Korean title
오! 마이 레이디
Same title as in English
Better Title
Should have been Here Comes Ahjumma! but I believe that is already taken
Episodes
A rather short 16 episodes
Version
The version I watched is TV rip but HD quality with fansub which is well done but not as great as some I could name. Some aren't translated so don't go thinking all guys are called Hyung. It just means brother (as addressed by a guy to an older guy). Unni is sister as addressed by a girl to an older girl. Ahjumma is auntie. Ajashi is Uncle. Noona is sister as addressed by a guy to an older girl. Sanbei means senior, from one junior to another older guy. Appa is father. Omma is mother. Aigoo... I don't think it is even a word but more like an expression like huh? Wah Lau eh! Eh! Oi! I think...
Anyway if you would like to watch this the links are as follows:-
>> the video files
>> the subtitles files (English only)
If you wanna burn the subtitles into the video file aka hardcode the subtitles, learn how here
Broadcast network
SBS
Released In
2010
Cast-Character
Chae Rim as Yoon Gae Hwa
Choi Si Won as Sung Min Woo
Lee Hyun Woo as Yoo Shi Joon
Park Han Byul as Hong Yoo Ra
Moon Jung Hee as Han Jung Ah
Yoo Seo Jin as Lee Bok Nim
Yoo Tae Woong as Kim Byung Hak
Bang Joon Seo as Kim Min Ji
Kim Yoo Bin as Sung Ye Eun
Heo Joon Suk as Choi Tae Goo
Kim Kwang Gyu as Han Min Kwan
Kim Hee Won as Jung Yoon Suk
Hwang Hyo Eun as Oh Jae Hee
Hong Jong Hyun as Kim Jin Ho
Lee Dae Yeon as Eom Dae Yong
Chu Hun Yub as Chae Ho Suk
Seo Myung Kyu (서명규) as Min Woo's friend
Kim Hee Joon (김희준) as Min Woo's security guard
Yeo Ji Hyo as high school student
Jessica as herself (cameo, ep7)
Hyo Yeon as herself (cameo, ep7)
Choi Soo Young as herself (cameo, ep7)
Lee Han Wie as director (cameo, ep1)
Jun Hye Jin as actress (cameo, ep1)
Na Young Hee as Gae Hwa's former boss (cameo, ep1)
Summary
Taken from Wiki-addicts
A spunky 35-year-old housewife, Yoon Gae Hwa, takes on the job of manager to prickly top star Sung Min Woo in order to earn enough money to regain custody of her child from her ex-husband. Romantic hijinks and hilarity ensues when they find themselves in an awkward living situation as Min Woo pays Gae Hwa to take care of his daughter, Ye Eun.
Real Summary
I wonder do the networks actually watch the show or even read the scripts before putting down the official summary. So here is the real summary.
Yoon Gae Hwa is a divorced mother of one 7 (or maybe 8?) year old child who had to work hard to make ends meet as her ex husband, Kim Byung Hak refuses to help her out financially, blaming her financial woes on her deceased mother who used up Gae Hwa's entire divorce settlement towards the hospital bills. Out of desparation and without a job, Gae Hwa reluctantly left her daughter, Min Ji in the care of her ex husband who has since remarried to a younger wife which we will not get to see in the series. He took on Min Ji reluctantly and didn't take his responsibility as a father seriously which sees Gae Hwa having to take care of Min Ji by payments of school fees, music studies and even food even if Min Ji is staying with her father. Meanwhile Gae Hwa was given the job as a housekeeper to someone important whose privacy is of utmost priority and he turns out to be 28 year old top star/super idol Sung Min Woo which Gae Hwa isn't too impressed with even if her best friend paedetrician Lee Bok Nim and every young and aunties alike are absolutely crazy about him, despite his lack of acting skills. However the job lasted just 1 day as Gae Hwa had to leave due to an emergency with Min Ji and in the process burnt Min Woo's very expensive shirt. Fired and without a job, Gae Hwa answered an internet recruitment ad for an intern at a stage production company called The Show Company run by a very cool, cold and aloof Yoo Shi Joon. During the interview she was told she was too old for the job and as the conversation led to Sung Min Woo which Yoo Shi Joon was forced to consider casting him for his star power, Gae Hwa inadvertantly let slip she knows him. Desperate, Yoo Shi Joon told her if she could help recruit him as the lead actor in their upcoming musical called All That Love, she gets the job as the intern. Gae Hwa was desparate to reunite with her daughter and so prepared a business proposal for Min Woo, who didn't quite care to even read and threw the entire proposal out of his car although he made her buy him a new shirt. But she was persistent, as persistent as a papparazi who made it his life mission to uncover more of Min Woo's scandals. As Gae Hwa tried to see Min Woo at his luxury apartment, she saw a taxi driver letting off a 6 year old child with her luggage and said she was to be delivered to Sung Min Woo. The guard recognised Gae Hwa and thought she was the housekeeper and so she took the child to see Min Woo thinking she was his niece. To his and her shock, she turns out to be his illegitimate child with one of his I suppose childhood sweetheart before he went into showbusiness. Gae Hwa seizing the opportunity blackmailed him into accepting the job whilst meanwhile she in turn will take care of the child for him. He was thinking she would take the child and leave but Gae Hwa managed to convince him to let her stay with him whilst taking care of the child, Ye Eun as she can save on the rental as well. What Gae Hwa didn't know was Min Woo knew Shi Joon who was his lecturer during university days who predicted Min Woo as a complete failure as an entertainer and so there were bad blood between them. However Min Woo signed on, Gae Hwa got her job and so begins the precarious living arrangement between Gae Hwa who is also the housekeeper/nanny/secret keeper of Min Woo and his child Ye Eun whom he refuses to acknowledge. As time goes by he falls for her and things turn serious when Min Woo had to decide between his career and acknowledging his child.
Comments
I haven't been watching any Korean dramas not since the disastrous Cinderella Stepsister that turned me off K-dramas, and luckily not for good. I heard good things about this series and since I like Chae Rim who was the single reason to watch Dal ja's Spring, I decided to give this series a try. After all who doesn't like a good fantasy which involves an ahjumma (auntie) with a much younger hotter man? More so when this fantasy involves a dowdy looking 35 year old and a hot looking major pop idol? I know it sounds impossible, it sounds even ridiculous but if anyone can convince the audience that an impossible scenario can seem possible, it has to be K-dramas. Only they can make such ridiculous impossible scenario seem possible enough for us to take it seriously. If Cinderella Stepsister is love and tortorous love overload, Oh! My Lady is the direct opposite; it is still about love but an easygoing one so to speak. I remember rewatching All About Eve which coincidentally starred a very young Chae Rim opposite the absolutely gorgeous (and very married appa!) Jang Donggun where Jang Donggun's character chose to fall for Chae Rim's character instead of his oldest friend because Chae Rim's character made him happy and love should be happy unlike the meandering suffering love that Cinderella Stepsister would like us to believe, the same reasoning can be used here as to why Sung Min Woo could fall for Gae Hwa. She makes him happy, she feeds him, she encourages him, when his own manager belittled him it was Gae Hwa who expressed anger whilst he expressed a certain resignation to a fact that he is a lousy actor, when all was tumbling down for him and Gae Hwa was humiliated, she didn't care much about herself but worrries about him, when he was told by everyone to go on a diet for some photoshoot, she was the one who expressed disbelief that anyone should have to do that and starts to cook good food for him, she took good care of his daughter and thought of ways to make him acknowledge his responsibility as a father and in the end she loved him for who he is, not the top star Sung Min Woo but the loving father Sung Min Woo. As I was watching this series, I was hoping for 3 things to happen in the final episode;
1. a wedding. I want a wedding and K-drama seems not to like weddings
2. a still camera as the leads kiss passionately
3. a makeover for Gae Hwa
At the end, none of these 3 ever happened. There's still that circling the leads as they kiss camera technique which is boring, there is still no wedding but ended with a kiss and in retrospect, it was good Gae Hwa didn't go through any makeover at all and she remained true to herself. One telling scene had her ex husband making excuses for his affairs which led to the divorce, blaming her for looking like an ahjumma, for not wearing prettier clothes, etc which of course angered Min Woo who saw her for her natural sort of beauty. In an earlier scene they were both drunk after she had a really bad day and she confessed she knew she wasn't any great beauty but Min Woo was the one who drunkenly said "Looking at your entire face, no you're aren't attractive but individually, you do have a cute nose, and your lips.. your lips.." and he suddenly realised what he was saying and snapped out of it as she said "What about my lips? They're fine!" as she went to take a new bottle of wine but stood before the fridge and fallen asleep. Min Woo looked at her as she fluttered her eyes and suddenly, which I feel is quite a moment, he impulsively kissed her, much to her shock. It would have been great to see how they stopped kissing but the next scene she ran into her room and wondered what happened whilst Min Woo was in his room wondering why he did what he did. Then the next scene of him avoiding her, and she confronting him and saying "It was just a kiss! Moreover it wasn't a great kiss anyway!" which of course Min Woo felt insulted.
