K-drama Review: The Legend of the Blue Sea

The Legend of the Blue Sea is a fun romance featuring a mermaid and a con artist, loosely based on an ancient Korean legend.

English Title: The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016-17)

Writer: Park Ji-eun

Director: Jin Hyeuk and Park Seon-ho

Length: 20 Episodes

Tropes: Urban Fantasy, Fated Mates / Destiny, Past Lives / Reincarnation, first love, room mates, found family, love triangle, fish (mermaid) out of water, Redemption.

My Score: 3/5

Description: In Catalonia, Spain, mermaid Shim Chung (Jun Ji-hyun) becomes entranced by con artist Heo Joon-jae (Lee Min-ho), who is the reincarnation of her Joseon-era lover, and follows him back to Seoul. Despite his initial reluctance, Heo Joon-jae allows her to move in with him and his two con-artist buddies, as she has nowhere else to go. Shim Chung navigates the complexities of modern life outside the sea and makes an odd assortment of friends while trying to keep her true identity a secret - and trying to win Heo Joon-jae's love before her heart hardens and kills her. Meanwhile, a dangerous killer sent by Heo Joon-jae's evil stepmother threatens their safety.

If you enjoyed this show, then watch: Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, Destined with You and My Love From the Star (by the same writer) and Business Proposal (same director)

This is a fun romantic comedy that is well worth watching, despite the lower rating I've given it. I'll explain why I gave this show only three stars - but I highly recommend you watch Legend of the Blue Sea to decide for yourself whether or not I was justified scoring it so low. After all, it's a highly rated show with a lot of devoted fans so worth giving it a try.

First up: what does this show do well?

It started really well. After an opening introduction with the Joseon-era legend of the love story between a mermaid and a fisherman, we skip to modern-day Seoul to meet the three con artist buddies and the main present-day story begins. The opening episodes were much lighter and more comedic than I expected, and when the male lead heads to Spain to escape a vengeful victim, and meets the mermaid, that's when the comedy really kicks in - and I was completely hooked. But, while there are flashes of comedy throughout the show, it takes a darker turn as the episodes progress.

I enjoy stories with a reincarnation theme, in which the present-day characters have to work through issues from their past lives to achieve healing and their Happy Ever After in this one (like Destined With You) and this show definitely delivered on that. And the bonus is that it gives the filmmakers the opportunity to throw in some historical scenes.

Another big up-side of this show is that it introduced me to two fabulous actors: Lee Min-ho, who plays male lead Heo Joon-jae, and Jo Jung-suk (Hospital Playlist, Don't Dare to Dream) who makes a delightful cameo appearance as a merman.

How mermaids make their money - their tears turn into pearls.

Legend of the Blue Sea has all the elements that should make it great: high production value, great photography, top A-list actors, lovely settings, a great concept, and (of course) a delightful romance - but it ended up just being okay.

So, if this drama had all the right elements, what didn't I like about it?

In my opinion, the story and plot did not sustain their initial promise.

As I initially started watching this because I wanted some light-hearted escapism, the suspense sub-plot that kicks in around episode 4 became quite stressful. If you read my review of When The Phone Rings, you know I love a little heart-thumping suspense, but it didn't quite match with the rom-com vibe the opening episodes hooked me in with. (If you're in the mood for light-hearted escapism, I recommend Love to Hate You, Shooting Stars or Her Private Life instead.) The suspense plot gains momentum and gets really interesting around episodes 16-18, but I still found it anxiety-inducing. I haven't yet figured out why When The Phone Rings felt like good stress and this felt more like anxiety - perhaps simply because I wasn't in the mood for it this time around, or perhaps because the pacing in Legend of the Blue Sea drags the tension out? 

Which brings me to the second thing I didn't enjoy about this show: the pacing drags in places. It's a really great story, but it's 20 episodes long rather than the usual 16. I feel that, instead of making the story more complex or having a bigger cast (like Vincenzo, which managed to keep every episode engaging through all its 20 episodes) this show filled the extra screen time simply by slowing the pacing. It took me a while to watch this one as I didn't feel my usual inclination to binge-watch. Compacting the story into 16 episodes may have made all the difference.

