[Drama 2012] OhLala Couple / 울라라 부부

[Guest xopo17]

@

jma030201

said:

Just wanted to share the last of my thoughts about this HORRIBLE DRAMA .... why did the PD and writer make YO's character abhor SN so much and make beautiful eyes with HW, have HW get closer to GC and still have YO and SN end up together????? even after her surgery, YO could not stand SN AT ALL!!!! The only reason I can think of is that she felt gratitude towards SN for the liver (which I think is the reason she doesnt want to take it in the first place!!!!!) and she wants a better family life for GC ... but STUPID STUPID STUPID writer .... why build up everything around HW and YO and have it all crushing down ... Cursing that writer and all his future FAILURE of dramas.....

I cant get over the stupidity of this drama!

CHOI SOON-SIK ... Lets put a face to the horrible writer! 

SOURCE: http://www.hancinema.net/korean_Choi_Soon-sik.php

[Guest jkcw]

That was the worst ending ever. So the writer made us hate the lead, love the second lead, consistently have the wife look down on the lead and claim she's HAPPY with the second lead, and then in the last episode, kablamie-- the lead and wife get married. Because of "love" and "fate," like come on. Das some bull.

[Guest Arawni1430292037]

@bella1025
A woman might have made SN a bit more sympathetic in the beginning but if I would have written this drama, I would have written SN and YO back together. And I'm a woman. I would have done it differently, though. It might well be the case that writer doesn't understand he's female lead and how cheating affects her. Though I have to say that most characters were not written very well. I know that HW is universally loved but I think even he would have been more interesting if he had gotten a better characterization than just "this perfect guy who has noble idiocy syndrome". 
I just watched the last episode and what really bothers me with the time skip is that show just skipped over all the interesting stuff. It seems that at some point YO did forgive and stopped being mad but we don't see it and that's why it feels so unrealistic and impossible. Forgiving is possible and so is reconciling with your ex, even if there has been cheating - thousands of women AND men do this everyday and you cannot call them stupid and weak without knowing the details of their individual situations. But to convince the audience you have to actually show this. Ohlala couple chose not to. It's basically same thing what happened with Big and the time jump at the end of that drama. Really, really annoying and proof of sloppy writing and production for drama. Without that stupid cancer plot Ohlala might have been able to concentrate for a couple episodes on YO's character but no. Maybe because writer is a man, who knows...
I'm not a fan of YO, but I do think it's unfair to call her stupid and shallow because she doesn't love HW as much as he loves him. They have both changed, she has been married and has a kid. The love that they used to share doesn't exist anymore and rekindling old love doesn't always work out. How can one be shallow if she/he doesn't love somebody back? Romantic love comes from the heart and we cannot control it. Last episode made me feel that this was not actually a second chance for YO's and HW's love because that shop had already sailed. In the end it was a chance to settle the matters between them because the first brake-up left both of them in pain and there were things left unfinished. 
P.S. On the other note - how on earth are weddings with 100 guests small?! How many guests do Korean weddings usually have?

[bella1025]

I just found out that he also wrote  Please Come Back, Soon-Ae. Which is pretty much the same formula:
*cheating husband + soul switching = scenes filled with hijinks
The only difference is that it's the wife and mistress who switched their souls in this drama. 
I'm still gonna check the ending if the wife there got back together with her husband or had self-respect unlike YO. 
I get that the goal of the soul switch is to have both of them.. more so the wife.. understand where each other is coming from. But what is up with this writer?!! =)) Is he basing these two stories from experience? Is he a cheating husband wanting to gain sympathy and forgiveness? Or is this just an agenda to aid the cheating population? ) 
I can't get over the two dramas having the same plot. ) If I had known this first hand, I wouldn't have watched this. I initially thought that he was the one who wrote the Bad drama series (bad housewife,bad couple, bad family) and only now I realized that they aren't the same people. ) Darn it! 
Next time there's a drama.. I'm checking the screenwriter's history first. )

[Guest Arawni1430292037]

Omo, it's the same writer?!  I watched some parts of that drama but I won't spoil it to you...  )

[bella1025]