These funny moments and unexpectedly romantic moments which glued me to the screen but make no mistake, there were touching moments as well, one where Ye Eun who refused to speak due to psychological trauma of being abandoned by her mother and unwanted by her father suddenly spoke to a very patient and loving Gae Hwa, or when Min Woo promised Min Ji he will not hurt her mother and they pinky sweared on that or the most touching moment, when Ye Eun was lost in a shopping complex and Gae Hwa was inconsolable like a mother would and Min Woo held her consoling her like a father would and a panicking Min Woo went looking for Ye Eun and saw people looking at his life size cardboard ad image and saw Ye Eun holding the cardboard's hand since she recognised that as her father and he was very touched by what he saw and she then saw the real Min Woo and gave a sweet smile. I think at that precise moment he decided to hell with his career and he welcome his responsibility as a single father as well as recognising the fact that he was in love with Gae Hwa. That was a very touching moment that needed very little words and just a dash of tears.
The most romantic moment had to be when he gave her a written business proposal and Gae Hwa read how he planned to marry her in a month, a cruise later, a world tour some years later, etc which shows Min Woo now has plans for the future and is ready to shouler responsibilities and is serious about her. I think Gae Hwa didn't feel he wasn't ready for her but rather she might be a hindrance to his career, but of course his business proposal and the fact that Min Woo met with her ex husband and told him to apologise to her for hurting her to the point she was afraid of new relationships convinced her he has her best interest in his heart too.
And it is funny how Min Woo could convince her best friend, her ex husband, her boss, her colleagues and even her daughter that he was the right man for her as she pondered and wondered and kept denying that fact. He basically charmed everyone and convincing everyone of that fact which is very interesting to watch.
Despite the impossible scenario of how they met and how they ended up together, the fact that they could fall for one another, especially someone like Sung Min Woo for Gae Hwa was very possible. Of course many times in this series everyone wondered what he saw in her but sometimes you may wonder what she sees in that jerk. This series will explain why, but of course unlike Cinderella Stepsister, not painfully so but in a fun way.
Now this series lack villains. Of course villains would make it more urgent but I kinda like that there's not one person who is strictly a villain.
For example the manager of Sung Min Woo who seems like a possible candidate for Villain Of This Series but he isn't. He may have very little faith in his star, he may have threatened him and even did gangster sort of stuff all in the name to further Min Woo's career, he may even wanted to kidnap Ye Eun to make Min Woo to sign a new contract, but in the end he didn't. In fact one of the funniest scene was Yoo Ra who wants to get close to Ye Eun to gain access to Min Woo's heart convinced Gae Hwa to allow her to take her out for one day and of course she lost the little girl in the shopping complex. The manager who was tailing them so as to kidnap Ye Eun ran to Yoo Ra and screamed at her for losing the little girl and went looking for her. I think at that moment it kinda shows the manager isn't really a bad person since he was very shocked at Yoo Ra's incompetence and for losing sight of a child. I thought that particular scene was funny. Anyway in the end Min Woo decided not to sign on with his manager as he wanted to explore the possibilities on his own. He does see the manager like his older brother and the manager despite belittling him and everything and even at some point said Min Woo was just a product to him seems rather earnest in salvaging his career even if through gangster sort of ways. From the dialogue Min Woo wasn't an easy star to manage in the first place.
Yoo Ra could have been a villain but instead she is just keen on Min Woo and perplexed why he could fall for Gae Hwa instead of the hotter Yoo Ra. He was keen on Yoo Ra but in the end he recognises Gae Hwa is the one for her when he tried to kiss Yoo Ra and saw Gae Hwa's face instead. Yoo Ra may be childish and rude but she isn't a bad person. She didn't reveal to the press about the child when Min Woo repeatedly rejected her so she is not vindictive.
Yoo Shi Joon could be a villain as the series seems to suggest he likes Gae Hwa but didn't go further than that. Instead he became her friend and at times had to remind Min Woo to treat Gae Hwa with respect as he saw how Min Woo ordered Gae Hwa around not knowing she is part timing as her housekeeper. He seems to be the voice of reason and I like how in the end Min Woo learn to respect him as Shi Joon learn to respect Min Woo as well. By the way his story about Gae Hwa and him and his cheating suffering wife Jung Ah was what slowed down the pace of this series considerably. But his character has a purpose and served it well even if I thought he had already divorced his wife at episode 5 when until episode 16 only then they were divorced and remained friendly with one another.
The ex husband Byung Hak was a horrible father, horrible husband, horrible human being. He could even blame Gae Hwa for his affairs and financial woes and so he is closest at being the villain. And yet when Gae Hwa was accused of blackmailing Min Woo into starring in the musical, surprisingly and very funnily Byung Hak was the first to rise up to her defense as he proclaimed "Gae Hwa may be many things but she is not that sort of person! What sort of company is this that pushes their employees to resort to such desperate measures? What did you all do to make her go blackmailing people?!". In the end to her surprise he drunkenly offered his apology for hurting her which was a rather good scene and shows he ain't that bad even if he is a jerk. Of course the portrayal of a father who pretends to be a diligent one in front of his daughter and a whole different face in front of his ex wife was spot on. Must mention though that he may be rather offended that a hot young star like Min Woo could fall for a woman he claims to be unattractive and a nag. Of course unlike Min Woo he didn't see the beautiful aspect of his ex wife who deserves better.
Finally the reporter. Korean papparazi is scary if he is an example of such papparazi. His tailing Min Woo is not just borderline obsessive but an obvious harassment, since he chased Min Woo for scandals. But in the end he wasn't the villain as he wrote a glowing report on Min Woo which changed his image from teen pop idol to a serious character actor with a daughter to raise. In fact Min Woo became even more famous because of this new image.
So there are no villains in this series, just perhaps all sort of personalities. Moreover it wouldn't serve this series well to have a villain. I think this series knows what it is; a romantic dramedy.
However this series has its down times.
I wonder where is Gae Hwa's and Min Woo's family. So they do not have support system and when trouble comes it seems they're all alone. And we never get to see Yee Eun's mother. The mother actually just walked away!
Everytime the story moves away from Sung Min Woo and Gae Hwa the entire story falls flat. I believe Gae Hwa and Shi Joon's scenes are too many, as well as Shi Joon and his wife and also Yoo Ra and Min Woo, none of which I particularly enjoyed. I did not enjoy the reporter's story as well. Further Min Woo's backstory about the hit and run, affair with a rich man's wife, his rumours with many young stars, him beating a papparazi or something, none of these were explained in detail except to say they happened. So I didn't quite get the temperamental Min Woo although there's the arrogant selfish self absorbed Min Woo. Would these have furthered the character development of Min Woo? I don't think so, it may prove too much information but I couldn't quite imagine the sometimes lovable Min Woo or serious Min Woo could be so violent. He can be quite persistent though.
Frankly I have no problems with the characterisations in this series. Having read some online opinions, it is true the story in this series is very familiar but isn't all romantic stories the same essentially? The problem is breathing new life into the story, giving it something refreshing and I must admit the dialogues in this series are very good even if as this series would teach the rest of the world, Koreans love to mumble to themselves or is often so exasperated over everything they're rendered momentarily speechless, an observation I made in my Jewel In The Palace review. Or that they love to say "Aigoo" which I take it to mean "Wha... huh... ahhh... eh..." in any other culture. Why I love this series is of course the impossible story but most of all because of the performances.
The casting seems carefully done and I am happy if it is so because it pays to have careful casting decision.
Need I say anything more about the wonderful charismatic Chae Rim? The make up department has a hard time making her look dowdy with that awful wig (which I suspect later on is replaced by her real hairdo) and some questionable fashion choices, making her more ahjumma than unni but the fact remains she is cute and earnest and charismatic. I did wish she had a makeover in terms of wardrobe and I was very surprised her colleagues never said to her "Ahjumma, jeans and sweatshirt is not an office attire and nobody goes to a musical premier in shorts". Performance wise, I find Chae Rim could have done better than the worried look or the embarassed look and I do feel she was in better form in Dalja's Spring but frankly I find Chae Rim effective in here although her character is on one track development meaning she hardly had any development at all. I waould love to have more of her back story since after a while the series felt more like about Min Woo than about her and Min Woo. Not that I am complaining. I especially love her interaction with Choi Si Won, the way she indulges him, let him bully her and the way she quietly persuades him and the way she cooks, cleans and basically look after his every needs, including taking care of his daughter and eventually moving out with HIS daughter. After a while I was thinking shouldn't he shoulder the responsibility such as renting a place for her which he did ask to do so but she refuses. A very strange nanny!
Lee Hyun Woo is probably playing the same role I saw him play in Dal ja's Spring and may I add, I can't quite imagine him in a comedy since he totally lacks a sense of humour. He looks so much older in here, not helped by his 2 tone foundation on his face. Was he sick? I find him boring, and I find him NOT THE CHAIRMAN PLAYING THE CHAIRMAN sort of roles. It doesn't help he is slow and steady sort of person, which gives me an impression he is softspoken and rather mature but still so darn boring to watch. His scenes with the sassy looking Moon Jung Hee who can dance really well (a dancer turn actress perhaps?) playing his suffering wife is suffering to watch because these 2 has got to be the most soft spoken quarreling couples ever. The time it took for them to separate took 16 episodes and that is like a lifetime.
Park Han Byul is pretty and in all honesty, I really think she did something to her eyes, cheeks, nose and everything else except maybe her very nice figure which would take many many exercises to maintain. I mean everyone in this series probably had something done. What is interesting about her is her wardrobe; hardly a cleavage but still as suggestive with the impossibly high heels making her look even taller than she already is. Acting wise, a bit painful to watch. She quite simply utter her lines in such a careful manner that it took quite some time for her to finish one line, her expression is between huh and duh and nothing much and frankly, I find her pretty and that is about it. Possibly the worst performance in this series.
Yoo Seo Jin looks so familiar but I am not sure where I have seen her before. She plays Bok Nim who at first seems like a silly fangirl of Min Woo who turns out to be a married paedetrician who IS a silly fangirl of Min Woo. I love her character and I love her performance. So cute! I love the scene where Min Woo said "I have asked Gae Hwa to marry me" and her reaction was priceless; her coffee mug just dropped onto the table as she looked at him in complete and utter shock, an expression the Koreans are very good at.
Yoo Tae Woong plays Byung Hak the ex husband of Gae Hwa and this is the closest thing to a jerk and a villain in this series. He looks familiar, he was in He Who Can't Marry but I can't remember who he was in there. Anyway a complete and utter jerk and this actor really played him expertly. His worst as in most villainous moment had to be when he humiliated Gae Hwa at the musical premier which shows how little respect he has for his ex wife hence his disbelief when he found out Min Woo was supposedly dating her or that she is a planning manager at The Show Company. His redemption came when he defended Gae Hwa amidst the accusations of blackmailing and he became sort of a nice person in the end when he actually apologised to her, even if he was drunk and gave his seal of approval for Min Woo whom he declares is a good guy. Fantastic performance.
The actor who plays Min Woo's manager is a name I did not catch, whether character or the actor's name but he was despicable but still not villain enough. From the way he portrayed this role he gives me an impression he looks down on Min Woo, maybe sees him as an investment and his saviour and yet towards the end he still didn't kick Min Woo out of the apartment and even wanted to continue to act as his manager/agent despite the entertainment world declaring Min Woo as finished. But Min Woo of course decided to go alone, to be free agent and take care of himself. He said it in a very nice way actually.
Bang Joon Seo who plays Min Ji really looks like Chae Rim and gave an outstanding performance as the daughter. I find her cute and believable and very mature for her age which I checked is 7. Very big for a 7 year old girl.
But I am far more impressed with Kim Yoo Bin who plays Ye Eun, who is far younger than Bang Joon Seo (in the series she is 6, in real life she is 5, either way she is small for her age) and gets to have more scenes with Chae Rim and of course Choi Si Won. Her role may seem simplistic; she eats, cries and sleeps, a lot. But as the series went on and we learn that her mother did actually abandon her to start a new life in I think New York she suffered deep psychological trauma hence she refuses to talk. Then faced with a stubborn father who didn't want her, all I can think of was that her stony face or cries and silence were of better acting than some adults out there. And when she said "I understand Ahjumma" to Chae Rim in one scene, it was a near miracle sort of scene for me. Little cute scenes like refusing to take the lollipop that her father licked, or the way she quietly eats her food or wants to go to toilet (and mind you a lot of toilet humour in here but all tastefully done - no pun intended) or the best of all, holding that cardboard image of her father really did nearly broke my heart. When she smiles, she lights up the entire scene. And I love her chemistry with Chae Rim and Choi Si Won fans will be very happy to know her chemistry with her appa is the highlight of this series. A fantastic performance from this child actress.
Last but not least, Choi Si Won himself who looks like a cross between Takeshi Kaneishiro plus Wang Lee Hom plus David Wu (I think; that actor who played Bruce Lee who went on to Cat III movies who then became Channel [V] VJ and now I am not sure where he is). Anyway, let me do a checklist;
Handsome - check
Tall - check
Can dance - check
Can sing - competently so check (speaks with low voice but surprisingly sings with high pitched tone?!)
Can act - check
Has dashing smile - check check
Has killer abs - check check check
Amazing hair - check check check check check check check check check
What more can you ask for in a super idol? Maybe no chapped lips? Anyway, I am not aware of his existence except until this series came along. I do know the existence of Super Junior which is the group he belongs to but I am not a fan of either. When I knew he is a super idol playing a super idol, I did groan a little. How cliche eh? I know it would be entertaining but I was getting ready for those acting you always see in Taiwanese idol dramas which means very little substance and no expressions, if any. And after Cinderella Stepsister, frankly my opinion of idol acting in dramas isn't exactly very nice so yes I am not a fan of 2PM. What Choi Si Won has over the other idol in that drama is quality writing. Oh! My Lady has a good script and though Chae Rim may be the lead character, Sung Min Woo is the one character that is well written and would go through many challenging moments that a far worse actor would just ruin him. A good actor would make something out of him but a better actor would give him personality other than arrogant childish immature jerk. When I was watching I thought the character was 25 at most but all those mentions about university, dates, etc didn't tally and in the last episode I found out he was supposed to be 28 which in restrospect would make Min Woo incredibly childish and terribly immature. So the change in the end would have been an amazing transformation. Rest assured all fans of Super Juniors or whichever branch he is with, Choi Si Won the super idol from a super idol group who himself is a top star like Sung Min Woo himself did not disappoint; in fact I am terribly impressed with his performance which goes beyond just 2 expressions; he can actually act and he can act very very well. I wouldn't say earth shattering good but I recognise a talent when I see one and though I can't vouch for his singing (he did sing in this series, which was good) or dancing (which he did dance in this series which was good), but I feel he has a solid future as an actor. Some may dismiss this series as fluff, any actor can do it, it is a comedy, it is light hearted, it is romance series. First of, a good actor will be able to make Sung Min Woo likeable despite his immaturity or his constant pushing away his daughter. He has to be believable as a star (no problem in that) and as a person behind that facade called star and that I feel is where Choi Si Won succeeded. He has good comedic timing, his delivery of the punchline or that expression is spot on. There doesn't seem to be any deliberate acting on his part, his actions and his expression are natural and fluid, much like Chae Rim herself. I love his interaction with Chae Rim, the way he begs to be pampered or scolded or pushed around. I love his interaction with Kim Yoo Bin, especially that scene where he walked in to see her on the lap of Lee Hyun Woo's character and feeling particularly possesive, he tapped on his own thigh and a sense of triumph when the little girl walked right up to his side. His insistent on being fed, asking for fruits, saying he is hungry, etc. Those are little scenes but goes a long way to build up this character. His not so good scenes were the ones where he was angry and he was shouting which wasn't angry enough for me. But the quiet moments, like how he teases Gae Hwa or left in quiet contemplation over his future or how he should settle the problem with a bigger scandal that is his daughter, all these made him a joy to watch. It helps he is given killer wardrobe, his pants may look silly but he works them great! And it is also helpful he has killer abs with a waist so tiny, a shoulder so broad and a smile so dazzling. However I was equally as impressed with his ability to carry the little girl convincingly. You know some actors just couldn't carry a child but he can. And yes, the way I am going it is like an evaluation of a potential husband material isn't it? Well, why not? Children loves him, ahjumma like myself likes him, young girls adore him and as always it is better if all these adoration is justified. I proudly say I am a big fan of one particular star because he can act/sing/whatever and no more better honour for a fan to have such affection returned with quality performances. I do not know what the future holds for Choi Si Won, I suspect if he keeps this up he will have an illustrious solo career but so far, for this series alone, his performance wasn't fluff. His character changes from one end to the other and still maintain that likeability despite being a first class jerk. He handles the emotional scenes well and he looks good in all scenes even with ridiculous pants. I am saddened that HK does not have this sort of quality young idols, even Taiwan lacks them with all those nonsense they call acting but in series we just can't help but watch, so all idol fans will be glad to know there is nothing embarrassing with drooling over Choi Si Won as in here he did his fans proud. A fantastic performance and a definitely charismatic one.
Verdict
I have to give it to the Koreans to make such unbelievable fantasy seem like reality eventhough in real life it can never happen. There was a time there was a lull in quality with K-dramas but interestingly the acting is considerably and consistently better than most even if the story sucks. There are many reasons to watch this series; for the ahjummas in all of us, the fantasy element. For the romantics, the practical and yet romantic aspects. For those who crave good acting, this series boasts some fine ones amongst the major actors. For those who likes familiar but yet different stuff, this series has that too. But most of all, for fans of Chae Rim and Choi Si Won, there is no better reason than to watch this series for these 2. Why is it everytime Chae Rim is in a series I always wish she marries the lead actor? Like All About Eve and until now, I always believe Chae Rim is Jang Donggun's true love. Now I believe she is Choi Si Won's true love! And this is why this series is to me a success despite the ratings or the numbers; the actors convince us they're who they're.
A must watch.
One major missing scene
We have fans throwing eggs at Gae Hwa. It would have been great if there is a scene where fangirls running after her throwing eggs or maybe just curious about her. I mean it is so impossible, so why not up the notch? There is a scene of all the ahjummas running after Min Woo in a supermarket and 2 fangirls running after him in a street.
Could it happen?
If a young idol is discovered having a young child, will the sponsors abandon him like they did with Min Woo? I feel if a star such as Min Woo himself explain why and what and how and where, I am sure the fans would agree and the sponsors will agree that he is blameless. So why should he be judged immoral or unclean? It seems as this series suggest having a child out of wedlock is a bigger scandal than dating a woman 7 years your junior and having her walk in and out of your apartment or staying together in one place! I don't think in real it would matter if Min Woo has a child if it is explained he didn't know her existence in the first place.
How would Oh! My Lady be in other countries
Hong Kong
The actors' age would be at least add 5 years although for Gae Hwa it is very easy to find a 35 year old. Unfortunately it will be either very silly or very dramatic, and there will be ONE ultimate villain who will ruin things for our love pair in here. Since child actors are getting better in HK, it will be one good aspect. My guess is Raymond Lam will be cast as Sung Min Woo and he will probably play him like a gentleman and Charmaine Sheh will be Gae Hwa which I won't complain much since she is right age but damn it if she ever wears a dowdy wig because I am convince she would go through an amazing makeover where Raymond's eyes will light up which kinda defeat the entire message of the story. And Joe Ma will play Yoo Shi Joon. It is always that way. And the series will have 30 episodes. And I don't think HK can produce a Choi Si Won, the abs itself is contrary to Chinese male actors' normal body image. Why Korea and Taiwan and Japan has such super idols and HK has zero? I still can't name the HK version of F4. At some point we will see Gae Hwa and Min Woo's entire family who all knows one another and colleagues will have nicknames for one another as well. There will be many pub scenes despite Min Woo's fame. Gae Hwa at some point will go out with Shi Joon. She will end up in bed with Min Woo. The ending scene will have Gae Hwa leaving HK to further her studies and return as some classy manager meeting Min Woo again and we will be left wondering are they together again?! And then there will be a sequel. Since Min Woo is the more important character, they will kill off Gae Hwa and reintroduce a younger actress to become mother of 2 young girls and wife of Min Woo and I'll be damned if Linda Chung is not cast as that character. Somehow a female bodyguard will get involved and probably Tavia Yeung will get cast and in the end he will end up with neither because there will be a part 3 to the series where Min Woo will die and we will see a new "cool" actor in the form of Kevin Cheng.
Taiwan
The actors age will tally although Gae Hwa will look glamarous and be played by a more glamarous looking 35 year old and damn the wig and dowdy dress. She will dress in boots! To illustrate her "niceness" she will be seen crying when a goat dies. The actor will be someone good looking, maybe a bit of nice abs but will have long hair or so. Acting however will be like this; female lead acts way better than male lead who will sulk, grunt and just act cool throughout. Gae Hwa will not be pulled away by Min Woo, nope, it will be Gae Hwa running after Min Woo. The ending will be a wedding scene that I had hoped for. Yoo Shi Joon's character may be in here but probably will be drastically cut to render him insignificant. 20 episodes probably to tell the whole story. Probably plenty of kisses and definitely a whole lot more of narration with characters voicing their thoughts rather than actually speak them out.
Japan
First of, Japan will cut the episodes to an impossible 7 or 8 and still manage to tell the entire same story without much alteration. The young Min Woo will be someone from Arashi perhaps, I don't know, but he won't be taking off his shirt as often although he will have killer hairstyle which is kinda spiky short or wavy long. The actress will be less prettier than the Korean version, probably a few years younger and our Min Woo will be cool, sulky and god damn rude. They will sleep with one another. She will get pregnant. She will have miscarriage. They will part ways. He will find her. They will marry. Then they will make a one episode special to the series and then 2 movies to explain all that.
What I Learnt From K-Dramas
1. Everybody must have a rank or formal title such as President, Chairman, Manager, etc. No one is without a title or a rank and you must always address that person by that rank
2. OR you must address that person by their full name, surname included and imagine if that includes the title plus the company he or she works for plus the full name, the entire introduction scene in a well connected party can be a mouthful and will take one episode for just that.
3. Bow. YOU MUST BOW. More precisely girl bows to boy, no matter how much you despise that boy
4. In a love story situation, the guy must DRAG the girl out of a situation by leading her with one hand of his firmly clasped with hers and she looking darn confused.
5. A jerk is a jerk until he does something utterly romantic, not giving flowers but you know, go behind her back and start scolding her ex husband and insists he gives her her dignity back.
6. There was a time this is not true but now I am glad to say HERO = HANDSOME = DAZZLING SMILE = AMAZING ABS (optional but good if there is such a thing) = FANTASTIC HAIR
7. Seniors always scream at juniors who always detest the seniors but must maintain a polite demeanour with regards to the Seniors who will scream at the top of their lungs to the juniors who just look at them like "So what?!" and did I mention, seniors who are businessmen are like gangsters? In fact they all look like gangsters instead of legitimate businessmen.
8. Korea must be very very safe to allow a young girl to walk home alone
9. Just this series alone, the handphone is the must have accessory. As oppose to Cinderella Stepsister where girl searching for guy never seems to just give him a call or write a letter delivered by courier service directly to the intended person, in Oh! My Lady every episode has an average of 6 calls (as in 6 times a phone is used and always a handphone which all looks to be from the same company) and a few letters, by courier company no less
10. Korean women can really really walk. Evidence? Gae Hwa the superwoman who can do so many things within a few short hours which includes taking a bus home, clean, cook, and still manage to make it on time for the musical premier. No wonder she doesn't need a makeover. She has no time for a makeover.
Last but not least
11. Are saunas in Korea opened 24 hours? They can even sleep and eat there!
SOME PICTURES
I am absolutely unequivocally in love with that little girl Kim Yoo Bin! So precious! She came to the press conference with a cute tiny handbag! And I also love how Chae Rim would give her kisses and most of all, very surprised but shouldn't have been to see Choi Si Won doting on her! It must have been very cold but the way he covered her with his long coat and in one picture he even rubbed and blew into her tiny little hands! Super cute girl!!! And ermmm Choi Si Won isn't that bad himself. He gives me an impression he loves children and is good with them! He and Chae Rim makes such a lovely pair despite the age difference! Power to the ahjummas! More gorgeous pictures here!
오! 마이 레이디
Same title as in English
Better Title
Should have been Here Comes Ahjumma! but I believe that is already taken
Episodes
A rather short 16 episodes
Version
The version I watched is TV rip but HD quality with fansub which is well done but not as great as some I could name. Some aren't translated so don't go thinking all guys are called Hyung. It just means brother (as addressed by a guy to an older guy). Unni is sister as addressed by a girl to an older girl. Ahjumma is auntie. Ajashi is Uncle. Noona is sister as addressed by a guy to an older girl. Sanbei means senior, from one junior to another older guy. Appa is father. Omma is mother. Aigoo... I don't think it is even a word but more like an expression like huh? Wah Lau eh! Eh! Oi! I think...
Anyway if you would like to watch this the links are as follows:-
>> the video files
>> the subtitles files (English only)
If you wanna burn the subtitles into the video file aka hardcode the subtitles, learn how here
Broadcast network
SBS
Released In
2010
Cast-Character
Chae Rim as Yoon Gae Hwa
Choi Si Won as Sung Min Woo
Lee Hyun Woo as Yoo Shi Joon
Park Han Byul as Hong Yoo Ra
Moon Jung Hee as Han Jung Ah
Yoo Seo Jin as Lee Bok Nim
Yoo Tae Woong as Kim Byung Hak
Bang Joon Seo as Kim Min Ji
Kim Yoo Bin as Sung Ye Eun
Heo Joon Suk as Choi Tae Goo
Kim Kwang Gyu as Han Min Kwan
Kim Hee Won as Jung Yoon Suk
Hwang Hyo Eun as Oh Jae Hee
Hong Jong Hyun as Kim Jin Ho
Lee Dae Yeon as Eom Dae Yong
Chu Hun Yub as Chae Ho Suk
Seo Myung Kyu (서명규) as Min Woo's friend
Kim Hee Joon (김희준) as Min Woo's security guard
Yeo Ji Hyo as high school student
Jessica as herself (cameo, ep7)
Hyo Yeon as herself (cameo, ep7)
Choi Soo Young as herself (cameo, ep7)
Lee Han Wie as director (cameo, ep1)
Jun Hye Jin as actress (cameo, ep1)
Na Young Hee as Gae Hwa's former boss (cameo, ep1)
Summary
Taken from Wiki-addicts
A spunky 35-year-old housewife, Yoon Gae Hwa, takes on the job of manager to prickly top star Sung Min Woo in order to earn enough money to regain custody of her child from her ex-husband. Romantic hijinks and hilarity ensues when they find themselves in an awkward living situation as Min Woo pays Gae Hwa to take care of his daughter, Ye Eun.
Real Summary
I wonder do the networks actually watch the show or even read the scripts before putting down the official summary. So here is the real summary.
Yoon Gae Hwa is a divorced mother of one 7 (or maybe 8?) year old child who had to work hard to make ends meet as her ex husband, Kim Byung Hak refuses to help her out financially, blaming her financial woes on her deceased mother who used up Gae Hwa's entire divorce settlement towards the hospital bills. Out of desparation and without a job, Gae Hwa reluctantly left her daughter, Min Ji in the care of her ex husband who has since remarried to a younger wife which we will not get to see in the series. He took on Min Ji reluctantly and didn't take his responsibility as a father seriously which sees Gae Hwa having to take care of Min Ji by payments of school fees, music studies and even food even if Min Ji is staying with her father. Meanwhile Gae Hwa was given the job as a housekeeper to someone important whose privacy is of utmost priority and he turns out to be 28 year old top star/super idol Sung Min Woo which Gae Hwa isn't too impressed with even if her best friend paedetrician Lee Bok Nim and every young and aunties alike are absolutely crazy about him, despite his lack of acting skills. However the job lasted just 1 day as Gae Hwa had to leave due to an emergency with Min Ji and in the process burnt Min Woo's very expensive shirt. Fired and without a job, Gae Hwa answered an internet recruitment ad for an intern at a stage production company called The Show Company run by a very cool, cold and aloof Yoo Shi Joon. During the interview she was told she was too old for the job and as the conversation led to Sung Min Woo which Yoo Shi Joon was forced to consider casting him for his star power, Gae Hwa inadvertantly let slip she knows him. Desperate, Yoo Shi Joon told her if she could help recruit him as the lead actor in their upcoming musical called All That Love, she gets the job as the intern. Gae Hwa was desparate to reunite with her daughter and so prepared a business proposal for Min Woo, who didn't quite care to even read and threw the entire proposal out of his car although he made her buy him a new shirt. But she was persistent, as persistent as a papparazi who made it his life mission to uncover more of Min Woo's scandals. As Gae Hwa tried to see Min Woo at his luxury apartment, she saw a taxi driver letting off a 6 year old child with her luggage and said she was to be delivered to Sung Min Woo. The guard recognised Gae Hwa and thought she was the housekeeper and so she took the child to see Min Woo thinking she was his niece. To his and her shock, she turns out to be his illegitimate child with one of his I suppose childhood sweetheart before he went into showbusiness. Gae Hwa seizing the opportunity blackmailed him into accepting the job whilst meanwhile she in turn will take care of the child for him. He was thinking she would take the child and leave but Gae Hwa managed to convince him to let her stay with him whilst taking care of the child, Ye Eun as she can save on the rental as well. What Gae Hwa didn't know was Min Woo knew Shi Joon who was his lecturer during university days who predicted Min Woo as a complete failure as an entertainer and so there were bad blood between them. However Min Woo signed on, Gae Hwa got her job and so begins the precarious living arrangement between Gae Hwa who is also the housekeeper/nanny/secret keeper of Min Woo and his child Ye Eun whom he refuses to acknowledge. As time goes by he falls for her and things turn serious when Min Woo had to decide between his career and acknowledging his child.
Comments
I haven't been watching any Korean dramas not since the disastrous Cinderella Stepsister that turned me off K-dramas, and luckily not for good. I heard good things about this series and since I like Chae Rim who was the single reason to watch Dal ja's Spring, I decided to give this series a try. After all who doesn't like a good fantasy which involves an ahjumma (auntie) with a much younger hotter man? More so when this fantasy involves a dowdy looking 35 year old and a hot looking major pop idol? I know it sounds impossible, it sounds even ridiculous but if anyone can convince the audience that an impossible scenario can seem possible, it has to be K-dramas. Only they can make such ridiculous impossible scenario seem possible enough for us to take it seriously. If Cinderella Stepsister is love and tortorous love overload, Oh! My Lady is the direct opposite; it is still about love but an easygoing one so to speak. I remember rewatching All About Eve which coincidentally starred a very young Chae Rim opposite the absolutely gorgeous (and very married appa!) Jang Donggun where Jang Donggun's character chose to fall for Chae Rim's character instead of his oldest friend because Chae Rim's character made him happy and love should be happy unlike the meandering suffering love that Cinderella Stepsister would like us to believe, the same reasoning can be used here as to why Sung Min Woo could fall for Gae Hwa. She makes him happy, she feeds him, she encourages him, when his own manager belittled him it was Gae Hwa who expressed anger whilst he expressed a certain resignation to a fact that he is a lousy actor, when all was tumbling down for him and Gae Hwa was humiliated, she didn't care much about herself but worrries about him, when he was told by everyone to go on a diet for some photoshoot, she was the one who expressed disbelief that anyone should have to do that and starts to cook good food for him, she took good care of his daughter and thought of ways to make him acknowledge his responsibility as a father and in the end she loved him for who he is, not the top star Sung Min Woo but the loving father Sung Min Woo. As I was watching this series, I was hoping for 3 things to happen in the final episode;
1. a wedding. I want a wedding and K-drama seems not to like weddings
2. a still camera as the leads kiss passionately
3. a makeover for Gae Hwa
At the end, none of these 3 ever happened. There's still that circling the leads as they kiss camera technique which is boring, there is still no wedding but ended with a kiss and in retrospect, it was good Gae Hwa didn't go through any makeover at all and she remained true to herself. One telling scene had her ex husband making excuses for his affairs which led to the divorce, blaming her for looking like an ahjumma, for not wearing prettier clothes, etc which of course angered Min Woo who saw her for her natural sort of beauty. In an earlier scene they were both drunk after she had a really bad day and she confessed she knew she wasn't any great beauty but Min Woo was the one who drunkenly said "Looking at your entire face, no you're aren't attractive but individually, you do have a cute nose, and your lips.. your lips.." and he suddenly realised what he was saying and snapped out of it as she said "What about my lips? They're fine!" as she went to take a new bottle of wine but stood before the fridge and fallen asleep. Min Woo looked at her as she fluttered her eyes and suddenly, which I feel is quite a moment, he impulsively kissed her, much to her shock. It would have been great to see how they stopped kissing but the next scene she ran into her room and wondered what happened whilst Min Woo was in his room wondering why he did what he did. Then the next scene of him avoiding her, and she confronting him and saying "It was just a kiss! Moreover it wasn't a great kiss anyway!" which of course Min Woo felt insulted.
These funny moments and unexpectedly romantic moments which glued me to the screen but make no mistake, there were touching moments as well, one where Ye Eun who refused to speak due to psychological trauma of being abandoned by her mother and unwanted by her father suddenly spoke to a very patient and loving Gae Hwa, or when Min Woo promised Min Ji he will not hurt her mother and they pinky sweared on that or the most touching moment, when Ye Eun was lost in a shopping complex and Gae Hwa was inconsolable like a mother would and Min Woo held her consoling her like a father would and a panicking Min Woo went looking for Ye Eun and saw people looking at his life size cardboard ad image and saw Ye Eun holding the cardboard's hand since she recognised that as her father and he was very touched by what he saw and she then saw the real Min Woo and gave a sweet smile. I think at that precise moment he decided to hell with his career and he welcome his responsibility as a single father as well as recognising the fact that he was in love with Gae Hwa. That was a very touching moment that needed very little words and just a dash of tears.
