Melloga Chejil

This unheralded show deserves a full measure of praise. I am not sure why I started watching it but it's really terrific.

No major name brand actors and an utterly conventional set-up featuring three heroines who are hitting 30 and angsting about their middle class single lives. So far, so what? Well, for one thing, this has a wonderful literate and inventive script, peppered with wit, sly (and sometimes laugh out loud) humor, and wisdom and insight. There are a host of well-acted supporting characters who engage our attention, no out and out villains but rather so many people striving to do well and occasionally to do right, stumbling as they go. The entertainment industry setting has a certain self conscious sense of ironic navel gazing, but it really doesn't matter. You yearn for our heroines' success, in work, in love, in life, and you follow their adventures with a mixture of anxious anticipation, sympathy and a wide smile on your face. A producer once told me that the reason people watch a television series, as opposed to a movie, is that the characters are being invited into the viewers' homes. In this series, please, extend the invitation.

Before acknowledging the actors and writer in more detail, I want to offer particular thanks to the subtitle team at Viki, where I watched the series. Since this show is set around the genesis and pre-production of a drama series, it has many references to other Korean shows, including impish allusions to the very popular Reply 1988 in which the male lead, Ahn Jae-hong (here playing a successful but put upon drama director called Son Beom-Soo) also appeared. The subtitlers added translator notes to these and many other cultural allusions. In addition, despite the complexity and rapidity of some of the dialog, the translations were literate and almost error-free. A superb job.

Now to the actors: The three lead actresses give wonderful, nuanced performances. None of them are Hallyu royalty, although Jeon Yeo-been, her career launched by her standout performance in After My Death and now (2021) starring in the Netflix series Vincenzo, seems on her way. She plays Lee Eun-jeong, a documentary film maker whose career is on the rise but who continues to be traumatized by the early death of her fiancé from cancer. Chun Woo-hee, previously perhaps the most prominent of the three, leads the way as Im Jin-joo, the scriptwriter who is getting her first shot at having her pilot script, "When You're 30, It Will Be OK", turned into a 16-episode drama. Finally, Han Ji-eun delivers a strong turn as Hwang Han-joo, the single mother whose stock in the marketing company she works for is rising. The three (as well as Han-joo's son) live comfortably with Lee Hyo-bong, Eun-jeong's gay younger brother, sympathetically played by Yoon Ji-on. The scenes among the four, as they confide in and comfort each other, are warm and often hilarious. I especially liked the scene where Han-joo, just to see their reactions, teasingly implies, to her roommates' horror, that she is considering going back to live with her good for nothing ex and the father of her son.

Surrounding them are a substantial cast of other actors and actresses who infuse their characters with depth and substance. It seems unfair to single anyone out, but I feel bound to give it up for Baek Ji-won, playing Jeong Hye-jeong, as Jin-joo's former boss and herself a famous screen writer, whose tough exterior gradually collapses in the face of romance.

This drama was underrated. I can't think why. For a refreshing peak inside the world of KDramas, with a stellar cast at every level and a truly witty script, go for it.

This show is a jalapeno margarita truffle: It's sweet, down-to-earth, tart, salty & a touch spicy. It hits a variety of primary taste buds & provides healing antioxidants as well. It's decadent, & I savored it.

Three college friends now are fast approaching 30 but going nowhere as the show opens. All connected to the entertainment industry, 2 never got their careers fully off the ground. One had a hit documentary, but then her bf died & she fell apart. Eun's friends got into the habit of spending time w/ her as she navigated the walk of the living dead - grief. They eventually move in w/ Eun who bought a fabulous home w/ her doc$$: There's plenty of room. It happened organically; these friends are the epitome of lowkey & behave much like siblings. Even the purest among them, Joo, might cheat at cards. For anyone that's caught, it's HAMMER TIME. (At times, Joo's kid is the only adult in the room).

It's a big cast, & the acting is fabulous. The 3 leads are not only good, they are /funny/. Lim "Jin"-Joo, is aimlessly acerbic. It's just buried rage seeping to the surface. At the same time, she's an adorably silly mess. Her pixie face heightens the effect. Lee "Eun"-Jung is the intelligent, capable documentarian who lives as though her dead bf is still alive. She talks to her now-passed love as if he's still there. She SEES him, too. As long as she doesn't get too lost in it she'll be fine... but she's lost in it. Hwang Han-"Joo" gets the most male attention. It doesn't net her much. She seems the most feminine & the most fragile of the three. "Seems" is the operative word. Underneath the chiffon exterior she's Kevlar. While the other two are confrontational, she catches prey w/ honey.

