Origin and release year: South Korea (2023 – Perfect Marriage Revenge)

Korean title: 완벽한 결혼의 정석

Starring: Jung Yoo Min, Sung Hoon, Kang Shin Hyo, Oh Ha Nee, Jin Ji Hee, Do Yu, Oh Seung Yun, Song Sui, Lee Min Young, Lee Won Hee, Moon Hyun Ju, Lee Gi Na, Jeon No Min, Lee Byung Joon, Yi Chae Woon, Kim Mi Ra, Jin Hee Kyung, Kwon Dan A, Kim Si On, Lee Myung Hoon, Lee Da Hae, Kang Ji Yong, Ban Hyo Jung, Kim Eung Soo, Lee Mi Sook, Kim Ye Ryeong

Director: Oh Sang Won

Screenwriter: Im Seo Ra

Synopsis: The story of Han Yi Joo, who chose a contract marriage to avenge her husband and family, and Seo Do Gook who postpones a contract marriage to welcome her as his wife. (IMDb)

This drama was hands down one of the best of the year and it was in such an unexpected way. It felt like the drama wasn’t very well marketed with very little hype but once it came out and you started watching, it very quickly became an immersive viewing experience.

It was the kind of good that just creeps up on you unannounced.

The two leads, Jung Yoo Min and Sung Hoon, had so much natural chemistry and their natural (not over-the-top considering the narrative style) acting really made the show. This was a couple we could believe in.

Most of the characters were brilliant but naturally there was room for improvement.

For instance, the storyline or story element about Seo Jung Wook (played by Kang Shin Hyo) was a bit underdone. As mentioned in the KDrama Musings podcast episode reviewing this drama, the whole reveal of his leg being perfectly fine would’ve been better if we knew he was pretending all along. Had he walked perfectly fine behind-the-scenes and been putting on a show in front of everyone else – it would’ve created a new level of intrigue and suspense because we would’ve been in on a secret waiting for it to get blown up.

The writing towards the end of the drama was not as good too. It felt rushed and a bit anticlimactic, perhaps because of the limited number of episodes. Most regular K-drama fans who watched this drama, praised it for not going into the stereotypical length for a makjang. However, as a makjang lover, this writer feels that the drama could’ve been better if it had time to flesh out more of the details and the storyline. Whether that means 16 episodes or at least 50.

As a result, the extra storylines fell a little bit flat. For instance Jin Ji Hee and Oh Seung Yun only had varying degrees of usefulness in the drama, which could’ve been different had their characters been better fleshed out and given more time to taken on proper villain roles.

However, despite those minute shortfalls, the drama was an excellent watch. We would definitely recommend it to people looking for something a bit more dramatic but not too over the top to watch.

What did you think of Perfect Marriage Revenge? Let us know in the comments!!