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Review: Cinderella At 2 AM

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THE SHORT VERDICT:

For me personally, Cinderella at 2 AM is a show with a fun concept, that successfully plays with some tropes, to deliver a sense of freshness in the watch experience.

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Unfortunately, to my eyes, this show is better in concept than execution, in just about every area. šŸ˜… Generally speaking, I found the writing, acting and overall delivery to be on the ungainly side of things.

In terms of silver linings, I count the secondary OTP as a big, fun plus šŸ¤©, and I also found the music pleasant enough to smooth over a number of rough edges.

In addition, Iā€™d also say that this show does manage to serve up a decent amount of heart, despite its shortcomings.

Not a must-see by any means, but might be worth a whirl, given the right mood.

THE LONG VERDICT:

Yā€™know, it occurs to me with sudden clarity, just as Iā€™ve finished watching this drama, that just because Show is, in my opinion, ungainly and flawed, doesnā€™t mean that it wouldnā€™t make a pretty solid drama nightcap.

If youā€™ve heard me talk about drama nightcaps before, youā€™d know that my criteria for a good drama nightcap are very different from what I look for in a good drama, in general.

In short, in my drama nightcap selection process, Iā€™m perfectly happy to overlook flawed writing, execution and delivery, as long as the drama in question delivers on an easy watch thatā€™s not too exciting, and preferably comes with some warm, cozy feels.

And honestly, this drama could potentially fit that bill.

I didnā€™t watch this as a drama nightcap, and therefore, in this review, I will be talking about the flaws that I didnā€™t care for during my watch, but yā€™know, that doesnā€™t mean that you canā€™t enjoy this one, as an easy little drama nightcap? šŸ˜

OST ALBUM: FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

Hereā€™s the OST album, in case youā€™d like to listen to it while you read the review.

Like I mentioned earlier, I thought the music was pleasant, and Iā€™d even go so far as to say that sometimes, the music helped to lift a scene, by adding to the feels of the moment.

At the same time, Iā€™d also say that sometimes I felt like Show was leaning too heavily on the music, as a crutch.

Track 2, ā€œShining Youā€ is the track that I felt added the most to my watch experience in terms of lifting certain moments for me, but ironically, is also the track that I felt Show leaned on too much, as a crutch.

Here it is on its own as well, in case youā€™d prefer to listen to it on repeat; just right-click on the video and select ā€œLoop.ā€

HOW Iā€™M APPROACHING THIS REVIEW

First Iā€™ll talk about how to manage your expectations going into this one, and what viewing lens would be most helpful.

After that, I talk about stuff I liked and didnā€™t like so much. Iā€™m opting not to do a separate section on characters and relationships, for this review. Finally, I spend some time talking about my thoughts on the finale episodes.

If youā€™re interested in my blow-by-blow reactions, &/or all the various Patreon membersā€™ comments during the course of our watch, you might like to check out my episode notes on Patreon here.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS

Here are some things that I think would be helpful to keep in mind, to maximize your enjoyment of your watch:

1. Show is rough around the edges

In my opinion, the writing, execution and delivery is all on the rather ungainly side of things. Adjusting your expectations around this, helps.

2. A manhwa lens is helpful

Oftentimes, Show leans rather exaggerated, and remembering that itā€™s based on a webtoon, and keeping your manhwa lens handy, is a good way to go.

That will help everything to land a lot more smoothly, especially when our characters donā€™t act the way youā€™d expect normal human beings to act. It helps a lot, when you think of them as manhwa characters instead.

3. Suspension of disbelief is required

I personally reminded myself on several occasions, to just take things at face value.

For example, Show tells us that our OTP is a couple that has dated for 1.5 years, but I donā€™t feel like the OTP dynamics vibes like that of a couple thatā€™s been together for a long-ish period of time.

To my eyes, it seems like theyā€™ve been dating for maybe 3-6 months at most.

Thatā€™s when suspending disbelief, and reminding yourself to just accept things at face value, might come in useful.

4. Itā€™s a slow burn

This is a little ironic for sure, since our OTP begins our story as an established couple, but the progress on the OTP front really is a slow burn.

You do literally have to wait until youā€™re in Showā€™s second half for the OTP relationship to demonstrate any meaningful progress, so.. adjusting your expectations around that, helps.

5. Show shuffles between diverse tones

This becomes clearer as you get into your watch, but Show does dabble in more than just the fluffy-silly rom-com stuff.

However, it is a little ungainly with switching between tones, so sometimes, you might suddenly find yourself in more serious narrative waters, and it might feel a little whiplashy. Knowing to expect that, helps.

STUFF I LIKED

Showā€™s concept

I like the idea of Showā€™s title, which is, itā€™s all fun and games when Cinderella first meets Prince Charming, but what happens at 2am, after reality sets in?

