My Lovely Sam-Soon (aka My Name is Kim Sam Soon) - Korean Drama
I never thought I would find another show to match, or God forbid, Overtake, Full House’s brilliance.
I never thought I would find a Korean drama that speaks so much to the woman on the street (ie women like me), and depict a romance that is at once so grounded in realism, yet with doses of the whimisical and the ridiculous, both combining to create a story so sweet and deeply heart-breaking. In terms of storyline and stereotypes, it is so atypical of all the dramas I have seen (and boy have I seen A LOT), and yet, the show could not be more entertaining, more gripping, and totally unforgettable. I rushed through all 16 episodes in a week, and have panda eyes to show for it. Barely a day after completing the series, here I am writing a review (and I have three other dramas to review before this!).
First, a quick Synopsis:
Kim Sam-soon (played by a superb Kim Sun Ah), a plump spinster hovering at the edge of 30, and desperately wanting to get married, gets dumped by her bastard two-timing boyfriend on Christmas eve. She wails her heart out in the Gents (an unfortunate mistake), mascara running all over her face, and meets for the first time Hyun Jin Heon (played the hunky dory yummy Hyun Bin - more on him later), who is a rich (what else?), slightly immature but with a whopper of emotional baggage - owner of a French restaurant, Bon Appetit. By chance (or fate), Jin Heon has just lost his pastry chef, and Sam-soon is a talented baker having honed her skills in pastry capital, Paris. Soon, Sam-soon is working under Jin Heon, and the two cross swords on a regular basis.
Jin Heon, who hasn’t gotten over being “dumped” by his girlfriend Hee Jin (or so he thought) after a car crash 3 years ago, is on the perennial escape from match-making sessions forced onto him my his domineering mother, President (what else?) of a hotel chain. In desperation, he coerced Sam-soon to become his “girlfriend” in exchange for lending her some money and the two of them become inextricably closer, physically and emotionally. Just as their “pretend relationship” is turning real, Hee Jin (played by Jung Ryu Won) returns from the States with dishy doctor Henry Kim (played by a gorgeous Korean American Daniel Henney) following behind (the perfect and undemanding suitor). The story was that Hee Jin left for the States to seek treatment for her advanced intestinal cancer so Jin Heon and Hee Jin briefly reconciled. But Jin Heon soon realises both he and Hee Jin have changed over the last three years and that he has unwittingly fallen in love with Sam-soon, much as he would like to deny ever falling for an “old fat spinster”. After several twists and turns (including the return of the scumbag boyfriend and objections from both mothers), they finally got together - in love, dating, but not married (as Jin Heon’s mother still objects to their relationship right till the end). Hee Jin returns to the States with Henry, and although not expressedly stated, looks as though she might reciprocate his feelings for her after all.
There is a minor subplot involving Sam-soon’s liberated and divorced sister’s affair with Jin Heon’s Master Chef, which provided an interesting and realistic commentary on the mindset of the modern 21st century Korean (and possibly Asian) woman.
Ultimately, the drama is mainly about Sam-soon’s coming of age story - as she braces herself for life at 30 (very much the same reason why I started this blog in the first place!). Sam-soon finds true love, but not the marriage that she has been craving for, she starts out her own bakery business with her sister and is still struggling towards the close of the story (sounds so familiar right?!!?), she learns to accept herself - her “plumpness”, her horrid name, and continues to live her life independently and according to her own beliefs.
All in all, a very simple, straightforward story, but told to stunning effect.
Where do I start with this review? Let’s begin with what the show DOESN’T have:
1. No pretty, skinny, tragic, martyred heroine
2. No failed engagement party and/or suicidal fiancee
3. No terminal diseases (actually one, but the character was already recovered right at the start)
4. No quadruple/multiple relationships (only small triangles…)
5. No impossibly chaste and “pure” but utterly passion-less romances (be realistic - if two people are deeply, passionately in love with each other, can they only be satisfied with only a chaste kiss or two re: Winter Sonata?!)
6. No convoluted plotlines (you are my half brother or my father betrayed your father and all that nonsense)
7. No grand “happily ever after” or tragic “separated forever” crap.
So, what Does the show have?
1. A well, no superbly-sketched realistic heroine - plump (in comparison to all other anorexic female characters), old (she’s 30!), coarse and straight speaking from an ordinary (but not tragic) background, with a country bumpkin name which she absolutely hates - all in all - a common girl/spinster with a bundle of insecurities but with her own strengths as well - like many of us really!! Takes no crap and stands up well for herself!