@arawm
I don't think I've used the term shallow on YO.. I just think she's very very stupid to not read into HW's anvil hints. I guess her judgement/choice might have been affected by the fact that she's a mom now and that gichan comes first.. but I didn't feel it necessary for the writer to have dragged it out this way if he was thinking of a SN-ending. 
SN's just poorly written.. I can't judge him over things or feelings or thoughts that he could be feeling offscreen.Granted I saw him change.. but it just wasn't enough to warrant getting chosen over HW. HW isn't perfect.. but he certainly is the right choice.. and he would have done well as YO's husband and gichan's stepfather. What I sense from YO's character, is that she has a lot of misgivings.It's confusing how she proposed the divorce.. and was shown as this unwavering ahjumma whenever SN's around.. yet backpedaled in the end. I don't think her feelings for SN was stronger compared to her feelings for HW. I think her decision to accept SN.. really boiled down to Gichan. I actually don't want a broken family.. but even Gichan saw that HW treats her mom right. I guess I just hate it when they bring in the kids into the equation especially when said kids are giving their blessings already. I get that YO wanted his son to have his real dad with them.. giving him the happiness in  a way.. but she should've realized that her son wants the best for her too. The thing is.. she went for the one-big-happy-family-big-bow-on-top ending... which just made me gag because it was so unrealistic. I can't get over the fact that she's gonna be remarrying the same doofus whom she caught..no WITNESS..sleeping with another woman. I just feel disgusted by that scenario for some reason. Vomit-inducing actually. I realize that some women have their reasons like YO.. but I just can't do it. If my husband cheats on me.. and I find out he's been sleeping with another woman while we're together... then I dunno what I might hit him with. ) Gah.. picturing it is making me violent. )
Anyway, I didn't really watch the ending. I switched to KoD soon as I saw YO walking into that room to meet the bastard... err ..SN. 
I've seen glimpses of the stills though.. the thing is.. I can also picture YO having the same reaction had it been HW who's walking towards her. And just goes to show that this drama totally failed in projecting the OTP.  

[Guest Arawni1430292037]

@bella1025
I should have written that comment better. I actually meant only first paragraph to you and rest was just general musing about the drama and characters. Somebody called YO shallow, if I remember correctly, but yeah, it wasn't you and that's why I just generally rambled about it. 
I wonder what will be next drama of this writer. Mistress and husband changing minds?  ) Or maybe he could write an affair for the wife?

[bella1025]

OMG =))

In Please Come Back, Soon-Ae
The wife and the cheating husband got back together..and in the end scene.. he's doing the chores... pretty much like SN.. and here's one to top that... Soon-Ae and YO have the same actress playing their mother-in-law!!!!! =))
Seriously, this writer!! hahahahaa... I feel like his dramas are probably an outlet of his personal frustrations. He must've cheated, got forgiven and is now the resident housekeeper at home? And his wife's the head of household? Lol 

[Guest Arawni1430292037]

Soon-Ae is worse. At the end of the drama she started working as an stewardess (Her hubby was a captain of a plane so I guess writer thinks that wives should always work at the same place as husbands do.) but she actually GAVE UP that work because she heard some random ahjumma make a comment about her son's poor results in school and how it's because of his "working mom". So, for the sake of her son, she essentially went back to do what she was doing in the beginning of the drama and hubby went back to work. And not only that, he didn't really change. Ending implies VERY hard that he's still falling far other women! At least Soo-Nam didn't do THAT. 
Anyway, I onted to say one more thing about YO. I'm not sure are the reasons you cited the real reasons why she chose SN. They could be - but there could be other reasons, too. I don't know because DRAMA DOESN'T TELL US. She has NO good reasons to choose SN, none whatsoever and she yet she does. It's not a good writing to make people behave in a ways that make absolutely no sense. Yeah, that old fart does say at the end that "they luuuv each other" but while I can believe this about SN at that point, YO's "love" comes totally out of nowhere.
Besides, I really hate public proposals. In case you didn't see it, SN proposes in darkened ball room and before YO actually answers the room lights up and all their coworkers come to cheer for them. I don't understand why public proposals are seen so romantic. What is the proposed one wanted to refuse? She's basically driven into corner when proposal is public because if she says "no", it would embarrass proposing one and create an awkward scene so there's VERY strong incentive to say yes even if she would like to refuse. That is NOT romantic at all.

[bella1025]

Lol It was a public proposal?!! Omg.. the pressure.. )
I remember a similar scene in highkick3.. where the kind-can't-say-no hasun has been proposed to by this always-depressed-guy.. and she couldnt answer no because 1. everyone thought that this guy save her life.. wc is far from the truth 2. the pressure of having her coteacher chanting that she answer him.. )
Frankly, I have no problem saying no. Even if it's in public.. so I just dont get females being pressured by that sort of scene. )
---
That's just it.. nothing about YO's decisions.. with regards to getting back together with SN has been clarified. The only thing I did sense was she still have a lot of misgivings about pursuing things further and possibly marrying HW.. not because of SN.. but on how it's gonna affect Gichan. Which I really can't agree. A happy parent will be able to wing it, raising a son alone or with another love... I just don't see myself sacrificing my happiness just to keep everyone happy. And I just didn't see her in love with SN. Most of the positive feelings..imo.. were drawn from him being the one to donate the liver. That was like his self-less act. He was painted as this guy who'd do this sort without wanting for anything in return.. such a load of bull.. ) .. Of course.. he was sort of expecting to soften up YO! If he wasn't expecting anything.. and if he really wanted to move on..if he really saw YO happy with HW--then he should have talked man-to-man with HW.. told him to make his wife happy and carted himself off to the Philippines like he planned. 

