[Drama 2014] Can We Love 우리가 사랑할 수 있을까

[monicaaaa]

@azi767

It's not that they talk too fast. Ok yea maybe on certain scenes the actors are directed to deliver their lines fast but it's mainly the editing and directing. I read that the pd who who's directing this drama is the same one who directed Can We Get Married and that drama also had seemingly fast flying dialogue and rapid scene changes. I love it, makes me feel like the story's always on the go and things are always happening as opposed to many other drama's tendency drag.

[valsava]

That Eugene can knock them back and what in the world was they playing.

[azi767]

monicaaaa said: @azi767 It's not that they talk too fast. Ok yea maybe on certain scenes the actors are directed to deliver their lines fast but it's mainly the editing and directing. I read that the pd who who's directing this drama is the same one who directed Can We Get Married and that drama also had seemingly fast flying dialogue and rapid scene changes. I love it, makes me feel like the story's always on the go and things are always happening as opposed to many other drama's tendency drag.

[azi767]

valsava said: That Eugene can knock them back and what in the world was they playing.

[azi767]

valsava said:

Her friend the under cover housewife what's her problem she couldn't have pick up the phone and called him it would have made more sense then going to the Han River. She seems to not be over him at all

I think DY said he went to America with the knowledge that JY will follow him there, then JY waited for him so it's a case of misunderstanding and I thin JY father has something to do with it, hence he always mentioned it when he got drunk.

[valsava]

@azi767,  That MIL is very abusive she shouldn't take that from her and for her to talk about her dead mother was way over the line. I wonder how much  more will she take before she go off on this lady I would have long time ago.
Far as her daughter go she should have kick her Azz right in front of her. Why do this child hate her mother so. That's what I say about those fairy tale marriage all the money in the world isn't as good as you think it would be. She needs to stop playing good two shoes and face reality. Her married life is hell. 

[valsava]

Wow I haven't watch episode 4 and there's a lot going on. But I'm loving this drama. Yes let's keep it moving. That way you don't feel bored of  the same people. 

[ymiss]

Lmao! Jung Wan tripped and Kyung Soo covered her mouth then his cellphone rang! Do Young and Ji Hyun noticed them! This scene is priceless! Too good and funny at the same time! I'm still cracking up! Lol!

Going back to finish watching episode 4!

[Guest nancykimlee]

azi767

said:

valsava

said: That Eugene can knock them back and what in the world was they playing.

[brokbsb]

EDITED: I FOUND THE RIGHT ARTICLE
class="at_ttl" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; list-style: none; font-size: 30px; line-height: 35px; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"'Can We Love" Uhm Tae Woong's Warm 3 Set

By Staff Writer | Jan 15, 2014 10:08 PM EST

• 
  

  
  

  (Photo : JTBC)

  "Can We Love" Uhm Tae Woong's three set of warmth is of issue.
  

  On the 4^th JTBC Monday/Tuesday "Can We Love" broadcast on January 14^th, director Oh Kyung Soo (played by Uhm Tae Wong) gave warth to Yoon Jung Wan (played by Yoo Jin) and Ahn Do Young (played by Kim Sung Soo).

  In the drama, as Jung Wan was about to slip because of his slippers, Kyung Soo hugged Jung Wan's hips and saw the sides of a real man who saved Jung Wan.  Afterwards, she goes to Director Ku who had ripped her off and Jung Wan instead comforts Director Ku.  Kyung Soo saw this and told Jung Wan said that he would be a good writer and encouraged her.  In addition, Kyung Soo thought about the past things with Ji Hyun and Do Young who was having a tough time with Ji Hyun.  He says to her, "It's all in the past so I think it's good that we don't dig into this any more" and gave warm consolation.
  

  Uhm Tae Woong warmed many hearts with the three-part warm set and showed an unexpected charisma and perfected emotional acting that shows her acting skills.
  

  Meanwhile, JTBC Monday/Tuesday drama "Can We Love" is broadcast at 9:45 PM every Monday and Tuesdays.

  Netizens said, "It's like Uhm Tae Woong wore his own clothes for the first time in a while." "Uhm Tae Woong was a warm man" "It was acting I wanted to see from Uhm Tae Woong."

