A Stagnant Romantic Comedy – Our Beloved Summer Ep 15 Review

Check out our previous episode review here.

Maybe I’m missing something here, but I don’t quite understand the blind praise for this series.

Is it because Kim Da Mi and Choi Woo Shik are starring opposite each other again?

If that is the reason, I can understand their fans praising this work. Both are great actors, and have undeniable chemistry…but Our Beloved Summer’s story has fallen flat for me. Again, I say this as someone who is not a fan of romantic comedy, but I do enjoy a good slow burn and angst.

If it is done correctly that is…and this series (unfortunately) was not.

I don’t quite understand why the writer decided to focus so much on the past documentary, along with Choi Woong and Yeon Su’s feelings just to completely ignore their core problems: communication, and emotional issues regarding self-worth.

That alone is the sole reason I was against these characters reuniting and jumping back into a relationship without first examining themselves, and healing from their past trauma.

There was this scene in the episode where Ji Woong was monologuing about the quality of his life. He stated that it would be a boring documentary nobody watched – and that is what Our Beloved Summer felt like these past fifteen episodes.

I swear to you that if we got more of Ji Woong's sad backstory during say - episode 7 or 8 when they were at the lake house - I'd actually give half a damn about his character. It's too late to reverse a generally unlikeable and repugnant character with an ill personality just because he has what can be written off as severe mommy issues. It's sad - but I do not care about Ji Woong or his struggles. Too little, too late. — I swear to you that if we got more of Ji Woong’s sad backstory during say – episode 7 or 8 when they were at the lake house – I’d actually give half a damn about his character. It’s too late to reverse a generally unlikeable and repugnant character with an ill personality just because he has what can be written off as severe mommy issues.
It’s sad – but I do not care about Ji Woong or his struggles. Too little, too late.

Momentum would be built, character beats would be met – but ultimately, the catharsis was never allowed to be present.

Although episode seven and eight were slow, they allowed the necessary examination of the cast’s emotions.

NJ confessed to Choi Woong

Choi Woong friendzoned NJ

Yeon Su gets jealous and realizes her feelings for Choi Woong

Ji Woong gets jealous of Choi Woong and Yeon Su’s feelings

Chae Ran notices Ji Woong’s feelings

Etc. Etc.

It was great!

Then…it immediately goes downhill, with episode nine being the last exploration of the character dynamic before Yeon Su and Choi Woong are stuck together again. Despite seeing how CW suffered, everyone around him (save Eun Ho the Champ) blindly approves and supports them being back together.

The fact that Chae Ran and 'Imtern' had more character development than the main trio in his series is shocking to me. — The fact that Chae Ran and ‘Imtern’ had more character development than the main trio in his series is shocking to me.

Suddenly, we get nauseatingly forced sequences of them being a lovely-dovey couple, where Choi Woong frequently neglects his work, and life he built to “stay by Yeon Su” – despite her never making equal sacrifices for him.

Now we come to the current place in our story.

Ji Woong’s mom who neglected him (for reasons still unexplained at the penultimate episode of the series) is dying from who knows what and we are supposed to care.

Ji Woong has lusted after Choi Woong’s girlfriend, sought to covet his adoptive parents and life – but I’m supposed to care about him?

Ji Woong mopes around and drinks by himself in yet another episode of Our Beloved Summer. — Ji Woong mopes around and drinks by himself in yet another episode of Our Beloved Summer

Ji Woong is supposed to be Choi Woong’s best friend, but since he can’t run and hide from his mother at CW’s house, he is “too busy” to attend his friend’s art gallery debut. Okay.

Yeon Su, the “loving girlfriend” who has changed so much in under a month…can’t make a simple 30 second phone call letting CW know her grandma is sick, and can’t make it to the gallery?

As NJ said, if they were dating – she would not do that to Choi Woong.

And you know what? It’s true.

Unlike Yeon Su, who was trying to “seduce” CW by invading his boundaries when he sought friendship, NJ was very cool and respectful regarding the entire situation.

NJ extends a hand in favor of friendship with Choi Woong. NJ should have been the main lead of this story, in my personal opinion. From Our Beloved Summer Ep 15

NJ showed up on the last day, not wanting to steal his shine. She even brought all of the tickets that hour so she could have privacy as she browsed his gallery, and to not cause misunderstanding between CW and his girlfriend YS.

NJ brought flowers, wished him well, and even offered to buy a painting.

This is juxtaposed to Yeon Su, who despite going through an emotional situation with her elderly grandmother being sick – never even asked Choi Woong how the gallery went.

Choi Woong comes home after a bad day to find Yeon Su sitting on his porch in the snow crying because of her grandma. Our Beloved Summer Ep 15

Instead, he comes home after being berated by the copycat artist from his high school days, bad buzz surrounding his gallery from an art critic, and having to drink and sympathize with his loser friend Ji Woong in the cold….to immediately having to care for Yeon Su emotionally.

Why on earth are people rooting for this?

Yes, Yeon Su and Ji Woong are an emotional wreck – but isn’t Choi Woong the worst of them all? Because he pretends it doesn’t bother him, and it clearly does?

Why don’t the two people closest to him ever ask Choi Woong if he’s fine?

Why is it only just his parents, and manager Eun Ho who seem to authentically care about CW’s wellbeing?

So…am I missing something here with all of the blind praise I see online concerning this show, and its very broken characters who do not even emotionally heal in the slightest in a sixteen-episode series?

Choi Woong sits alone long after his exhibition has closed, still waiting to hear from Yeon Su. Our Beloved Summer Ep 15

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다음 에피소드: Is Our Beloved Summer A Documentary?

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Author: In Asian Spaces

I write in my personal time and I haven't published much at all. I don't know if that qualifies me as a writer or not, but I'd like to change that. I have a deep passion for travel, cinema and (mainly) East Asian things, but I plan on writing various things to keep it spicy. Let's prosper together ~ よろしくおねがいします。 View all posts by In Asian Spaces