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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "The Woman who Married Three Times" Episode 36

Eun-soo is in a bit of an odd spot here. Most of the runtime to "The Woman who Married Three Times" has been devoted to the woman's suffering, yet she's never really come off as a martyr. A large part of this has been because the breakdown in her relationships has at least partially been her fault. While Eun-soo's failures have not been as dramatic or alarming as Tae-won's or Joon-goo's, there's still the feeling that she's reaping what she's sown.

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So it's all too appropriate that here, when Eun-soo is forced into a face-to-face confrontation with Chae Rin, that the woman simply refuses to engage. Indeed, with every character Eun-soo is just doing her best not to react. This isn't out of some attempt to make Eun-soo seem angelic- the poor woman just doesn't have the energy to fight anymore. It's a very kind of odd forgiveness that Eun-soo preaches here. It's less out of genuine concern for Chae Rin's well-being and more a realization that fighting here is just pointless.

While I can admire Eun-soo's stoic spirit, the basic weirdness of her situation is still difficult to put into full perspective. Eun-soo's still a housewife, just one that's living by herself. Somehow I don't think this is what Virginia Woolf had in mind when she discussed the importance of having a room of one's own. I suppose Eun-soo could go on like this indefinitely, but the whole affair just seems so weirdly lonely.

Yes, Eun-soo is presumably at some point going to have another child, and when that happens her energies will be well used up. But the point Seul-gi makes is difficult to ignore- Eun-soo will not be the only person who has an emotional stake in the baby. That entire situation is going to get messy and uncomfortable. And Seul-gi has unfortunately been victim to enough drama lately that she can see the disaster coming.

"The Woman who Married Three Times" has clearly set the stakes for the climax, but as yet it remains a total mystery what the ending could possibly here. Logically speaking the argument favors Joon-goo. From an emotional perspective the situation tilts toward Tae-won. But the general emptiness and skepticism now inherent in Eun-soo's countenance indicate that she's fine trying to continue on her own like this- however unsustainable such a prospect may seem. Someone will have to change Eun-soo's mind, a task made rather difficult by the woman's newfound sense of self-worth and self-respect. Compare her phone call to Hyeon-soo this episde with the desperation in pretty much every other such contact to date.

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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