---
Another thing, I just can't see a happy ending where cheaters, albeit reforming ones, are involved. So every time I see a drama where the female gets back together with a cheating ex.. and lives happily ever after at the finale.. ---I still can't see that with rose-colored glasses. I'm being realistic in such a way that I know that the cheating can happen again. This is why I'm not satisfied when females get back together with cheating exes. ) I'm always all for moving on to a better guy/person.  
@arawm
The reason why I feel strongly about the cheating here.. is because SN slept with another woman. If it was just harmful flirting or roving eye.. I probably could have forgiven him. For me, there's just something disgusting about sleeping with a guy who's sleeping with other women. 

[Guest daisydorothy]

@arawm

@bella1025

I was the one who said that the YO character here is shallow and it really is. I don't mean it was written in a shallow manner. What I meant was that the woman YO here is not as deep as the man HW and she is more of the level of the SN character. That is why they ended up together in the end.

After watching ep 18 eng subbed, I must tell you all that:

I also thought HW made the decision for her at the end but that is not the case. HW read her already after seeing her happy with her son and SN at the canteen.
He knew what she would answer him when he asks her to get married (thus the empty box) but he still did it to confirm his thoughts about it and to teach her. As I said, HW is a deep, meditating, and constant character, full of wisdom, so I already said before, No matter how this drama would end, I am for HW!!!
 
I present you all these:

(After informing YO that he is promoted to be the GM at the HQ in the US, and even asking her to go with him there, and even hinting that they will take KiChan there...in their dinner date after she came back from the US...)

HW and YO - last scene: (I noted the conversation:)
...
HW: "I am burdensome...aren't I?".....
....
YO: "When we're together, things are so nice and comfortable."
HW: "Really?"
        "Being nice and comfortable...what is that like?"
YO: "Hyun Woo...Are you stupid?"
HW: "Yeah...I thought that too."
        " That maybe...I may be a stupid fool after all." (Smiles at himself.) (Brings out case of ring and slides it towards YO...and looks at her...)
        "Let's...get married."
         (YO stammers...HW sees/reads her - confirming his thoughts!)
HW: " 'Give me sometime'..." That's what you were going to say, right?"
YO: "No, I...The thing is..."
HW: "Yeo Ok...If you can't give me an answer now...taking sometime to think about it isn't going to change that."
        "Asking you to marry me...is different from asking...What shall we eat today?"
        "It's not something you have to think about before you answer. You just answer where your heart leads you...It should just come naturally."
         "But it's still something I prepared for you after waiting for 15 years."
         ..."You should at least open up the case and take a look inside."
          (YO takes the box and opens it to find it empty...She doesn't know what to say...tears fall now...)
           (HW gives big sigh...)
          "Yeo Ok,.." (big sigh!...) "I think...It's time for me to let you go now."
            (YO just staring at him, tears falling, stunned, I should say...)
            "You're more of a fool than I am."
            "Even to the end...you still don't know your own heart."
            "Since I'm slightly less of a fool..."
            "I should teach it to you."
            "What else can I do?"
            
YO: "Am I...like that?"

HW: "The Monk...told me once...Meeting someone...is not only to tie the knot with someone...But there are...(starts to cry)...meetings where you have to untie with a person too."
        "If you try to force a knot with someone when you should be untying it, ... it's not right. Once everything's been untied, a place for a new knot...(crying more...) will be found."
         ... (He looks at her face for the last time.)  "Yeo Ok,... For everything, I thank you."

YO: (manages a gesture of acknowledgment) (YO walks home alone thinking of their times together.)


Next HW scene: (At the office with SN) (He congratulates SN for becoming the next GM of the hotel. It is understood that he recommended him.)
.....

HW: "Go So Nam...Please take good care of Yeo Ok."
SN: (delighted and surprised at the same time inside) "If...she'll take me."
HW: "So that Yeo Ok can open up her heart...give her the time that she needs."
SN: "You just leaving like this...are you sure you won't regret it?"
HW: "Just the fact that I was able to meet her again...is enough to make me happy."
SN: "If she'll return to me...I'll make her happy for the rest of her life."
       "As a man, I promise you that."
HW: "Thank you."

Both men smile.

Analysis:
If she loved HW as he loved her, She should have made effort to contact him after he untied the knot...to be the new knot again...but she did not. She instead enjoyed to work at the hotel. She doesn't deserve his love, isn't it?

Conclusion: HW is right at releasing her and untying the knot. He deserves a woman who truly loves him and not one who just needs him because it is 'nice and comfortable'.

Inner thought:
 HW bought her a ring actually. I believe he had two boxes with him at the time. One with the ring and one without the ring because he went to the jewelry shop twice. At first, he bought one, at the second time, he bought an empty box I must say. 
Had he confirmed that YO loves her at his first question, he could have given the box with the ring!

I now understand this story although I started to watch it because of Nam Gyu Ri whom I wanted to watch after 49 Days, I continued to watch it because of Han Jae Suk whom I saw for the first time. These two actors I want to continue to watch till the end.

I want to hear your comments on this post too.

Thank you.






          

[msmy]

@daisydorothy... yes, what you have suggested makes a lot of sense.  I only had a portion of the subtitles, so I missed alot in the last discussion with HW and YO, but his explaination is very deep and loving.  Frankly though, I would have liked to see her goofy ex leave for the Phillipines and let her grow into an independent woman with her son, but then, I'm not writing the story.  I had issues with the silliness during the swap at the beginning, and the goofiness at the end was equally as annoying.  The introduction of such a serious illness and her miraculous recovery seems insensitive and callous, so overall, this drama is a "skip it" from me.

[Guest daisydorothy]

msmy said: @daisydorothy... yes, what you have suggested makes a lot of sense.  I only had a portion of the subtitles, so I missed alot in the last discussion with HW and YO, but his explaination is very deep and loving.  Frankly though, I would have liked to see her goofy ex leave for the Phillipines and let her grow into an independent woman with her son, but then, I'm not writing the story.  I had issues with the silliness during the swap at the beginning, and the goofiness at the end was equally as annoying.  The introduction of such a serious illness and her miraculous recovery seems insensitive and callous, so overall, this drama is a "skip it" from me.

[Guest Arawni1430292037]

@Daisydorothy
I agree with you in that YO doesn't HW as much as he loves her. For her he is safe, their relationship is nice and comfortable but not really love and fireworks as it once possible was. However, I don't agree with you in that YO is shallow because of this. Why is it shallow to not love somebody as much as that somebody loves you? If somebody loves me and I do not love him does that make me shallow? In my opinion it doesn't. Also, for me HW doesn't seem very deep but I guess we just have a different opinion of what a deepness in person consists of, which is fine, of course. 

[Guest daisydorothy]

arawm said: @Daisydorothy
I agree with you in that YO doesn't HW as much as he loves her. For her he is safe, their relationship is nice and comfortable but not really love and fireworks as it once possible was. However, I don't agree with you in that YO is shallow because of this. Why is it shallow to not love somebody as much as that somebody loves you? If somebody loves me and I do not love him does that make me shallow? In my opinion it doesn't. Also, for me HW doesn't seem very deep but I guess we just have a different opinion of what a deepness in person consists of, which is fine, of course. 

[Guest daisydorothy]

I'd like to ask:
If you were YO and HW tells you to go with him to the US because he is promoted as GM of the HQ, how would you react?

If you were YO and HW says "I Love You" and kisses you gently, how would you react?

If you were YO and HW asks you if he were burdensome to you, how would you react/answer?

Remember, you were married once, have a son, and now divorced and met your first love who is not married and loves you still!

[Guest Arawni1430292037]

@Daisydorothy
Peace, of course. I absolutely did not mean anything bad with my comment. It's possible that I understand word "shallow" a bit differently. In my language it's equivalent is actually rather insulting and this is why I reacted to that word. SN and YO did not remarry without love, at least this is what drama states. Moosan does first say that the old guy aka Fate won, but he says that no, Moosan won: YO and SN love each other. So they did remarry for love. The fact that drama didn't bother to convince us about their love by actually showing them falling in love again is another matter... It really comes out of the blue which is a sign of bad writing.
If I were YO, I would probably have chosen not to follow HW and would have broken up with him. Because as you say, YO simply didn't love him that much anymore. For me he seemed more like a dear friend or a brother all along. Of course this doesn't mean that I would just jump and remarry my cheating ex but that is a different story. Of course it's nice if your old love comes back when you're feeling low and still loves you and makes you feel better but if your heart doesn't find that spark anymore, what can you do. You cannot love someone just because he loves you.

[Guest daisydorothy]

@arawm

So she lied when she said she was just starting a new love, they were just about to be happy, and that she wanted to live very badly because of him?

[Guest Arawni1430292037]

@Daisydorothy
No, that's not what I'm saying. That is what she thought about it then. As she said, she was just starting a new love but later on it seems that she didn't get very far with it. Sometimes we start things but they don't work out, feelings won't last or won't ever really develop enough to tie the knot. I think she liked idea of HW but in reality her feelings for him never really took off.

[Guest daisydorothy]

@arawm

After all those scenes with him?

So that's why I said she was shallow - shallow in the sense that she treated that kind of person lightly and that kind of love, and that kind of relationship.

She even treated herself that way. HW had to teach her to know her heart.

As I said, she does not deserve HW. She deserves SN.