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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Unkind Women" Episode 12

And the cat is out of the bag. Everyone knows that Cheol-hee is alive. It wreaks havoc on Soon-ok's family as each person struggles to digest the information was best they can. On top of that world shattering revelation, relationships hit turning points. This is all to be expected at this point in the drama - we are halfway through and that's where things begin to change.

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The first major change we see is between Roo-oh and Ma-ri. The classic misunderstanding in a blossoming relationship has come to pass. Roo-oh misunderstands Ma-ri's intentions towards Doo-jin and broods. It seems that he has some sort of inferiority complex that mirrors his mothers, which would be a very cool parallel to make if I'm reading the writer's intentions correctly. The separation between Roo-oh and Ma-ri gives Doo-jin a shot at wooing her. This is quite cute and useful to the storyline. He's helping her cope with the reappearance of Hyeon-ae in her mother's life, and I'm sure he will help her cope with the reappearance of her grandfather. That is the normal role for a second lead. Yes, I'm relegating Doo-jin to second lead material. Whether I'm right or not remains to be see.

We also see some development between Hyeon-jung and Moon-hak. Like with Ma-ri, Hyeon-jung opens herself to her suitor because of the dilemmas facing her family. She is the first to discover that her father is not actually dead. Her reaction is to experience shock and then struggle to suppress the knowledge. Hyeon-sook, on the other hand, suffers shock and then an explosive need to share the news. The reactions mimic the women's personalities. Soon-ok's does as well. She has been living a double life. One with her children and teaching; the other gleaning information from Mo-ran about her husband. One present; one past. Her reaction is one of shock, and then the inability to extricate past from present.

The other reveal turned out to be a trick. Hyeon-ae was revealed to be intricately wound into the lives of Hyeon-sook's family, but Mo-ran, Ma-ri, Doo-jin, and a few others manage to keep it under wraps and plan on Hyeon-ae's need to recognition, validation, and attention. As Hyeon-sook grows more confident, the less her insecurity will be able to feed Hyeon-ae. If that relationship climaxes sooner rather than later, the writers have built in a failsafe - Eun-shil. She is a ticking time bomb that can go off whenever the story needs a lift.

Written by: Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Unkind Women" is directed by Yoo Hyeon-gi, written by Kim In-yeong, and features Kim Hye-ja, Chae Shi-ra, Do Ji-won, and Lee Ha-na.

 

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