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[Orion's Daily Ramblings] First Impressions - "My Mister"

I've been posting about "My Mister" so much in these dailies, so I'm pretty sure nobody is surprised by the fact that I created a new type of piece for a first look at the drama's premiere week. Leave your wishes of ideal living, romantic fulfillment, and knights in shining armor at the door, folks, because "My Mister" offers no perfect people and no easy solutions so far.

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I think what I'm most surprised, and happy about is that we don't have a bubbly leading woman who remains a bright beacon of impossible standards throughout her troubles. Lee Ji-an (Lee Ji-eun) is a broken person living on pure instinct for survival. She finds solutions that solely revolve around her making do and taking care of her own with minimum harm to others when possible and not majorly detrimental to her goals. I'm also really enjoying Lee Ji-eun in this role so far.

Dong-hoon and Ji-an having a drinkJi-an sharing an elevator with the bosses

Park Dong-hoon (Lee Sun-kyun) is no savior or moral high standard either. He's bitter, annoyed by the unfairness of his job, tired of his routine and the pressures he faces as the sole breadwinner of his family. Even though a romance would be possible with the current set up, it's really not that kind of a relationship at this point, and this feels good. The conflicts and possible bonding are there, but they don't fit into, or need to fit into the often narrow drama definitions.

Joon-yeong and a frustrated Yoon-heeGi-hoon, Dong-hoon and Sang-hoon

"My Mister" in its entirety so far doesn't, after all. It's not about grand drama, but about the dramatic in the mundane. It's a slow burn through a tiresome life, where the end goal can only be for the characters to find some peace in it, rather than fulfill all their dreams. As for the "controversy" over the portrayed violence, it's as ridiculous as I expected, so nothing worth addressing there. I commend the show for not cowering away from the nuances of toxic masculinity and violence against women.

"My Mister" is not easily digestible entertainment, and there is no neatly laid out light at the end of its tunnel. It's not an easy watch, and I may have to give it a break from time to time, but this could definitely be a great series well worth experiencing.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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