format: she's the pretty but tough tomboyish type with no time for nonsense in her life, he's the straight laced rich guy who works hard but has plenty of time for whatever nonsense he wishes.
The two meet and he begins to soon fall for her. She's less than impressed with him though, so he's got his work cut out for him. The tried and true staple of K-drama loves stories is on full display here; he's constantly presented with a series of arranged dates to meet a future wife from the same ilk as his own family, but he's not interested in this and wants to find his own love. His stature and eligibility means he pursued by an endless supply of suitable beauties, so his ego is a bit unchecked in regards to what a great catch he thinks he is. As such, he is somewhat baffled by the fact that this "lower class" girl doesn't jump at the chance to be with him, couldn't care less about his standing, and won't give him the time of day. He's also never met any woman quite like this before in his life, and she's pretty easy to look at, so he's more than intrigued/smitten/determined/etc. He therefore decides to use his power and wealth to intrude in her life in order to win her over, which initially backfires of course, until perhaps the 2 can eventually find some common ground to stand on if this relationship was "meant to be".
We're rolling right along with the standard fare for this genre over the first half dozen episodes or so; it's workable and kept fairly tight for the most part as the two leads come together bit by bit. It's all pretty much par for the course, then, BAM (SPOILERS); on a mountain biking date one day, the 2 stray off course and stumble upon a strange old shop & restaurant in the middle of nowhere. While there, they imbibe a magical potion which causes their souls to switch bodies. As such, a whole new layer to the proceedings then comes into play in this series.
While this wacky "out of nowhere" plot aspect of the show may seem absurd (and it is, of course), it does actually work, and, it works quite well. It both helps to break up the status quo for a typical K-drama, and, also serves to further benefit the story as well as a whole. These two characters were having a hard time developing a common ground & relationship the old fashioned way, so perhaps they will find love via this mystical method instead. Accordingly, the two opposites come to understand and appreciate each other more by spending time in each other's body/life.
The twist provides for a great deal of comedy to be mined here, as the CEO dude now has to lead the life of the poor tough girl, and stunt woman girl has to run a company and be subjected to high society pressures. While they've switched bodies, they also each take the opportunity to investigate the other, turn away the other's potential love interests, see each other's friends and siblings half naked, etc. It's all pretty cute. This is not without problems though, as each time it rains, the bodies are switched back and forth; so, there's a chance he might get caught in her body while trying to perform a risky stunt that he's ill prepared for, or she does something unknowingly that puts him in danger due to his health problems, etc.
Eventually, the two leads get down to the business of trying to figure out how to stop switching bodies all the time, so they can get back to their normal lives before somebody finds out or something goes horribly wrong. With some help from their friends and family, and with a little luck, perhaps all will work out in the end, and maybe the two leads will be able to find love along the way.
The cast all put in acceptable to solid work, and just about all characters are likable enough. Perhaps the best role is that of the CEO's brother; a K-pop star known as Oska, who leads a mostly carefree life of luxury when he's not lamenting the loss of his true love that got away. The stunt woman has a huge fan crush on him that comically belies her no nonsense tough girl persona, to the point of her being elated with scoring concert tickets, sleeping in Oska themed socks, etc. And, though Oska competes with his brother to some degree, he mostly serves as an intermediary for the two leads while they work on their budding romance.
All in all, this show is pretty solid. It doesn't go on forever (though it could have been trimmed a little), and it's kept pretty lighthearted for the most part; it's mostly a charming comedy-romance-drama, with little heavy handed "evil plot/villain schemes". Be prepared for a melodramatic final act though, as this is Korean melodrama after all.
Bottom Line: 7-8 out of 10 stars. I'll give it an 8!
