Cuando la Camelia florece

I think that this drama is hilarious, warm. The plot might be simple but it does show to us what people nowadays think about single mother. How sad the reality is :( This drama tells us that status is doesn't matter. You can have a dream, you can fall in love. Age, status doesn't matter. Those actors actually nailed it! Kang Haneul delivered the characters so well, same goes to the kid. He acts really well! I'm totally amazed!

They **** you up your mum & dad as Phillip Larkin says. The story of Dongbaek and her 8 year old son, she was deserted as a child by her single mother and carries a lot of baggage and insecurities. There is a side story of a serial killer but the main focus of the series is the struggles of Dongbaek and how people can be so cruel about how they perceive others. It is well acted and I have to mention just how good the son is played. Their is also a character who is a social media star and the cruelty of trolls is touched upon. The main love interest comes from a policeman who is not very smart but carries his heart on his sleeve. A beautiful touching story which should remind us all not to judge others until we have walked a mile in their shoes.

This drama is hard to rate. It was refreshing to see a different slice of Korean life beyond the hustle and bustle of Seoul. The acting is mostly very good. Young-sik is my favourite leading male in a K-drama thus far. He's an absolute chaotic weirdo, in the best possible way. However the three things I struggled with the most were: 1. The pacing - there honestly didn't need to be that many episodes. As a result, the series often felt very uneven. 2. The mystery around the Joker - it's a bit anti-climactic and doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense 3. This can probably be chalked up to cultural differences, but the constant labouring over the fact that Dong-Baek is a single mother and *gasp* sells alcohol. You'd think the woman was engaged in organ harvesting for the black market based on the way some of the peripheral characters carried on. It was both hard to watch and, as a point of tension, was overly relied on. We know she's an outcast, we know everyone's favourite hobby is sl*t-shaming Dong-Baek. Maybe if they'd spent less time driving this point home and more time on the Joker element of the narrative, it would be more satisfying.

In summary despite a lot of potential, it's mostly good but frustratingly doesn't quite knock it out of the park (baseball reference LOL).

I can't emphasize enough how I love and annoyed at Kang Haneul's character. I think he delivered it perfectly and the role suits him well. I also like all the supporting characters especially the landlord and the lawyer. The acting of the child and the mothers are awesome. The location is perfect for the neighborhood ahjummas. However, the story is slow-paced, Hyang mis acting is nah and I sometimes don't like the acting of the female lead or sometimes I like it, hard to tell. I liked it but not that much.

Motherhood, fatherhood, childhood, love, sacrifices, humility, kindness, simplicity, crime solving, good music, good acting, lovely elderly characters, social media addiction, lack of money and much more you will find in this slow pace but very good story. Give it a try. A special mention to the acting of Kang Ha Neul awarded best actor of 2019 in this drama😍