Autumn In My Heart

Ok, so I’m finally watching Autumn In My Heart which is the last one of the popular Endless Love 4 seasons series that I hadn’t seen.  I was a little wary of this one, because now I am at a stage in my KDrama Love Affair where I just prefer a good romantic comedy or rom/com, or just a plain old romance where no one dies, the good guy gets the girl, everybody’s happy, etcetera, etcetera.  It is, of course, all make believe, so I should be thoroughly entertained.  I know I’ve said that no one tells a love story like Korean TV, but I should also say, no one tells a tragic love story like Korean TV.

KDrama Tragic Romances

I have never been a big cry baby when I watch sad TV shows or movies.  Oh, occasionally, I may tear up.  You know, your eyes get a little misty, you dab the corners, and this usually occurs when someone onscreen is crying for a darned good (or sad), earth shattering, life altering , gut wrenching reason.  But these KDrama tragic romance shows  (maybe they should be called rom/trag) make me turn on the water works.  I mean my whole face is covered in tears, my nose starts running as if I’m eating something spicy, the only thing missing is the bawling noise and the quivering lips and shoulders (that may come next, who knows).  Because of this I’ve shied away a little from the tear jerkers, a girl needs to keep her coolness, you know.  There has to be a complete and total compelling reason why I would watch a rom/trag despite my new found fear (a compelling reason – Hyun Bin?….. or So Ji Sub….yeah….maybe Song Seung Heon! that’s 3 compelling reasons!).

Of course, I am somewhat enjoying looking at Seung Heon-ssi on that screen, gorgeous eyes and all, but it is taking me an extremely long time to get through these episodes.  I’m watching it between Emergency Couple, any show or movie starring Hyun Bin, the finale for My Love From Another Star, I Need Romance 3,  you know, the rom/coms, the feel good stuff.   I’m not taking forever to watch Autumn In My Heart because the story’s not good, but because I know the tear jerker moments are coming and I’m cringing.   After this experience, I’m going to start a new Korean TV viewing pattern.  I must watch at least 4 -5 lighted hearted shows – Korean or American, before I watch a KDrama rom/trag.  That’s the only way I can take it.

A Little Disturbing

On top of all that, the story line in Autumn In My Heart is a teensy bit disturbing to me.  I am a little twisted about a boy – Yoon Joon Seo (played by Song Seung Heon) and a girl – Eun Seo (played by Song Hye Kyo) raised until their early tweens as very close brother and sister, being tragically ripped apart and separated, and years later finding each other by chance and …..falling deeply in love? And wanting to run away together, leaving broken hearts and lives in the dust? And get married? Um, am I the only one that finds this portion of the story line a little disturbing and a bit unbelievable?  Let me make my point.

I’ve always known I love the heck out of my brothers.  They’re my family.  But as kids, most days you hate the air your siblings breath for whatever reason.  You know, the “Mommy, he’s looking at meeeee, make him stopppp!” phase of hate that siblings go through.  That’s what kids sometimes do and they’re darned good at it.  Now that I’m grown, I look at my siblings as a no man’s land when it comes to romantic relationships.  NEVER, even if I found out any of my brothers weren’t actually my brother by blood, would I even consider dating them FOR A SECOND.  And I think my brothers are handsome.  I even have cousins that are uber Phine, and I still wouldn’t think of them in that way.  When I see my siblings, handsome as they are, I feel a sense of pride.  I think, yeeaaahhh, that super Phine dude you’re drooling at is my brother/cousin/uncle.  NEVER do I think, I’m in love I want to date/marry him.

Not only that, if I could ignore the incestous tone of this show, the leading lady, Eun Seo (played by Song Hye Kyo) is being pursued by another super-duper-Phine cutie-patootie, Han Tae Seok (played by Won Bin) who is crazy about her. He has the looks, the good family back ground, the mischievous personality that doesn’t make him boring, he’s practically begged and put up with all Eun Seo’s shenanigans until she runs away with her “brother” Yoon Joon Seo (played by Song Seung Heon).  Has she hit her head?  Have the writers of this show done the same? Couldn’t they have spun this one just a little differently?  And then of course they add in the Leukemia – as punishment? Just perfect.

Eye Candies Saves The Day

I’m just on episode 13, this show just makes me mad all around, and I guess that’s the purpose of these shows, which is to elicit an emotion or two from the viewer.  But I promise you, if it wasn’t for the eye candies of Song Seung Heon and Won Bin, Autumn In My Heart  would have been in the “unfinished business” pile.  I wouldn’t be able to get through it.  And another ingredient I hate about this show is a female character that is so weak, she’s as spineless as a ramen noodle.

Shin Yoo Mi (played by Han Na Na) is Joon Seo’s fiancé.  That’s right, he had a fiancé when he connected with his “sister”, and was ready to walk away from the fiancé for the sister. But why did they have to make the fiancé so pathetic?  Trying to kill herself, telling Joon Seo to be happy with Eun Seo one minute, then begging him to start over with her again ’cause she can’t live without him, to lying to Joon Seo about the fate of her hand, just guilting the poor man into getting back with her.  Newsflash, girl – not going to last.  Finally, when Joon Seo can’t get Eun Seo off his mind and begs for more time to be with Eun Seo before he and Yoo Mi move to the States, she gets angry because he still has Eun Seo on his mind ~gasp~ shocker!

Love It? Or Hate It?

I’m not sure if I love or hate this one.  I’m still analyzing.  But I will see it through to the end, because Won Bin is Phine! , and of course Song Seung Heon is just downright beautiful,  I absolutely won’t pass up an opportunity to feast my eye on him in a few more episodes.  Besides, I want to see where this “Leukemia” part of the story goes and if Tae Seok is going to stick to his word and pay for Eun Seo’s medical bills and then leave her alone after – if, of course, she lives.

If you haven’t seen this one, and you love the eye candies I mentioned earlier, watch it with me and tell me if you think I’m being unreasonable.  I’m watching this on Hulu.com, but it’s also available on , GoodDrama.net, or DramaFever.com.  I’m sure there are other online places you can watch it but these are my favorite spots to watch Korean shows.  I couldn’t find it on Viki.com.

I’ll do an update to this post when I’m completely done with this series, maybe it’ll get better by the end?  I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

**UPDATE** I finally finished it.  I didn’t like it. I didn’t get my happy ending.  Not for a single soul in that mix.  Shin Yoo Mi never got her man. Han Tae Suk never got his girl, and he prayed and paid and – nothing.  Both Omas lost out on a child they raised for half the time they should  have.  And both Yoon Joon Seo and Eun Seo didn’t live to tell about it.  Sure, they finally got together in the end, thanks to his fiancé for telling, and thanks to her wanna be boyfriend for understanding completely that she loved Joon Seo.  And I hated how Joon Seo died, that he had to die at all, although he didn’t want to live without Eun Seo. It was just too sad all around.  I am going to take a looooooong break from any rom/trag for a while.  At least I can say I saw all 4 of the shows from the series, but Autumn In My Heart is the only one I didn’t like because it was just too twisted.  That’s my (KDrama) story and I’m stickin’ to it!