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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Woman who Married Three Times" Episode 35

The focus this time is almost entirely on Chae Rin, and her continued self-degredation as a woman who insists on staying in a marriage that has pretty obviously failed. I tend to be patient with "The Woman who Married Three Times" most of the time, recognizing that these kinds of breakdowns take time to finalize, but watching Chae Rin futilely struggle against her inevitable fate has just gotten really tiresome. We've seen all this before, and there's really no good reason for the drama to continue dragging the point.

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For what hasn't gotten old- Seul-gi going on holiday. Did she take time off from school or something? Ah, who cares- the little girl's just so happy being with her dad going to visit fun places. Kim Ji-young-III has done consistently great work in this drama. I have to wonder sometimes whether playing a psychologically abused girl plays on the young actress's nerves, but cute scenes like that tend to make up for it.

Eun-soo, similarly, appears to be recovering. She's gotten away from the rather uncomfortable home of her husband to focus on what's really important- close access to Seul-gi. And this is the main plot thread that makes Chae Rin such a whiny centerpoint here. It's disappointing that we don't get to spend more time on Eun-soo, but then again, there's not exactly much for her to do. The woman doesn't have a job, and she's not speaking with Joon-goo anymore.

The previews for the next episode hint at a more concrete conflict. In the present, though, we're really just looking at filler. Every character acts the same way they have been acting for the last several episodes, with no significant events suggesting immediate character growth. It's a bit annoying, given that we have to get to some sort of major plot resolution soon. But then the pacing has always been a constant feature in this drama, be it for good or ill.

What we're dealing with right now is a test of extremities. Is Chae Rin going to figure out that her excessive behavior is the problem, and the reason why she's incapable of functioning in this household right now? Will the other characters finally get the courage to make up their minds and act decisively to secure a better future? Eun-soo is at least part of the way there right now- but a tone of general excitement is lacking in this drama right now, when all the story points really need to be moving toward some sort of satisfying climax.

Review by William Schwartz

"The Woman who Married Three Times" is directed by Son Jeong-hyeon and written by Kim Su-hyun and features Lee Ji-ah, Uhm Ji-won, Song Chang-eui and Ha Seok-jin.

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