2. The “other woman” aka Hee Jin whom we can admire. Hee Jin’s sunny disposition, her inner strength in conquering her illness, her quiet acceptance that Jin Heon is no longer in love without going into multiple hysterics, suicide threats and meaningless plotting to snatch her man back, earn many, many brownie points from me. At last, a realistic and dignified portrayal of the other woman.
3. A plot focusing on the relationship development between Sam-soon and Jin Heon. Thanks to the lack of nonsenical plot developments, the director could showcase the on-going dynamics between the two lead characters - how they met, clashed, why and how they fell in love ultimately, if grudgingly, and how they progressed after they got together, which gave us an indication how they may fare in the future after the end of the show. The audience gets totally involved and invested in their developing relationship, and it makes for addictive entertainment.
4. A slice of real life and no holds barred take on modern relationships - everyone is having pre-marital sex, not that I am condoning that, but it is great to know that both Sam-soon and Jin Heon (and Hee Jin and likely Henry for that matter) are not chaste virgins. After all that pent up emotions and frustrations, they better get on to finding an outlet for them! Maybe because TV always needs to be “family-friendly” but making a deeply in love couple exchange a chaste peck or two, or worse just “passionate embraces” just smack of falseness. In this show, Sam-soon and Jin Heon have sex - with hilarious scenes of Jin Heon trying to buy a condom (well, at least they practice safe-sex), Sam-soon’s sister having one-night stands with the chef, Hee Jin and Jin Heon also apparently getting it on before she left him 3 years ago (some vague mention of her trying pregnancy tests). The kissing scenes are utterly yummy, and totally satisfactory and to-die-for romatic to this couch potato here.
5. Accurate reflections on the mindset of single woman, be they divorced, widowed, broken up, etc. Some viewers have compared the show to Bridget Jones’ Diaries, which is also about the ups and downs faced by single women. In fact, the drama can be considered a chick-flick, since women dominated the story here, and mainly strong women to that effect - Sam-soon, her mother and sister, Hee Jin, Jin Heon’s mother and her weird secretary, Jin Heon’s restaurant manager and even his cute little niece. Even the bunch of waitresses working at Jin Heon’s restaurant, Bon Appetit, are forever chasing after the elusive perfect love and marriage, and there was a classic scene where they were discussing 10 key reasons why they cannot find the perfect and single male.
There are so many laugh-out-loud, and heart breaking moments that I will be hard pressed to identify my favourite scenes. But some of them are:
1. The opening episode when Sam-soon and Jin Heon first met each other - Sam Soon looked absolutely hideous! Even I, as part of the female fraternity, was completely put off by her! That the actress pulled it off so easily was genius.
2. When Sam-soon and Jin Heon found themselves in toilets next to each other at the restaurant, and Jin Heon ran out of toilet paper, and was at the mercy of Sam-soon’s torture. Simply hysterical! Top rate toilet humour.
3. When Sam-soon, trying to forget Jin Heon, went on a hike to one of the mountains in Cheju. Having over-estimated herself, she was swearing and cursing as she laboured her way to the top, and Jin Heon’s subsequent appearance at the peak. Funny and touching at the same time!
4. Jin Heon, in a bid to get rid of Sam-soon from his mind, tried to unsuccessfully throw away her stuffed toy pig (see pic above) that was left at his house. In a fit of complete frustration, he kicked, slapped and strangled the poor pig - Hyun Bin never looked cuter!!!!
5. Jin Heon’s love declaration for Sam-soon in the toilet where they first met (toilets played a big part in this drama!) - funny, romantic, yet very real at the same time. Don’t we all have grand visions when and where our first love declaration will take place, and it never turns out the way we wanted it to be?
6. Sam-soon and Jin Heon’s dating scenes - Sam-soon had 7 grand plans of what she wanted to do when she started dating, e.g. making out at the movies, getting Jin Heon to declare his love for her in a bus full of people, buying couple rings etc - these are absolutely priceless!
7. Jin Heon meeting Sam-soon’s mother for the first time - how Jin Heon tried to win his future “mother-in-law”’s heart which descended in a mad-cap karaoke routine. Hilarious.
