K-drama Review: Something in the Rain

Something in the Rain felt like two different stories to me. The first half is a classic slow burn romance, while the second half is a rather nihilistic commentary on the oppression of women in Korean society.

English Title: Something in the Rain (2018) Also known as Noona who buys me food

Writer: Kim Eun

Director: Ahn Pan-seok

Length: 16 Episodes

Tropes: Older woman / younger man, Best friend's brother / sister's best friend, Secret relationship, forbidden love

My Score: 2/5

Description: Yoon Jin-ah (Son Ye-jin) is in her mid-thirties, with a career and relationship that are both going nowhere. When her best friend's younger brother, Seo Jun-hui (Jung Hae-in) returns from abroad, they embark on a passionate romance, but their relationship faces many challenges, including family pressures and social taboos.

If you enjoyed this show, then watch: One Spring Night (same writer/director team), The Midnight Romance in Hagwon (same director), Nevertheless, and She Would Never Know.

There are many K-drama fans who not only love this show, but who rate it as one of their all-time favourites. I am not one of them. For me, while the show started well, the second half did not live up to the initial promise.

Let's look at the pros first: 

• This is a very realistic drama which has a "slice of life" feel to it. These are real, ordinary people going about their ordinary lives and finding a spark of magic when they fall in love.
• The show tackles some very real women's issues, including the societal and parental pressures on women, workplace harassment, and inequalities in society.
• The relationship between the main characters in the first half is just adorable, and the epitome of what a healthy, loving relationship should look like. This couple supports one another, communicates well, and the way that Jun-hui slowly wins her over is very sweet.
• I love the older woman / younger man trope. In part because I am now myself an older woman and love seeing women over the age of 35 being the central focus of stories, but also because I love tories that flip the unhealthy older man / younger woman stereotype on its head.
• The male lead (ML) is such a sweetheart. He's cute, affectionate, doting, a little boyish, but mature when it counts. Basically, he's the best thing about this show.
• A stellar cast. Both leads are exceptional actors.

But now for the cons:

• Overall, the show has a very slow pacing. Not just a slow burn in the romance, but every scene feels drawn out, with many pointlessly long, slow shots of the leads walking together in the rain.
• In the second half, the main couple's relationship takes a nosedive. There is a lack of communication, lack of support of one another, and the heroine lacks backbone and is unwilling to fight for the relationship. The biggest red flag for me was her complete disregard of her boyfriend's feelings when she goes behind his back and lies to him to force him into a relationship with his estranged father.
• The female lead (FL) lacks a character growth arc. If anything, she has a negative growth arc in that she regresses from being a strong and independent woman to gradually growing weaker and more spineless. I understand that her passivity is intended as a reflection of women's position in Korean society, where passivity is a societal expectation, but the opening half set this show up as a romance, and in a classic romance we expect to not only see character growth, but also to see the lead characters win out in the end.
• This show is hard to watch if you're a feminist and hate seeing the patriarchy win. The FL experiences abuse at work and home, and from her deranged ex. Though she attempts to stand up for herself against her abusers, she never succeeds. Her parents openly support the stalker behaviour from her abusive ex and she is punished at work for standing up against the sexual harassment she and her colleagues experience. Hence my opening comment that this show feels nihilistic. Yes, that may have been the entire point, and perhaps this drama was created more as social commentary rather than as entertainment, but the romance writer in me who loves HEAs would have preferred a more satisfying and optimistic ending.
• The ending. In the final minutes of the last episode, a happy ending is slapped on, but, for me, it did not feel believable. As there was no organic growth towards that sudden resolution, I did not feel convinced that this couple would actually stand the test of time - and I felt that Seo Jun-hui could have done so much better!
• This show features the rather common K-drama trope of the over-the-top crazy, controlling mother who abuses her daughter. Often, this is done in a comic way, and it's resolved when we see the genuine affection and concern the mother has for her children. (Like in Love Next Door, another K-drama featuring ML actor Jung Hae-in.) However, this mother is even more over-the-top crazy than most, is supported in her deranged behaviour by all the men in her life, and she is never redeemed nor shows any genuine love for her daughter.
• The soundtrack. Oh my giddy aunt! Whoever chose a 1970s country song as the main theme song, then played it over and over and over throughout the show, must have been stoned. Eventually, I started muting the audio every time the song came on. Why country music rather than a Korean song, and why Stand by your man when that is the one thing that Jin-ah doesn't do?! The songs by Rachael Yamagata were much better, but also eventually played to death.

Disclaimer: It's possible that some of my above points are the result of a cultural disconnect. As a western woman with strong feminist leanings, I am no doubt bringing my own beliefs and expectations to this show, and may have missed a lot of the cultural nuance.

Have you watched Something in the Rain? What were your thoughts? Are you one of those people who loved this show - or do you agree with my take?

I'll leave you with one of the sweetest scenes of the show, the moment when they (secretly) reveal their feelings for one another: