Heart to Heart Drama Review

For a drama that I wasn't totally on board with at the beginning, I absolutely loved in by the end. The story was lovely, the characters were well written and the ending left me in a happy place without the writer putting a big pink bow and sparkles on it. As nice as bows and sparkles are sometimes, it's not true to life and some realism is dramas is always appreciated.

I was initially unsure about the drama because of the pacing of the first two episodes. It seems a little slow and weird and the two main characters weren't very likable. Ko Yi Seok was pompous and annoying and Cha Hong Do was an unbelievably useless human being. I can deal with one annoying character, but I don't want to have to deal with two. Looking back now, it was because these two characters were flawed that they were so good. They had so much growing room, and grow they did.


What I particularly enjoyed is that while Hong Do was given time to grow as a character it wasn't the center of the drama the entire time. At the beginning, Hong Do's issue was the main factor of her and Yi Seok's relationship and her and Doo Soo's relationship. Towards the middle while her issue was still important, it wasn't the most important anymore. She was still growing as a character and overcoming her shyness but it was slow and steady and in one of the last episodes I realized she was walking about without her helmet and running behind the nearest pole. I was a little shocked that I hadn't noticed, but I also liked that she didn't just wake up one morning healthy and pretend like it never happened.

She was also given the chance to be assertive and to stand up for herself at the end and it is always nice to see a drama female being strong. To see a person with such a small personality standing up for herself especially when almost every character was against her was great to watch. It was very satisfying to see the real Hong Do and not Grandma Oh solving problems.

As for the side characters, I loved Se Ro and Doo Soo. Loved them. They didn't take the number one spot of favorite side couple, but they are definitely up there. I was most interested in this drama because Lee Jae Yoon was in it and I was really worried towards the middle when he was spiraling down the slippery slope of the jerkish, controlling second male lead. Luckily, it only lasted for a few episodes and he and Hong Do we able to becomes friends. He was a good friend to her too which is what she needed there at the end.

It was for the best that Doo Soo didn't end up with Hong Do, as it usually is. She needed the forward moving personality of Yi Seok and Se Ro was that personality for Doo Soo. I guess it runs in the family. Doo Soo wanted so bad to take care of someone and that's probably why he couldn't figure out his feelings for Se Ro. She didn't need him to take care of him and that confused him. But, because it took him so long to figure out his emotions we got the classic airport scene. Both couples in this drama were good for each other and that is something else that made everything so watchable.

This was a great drama for many reasons, but most important to me was the character growth. All the characters had high points and low points and they were able to come out better people. A drama can have an interesting story but without character growth, it can end up being boring. Doo Soo and Se Ro have entered the area of favorite secondary couple and this drama itself is now in the "dramas to recommend to friends" list. I can see myself watching this again as well. It is short, it knew what it wanted to convey and it did so in a fantastic way.

~ Alora