In the middle episodes of the show (from around episode 8), I also found the female lead a tad annoying and didn't like her much, as her mischievous character moved into over-the-top craziness. I'd had a similar reaction to the same actress in the opening episodes of My Love From The Star, so I knew that this was no reflection on her, and that it might not last. I also realised that the crazy, over-the-top behaviour was intended to generate humour, so I persevered. But as a result, the chemistry flagged for a couple of episodes and her behaviour didn't make me much want to root for her to get the guy - not that there was any other woman worthy of him, since the other woman who has a crush on him (setting up the inevitable K-drama love triangle) is quite a bitch. If you experience similar misgivings in the middle of the show, I recommend you persevere too, as the female lead improves and becomes far more engaging around episodes 11/12. And you definitely will end up rooting for this couple to get their happy ever after!

My next misgiving about this show is a relatively minor one, and more a personal thing. If you've read my past reviews you know that I love the strong, supportive female friendships that are common in these shows, but in Legend of the Blue Sea those friendships only appear about halfway through the series. In the early episodes, the female lead is pretty isolated, except for her connection to the male lead, and every other woman we meet in the first half is a conniving, ruthless bitch (With the possible exception of the male lead's mother, though we don't see much of her - and she did abandon her son!) This is redeemed in the later episodes, as the female lead assembles her own odd squad of female friends, which includes the male lead's mother, a homeless woman, and an 8-year-old.

I try not to give spoilers in these reviews, but I feel compelled to mention that there is an issue around consent (or lack of it!) in the final episode that I didn't feel comfortable with. Despite knowing the male lead's wishes, the female lead intentionally goes against his wishes, which felt a bit "icky" to me - and that's why I ultimately decided to give this show only 3 stars rather than 4. I understand why the writer included this plot point; the show felt like it was already done and wrapped up at the end of episode 19, but the film-makers still needed to fill an hour or airtime so they had to introduce a new conflict. I get it, but I don't like it. Luckily, most fiction writers aren't writing episodic stories with pre-purchased screen time, so we don't usually need to add unnecessary "filler" plot - but writers would be advised to heed the warning not to drag a story (or series) beyond its natural conclusion. Knowing when to get out so that you leave your reader satisfied but still eager is an art.

But the thing that felt most "off" for me about the ending was how, after so much of the show centred around found family, they broke that in the final scenes. I won't tell you how, but if you watch the show you'll know what I mean. There were a number of other issues with the final episode that this Redditor summed up very well. I'm not telling you this so you don't watch the show - watch it, but either stop at the end of episode 19 or go into episode 20 with low expectations to avoid disappointment. After all, there are many fans for whom this is their favourite K-drama of all time, so clearly not everyone shares my reservations.

Finally, a note for anyone watching on Netflix: the subtitles are riddled with errors - missed words, incorrect spacing, etc. If you're a grammar purist or copy editor, you'll just need to grit your teeth and bear it.

I really felt this moment: 

What K-drama fan can't relate to that feeling of having stayed awake all night 
to binge-watch your favourite shows?

I'd like to give a special shout out to wardrobe designer Park Min-kyung who designed iconic looks for the characters. The female lead's eclectic style early in the show was so well done (as was her transition to a more polished look as time went on and she adapted to life in human society) but it was Lee Min-ho's wardrobe that really deserves praise. Every outfit he wore was incredible. My hands-down favourite was this pink Versace coat outfit - even down to the sneakers, the look is perfect in every way.

My biggest take-away for writers from Legend of the Blue Sea: Know what you're promising your reader (like found family as a central theme) and honour that to the end. Don't suddenly dismantle what you've built up throughout the novel to add a last minute twist or to continue the story to reach X word count. Stories finish when they finish - don't be tempted to outstay your welcome. Instead of tacking on extra plot at the end that dissipates the reader's experience, add more "meat" in the middle of the story, and go deeper into the existing conflicts rather than wider by creating new conflicts.

Have you watched The Legend of the Blue Sea? What were your thoughts - agree or disagree? I'll leave you with this iconic excerpt from Episode 2: