I typically wait out a Korean drama until its finished its entire run because I don’t have the patience to wait for weekly episodes. But we’ve been hearing such great feedback about JTBC’s The World of the Married that my mom wanted to watch it already. As much as I try to avoid watching along with her to prevent spoilers, I’ve been drawn to a lot of the scenes and before I knew it, I was sitting down on the couch beside her, cursing at the villains that just kept coming.

I caught episodes midway into the drama, after Dr. Ji Sun Woo’s (Kim Hee Ae) divorce from her husband Lee Tae Oh (Park Hae Joon). After two years apart, Tae Oh is doing well with the support of his wealthy new in laws and is now married to his mistress Da Kyung (Han So Hee). Here are some quick thoughts I have about the drama.

I think the main appeal of the drama is the relatability of the characters. Of course, its a given that viewers will cheer for Sun Woo after after surviving all of her husband and friend’s betrayals.

However, seeing her son Joon Young (Jeon Jin Seo) side with his father knowing full well what he did to their family wanted me to tear off my head in anger. I wanted to smack him in the head for being so stupid and gullible. On the flipside, it is the typical behavior for children from broken homes, especially after his dad tried to bribe him with his own room and other stuff.

Still, after winning one round but suffering from humiliation at the party after looking for her son, I wanted to yell at Sun Woo to leave Joon Young with his dad so he would understand what type of person his spoiled brat of of a new wife was.

Also on the flipside, it gave me great pleasure to watch Da Kyung’s endless insecurity, which was a fitting revenge for what she put Sun Woo through. Unfortunately, because of her money and her parent’s support, she often gets the upper hand against Sun Woo.  Still, the mere idea of having to compete for her husband’s love and devotion, as well as the nagging doubt that prevents her from being truly happy,  makes me really happy.

While Joon Young and Da Kyung are both frustrating and annoying, there is a part of me that understands where they are coming from. It doesn’t exempt them from my hate list though.

Joon Young, while he is a teen, should have been more understanding of his mother. he should have been the one to step up to protect his mom. Da Kyung, as a woman who has wronged another, should have known her place. Her arrogance and pride however, could not prevent her from flaunting her new status on Sun Woo’s turf.  While her fake friends marvel at her new life, it does not hide the pathetic nature of her relationship and her pitiful attempt to buy respectability.

I was particularly annoyed at the gossips in Sun Woo’s neighborhood and workplace, as well as her fair weather friends who jumped ship during her worst moments. Its just pure evil. I’m happy that she has at least one loyal ally in Dr. Kim (Lee Moo Saeng). Whether their relationship will progress to a romantic one, its a bit early to say but at least she has at least one reliable person in her life.

All in all, I get why people are hooked to The World of the Married, even though there are already familiar elements to the story that has been explored in previous dramas. You have a rootable central character surrounded by evil, evil people but she just continues to get up after getting knocked down time and again. I am completely on board to see Sun Woo triumph in the end. Only four more episodes to go.

PS. I will write a more comprehensive review once I’ve seen the drama in its entirety.

PPS. Intrigue and scandal definitely sells but congrats to JTBC for coming out with another well crafted drama. The World of the Married has surpassed Sky Castle (another JTBC drama) as the highest rated cable show of all time. Chokkahe!