The most romantic moment had to be when he gave her a written business proposal and Gae Hwa read how he planned to marry her in a month, a cruise later, a world tour some years later, etc which shows Min Woo now has plans for the future and is ready to shouler responsibilities and is serious about her. I think Gae Hwa didn't feel he wasn't ready for her but rather she might be a hindrance to his career, but of course his business proposal and the fact that Min Woo met with her ex husband and told him to apologise to her for hurting her to the point she was afraid of new relationships convinced her he has her best interest in his heart too.
And it is funny how Min Woo could convince her best friend, her ex husband, her boss, her colleagues and even her daughter that he was the right man for her as she pondered and wondered and kept denying that fact. He basically charmed everyone and convincing everyone of that fact which is very interesting to watch.
Despite the impossible scenario of how they met and how they ended up together, the fact that they could fall for one another, especially someone like Sung Min Woo for Gae Hwa was very possible. Of course many times in this series everyone wondered what he saw in her but sometimes you may wonder what she sees in that jerk. This series will explain why, but of course unlike Cinderella Stepsister, not painfully so but in a fun way.
Now this series lack villains. Of course villains would make it more urgent but I kinda like that there's not one person who is strictly a villain.
For example the manager of Sung Min Woo who seems like a possible candidate for Villain Of This Series but he isn't. He may have very little faith in his star, he may have threatened him and even did gangster sort of stuff all in the name to further Min Woo's career, he may even wanted to kidnap Ye Eun to make Min Woo to sign a new contract, but in the end he didn't. In fact one of the funniest scene was Yoo Ra who wants to get close to Ye Eun to gain access to Min Woo's heart convinced Gae Hwa to allow her to take her out for one day and of course she lost the little girl in the shopping complex. The manager who was tailing them so as to kidnap Ye Eun ran to Yoo Ra and screamed at her for losing the little girl and went looking for her. I think at that moment it kinda shows the manager isn't really a bad person since he was very shocked at Yoo Ra's incompetence and for losing sight of a child. I thought that particular scene was funny. Anyway in the end Min Woo decided not to sign on with his manager as he wanted to explore the possibilities on his own. He does see the manager like his older brother and the manager despite belittling him and everything and even at some point said Min Woo was just a product to him seems rather earnest in salvaging his career even if through gangster sort of ways. From the dialogue Min Woo wasn't an easy star to manage in the first place.
Yoo Ra could have been a villain but instead she is just keen on Min Woo and perplexed why he could fall for Gae Hwa instead of the hotter Yoo Ra. He was keen on Yoo Ra but in the end he recognises Gae Hwa is the one for her when he tried to kiss Yoo Ra and saw Gae Hwa's face instead. Yoo Ra may be childish and rude but she isn't a bad person. She didn't reveal to the press about the child when Min Woo repeatedly rejected her so she is not vindictive.
Yoo Shi Joon could be a villain as the series seems to suggest he likes Gae Hwa but didn't go further than that. Instead he became her friend and at times had to remind Min Woo to treat Gae Hwa with respect as he saw how Min Woo ordered Gae Hwa around not knowing she is part timing as her housekeeper. He seems to be the voice of reason and I like how in the end Min Woo learn to respect him as Shi Joon learn to respect Min Woo as well. By the way his story about Gae Hwa and him and his cheating suffering wife Jung Ah was what slowed down the pace of this series considerably. But his character has a purpose and served it well even if I thought he had already divorced his wife at episode 5 when until episode 16 only then they were divorced and remained friendly with one another.
The ex husband Byung Hak was a horrible father, horrible husband, horrible human being. He could even blame Gae Hwa for his affairs and financial woes and so he is closest at being the villain. And yet when Gae Hwa was accused of blackmailing Min Woo into starring in the musical, surprisingly and very funnily Byung Hak was the first to rise up to her defense as he proclaimed "Gae Hwa may be many things but she is not that sort of person! What sort of company is this that pushes their employees to resort to such desperate measures? What did you all do to make her go blackmailing people?!". In the end to her surprise he drunkenly offered his apology for hurting her which was a rather good scene and shows he ain't that bad even if he is a jerk. Of course the portrayal of a father who pretends to be a diligent one in front of his daughter and a whole different face in front of his ex wife was spot on. Must mention though that he may be rather offended that a hot young star like Min Woo could fall for a woman he claims to be unattractive and a nag. Of course unlike Min Woo he didn't see the beautiful aspect of his ex wife who deserves better.
Finally the reporter. Korean papparazi is scary if he is an example of such papparazi. His tailing Min Woo is not just borderline obsessive but an obvious harassment, since he chased Min Woo for scandals. But in the end he wasn't the villain as he wrote a glowing report on Min Woo which changed his image from teen pop idol to a serious character actor with a daughter to raise. In fact Min Woo became even more famous because of this new image.
So there are no villains in this series, just perhaps all sort of personalities. Moreover it wouldn't serve this series well to have a villain. I think this series knows what it is; a romantic dramedy.
However this series has its down times.
I wonder where is Gae Hwa's and Min Woo's family. So they do not have support system and when trouble comes it seems they're all alone. And we never get to see Yee Eun's mother. The mother actually just walked away!
Everytime the story moves away from Sung Min Woo and Gae Hwa the entire story falls flat. I believe Gae Hwa and Shi Joon's scenes are too many, as well as Shi Joon and his wife and also Yoo Ra and Min Woo, none of which I particularly enjoyed. I did not enjoy the reporter's story as well. Further Min Woo's backstory about the hit and run, affair with a rich man's wife, his rumours with many young stars, him beating a papparazi or something, none of these were explained in detail except to say they happened. So I didn't quite get the temperamental Min Woo although there's the arrogant selfish self absorbed Min Woo. Would these have furthered the character development of Min Woo? I don't think so, it may prove too much information but I couldn't quite imagine the sometimes lovable Min Woo or serious Min Woo could be so violent. He can be quite persistent though.
Frankly I have no problems with the characterisations in this series. Having read some online opinions, it is true the story in this series is very familiar but isn't all romantic stories the same essentially? The problem is breathing new life into the story, giving it something refreshing and I must admit the dialogues in this series are very good even if as this series would teach the rest of the world, Koreans love to mumble to themselves or is often so exasperated over everything they're rendered momentarily speechless, an observation I made in my Jewel In The Palace review. Or that they love to say "Aigoo" which I take it to mean "Wha... huh... ahhh... eh..." in any other culture. Why I love this series is of course the impossible story but most of all because of the performances.
The casting seems carefully done and I am happy if it is so because it pays to have careful casting decision.
Need I say anything more about the wonderful charismatic Chae Rim? The make up department has a hard time making her look dowdy with that awful wig (which I suspect later on is replaced by her real hairdo) and some questionable fashion choices, making her more ahjumma than unni but the fact remains she is cute and earnest and charismatic. I did wish she had a makeover in terms of wardrobe and I was very surprised her colleagues never said to her "Ahjumma, jeans and sweatshirt is not an office attire and nobody goes to a musical premier in shorts". Performance wise, I find Chae Rim could have done better than the worried look or the embarassed look and I do feel she was in better form in Dalja's Spring but frankly I find Chae Rim effective in here although her character is on one track development meaning she hardly had any development at all. I waould love to have more of her back story since after a while the series felt more like about Min Woo than about her and Min Woo. Not that I am complaining. I especially love her interaction with Choi Si Won, the way she indulges him, let him bully her and the way she quietly persuades him and the way she cooks, cleans and basically look after his every needs, including taking care of his daughter and eventually moving out with HIS daughter. After a while I was thinking shouldn't he shoulder the responsibility such as renting a place for her which he did ask to do so but she refuses. A very strange nanny!
Lee Hyun Woo is probably playing the same role I saw him play in Dal ja's Spring and may I add, I can't quite imagine him in a comedy since he totally lacks a sense of humour. He looks so much older in here, not helped by his 2 tone foundation on his face. Was he sick? I find him boring, and I find him NOT THE CHAIRMAN PLAYING THE CHAIRMAN sort of roles. It doesn't help he is slow and steady sort of person, which gives me an impression he is softspoken and rather mature but still so darn boring to watch. His scenes with the sassy looking Moon Jung Hee who can dance really well (a dancer turn actress perhaps?) playing his suffering wife is suffering to watch because these 2 has got to be the most soft spoken quarreling couples ever. The time it took for them to separate took 16 episodes and that is like a lifetime.
Park Han Byul is pretty and in all honesty, I really think she did something to her eyes, cheeks, nose and everything else except maybe her very nice figure which would take many many exercises to maintain. I mean everyone in this series probably had something done. What is interesting about her is her wardrobe; hardly a cleavage but still as suggestive with the impossibly high heels making her look even taller than she already is. Acting wise, a bit painful to watch. She quite simply utter her lines in such a careful manner that it took quite some time for her to finish one line, her expression is between huh and duh and nothing much and frankly, I find her pretty and that is about it. Possibly the worst performance in this series.
Yoo Seo Jin looks so familiar but I am not sure where I have seen her before. She plays Bok Nim who at first seems like a silly fangirl of Min Woo who turns out to be a married paedetrician who IS a silly fangirl of Min Woo. I love her character and I love her performance. So cute! I love the scene where Min Woo said "I have asked Gae Hwa to marry me" and her reaction was priceless; her coffee mug just dropped onto the table as she looked at him in complete and utter shock, an expression the Koreans are very good at.
Yoo Tae Woong plays Byung Hak the ex husband of Gae Hwa and this is the closest thing to a jerk and a villain in this series. He looks familiar, he was in He Who Can't Marry but I can't remember who he was in there. Anyway a complete and utter jerk and this actor really played him expertly. His worst as in most villainous moment had to be when he humiliated Gae Hwa at the musical premier which shows how little respect he has for his ex wife hence his disbelief when he found out Min Woo was supposedly dating her or that she is a planning manager at The Show Company. His redemption came when he defended Gae Hwa amidst the accusations of blackmailing and he became sort of a nice person in the end when he actually apologised to her, even if he was drunk and gave his seal of approval for Min Woo whom he declares is a good guy. Fantastic performance.
The actor who plays Min Woo's manager is a name I did not catch, whether character or the actor's name but he was despicable but still not villain enough. From the way he portrayed this role he gives me an impression he looks down on Min Woo, maybe sees him as an investment and his saviour and yet towards the end he still didn't kick Min Woo out of the apartment and even wanted to continue to act as his manager/agent despite the entertainment world declaring Min Woo as finished. But Min Woo of course decided to go alone, to be free agent and take care of himself. He said it in a very nice way actually.
Bang Joon Seo who plays Min Ji really looks like Chae Rim and gave an outstanding performance as the daughter. I find her cute and believable and very mature for her age which I checked is 7. Very big for a 7 year old girl.
But I am far more impressed with Kim Yoo Bin who plays Ye Eun, who is far younger than Bang Joon Seo (in the series she is 6, in real life she is 5, either way she is small for her age) and gets to have more scenes with Chae Rim and of course Choi Si Won. Her role may seem simplistic; she eats, cries and sleeps, a lot. But as the series went on and we learn that her mother did actually abandon her to start a new life in I think New York she suffered deep psychological trauma hence she refuses to talk. Then faced with a stubborn father who didn't want her, all I can think of was that her stony face or cries and silence were of better acting than some adults out there. And when she said "I understand Ahjumma" to Chae Rim in one scene, it was a near miracle sort of scene for me. Little cute scenes like refusing to take the lollipop that her father licked, or the way she quietly eats her food or wants to go to toilet (and mind you a lot of toilet humour in here but all tastefully done - no pun intended) or the best of all, holding that cardboard image of her father really did nearly broke my heart. When she smiles, she lights up the entire scene. And I love her chemistry with Chae Rim and Choi Si Won fans will be very happy to know her chemistry with her appa is the highlight of this series. A fantastic performance from this child actress.
Last but not least, Choi Si Won himself who looks like a cross between Takeshi Kaneishiro plus Wang Lee Hom plus David Wu (I think; that actor who played Bruce Lee who went on to Cat III movies who then became Channel [V] VJ and now I am not sure where he is). Anyway, let me do a checklist;
Handsome - check
Tall - check
Can dance - check
Can sing - competently so check (speaks with low voice but surprisingly sings with high pitched tone?!)
Can act - check
Has dashing smile - check check
Has killer abs - check check check
Amazing hair - check check check check check check check check check
What more can you ask for in a super idol? Maybe no chapped lips? Anyway, I am not aware of his existence except until this series came along. I do know the existence of Super Junior which is the group he belongs to but I am not a fan of either. When I knew he is a super idol playing a super idol, I did groan a little. How cliche eh? I know it would be entertaining but I was getting ready for those acting you always see in Taiwanese idol dramas which means very little substance and no expressions, if any. And after Cinderella Stepsister, frankly my opinion of idol acting in dramas isn't exactly very nice so yes I am not a fan of 2PM. What Choi Si Won has over the other idol in that drama is quality writing. Oh! My Lady has a good script and though Chae Rim may be the lead character, Sung Min Woo is the one character that is well written and would go through many challenging moments that a far worse actor would just ruin him. A good actor would make something out of him but a better actor would give him personality other than arrogant childish immature jerk. When I was watching I thought the character was 25 at most but all those mentions about university, dates, etc didn't tally and in the last episode I found out he was supposed to be 28 which in restrospect would make Min Woo incredibly childish and terribly immature. So the change in the end would have been an amazing transformation. Rest assured all fans of Super Juniors or whichever branch he is with, Choi Si Won the super idol from a super idol group who himself is a top star like Sung Min Woo himself did not disappoint; in fact I am terribly impressed with his performance which goes beyond just 2 expressions; he can actually act and he can act very very well. I wouldn't say earth shattering good but I recognise a talent when I see one and though I can't vouch for his singing (he did sing in this series, which was good) or dancing (which he did dance in this series which was good), but I feel he has a solid future as an actor. Some may dismiss this series as fluff, any actor can do it, it is a comedy, it is light hearted, it is romance series. First of, a good actor will be able to make Sung Min Woo likeable despite his immaturity or his constant pushing away his daughter. He has to be believable as a star (no problem in that) and as a person behind that facade called star and that I feel is where Choi Si Won succeeded. He has good comedic timing, his delivery of the punchline or that expression is spot on. There doesn't seem to be any deliberate acting on his part, his actions and his expression are natural and fluid, much like Chae Rim herself. I love his interaction with Chae Rim, the way he begs to be pampered or scolded or pushed around. I love his interaction with Kim Yoo Bin, especially that scene where he walked in to see her on the lap of Lee Hyun Woo's character and feeling particularly possesive, he tapped on his own thigh and a sense of triumph when the little girl walked right up to his side. His insistent on being fed, asking for fruits, saying he is hungry, etc. Those are little scenes but goes a long way to build up this character. His not so good scenes were the ones where he was angry and he was shouting which wasn't angry enough for me. But the quiet moments, like how he teases Gae Hwa or left in quiet contemplation over his future or how he should settle the problem with a bigger scandal that is his daughter, all these made him a joy to watch. It helps he is given killer wardrobe, his pants may look silly but he works them great! And it is also helpful he has killer abs with a waist so tiny, a shoulder so broad and a smile so dazzling. However I was equally as impressed with his ability to carry the little girl convincingly. You know some actors just couldn't carry a child but he can. And yes, the way I am going it is like an evaluation of a potential husband material isn't it? Well, why not? Children loves him, ahjumma like myself likes him, young girls adore him and as always it is better if all these adoration is justified. I proudly say I am a big fan of one particular star because he can act/sing/whatever and no more better honour for a fan to have such affection returned with quality performances. I do not know what the future holds for Choi Si Won, I suspect if he keeps this up he will have an illustrious solo career but so far, for this series alone, his performance wasn't fluff. His character changes from one end to the other and still maintain that likeability despite being a first class jerk. He handles the emotional scenes well and he looks good in all scenes even with ridiculous pants. I am saddened that HK does not have this sort of quality young idols, even Taiwan lacks them with all those nonsense they call acting but in series we just can't help but watch, so all idol fans will be glad to know there is nothing embarrassing with drooling over Choi Si Won as in here he did his fans proud. A fantastic performance and a definitely charismatic one.
Verdict
I have to give it to the Koreans to make such unbelievable fantasy seem like reality eventhough in real life it can never happen. There was a time there was a lull in quality with K-dramas but interestingly the acting is considerably and consistently better than most even if the story sucks. There are many reasons to watch this series; for the ahjummas in all of us, the fantasy element. For the romantics, the practical and yet romantic aspects. For those who crave good acting, this series boasts some fine ones amongst the major actors. For those who likes familiar but yet different stuff, this series has that too. But most of all, for fans of Chae Rim and Choi Si Won, there is no better reason than to watch this series for these 2. Why is it everytime Chae Rim is in a series I always wish she marries the lead actor? Like All About Eve and until now, I always believe Chae Rim is Jang Donggun's true love. Now I believe she is Choi Si Won's true love! And this is why this series is to me a success despite the ratings or the numbers; the actors convince us they're who they're.
A must watch.
