Que Sera Sera (17 Episodes)

(EPISODE 01-17)

((summary taken from dramawiki))

Kang Tae Joo (Eric) is a player with charm and good looks who always dates rich women. One day, he finds a strange poor girl named Han Eun Soo (Jung Yoo Mi) sleeping in front of his door. Although he initially despises her, he eventually finds himself falling for her. Cha Hye Lin (Yoon Ji Hye) is the daughter of a rich shopping mall CEO. Her first love, Shin Joon Hyuk (Lee Kyu Han), dumps her at her father's request. Hye Lin buys herself a new boyfriend to make her ex jealous. That man is Kang Tae Joo, and during their contract relationship, Hye Lin begins to fall in love again. However, Tae Joo already has a girlfriend and he can't forget her as easily as he has forgotten all the women in his past. This drama is basically about the redemption of Kang Tae Joo from bastard to human.  

My Rating:

Before I begin, let me first say that this is not a drama that everyone will like: some people will love it, others will hate it. As for me...

I loved it.

From the very first episode, I was hooked. There wasn’t a moment when I got bored, annoyed, or felt the story was getting tired or old. This is one of those series that managed to capture me so completely that I literally had to FORCE myself not to watch each episode as it was released! Since I started watching this series before it finished airing, I was always in the position of having to wait for subtitles… and since almost every episode ended with a horribly addicting cliff-hanger, I couldn’t stand the thought of having to wait weeks to see its resolution. So naturally I stopped watching it completely, and waited till the subs were complete. ^_^

My favorite thing about this series was the characters. At times they could be selfish, cruel, thoughtless, greedy, stupid, and self-destructive—but all of this made them feel more real—I couldn’t help but be drawn to them. Even the characters I’d normally hate, I sympathized with and eventually found myself liking. They had strengths and very realistic weaknesses, and were able to grow as characters throughout the series (ultimately) by doing what was right. Personal motivation may have driven them—but it was their conscience and empathy which saved them.

And of course the romance was phenomenal. It’s been so long since I’ve seen it represented so—so maturely. Yes, I realize I’m using that word to death, lol, but there’s really no other way to describe it. Usually, with romances, the emotions and development are kind of… well, shallow and innocent, I guess. They meet up, are torn apart by misunderstandings or outside influence, and then share a chaste kiss or two at the end after being reunited… but only after successfully experiencing every drama cliché out there. Here, it’s anything but innocent and there is only one cliché that comes to mind—a necessary one, that still manages to find a twist at the end.

Put bluntly: the emotions these characters undergo are not what you normally see in Korean drama romances: passion, longing, lust, hate, love, obsession. The kiss scenes are some of the best you’ll ever see, and watching a playboy like Tae Joo fall hard for a naïve and innocent girl like Eun Soo is so fascinating to watch. He did an amazing job with that role! I am such a sucker for angst… and Que Sera Sera definitely delivered!

Everything was just outstanding: the script, the directing, the acting, the lighting. I was consistently blown away. And though I can understand why it may not have connected with some people–for those of us it did—Wow!! This series had depth, maturity, and character—no punches were pulled here! It’s been so long since I’ve watched a Korean drama that could deal so honestly and bluntly about the realities of love in conjunction with wealth and power.

Plus, I felt it had one of the most perfect endings ever. So many people will probably disagree with me on this point, but I really couldn’t imagine it ending any other way… I mean, the show is called Que Sera Sera (whatever will be, will be). I think it’s the first time I’ve felt that the title of a drama actually contributed to the series. That last shot—I thought it encompassed that whole meaning perfectly. And it’s happy, so what’s not to love?! ^_^

I do, however, feel compelled to point out one thing: there is a scene in Episode 9 that’s extremely emotionally charged, which (completely understandably) managed to upset a lot of fans. Again, this isn’t a series that tries to be pretty… it doesn’t gloss over things. And to be frank: these things do happen. If you look at it from this perspective (as hard as that may be to do) then it’s a lot easier to understand why Tae Joo did what he did… even if it’s impossible to actually condone it.

Besides, we see things like this all the time on American television… just watch Law and Order SVU or any soap opera out there, and you’ll see it’s not exactly a “new” idea.

Personally, I thought they handled it beautifully.

So overall, if you like smart, intelligent, mature dramas, then chances are you’ll love this one. I am one of those people that feel Que Sera Sera was highly underrated… and yet it still managed to be one of my favorite dramas of all time. For me, that’s not an easy feat.