8. Sam-soon’s “talks” with her dead father - the first time when she was trying to get over Jin Heon after Hee Jin’s return was heart-rending. The second time, towards the end of the show when she was happily settled with Jin Heon (actually, after they DID IT), yet tearfully confessed to her dad her fear that her current happiness will be short-lived, was touching.
9. All the kissing scenes! In particular, the first kiss in the restaurant after they spilled their guts out to each other, and the atmosphere was absolutely electric! Hubba, hubba!
The actors:
All of them did excellent in this series, in particular kudos to Kim Suh Ah. As the titular character, Kim really brought out the heart and soul of Sam-soon, and the fact that she was really the same age as Sam-soon made the character all the more believable and sympathetic. Much has been made about the fact that Kim put on 8 kg to play the role, and her willingness to “uglify” herself is admirable. Nonetheless, the comestic changes shouldn’t take anything away from Kim’s consummate acting skills. In fact, if you observe closely, Sam-soon in the show is not really “fat” - in fact in many scenes her legs are really slim, except that she is just slightly rounder around the face and arms, and the producers fit her in baggier clothes. Neither is Sam-soon ugly, except for the hideous permed hair, she is actually quite pretty. So why do we get the assumption that Sam-soon is such a loser? Besides other characters harping on it, it is Kim’s body language that conveyed the Sam-soon’s insecurities. And that simply, is excellent acting.
Hyun Bin has shot up through the ranks to one of my all time favourite Korean heartthrobs. At a tender age of 23 (why are they all so bloody young?), he portrayed a 27- year old Jin Heon very well indeed. The first impression that all Hyun Bin needed to do was to smirk, show his dimples (my gosh, those dimples!), and generally look good is false. Because of his age and privileged background, Jin Heon was still in many ways immature, and this played off well against a more mature and experienced Sam-soon. Yet Jin Heon was also tortured by the fact he had caused the death of his elder brother and sister in law in the aforementioned car crash. The way Hyun Bin portrayed how Sam-soon got under his skin and melted his cold exterior was very believable, and also his conflicted feelings towards both Hee Jin and Sam-soon. And his sweetness and devotion after he and Sam-soon got together was just ….. to die for. His wardrobe in the show was also awesome. The man is a walking fashion show. Whoever thought a man in white suit, pink shirt and white shoes would look anything but GAY? Drool, drool….Mr Boo, can you wipe off that puddle on the floor?! (By the way, my mother, who has started watching the drama, thinks that Hyun Bin is not very good-looking. Tsk, tsk!)
This is both Jung Ryu Won’s and Daniel Henney’s first drama, and both of them did well too, in particular Ryu Won who pulled off the “other woman” role very well indeed, as discussed earlier. Daniel Henney was like a male “vase” in the show, like a greek god put on display for people to drool over and admire, but have little else to do. Not much emoting required on his part - all he needed was to look “blur” (when people are conversing to him in anything but English), and tender (towards Hee Jin). He’s very cute indeed, but as Hee Jin said in the drama, he does not make my heart race like Hyun Bin.
Interesting observations:
Is it too far-fetched that stud muffin, well-to-do and younger Jin Heon would ever fall in love with a woman like Sam-soon?? Some netizens commented that the entire scenario is too fairytale-like, and such things do not happen in real life. My take on this? If My Lovely Sam-soon is fantasy, than Full House is myth!! Honestly, if these circumstances do happen (as in the story) to throw such a couple together - things CAN happen. Men, whether they are good-looking or not, when young and immature, are shallow and like only pretty young things. Some men, both the good-looking and the not, do eventually grow up and realise that looks are NOT everything (like Mr Boo - but that is another story). These men, when their feelings/emotions are engaged on all levels, can fall in love with someone society deems to be “inferior” to them, as in the case of Sam-soon and Jin Heon. I have seen handsome men with plain wives, slim men with fat wives or girlfriends, and I have also sometimes wondered why (like all shallow people). Why do they choose their current partners when they can obviously do so much better? Is he after the girl’s money or has some other ulterior motive? But THAT is the wonder of love, and this gives hope to all of us out here, who would like a prince to rescue an ugly duckling. Sam-soon broke through Jin Heon’s cold exterior and made him laugh, Jin Heon discovered Sam-soon’s strengths and found her “motherliness” comforting - all in all, a good recipe for LURRRVE, baby.
Rating: 5 out of 5 boos (I would give it 6 out of 5 boos if I could!! Standing Ovation! Encore!)
