[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Make a Woman Cry" Episode 8

Unfortunately the focus shifts ever so slightly to the rich family again. I'm really not interested in their petty, destructive arguments. There's just no sense of urgency. At best, we're just looking at a bunch of petty, emotional jerks be petty, emotional jerks to each other. On a basic level none of these people are really all that sympathetic. Bear in mind that to some extent most of the characters in this drama are at least somewhat unsympathetic- the humanity comes in trying to unravel their personal situation.

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What plot there is in the more interesting storylines is also somewhat underwhelming. I'm wondering at one point Yoon-seo is going to run afoul of an authority figure who's not Deok-in. It really does beggar disbelief that no one is able to notice anything- where are the teachers? Unless there's some sort of political angle to this that I'm not noticing- maybe things have changed since I was in school, but I seem to remember there were adults minding the cafeteria during lunchtime.

Ignoring the histrionics involved in that department, I like the relationship between Deok-in and Jin-woo. It's interesting precisely because neither of these characters are really standard drama protagonists, even if Deok-in attempts to think otherwise. Deok-in's ribbing is really rather on-point, too- Jin-woo seems more like a middle-aged woman than she does, even if Deok-in is the one who knows how to cook.

The minor romance subplot also continue to be cute. We're dealing with genuinely incomprehensible character actions at this point. I'm not actually sure what any of these people are trying to do, or how they think this is going to be accomplished. But still, it's funny and believable that they would go to such roundabout lengths rather than just trying to be direct. The lack of dire seriousness in that storyline does a lot for the levity.

Weaknesses notwithstanding this was a pretty decent episode of "Make a Woman Cry". The cast has good working chemistry, and there's a bit of a nice fuzzy feeling inherent in just watching these characters struggle for accomplishments and actually managing to succeed. It's a pity that the rich family has to suck up most of the conflict. All the same, it's nice just watching Deok-in and Jin-woo pushing through everyday life to try and get at the happier moments, ever so slowly managing to come to terms with their overall lives.

Review by William Schwartz

"Make a Woman Cry" is directed by Kim Geun-hong and Park Sang-hoon-III, written by Ha Cheong-ok and features Kim Jung-eun, Song Chang-eui, Lee Soon-jae, Ha Hee-ra, Oh Dae-gyu and Lee Tae-ran.