[REVIEW] KBS TV series "Marry me, Mary" - 1st episode

A scene from KBS TV series "Marry me, Mary" [KBS]

Bride Mary (Moon Geun-young), standing hand-in-hand with groom Mugyul (Jang Keun-suk), are about to be pronounced husband and wife through a happy wedding when her father Daehan (Park Sang-myun) pushes the hand of another groom, Jungin (Kim Jae-wook), into her other hand. The emotion that Mary then feels, after suddenly having become the wife to two men, was not expressed by her saying something but instead visually through the reproduction of film "Corpse Bride" -- quite a successful risk and attempt the show took. But that is as far as the drama went in terms of being original. A string of cliches followed thereafter, ones seen in romantic comedies so often that they are considered 'formula.' The main male and female character encountering each other through a car accident is such a banal set-up that it is almost never used in dramas anymore, and them drinking together, then waking up the next morning in the same house, was an outcome that anybody would have guessed to happen. Of course, there was some gain from the first episode as well. Mary, who obsesses over a letter containing Mugyul's confirmation that 'It is okay' she hit him with her car because she does not want to become involved with him over needless compensation being busy enough as it is already from looking out for her trouble-making dad, was established as a character who is full of vitality and always smiling no matter what hardship she may face. And Mugyul became established as a cold-hearted bohemian character who is interested in Mary but pretends to be indifferent by maintaining his distance from her. But the moment that Mugyul signed the letter, their relationship weakened. That is why Mugyul suddenly settling into Mary's house seemed to lack reason. Also, focusing only on the incidents surrounding Mary and Mugyul has left the story about the show's remaining two main characters Jungin (Kim Jae-wook) and Seojun (Kim Hyo-jin), yet to be told. Hence what the drama needs to focus on more in its next episode is naturally weaving the story of Jungin and Seojung into the fully-established relationship between Mary and Mugyul. If that too fails to be original, the drama's core weapon -- it being about a double marriage -- will end up being weak as well.

Reporter : Lee Ga-on
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@