I like the concept of this story, and find it rather different and therefore refreshing ā€“ which is why I decided to check out this show in the first place.

[BROAD FOUNDATIONAL SPOILER]

I like the idea of Yoon Seo (Shin Hyun Bin) resigning herself to reality and trying to be practical about things, and therefore accepting the money from Chairman Mom (Jin Hee Kyung) and then struggling to deliver on the promise, of actually breaking up with Ju Won (Moon Sang Min).

[END SPOILER]

The moments of emotional heft

Much of the time, our story world leans on the silly-fluffy side of things, so I really appreciate it when Show allowed space for moments of emotion.

I found that these emotional beats really helped to ground things for me, and I appreciated them a lot.

[SPOILER ALERT]

In episode 2,Ā even the most clingy loyal puppy gets discouraged when his advances are rejected over and over again, and that moment, when Yoon Seo jumps into a taxi and leaves, I really appreciated that wistfulness and sadness in Ju Wonā€™s eyes.

This emotional beat made me feel for Ju Won, and want to root for him.

[END SPOILER]

Our secondary OTP

Canā€™t lie; personally, I was much more interested and invested in our secondary OTP, than in our main OTP. šŸ˜…

Iā€™m not even exaggerating, when I say that I would have happily watched these two in their own drama.

Thereā€™s just something about the idea of this husband and wife pair, who barely know each other because theirs is an arranged marriage, getting to know each other, and falling in love for real, that really gives me a thrill.

Plus, I do very much enjoy Yoon Park and Park So Jin, and it was just a pleasure to have them sparking off each other on my screen. šŸ¤©

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2.Ā I like that Si Won is kind of sweet and dorky, even if he also comes across as kind of hapless, like heā€™s at the mercy of his mom and his wife.

I feel bad for him, because even though he tells Ju Won that itā€™s so freeing to live on his own, and be able to wear only boxers at home, he does strike me as feeling lonely.

He claims that itā€™s all good, with his wife living her own life in France, but thereā€™s definitely a note of wistfulness in there, and Iā€™m sure that he would actually much prefer that his wife be with him in Korea, even if theirs is a business marriage that had been arranged by their parents.

And we do get a bit of a hint of it, in episode 2, when that bottle of wine that Si Won had been specifically craving, shows up mysteriously in his wine collection ā€“ and we get a glimpse of Mi Jin leaving in a car.

Seems to me that sheā€™d popped by to drop off the wine for him, knowing that he likes it, and that already gives me a bit of thrill, thinking that she has some degree of affection for him, when he thinks that she doesnā€™t care about him, and is only interested in living her best life, away from him. šŸ„²

E3-4. Iā€™d had a strong feeling that Mi Jing would be coming back to Korea on a long-term basis (otherwise where would our story be?), but I was still pretty stoked to see Park So Jin on my screen. šŸ˜

Yā€™know, even though Mi Jin tells her friends that sheā€™s barely spent any time with Si Won, I donā€™t get the impression that she dislikes him.

For instance, the way she greets him so cheerily makes me think that she almost delights a little, in the fact that theyā€™re married.

I mean, she calls out, ā€œHusband!ā€ when she sees him. I dunno, I find it cute that she keeps addressing him as ā€œHusband.ā€ šŸ˜

In fact, Iā€™m kind of disappointed that Si Wonā€™s actively avoiding Mi Jin while sheā€™s in the house, because Iā€™d gotten the impression, from last weekā€™s episodes, that he actually was rather wistful at her being so far away in Paris.

Or maybe itā€™s a whole different ballgame because he has no idea how to carry himself around her..? šŸ˜

On a tangent, I found it sooo dorky, that he felt so sad and abandoned, when she had his favorite appliances ā€“ Sebastian and Alberto! ā€“ replaced. šŸ˜‚

Aw. Now heā€™s friendless and alone in the house, pfft. šŸ¤­

E5-6.Ā I like the idea that Mi Jinā€™s more open to connecting with Si Won than he imagines, like with the whole dinner thing, where she blithely includes him in her dinner party with her girlfriends, because he says that he wants to eat with her.

I also like that when he brings up the idea of laying down some ground rules, now that they live together, sheā€™s very reasonable and open to the idea.

Plus, sheā€™s the one who asks if they should keep in touch, and sheā€™s also the one who suggests that they touch base at least once a day.

Generally, I just really like that nuance of tentativeness in her tone, when she suggests these things; it makes me feel like sheā€™s trying to be considerate towards Si Wonā€™s preferences.

ALSO. I do love that sheā€™s quick to clarify that she didnā€™t agree to marry Si Won because her family had insisted on it; sheā€™d agreed to marry him because sheā€™d found him to her liking, during their extended blind date on that flight to Paris.

Aww! I take that to mean that sheā€™d liked him quite well then, and therefore has been quite open to getting to know him better, since; itā€™s just that Si Wonā€™s had completely different assumptions, all this time.