These women have a variety of men in their lives. They all live w/ Lee Hyo-Bong, Eun's brother. The cherub-faced Choo Jae-Hoon, Joo's coworker, is in a dead relationship. His gf will not let go: Controlling him has become part of her identity. HE can't tear away. Being controlled by her has become part of HIS identity. It's not healthy. Ahn Jae-Hong (Reply 1988-8.6) is director Son Beom-Soo. They make a couple cute Reply jokes in a callout to the hit series. Beom-Soo wants to film Jin's script, 'Things Will Be Fine Once You Turn 30'. Nam Young-Joo is adorable as cafeteria worker Sol-Bi who has a crush on him. She drops that on him in understated deadpan as she drops a scoop of rice onto his tray.

Lee So-Min is a former college mate of Eun's. They had a falling out & now alternately behave passive-aggressive/ aggressively competitive towards e/o. Ms Lee is not stupid, but her looks & success allowed her to skate w/out learning much, so she's ignorant. As soon as one might think that means she's got a low IQ, she will surprise. I love Son Suk-Ku from My Liberation Diary-8.9 making an appearance. Such a 🙀bad boy😻.

In BMD, Mr. Director - Beom-Soo & Ms Writer - Jin, find themselves adrift without the A-team. A veteran writer, Jin's ex-boss (played by Baek Ji Won) also has a new drama being released, and the studio fears her. She is less than pleased at having to compete with her assistant! She's no NOOB! While she may not have her first choice of director (he wants to work with Jin 😤) she has the best of everyone else for her new drama.

While it was Jin's scripts that first caught Beom-Soo's attention, soon it was Jin herself that drew him in. They quickly start dating, & their repartee is highly entertaining. Jin's take on relationships: "What you find before you fall in love w/ that person is the love that you possess but after you start your relationship, all there is left to find is hatred. Don't you agree?" Her new boyfriend of 2 days is speechless. Next we'll hear: "When he holds my hand, I somehow feel comfortable. I feel like I can hug him & I won't regret anything. I mean, dating is all about the process of breaking such trust." - Now that's good writing😂. The way Jin talks makes it sound like it's only /cynicism/ that's going to be fine once a person reaches 30; not anything else.

The beauty of the show is in the writing & the dialogue. They nicely cover communication mishaps; the gap between what the speaker intends & what the hearer infers. Human relationships in general are dissected. Do people live so that they can fight? "You fight w/ your shoulders in the subway. You fight w/ your words at work. You fight w/ your comments on the internet. The Earth is one big battlefield," we hear.

Managing grief is a theme. Eun has become lost in her protective bubble of delusion. She says she's forgotten who she used to be - I know exactly how that feels. As a widow, I have trouble thinking about my spouse. I believe I would enjoy an imaginary conversation much more. I haven't noticed that being /aware/ of being depressed actually helps w/ /ridding/ oneself of depression. Grief must be endured & will heal on its own schedule. Only time & boosting one's physical health will promote healing. Eun's friends allow her to breathe as she finishes up her walk through the valley of death.

BMD is much more about surviving, thriving, & the sheer joy of life than grief. The writing, directing, acting & overall timing are nippy. There's a lilt to the atmosphere. It's a completely unique vibe. Quirky. Offbeat. Witty. Lowkey. Very funny. It's all of that. "Put yourself in my shoes." Jin is genuinely astounded. "Why would I? I like my shoes better. I think that's just hilarious." These girls won't see 29 again. After pondering on whether their prettiest days are behind them they decide to go clubbing to prove it ain't so. The scene is 😂😬😝.

The show is a contrast of characters. Joo sees her coworker going into a motel w/ his "ex". She is interested in him, so she asks the cerebral Eun if she should t/t him about it: "All right. Let's approach the matter from the humanistic view. I believe history & art are part of the humanities. For example, women were always treated like trophies in the history of war. But, paradoxically... I'm not talking about whether @$$h0les & sluts are worthy of existence. I think what matters most is the ratio by which they exist. In order to understand that we need to think about..." We never get the rest. Joo cuts her off.

"Why would he date you?" Jin's mother queries.

"I think he's dating me for my looks," Jin responds.

"Is that even possible?" Mom's confused.

"I think it is," Jin assures her.

"I feel bad for him. I should cook him a meal," mom realizes.

The fallacy of control is examined. "When I was young, I thought that everyone had a personality disorder. But if that is the case w/ everyone, it means that it's not a disorder. It just means that everyone is different. If problems arise from people's differences, it means that I'm half the problem. I tried not to do it, but before I realized it, I was imposing my ideas on people... I alter & distort what people say however I please, everything's either imposing or coercing. You see the higher I climb the ladder, coercion keeps winning. But I know that's not really winning. I try to keep my mouth shut not to pressure people, but I end up revealing my idea through my facial expressions or my vibe. I'm becoming very uncool as I get older." Whoa. TRUTH💣❗ "Let's put our heads on the floor & reflect on it," as Beom-Soo would say. People desire control of everything. Yet, we control very little, & controlling others brings paltry satisfaction. It's almost like humans are aware of what's right but are hopelessly unable to do it. Theologians would say it's exactly like that.

"No one can fully understand themselves. People who believe that they fully understand themselves will get hurt even more in the end." That's said during a role play in which a relationship is dissected in the rearview mirror. "You loved me, & you used your love to try & force me into your idea of love. When I didn't behave as you expected, you criticized me. You abandoned me to tame me. You weren't trying to love me. You tried to possess me. You didn't want to accommodate me. To fit me into your idea of love you used my foolishness against me, You controlled my feelings however you wanted, & made endless demands. When I didn't meet your demands, you criticized me. You abandoned me. Did you love me?" Whoa, indeed!

There's too many shows that are great for 1/3 or 2/3 & then they pack it w/ a bunch of filler for the remainder. They don't have enough good content. I've taken to calling it MALcontent. In BMD, the opposite is true. It's not that a lot happens, it's just that the writing is so good & the characters are so much fun that I was upset when ep16 came around. They could have made this 3 seasons - easily. Btw, Beom-Soo has a solution to avoid /their/ show from suffering MALcontent. Jin is all ears. His idea: Reduce the quality from the beginning! 😏... ⌚... We wait for Jin to respond, expecting her to be outraged. After a couple moments of quiet contemplation, her face brightens & she declares the solution brilliant 😝.

A woman in a new relationship thinks she's alone but gets caught breaking wind💨 in front of her new bf. She later talks it out w/ the roomies. The whole sequence is 😂. It ends w/ a songwriter composing the tune: "The smell will eventually go away."

So, hang in there!

Things really will get better when you turn 30, as long as you work hard & don't F🅰R+ around too much.

QUOTES📢

A flowery path is actually an unpaved road.

Tears in your heart will become an illness. Tears that are let go will evaporate & will not exist in this world.

True rest is not at home.

It's okay to be a bit crazy. And yet the Earth still moves.

The pride of the successful divides into 2 categories: Flexibility & obsession.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣8.7 📝8.8 🎭8.5 💓8 🦋6.5 🎨7 🎵/🔊7.6 🔚8 ♦ 🌞7.8 ⚡2 😅6 😭3 😱1 😯2 😖0 🤔7.4 💤0

Age 15+ some R-rated Language

Re-📺? 🔛 I probably won't wait long.

This series plays like an audio book. The dialogues are fast, witty and rich in philosophy. The series is full of surprises and twists. It deals with relationships where comradery, love, friendships are explored in a deeper level. It does not follow typical k-drama cliches. You are expecting one thing to happen but something completely surprising and insightful occurs.

If you are into the contemporary Korean language and want to learn more of literary devices such as alliteration, onomatopoeia, pun and etc, you will not be disappointed with this series. The current translation cannot convey all of it, but does a decent job.

This drama is one of the best k-drama i've ever watch.The acting is good.The story good.The joke is amazing.Alot of value.Good writing.Good and memorable dialog. Character development is good enough.

Korean dramas are known for their stereotypes. The overarching story may change, the genders might be revered (figuratively but in some cases literally), the girl might be rich instead of the guy, the witch may get the man instead of the princess, but the major beats are always the same; guy and girl are meant to be, blah blah gets in their way, they get together in the end. True that some of the recent entries have tried to shatter major stereotypes (take Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo for example) but no kdrama breaks stereotypes the way Be Melodramatic does. Most kdramas start off funny and light hearted, then quickly shift to the same gear that every other kdrama does with over the top melodrama and sadness, oh so much sadness. Be Melodramatic has surprisingly managed to balance the tears-in-your-eyes comedy, heart throbbing romance and poignant melodrama that never goes over the top in such an effective manner that I doubt any other kdrama comes even close. The fact that this is such an outlier in the cookie cutter world of kdrama might be the reason behind it's low ratings. In being so different, it may have alienated some of the typical audience members for this type of media. But if people aren't hyping this kdrama up to the max, they are making a mistake. This drama is awesome. To those who are skeptical of this show, just watch episode 1 till the end. You won't regret it.