One major missing scene
We have fans throwing eggs at Gae Hwa. It would have been great if there is a scene where fangirls running after her throwing eggs or maybe just curious about her. I mean it is so impossible, so why not up the notch? There is a scene of all the ahjummas running after Min Woo in a supermarket and 2 fangirls running after him in a street.
Could it happen?
If a young idol is discovered having a young child, will the sponsors abandon him like they did with Min Woo? I feel if a star such as Min Woo himself explain why and what and how and where, I am sure the fans would agree and the sponsors will agree that he is blameless. So why should he be judged immoral or unclean? It seems as this series suggest having a child out of wedlock is a bigger scandal than dating a woman 7 years your junior and having her walk in and out of your apartment or staying together in one place! I don't think in real it would matter if Min Woo has a child if it is explained he didn't know her existence in the first place.
How would Oh! My Lady be in other countries
Hong Kong
The actors' age would be at least add 5 years although for Gae Hwa it is very easy to find a 35 year old. Unfortunately it will be either very silly or very dramatic, and there will be ONE ultimate villain who will ruin things for our love pair in here. Since child actors are getting better in HK, it will be one good aspect. My guess is Raymond Lam will be cast as Sung Min Woo and he will probably play him like a gentleman and Charmaine Sheh will be Gae Hwa which I won't complain much since she is right age but damn it if she ever wears a dowdy wig because I am convince she would go through an amazing makeover where Raymond's eyes will light up which kinda defeat the entire message of the story. And Joe Ma will play Yoo Shi Joon. It is always that way. And the series will have 30 episodes. And I don't think HK can produce a Choi Si Won, the abs itself is contrary to Chinese male actors' normal body image. Why Korea and Taiwan and Japan has such super idols and HK has zero? I still can't name the HK version of F4. At some point we will see Gae Hwa and Min Woo's entire family who all knows one another and colleagues will have nicknames for one another as well. There will be many pub scenes despite Min Woo's fame. Gae Hwa at some point will go out with Shi Joon. She will end up in bed with Min Woo. The ending scene will have Gae Hwa leaving HK to further her studies and return as some classy manager meeting Min Woo again and we will be left wondering are they together again?! And then there will be a sequel. Since Min Woo is the more important character, they will kill off Gae Hwa and reintroduce a younger actress to become mother of 2 young girls and wife of Min Woo and I'll be damned if Linda Chung is not cast as that character. Somehow a female bodyguard will get involved and probably Tavia Yeung will get cast and in the end he will end up with neither because there will be a part 3 to the series where Min Woo will die and we will see a new "cool" actor in the form of Kevin Cheng.
Taiwan
The actors age will tally although Gae Hwa will look glamarous and be played by a more glamarous looking 35 year old and damn the wig and dowdy dress. She will dress in boots! To illustrate her "niceness" she will be seen crying when a goat dies. The actor will be someone good looking, maybe a bit of nice abs but will have long hair or so. Acting however will be like this; female lead acts way better than male lead who will sulk, grunt and just act cool throughout. Gae Hwa will not be pulled away by Min Woo, nope, it will be Gae Hwa running after Min Woo. The ending will be a wedding scene that I had hoped for. Yoo Shi Joon's character may be in here but probably will be drastically cut to render him insignificant. 20 episodes probably to tell the whole story. Probably plenty of kisses and definitely a whole lot more of narration with characters voicing their thoughts rather than actually speak them out.
Japan
First of, Japan will cut the episodes to an impossible 7 or 8 and still manage to tell the entire same story without much alteration. The young Min Woo will be someone from Arashi perhaps, I don't know, but he won't be taking off his shirt as often although he will have killer hairstyle which is kinda spiky short or wavy long. The actress will be less prettier than the Korean version, probably a few years younger and our Min Woo will be cool, sulky and god damn rude. They will sleep with one another. She will get pregnant. She will have miscarriage. They will part ways. He will find her. They will marry. Then they will make a one episode special to the series and then 2 movies to explain all that.
What I Learnt From K-Dramas
1. Everybody must have a rank or formal title such as President, Chairman, Manager, etc. No one is without a title or a rank and you must always address that person by that rank
2. OR you must address that person by their full name, surname included and imagine if that includes the title plus the company he or she works for plus the full name, the entire introduction scene in a well connected party can be a mouthful and will take one episode for just that.
3. Bow. YOU MUST BOW. More precisely girl bows to boy, no matter how much you despise that boy
4. In a love story situation, the guy must DRAG the girl out of a situation by leading her with one hand of his firmly clasped with hers and she looking darn confused.
5. A jerk is a jerk until he does something utterly romantic, not giving flowers but you know, go behind her back and start scolding her ex husband and insists he gives her her dignity back.
6. There was a time this is not true but now I am glad to say HERO = HANDSOME = DAZZLING SMILE = AMAZING ABS (optional but good if there is such a thing) = FANTASTIC HAIR
7. Seniors always scream at juniors who always detest the seniors but must maintain a polite demeanour with regards to the Seniors who will scream at the top of their lungs to the juniors who just look at them like "So what?!" and did I mention, seniors who are businessmen are like gangsters? In fact they all look like gangsters instead of legitimate businessmen.
8. Korea must be very very safe to allow a young girl to walk home alone
9. Just this series alone, the handphone is the must have accessory. As oppose to Cinderella Stepsister where girl searching for guy never seems to just give him a call or write a letter delivered by courier service directly to the intended person, in Oh! My Lady every episode has an average of 6 calls (as in 6 times a phone is used and always a handphone which all looks to be from the same company) and a few letters, by courier company no less
10. Korean women can really really walk. Evidence? Gae Hwa the superwoman who can do so many things within a few short hours which includes taking a bus home, clean, cook, and still manage to make it on time for the musical premier. No wonder she doesn't need a makeover. She has no time for a makeover.
Last but not least
11. Are saunas in Korea opened 24 hours? They can even sleep and eat there!
SOME PICTURES
I am absolutely unequivocally in love with that little girl Kim Yoo Bin! So precious! She came to the press conference with a cute tiny handbag! And I also love how Chae Rim would give her kisses and most of all, very surprised but shouldn't have been to see Choi Si Won doting on her! It must have been very cold but the way he covered her with his long coat and in one picture he even rubbed and blew into her tiny little hands! Super cute girl!!! And ermmm Choi Si Won isn't that bad himself. He gives me an impression he loves children and is good with them! He and Chae Rim makes such a lovely pair despite the age difference! Power to the ahjummas! More gorgeous pictures here!
Great review, especially love the 'What this series would be in other countries' section, esp. the TVB one. So true!!! I watched this in like 3 days and was moderately entertained. Agree the child actress was adorable and her chemistry with both Choi and Chae was fantastic. Have watched better series though... am trying to decide what to watch next for K Dramas.
ReplyDeleteBridget thanks!! So where is your review for this series?!
ReplyDeleteI was rewatching it because my sis missed the first few episodes and I love it even more. Story is familiar but the acting was top notch especial ly with the leads. I think I will watch IRIS next. Anyway watching this made me realise Cinderella Stepsister was crappy, really crappy. I want funny happy love, I don't want meandering suffering love! Ooooohh Choi Si Won, even more dreamier now that I am rewatching!
LOL! 'What this series would be in other countries' section. You have TVB's formula pat down. Aigoo, the wrist grapping! It's in very K-drama series. Not the hand, but always the wrist, and especially when when the leading female is leaving the leading male. I know this off the topic, but have you watch "One Thousand Teardrops" starring Hawick Lau and Athena Chu. It's a China series patents after Korean series in its heyday of melodrama. Think "Stairway to Heaven," and "Winter Sonata" but without the cancer. Cinderellaesque, convoluted plot, bomb, extortion, missing memory, two brothers in love with the same girl, etc. The series covers it all and then some within its 16 (1 hour long) episodes. It's so weird and funny, but the leads are charming.
ReplyDeletemove2tbeats, thanks! And you're right! Always the wrist and not the hand! I didn't see the series you mentioned and I hope I never will. Sounds dreadful.
ReplyDeletegreat! i just watched the last episode just now and here i am reading for some reviews as i've really enjoyed the series. am honestly no KPOP fan but, well, i guess this will be my 2nd most fave after Lavender. its been a long while since i've marathoned a series! :D
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I loved your "What this series would be in other countries section" I chuckled while reading through that. Thank goodness the story ended up as a Kdrama.
ReplyDeleteOh! My Lady is a drama I can watch over and over. It's adorable to the max ^^.
Siwon actually convinced me of Min Woo's bad temper/anger. Must've been hard for him, especially screaming at Yubin. From what I've seen, Siwon adores kids. Pictures of him and kids are <3. Also, Siwon is known for his calm nature and kindness.