I'm kind of confused as to how to rate this show. Because there are some bits that I absolutely loved about this show, and some important ones that this show absolutely missed which makes it a half baked goods.
I'll talk about them together. So please read it through.
So overall this show is decent enough, acting is good, music not so much, be ready to use skip 10 second button as I often did for me to not make it boring and snooze fest, but that's okay, since I have seen too many dramas, I often use skip in the lengthy ones like this 35 episode one, as it's often filled with scenes that are just too predictable for me and provide no gravity to the main leads or core story. You can chose not to skip, that's upto you.
To me personally, the best things about the show is the relation and dynamic between the ML and his mother. Absolutely adorable, understanding, and perfect mom son duo. Mom is so cute, understanding and the ML does absolutely everything he can to keep her happy and she reciprocates in loving him and giving him a free hand and believing in him. It was just lovely, as she was the only one who could drill some sense into the FLs aggravated mother, such was her calm and loving demeanor.
I loved both the leads as boss and secretary, like there are too many shows out there with tropes of boss and secretary romance or may December romance. But this one is different in terms of how the boss and secretary are portrayed. The boss, FL, is always calm, isn't hasty or ignorant towards her secretary, doesn't scream or demand too much from him, she's more of a hands on person and doesn't just give orders one after another. And the ML, the secretary, he is a complete newbie, no experience, but eager to learn, doesn't always chime in, but observes and learns from the boss, he doesn't shy away from keeping his opinions but does that in a nice manner with respect, I also liked how they showed him as a newbie in office, learning the ropes and not someone who's always correct, always does it perfectly and is a know it all, but hardworking patient guyz, a very smooth talker like everyone says, because he treats everyone with respect and kindness.
And they are so good at work, and thus the buildup begins which was probably one of the longest, 27 episodes, and I'm someone who hates overly long buildups between leads, but I sort of loved it herez because the dynamic between the two is so good, at the same time it's visible how their relationship develops with each episode with ML just breaking and hopping over the walls of FL and she let's him because she too unconsciously wanted that. It's just something she wanted in her good rational life, someone like him, who as a man isn't scared of her ambitions and success, and just enters her world to fill it with love and care and warmth without any demands. And you can see that they both care for each other and are like inseparable boss secretary duo.
But this also is a weak point, because as amazing as they were boss and secretary, when they actually start dating, the chemistry is there, but the passion is absolutely missing, that yearning and longing and desperation for someone you love, those things were absent, even dating, everything is well, they look happy together, but that spark is missing, which I personally believe is a very important factor, especially if your theme of show has core plot of the leads romance and relationship. They have like 4 kisses and 3 of them were so uncomfortable to watch, I don't know if it was a character trait of FL or the actress herself, but there was no passion from her. None.
Now coming to some small, but really nice points this show makes.
It's totally fine and normal if the man is less financially successful than the woman in a relationship, and I love how both leads think the same way on this, neither of them cares about it, and they both find success in their respective works, also how FL is 12 years older, so she obviously also has more success than him. But neither of 2 minds this, on the contrary I love how she doesn't control him with her age and experience and success, but rather just calmly imparts knowledge on how things happen, how to do this and that, and he has no ego to learn from this older woman who he is total smitten with. Like how every other suitor tried to win FL by showing their success and money and saying how she can benefit from them. But she just doesn't care, she's headstrong in the fact that she can make her career fly without a man, and all she wants is the ML, who just wants to love and care and protect her and isn't scared or diminished by the success and ambition of FL.
Another thing that I loved about the show is how they matched it with title, The Rational Life, like all the career and money and such decisions of life are rational, but when it comes to love, it's all irrational, there's no logic or reasoning behind it, and they make this point few times throughout the show, and FL puts it beautifully in the end to her mother, when they explain their relationship to FL mother, first he goes and tells her such things that even her mom admits that no one knows my daughter better than you, not even me, her mother, because only someone you truly love you'll just know notice and understand the unsaid things about her/him. FL hardly ever cries, but all 3 breaks into tears when ML tells those things about FL and all 3 are getting emotional, like how does he understand the FL so well, even better than she herself and her mother does.
And then her mom asks why do you like him, and she tells that, and then says, I don't know myself, I don't understand how or why I feel like this, feel like myself, feel so comfortable around him, I don't understand why when he smiles at me, this harsh cold calculative cutthroat world becomes all warm and pleasant to me. It's one of my favourite all time scenes, as they define love something that can't be reasoned, can't define or put logic on it. It's an irrational feeling.
Despite being a good show, I wish it had that spark and passion between leads. I was always waiting and knew that at some point he's gonna leave the job as secretary and I thought that would be a beautiful plot point, because if it happens before they start dating, then it would be nice to show, how much they missed each other and they realise that they weren't just boss and secretary, especially the FL will miss him more and it could be used to make her realise her love. It's not a new trope, but would have worked so well.
But on the contrary, it's nothing, even when he quitsz they are just normal, like it doesn't bother them as to how they are used to spending 18 hours a day together and now they won't, it should have bothered them more especially as they have finally confessed their love. Major plot missed by writers.
The last small thing, we see many other suitors for FL, first the bf she broke up with then her bossz and then her old college friend. But there was a not one woman who pursued ML, who's lovely in every sense, young, tall handsome. Though I understand that writers didn't use this same old trope that both leads have other suitors but I also hate how ML had none, it's just another plot point missed, where FL could have realised her own feelings when she sees other girls chasing the ML.
SORRY for the long review, I hope it helps.
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