Mi Jin walking in on a naked Si Won and them both screaming in horror and mortification was a scene that brimmed with secondhand embarrassment for me, but I like that they talk about it right away, instead of stewing awkwardly for days afterwards.

Si Won quickly explaining that heā€™d just gotten used to changing without closing the door because heā€™d lived alone, and Mi Jin explaining that sheā€™d screamed only because sheā€™d been so shocked to see flesh upon opening the door, feels like a pretty good way of dealing with the situation, to me.

And, I do like that Mi Jin says that they should both be careful, instead of just agreeing with Si Won that heā€™d be careful in the future.

Additionally, even though I do feel like Mi Jin could be clearer in communicating things to Si Won, I also rather like that sheā€™s helping him understand Chairman Mom better, by pointing out that Chairman Mom must feel so lonely without Ju Won in the house with her.

Itā€™s quite nice that weā€™re getting a few small indications of a budding connection between them, with the way Si Won remembers that Mi Jin doesnā€™t sleep well, and passes her that book to read, for when she has trouble sleeping, and then also gives her that big plushy, so that sheā€™ll be able to sleep better, and includes a sweet little card with it too.

Aww! Thatā€™s cute, isnā€™t it??

I do love that Mi Jin chuckles at the card, in a manner thatā€™s kind of affectionate-adjacent; I feel like weā€™re making some progress here, with our would-be secondary OTP.

E7-8. I am thoroughly pleased with how things are progressing between Si Won and Mi Jin.

The whole macaron thing was so cute, honestly.

I love that she noticed that heā€™d liked the photo of her eating the macarons, and had specially brought some for him to try, and then had posted the picture of him eating in the background, while sheā€™s doing a cheek-heart in the foreground.

Ahhh!! So cute!! šŸ¤©

Heā€™s hilariously dorky about saving all the screenshots of everyoneā€™s positive comments, which I love. Itā€™s just too bad that he put his foot in his mouth by telling Mi Jin that she shouldnā€™t have taken his picture without his permission.

..Which is why she deletes the ā€œoffendingā€ post, much to his dismay.

Hahaha. I thought this whole comedy of errors was quite funny, and giggled quite a bit at Si Wonā€™s chagrin every step of the way.

He just has a way of getting all melty-dorky when he thinks Mi Jinā€™s doing something because she likes him, and then getting sad-offended when he thinks that sheā€™s only doing it because it benefits the business ā€“ only to then get melty-dorky again when he realizes that sheā€™d done it for his sake, after all.

Oh, these two. They are so cute, seriously. šŸ˜

I love that Mi Jin thinks heā€™s cute, and is amused by his dorkiness, including his attempts to look all casually natural, while posing for the camera. šŸ¤­

Iā€™m glad that they do talk things out, somewhere in the midst of it all, and Mi Jin actually asks if Si Won would be ok with her posting his pictures, just sometimes.

Aw. Yā€™know, this feels like a good and healthy step in the right direction. šŸ„²

In fact, every time Si Won is honest about how he feels, this couple takes a step forward, and I do really like that.

Itā€™s sweet that Mi Jin actually was so into the photoshoot, because sheā€™d thought that Si Won liked it.

And itā€™s also very sweet that when heā€™s visibly disappointed that she has to go back to the hotel for a business dinner and therefore canā€™t have noodles with him, she notices his wistfulness, and changes her mind about going back to work ā€“ so that they can have the noodles that heā€™d suggested.

Itā€™s all very endearing and sweet, and I love that when we get that forced proximity at the end of episode 8, where Mi Jin gets pushed, and Si Won catches her in a princess-carry, he takes the opportunity to be honest and tell her that he thinks he likes her.

Eeee!!! Weā€™ve got a legit confession!! šŸ˜

[END SPOILER]

STUFF THAT WAS OK

Moon Sang Min as Ju Won

Iā€™ve had a soft spot for Moon Sang Min since enjoying him as a young prince in Under The Queenā€™s Umbrella (review here!), and his casting in this, was one of the reasons I was curious to check out this show.

I have to confess, however, that while watching, I did feel like Moon Sang Min leans a bit too young for this role, particularly when [MINOR SPOILER] his character comes back as a Director instead of the intern that he starts out as, but I rationalize that itā€™s fine because young baby chaebol directors are par for the course, in a rom-com like this. [END SPOILER]

That said, I do think that it might have been helpful if a slightly older, more experienced actor had been cast as Ju Won, particularly since Ju Wonā€™s supposed to be 29 years old, and Moon Sang Min doesnā€™t look 29.

Overall, though, I did like thatĀ heā€™s good-looking, suits up well, has a nicely deep voice, does smitten puppy eyes well enough, and has enough natural charm, that I was willing to keep working on suspending my disbelief, through my watch. šŸ˜…

Shin Hyun Bin as Yoon Seo

Many of you would likely know this already, but the brutal truth is that I find Shin Hyun Bin on the, uh, uninspiring side, as an actress. šŸ˜…

(No hate here, ok.. I would love to love her as an actress, and am always ready to change my mind. It just.. hasnā€™t happened yet. If you love her, Iā€™m sorry. Maybe donā€™t read this section? šŸ˜…)

To be fair, I havenā€™t watched Tell Me That You Love Me, which I think some of you really enjoyed, including her outing as that showā€™s female lead.

So yes, itā€™s entirely possible that I just havenā€™t seen her best work, and that the various shows where Iā€™ve seen her, just happened to not be her best work.

For the curious, that would be Warrior Baek Dong Soo (I thought she was extremely wooden), Hospital Playlist 1 & 2 (she wasnā€™t too bad, honestly ā€“ until they made her ugly cry), Confession (she was fine in this, actually) and Reborn Rich (I didnā€™t think she suited the role, but I also thought that the role didnā€™t need to exist in the story šŸ˜…).

Putting all that emotional baggage aside, it seems fair to say that I find her miscast in this particular role.

Iā€™ve come to the conclusion that there are 3 main traits that our female lead needs to possess, in order to pull this role off successfully.

[BROAD, LIGHT SPOILERS]

They are:

1, The ability to look serious and responsible, since sheā€™s a team leader at work, and that air of believable responsibility is the reason that Chairman Mom takes her at her word, that she will break up with our male lead, whom sheā€™s been dating for 1.5 years.

2, The ability to leak a bit of ditzy airheadedness, while looking adorable, because Show has our female lead Yoon Seo basically do both of those things on the regular, in her futile fight against our male leadā€™s charms.

Like, sheā€™ll be all determined to be cold and distant towards him, but then, when he or someone else catches her off-guard, sheā€™ll sheepishly acknowledge that sheā€™s charmed, before catching herself.

That kind of thing happens a fair bit, and I think that itā€™s important that our female lead come across as genuinely adorable, while believably leaking that ditzy vibe.

3, Good comedic chops, because thereā€™s a good amount of comedy that Show builds into the telling of its story, and a lot of it involves Yoon Seo.

[END BROAD, LIGHT SPOILERS]

I would say that Shin Hyun Binā€™s good at #1, because she believably comes across as serious and responsible, but is decidedly patchy in #2 and #3.

I know that sheā€™s working hard and that sheā€™s trying, but sheā€™s not super convincing to me in areas #2 and #3, unfortunately.

While watching, I worked hard to keep my critical lens on a blurry setting, andĀ Iā€™d say that overall, sheā€™s decent in the role,Ā if I resolve not to be too critical. šŸ˜…

Additionally, Iā€™ll say that Show does give Yoon Seo a rather sobering backstory, so I do find that backstory helpful as context, to convince myself that this is the real reason for the awkwardness that I perceive in Shin Hyun Binā€™s delivery of the character, instead of an actor limitation.

(Although, I do stand by my conclusion, that Shin Hyun Binā€™s just not made to play cutesy; itā€™s simply not where she shines.)

[SPOILER ALERT]

E3-4. I was actually quite surprised with how Show delves into Yoon Seoā€™s childhood, where she had suffered consistent violence from her father, and had had to protect Ji Seok (Kim Tae Jung) from beatings, on a regular basis.

And then, thereā€™s how sheā€™d left home with Ji Seok, and made a new life for the both of them, once sheā€™d gained a place in Hanguk University.

For a drama thatā€™s been so light and silly, this felt like an unexpectedly heavy turn, so I do feel like the tonal shift was rather jarring.

However, I am still glad that we get this piece of context for Yoon Seo as a character, because this serious thing does help to lend some weight to our narrative.

And, I appreciate the fact that when Yoon Seo says she has more important things to worry about than her love life, there really is something important there.

In fact, I appreciated the way Show tied the bullying arc ā€“ which had felt quite random at first ā€“ to the domestic violence that Yoon Seo and Ji Seok had experienced as children.

The way she lays it out for Ji Seok, it really seems like an important parallel, and an important life lesson to take away; that he should offer help to others, instead of turning a blind eye to abuse.

With this as her context, I can see why Yoon Seo decides that she will no longer focus on something as frivolous as her lingering feelings for Ju Won.

E7-8. On the heavier side of things, we delve into Yoon Seoā€™s family history, and why she doesnā€™t have the habit of celebrating her birthday.

It had been heavy, learning that her father had abused both her and Ji Seok, but now, to learn that her mother had not only stood by, but had added to that abuse, just makes it so much worse.

What a heavy surprise, not just for Yoon Seo for but us as viewers as well, for Yoon Seo to receive news of her motherā€™s death, on her birthday.

It makes sense to me that Yoon Seo would be troubled because of this, and end up drinking, while trying to figure out what to do about her estranged motherā€™s funeral.

I felt bad for both Yoon Seo and Ji Seok, during their conversation, because it really is heartbreaking to realize the kinds of early memories that Ji Seok retains, about how their mother had been so cruel and abusive to Yoon Seo, and how Yoon Seo had protected him, as a kid herself.

Itā€™s horrible that theyā€™d had to grow up like that, and itā€™s heartbreaking that these are literally the only childhood memories that they have. I can understand why they are both adamant in cutting ties with their parents, and only acknowledging each other as their family.

At the same time, I can understand why Yoon Seo might feel a sense of duty to at least go to the funeral hall, as the elder child.

And I can also understand why she would walk away without making her presence known.

Itā€™s a tough situation, and the emotional baggage must be heavy and complicated.

[END SPOILER]

Our OTP

Overall, I have to confess that I liked this OTP more in concept than in execution, which is why itā€™s in this section.

One of the key things, for me, is that I didnā€™t find the OTP chemistry to be very convincing.

I do think that part of the reason it doesnā€™t pop for me, is because I find Shin Hyun Binā€™s delivery a little lacking, as Iā€™ve described above.

And therefore, when Ju Won gets heart-eyes for Yoon Seo when sheā€™s being accidentally adorable, I find it not very believable, not because of his weak heart-eyes, but because I donā€™t find the recipient of the heart-eyes believable. šŸ˜…

Another thing is, this OTP is an established couple when our story starts, and like I mentioned earlier, the vibe between them just doesnā€™t seem like that of a couple thatā€™s been together for 1.5 years.

In fact, if we werenā€™t informed of the length of time that theyā€™d dated, I would have assumed that theyā€™d been together 3 months at the most. šŸ˜…

That further took away from the believability of this OTP, though, as Iā€™ve also mentioned earlier, I made consistent efforts to just take this at face value, and not question it too much.

A third thing that works against this OTP, is the fact that our story makes it a slow burn; it literally feels like we get no real forward movement in our OTP relationship, until the final stretch.

[LIGHT SPOILER]

In fact, for much of our story, it feels like our OTPā€™s in that limbo state where theyā€™re trying to break up, but just arenā€™t quite succeeding.

On this point, Leslie, who watched this with me on Patreon, came up with a pretty brilliant lens, and that is,Ā that itā€™s the hand of fate thatā€™s keeping Ju Won and Yoon Seo from ever actually breaking up for real.

Super handy and helpful, I thought ā€“ thanks Leslie! ā¤ļø

[END LIGHT SPOILER]

With all of that in mind, Iā€™d say that my appreciation for this OTP was often more in the mental, cerebral, logical space, rather than in the heart space.

What I mean is, I would mostly be able to appreciate in my head what Show was trying to say, at various plot points, but I wouldnā€™t be able to actually feel the feels, sadly. šŸ„²

Which is why our main OTP is here in this neutral section.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-2. When Yoon Seo feels guilty for assuming that Ju Won would like the same things she liked, I do love that Ju Won reframes it by saying that sheā€™d simply helped him to broaden his horizons, rather than forced him to do things that he didnā€™t like.

That is very sweet. šŸ„²

E3-4. I love context, as you all know, and so, I was pleased that we got some context around how our OTP had started dating. And, I really like the detail, that it was nothing like love at first sight.

Instead, because Yoon Seo had been kind to him, Ju Won starts to notice her more, and because heā€™d kept observing her, he couldnā€™t help but fall in love with her.

Aw. Heā€™d been drawn to her person, never mind about outward appearances, or labels, or ranks, and I really like the idea of that, honestly. šŸ„²

E3-4. I liked most, the quiet moments when they were the only ones left at the hanok, after everyone had returned to Seoul.

I really appreciate the note of wistful hope in Ju Wonā€™s voice, as he asks Yeon Soo if they could walk together for a while. šŸ„²

In a situation like theirs, where they want to be together, but canā€™t, the prospect of something as simple as a walk, must seem so distant and out of reach; the fact that something so simple could be this precious, is poignant to me. šŸ„²

I do like that Yoon Seo tells Ju Won about her intention to resign from her job; I would much rather she explain it to him upfront now, than have him discover it on his own, after sheā€™s left.

At the same time, I can see how this would galvanize Ju Won into action, to find a way to prevent this from happening.

I appreciate the fact that heā€™s willing to take an overseas posting, if it would make Yoon Seo comfortable enough to stay on at the company; thatā€™s a nice display of consideration on his part, I feel.

E5-6. Generally speaking, I do feel like writer-nim is working to give our OTP layers of realizations, so that they eventually come to the conclusion that they really canā€™t bear to be apart, regardless of the obstacles.

We start with Ju Won having to respond to the idea of Yoon Seo leaving the company, and end with him having to respond to the idea of her potentially being with someone else, first with the blind date, and then with the appearance of an apparent love rival in Lee Seong Min.

On Yoon Seoā€™s side of things, we see her grappling with how different her blind date is, from Ju Won ā€“ and therefore, coming to a deeper realization of how great Ju Won is, as a boyfriend ā€“ and then we see her grappling with how awful it feels, when Ju Won is cold and distant towards her.

The terse conversation that they have the boardroom in episode 5 does feel like itā€™s an important step towards laying things out honestly.

Yoon Seo expresses how it makes her angry that heā€™s able to give up everything so easily in the name of love, and says that itā€™s selfish of him, because it becomes a burden for his partner.

And Ju Won expresses his frustration that she would so easily talk about him being with someone else, when he canā€™t imagine being with anyone else but her.

I feel like these are important seeds, because we do see Yoon Seo grappling with this later on, and realizing that sheā€™s been selfish, just like Ju Won said, and has only been hiding behind the idea of being pragmatic in the face of Chairman Momā€™s opposition.

E7-8. I thought it was a silly-funny thing, to have Si Won being Ju Wonā€™s romance consultant, and be all full of bluster and confidence about it too, since, as weā€™ve seen, Si Won himself is not at all experienced in this area himself.

It was quite amusing to me, that Si Won seemed to know so well, exactly what Ju Won should do, to push Yoon Seoā€™s buttons, and make her jealous, so that he can win her back.

The funny thing is, Si Wonā€™s tips actually do work to some degree, even though heā€™s clearly not giving all this advice from personal experience.

When he tells Ju Won to distance himself from Yoon Seo, so that sheā€™ll have a chance to miss him, thatā€™s exactly what she does; she starts missing him, because heā€™s no longer always there, at the corner of her eye, hanging around and hoping that sheā€™ll change her mind about breaking up.

And while I didnā€™t personally care too much for Ju Won trying to be disagreeable, it does rile Yoon Seo up, and make her focus on him, so itā€™s not a totally useless piece of advice?

What I appreciate is that, through it all, we do get to see Ju Won being a smitten puppy in front of Si Won, as Si Won dishes out all this advice, so that when Ju Won really is trying to be a Bad Boy in front of Yoon Seo, it doesnā€™t land as mean or manipulative.

At least Showā€™s laid the foundational context, that heā€™s really smitten on the inside.

And the little pleased smirks, each time we see Ju Won walk away from Yoon Seo, does help to keep the tone in the fun sort of zone, even when Iā€™m rolling my eyes at his tactics. šŸ˜…

Iā€™m glad that Ji Seok calls and tells Ju Won about everything that Yoon Seoā€™s going through with their motherā€™s death, and that Ju Won manages to be there for Yoon Seo, in a moment where she feels most sad and vulnerable.

Yoon Seo says in voiceover, at the top of episode 8, that the reason sheā€™d cried, is because sheā€™d felt so sorry for herself, and yā€™know, Iā€™m glad she cried.

In fact, I feel like sheā€™s very likely bottled up all of that emotion her entire life, and never allowed herself to acknowledge that sheā€™d had a hard time, or that sheā€™d suffered, and so it feels important and needful, actually, that she allow herself to let it all out, like she does now.

And, in the light of this context, I can believe that Ju Won would want to marry Yoon Seo, so that he can be by her side, and be her family.

Of course, given the entire premise of our story, itā€™s not such an easy thing for Yoon Seo to just say ā€œyesā€ to, and I appreciate that Ju Won says that heā€™ll wait patiently for her answer ā€“ even though heā€™s actually on tenterhooks to know her answer.

Finally, after a good amount of filler and going in circles, we get OTP sexytimes, as Yoon Seo and Ju Won finally reunite as a couple.

Itā€™s all quite sweet and earnest, and while it isnā€™t clear if this is our OTP consummation, itā€™s a nice marker of our OTP reunion, and a clear statement that they are serious about taking their relationship to a more official level.

[END SPOILER]

Yoon Seoā€™s co-workers

The reason Iā€™ve got this pair (Lee Kyu Sung and Kim Gyu Nam) in this neutral section, is because I didnā€™t dislike them, overall.

To be clear, Show uses them as comic fodder a great deal, and I didnā€™t care for that; I almost always found it over-exaggerated and not actually funny.

However, I did like the sense that I got, that these two genuinely cared about Yoon Seo, beyond just being her co-workers.

Those lashings of sincerity are what saved these two for me. šŸ„²

Hereā€™s an example of what I mean.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E5-6. Even though Show plays the concern by Jang Hui and Ye Yeong for laughs, I actually find it rather sweet, that they would care this much for Yoon Seo, and want to make things easier for her, in any way that they can.

Yes, they are often misguided, and Show leans into that for the comedy, but the whole idea that they have her wellbeing as such a constant in the things that they keep top of mind, is quite endearing to me.

Like the way theyā€™re quick to split up, with Ye Yeong accompanying Yoon Seo for lunch, and Jang Hui going to lunch with Ju Won, so that Yoon Seo wonā€™t have to feel uncomfortable sitting at the same table as Ju Won.

They are too obvious about it, yes, but if I were in Yoon Seoā€™s shoes and trying to get over a breakup with Ju Won, I would honestly appreciate that the lunch pressure is off of me, yā€™know? šŸ˜…

[END SPOILER]

Lee Hyun Woo as Lee Seong Min

The reason Iā€™ve got Lee Seong Min in this neutral section too, is because his character was a mixed bag, for me.

[BROAD SPOILERS]

Mainly, I didnā€™t care for the petty rivalry between him and Ju Won, for Yoon Seoā€™s time and attention.

I found that quite forced and far from entertaining.

However, I did grow a little fond of him later on in the story, when he shows sympathy and understanding towards Yoon Seo and Ju Won, and even helps nudge them back together again.

In these times, I found to be quite a good egg.

..Which is how it all evens out to neutral. šŸ˜

[END BROAD SPOILERS]

STUFF I DIDNā€™T LIKE SO MUCH

The writing leans clunky

Even though Show does serve up some refreshing turns that I didnā€™t quite expect, I mostly found the writing to be on the clunky side of things. I didnā€™t like that so much.

Hereā€™s an example of what I mean by clunky:

[SPOILER ALERT]

E7-8. The whole misunderstanding about Ju Wonā€™s trip to Spain did make me roll my eyes, but I do think that Iā€™d prefer this misunderstanding, than an actual job posting requiring a time skip of 2 years. šŸ˜…

I think this was writer-nimā€™s way of giving Yoon Seo something solid to galvanize her into action, without having to pay the price of a time-skip. šŸ˜

Additionally, I didnā€™t much appreciate the comedy of errors that then proceeds to prevent Ju Won and Yoon Seo from actually spending some couple time together, now that theyā€™ve reconciled.

It honestly feels like Show is just filling up screen time with as many instances of foiled OTP time together as necessary, until we get to the end of episode 8, because thatā€™s when OTP sexytimes happen. šŸ˜…

[END SPOILER]

Showā€™s tonal shifts

Iā€™ve mentioned that Show is mostly a silly-fluffy rom-com, and Iā€™ve also mentioned that Show does bring up some very sobering backstories.

Sometimes itā€™s a silly-fluffy rom-com that leans hard into its fairytale source material, and then sometimes, on the other end of the scale, itā€™s an angsty melodrama full of childhood trauma and pain.

The thing is, though, that Show isnā€™t very good at managing the tonal shifts, and it can get pretty whiplashy.

Again, not my favorite thing.

Showā€™s efforts at comedy

The reason that Showā€™s efforts at comedy are in this section, is because, sadly, the intended comedy didnā€™t work for me most of the time.

However, there are some moments that actually did work for me, so hereā€™s a look at those instead:

[SPOILER ALERT]

E3-4. I did see from a mile away, that Yoon Seo wasnā€™t actually shaking pepper over her noodles, but Show did take me by surprise, that it was toothpicks that she was shaking into the bowl, not some condiment, and then I did genuinely giggle, when Ju Won called it a hedgehog.

E5-6. I appreciate that we get the scoop on how it worked out, that just about the entire world is at Yoon Seoā€™s apartment to witness Ju Wonā€™s big entrance, where he tells her that sheā€™s all he has left in the world.

Honestly, I donā€™t know why, but Iā€™m rather entertained by the chain of events that puts Jang Hui and Ye Yeong, our resident well-meaning Dumb and Dumber Duo, in Yoon Seoā€™s apartment.

I guess that manhwa lens must be working reaaally well, heh. šŸ˜

I also think I enjoy the multiple brain implosions going on at the same time, as people come to varying degrees of realization about the state of our OTPā€™s relationship. šŸ¤­

The imagined scenarios of how things had been between Ju Won and Yoon Seo was pretty amusing to me, though the role-play element by Jang Hui was less amusing (and in fact, rather cringey).

It did rather look like both Shin Hyun Bin and Moon Sang Min had fun with these alternative takes on their characters, so Iā€™ll still call it a win.

[END SPOILER]

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]

E9-10. So, full disclosure, my friends: I actually nodded off a fair bit while watching these finale episodes, but.. I didnā€™t hate them? šŸ˜…

That is rather unusual for me, because if a show isnā€™t doing enough to capture my interest such that I donā€™t nod off while watching, I tend to hold it against the show.

Oddly enough, I donā€™t find myself holding it against Show, that I zoned out enough to nod off, during these finale episodes.

I think itā€™s because Iā€™d been expecting a very particular brand of angst, of Ju Won and Yoon Seo coming up against Chairman Momā€™s disapproval, and Show doesnā€™t actually go there.

Instead, it gives us something a lot more heartwarming, with Yoon Seo helping Ju Won empathize with how hard of a time Chairman Mom is going through, and that leads to the family day off, with Ju Won and Si Won kidnapping Chairman Mom so that they can all play hookey together.

I thought that whole thing was very sweet, and I liked that they had that bonding moment eating those sandwiches at the side of the road in a random mountainous spot, because their car had run out of fuel.

Itā€™s little moments like these, that endear the finale to me, even though Show also serves up a good amount of filler-type stuff.

Like Yoon Seo getting uncomfortable with Ju Won inviting himself over to his apartment, and being in a hurry to send him off, or Ju Won and Lee Seong Min still fighting for Yoon Seoā€™s attention šŸ™„, or Ju Won getting peeved because Yoon Seoā€™s not showing enough interest in their wedding preparations, for example.

Again, I think itā€™s because Show circumvented the big Mom Disapproval Angst that Iā€™d imagined weā€™d be up against, that Iā€™m just relieved that theyā€™re even at a stage where they get to plan a wedding. šŸ˜…

I had similar-but-more-positive feelings about our secondary OTP, because their misunderstandings did also smack of silly, unnecessary filler, but I do really like the kind of resolution that we get, of Si Won and Mi Jin getting closer. šŸ„°

Plus, even though the way they got all petty and competitive about the whole first loves thing, there is a note of poignance there, I feel, that does manage to come out.

Like when Si Won breaks down and confesses that heā€™d felt jealous, and also that heā€™s confused about what heā€™s allowed and not allowed to do, because theyā€™d gotten married without actually dating first.

Aw. So dorky, and also, so vulnerable and honest, yes? šŸ„²

I love that Mi Jin takes his cue and tells him that, 1, the guy is actually her cousin and not her first love, and 2, that sheā€™d felt jealous too.

Aw! Yes!

Then we have a tentative first kiss, followed by more kisses, where they establish that itā€™s ok for Si Won to do all this kissy stuff too. Eee! šŸ„°

I was a little bummed that Mi Jinā€™s feelings were hurt when she realized that the wedding anniversary gift that sheā€™d received, hadnā€™t been picked out be Si Won, but I did like that eventually got resolved, with Si Won admitting that heā€™d been more concerned with their 100-day anniversary since getting together for real.

Aw. That is sweet.

And then, how cute, that when he tells her that heā€™d been hoping that they could merge their bedrooms on their 100th day, she tells him that they can merge their bedrooms right away ā€“ and then we even get mutual ā€œI love youā€™sā€ and itā€™s all super cute and sweet. šŸ„°

As Show gives us rotating shots of our various characters being happy in their chosen paths, I do like the sentiment that Yoon Seo expresses, in her closing voiceover:

ā€œThe ending many fairy tales have, ā€œthey lived happily ever afterā€¦ā€ is impossible in real life. Despite that, I decided to believe that everlasting love exists.

As simple pleasures fill your every day.. Perhaps your reality will become more lovable than a fairy tale.

The Cinderella at 2AM said that 2am could be a time not filled with pain. It would be ignorant and arrogant to jump in not thinking it would be tough. But the steps you take to brave the pain and go forward.. is courage.

Iā€™m surrounded by those I love, and I have enough courage. Iā€™m sure my story will have a happy ending.ā€

What a warm, hopeful, uplifting note on which to leave our little fairytale world, yes? šŸ„°

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Leans ungainly and uneven, but is well-intentioned and heartwarming at its core.

FINAL GRADE: B

TRAILER:

MV:

PATREON UPDATE!

The next drama Iā€™m covering on Patreon, in place ofĀ  Cinderella at 2 AM, is The Judge From Hell [Korea].

You can check out my episode 1-2 notes on The Judge From HellĀ on Patreon here.

Hereā€™s an overview of what Iā€™m covering on Patreon right now (Tier benefits are cumulative)!

Foundation Tier (US$1): Entertainment Drop (Sundays) + the first set notes of all shows covered on Patreon (thatā€™s 2 episodes for kdramas and 4 episodes for cdramas)

Early AccessĀ (US$5): +The Judge From Hell [Korea]

Early Access PlusĀ (US$10): +Love Next Door [Korea]

VIPĀ (US$15): +Romance in the House [Korea]

VVIPĀ (US$20): +No Gain No Love [Korea]

UltimateĀ (US$25): +Like Flowers in Sand [Korea]

If youā€™d like to join me on the journey, you can find my Patreon pageĀ here. You can also read more about all the whats, whys, and hows of helping this blogĀ here. Thanks for all of your support, it really means a lot to me. ā¤ļø

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