  Source: http://www.kdramastars.com/articles/14328/20140115/can-we-love-uhm-tae-woongs-warm-3-set.htm
  

[brokbsb]

azi767 said: monicaaaa said: @azi767 It's not that they talk too fast. Ok yea maybe on certain scenes the actors are directed to deliver their lines fast but it's mainly the editing and directing. I read that the pd who who's directing this drama is the same one who directed Can We Get Married and that drama also had seemingly fast flying dialogue and rapid scene changes. I love it, makes me feel like the story's always on the go and things are always happening as opposed to many other drama's tendency drag.

[brokbsb]

class="at_ttl" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; list-style: none; font-size: 30px; line-height: 35px; clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"Can We Love" Park Min Woo Shows Charisma Of Younger Men

By Staff Writer | Jan 15, 2014 09:59 PM EST

• 
  

  
  

  "Can We Love" Park Min Woo moved Kim Yoo Mi's hearts with his considerate charisma
  

  On the JTBC Monday/Tuesday mini series "Can We Love" broadcast on January 14^th, Park Min Woo (played by Choi Yun Suk) who made others feel badly because of one-sided love went closer to Kim Yoo Mi (played by Kim Sun Mi) with sincerity.

  On this episode, Yoon Suk remembers Sun Mi's mom remembrance date and went over to her because she would feel difficult missing her and comforted her.
  

  He especially started to keep thinking about this and worried about Sun Mi saying, "I came to see whether you were okay" and Sun Mi was moved at how warm and considerate Yoon Suk was.  Sun Mi thought about how her parents had died one year apart and expressed her inner feelings thinking about their deaths.
  

  At this, Yoon Suk saw Sun Mi without wards and made viewers nervous looking at her warmly.
  

  More than anything, Park Min Woo started to show the detailed sides of having a crush on a younger man and had viewers empathize as she even showed the sadness of a woman as she was looking upset.
  

  Meanwhile, "Can We Love" is broadcast at 9:45PM every Monday and Tuesday.

  Source: http://www.kdramastars.com/articles/14324/20140115/can-we-love-park-min-woo-shows-charisma-of-younger-men.htm

[brokbsb]

class="date-header" style="margin: 0px; position: relative; font-size: 12px; font-family: 'Droid Sans'; color: rgb(148, 32, 32); min-height: 0px; padding: 6px 3px 3px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); width: 90px; word-wrap: break-word; float: left;"January 15, 2014

Can We Love? Yes, We Can (A Review of Episodes 1 & 2)

Trust jtbc to deliver another real-life, real-adult-people, real-good drama, and one that is even subbed very quickly (that, unfortunately, didn't happen with Your Neighbor's Wife, its predecessor drama I really wanted to see last year). Of course, I'm talking about Can We Love! Or Could We Love. Or 우리가 사랑할 수 있을까 (Wooriga Saranghal Soo Iteulka). 
At this moment in time, I've seen two episodes and I'm all in. I doubt I will have the time to properly SqueeCap this one, but let me at least do a brief summary/review of what we've got so far.

What is it about

In short, Can We Love is about three women, besties for life, who are about to turn 40. We see them at the very beginning of episode 1 when they are nineteen, full of expectations, brimming with bubbly confidence and on the top of the world; at the age of twenty-six, a bit more settled, but still full of hopes and expectations for their future and then, at the age of 39, when reality has caught up with their dreams and life has turned out quite differently than expected for all of them.  
Yoon Jung-wan (Eugene) is divorced, living with her mother, and struggling to find a job as a script writer; Kim Sun-mi(the wonderful Kim Yoo-mi, my girl crush from Heartless City!) is still unmarried and a very successful interior decorator, a so-called "gold miss", but struggling with the loudly ticking biological clock; Kwon Ji-hyun (Choi Jung-yoon, whom I don't know) is a perfect housewife, happily married into a rich family (with a seemingly saint-like husband). But we all know how much marrying the rich sucks, right? If you don't know watch Goddess of Marriage. And indeed, there's a dragon mother-in-law, a "secret" love in her past and a very unhappy, rebellious daughter.
 And then, of course, there's the men. Oh, they're particularly nice specimen! There is Oh Kyung-soo (Uhm Tae-woong! Oh yeah), a snarky, slightly vain, but very successful film director (Palme d'Or at Cannes!), who pretends to be a player, but probably isn't. We hear that he is quite rich. And he has a VERY sensitive side, but we haven't really seen it yet. Working with him is his cousin Ahn Do-young (Ohhhhhh, one of my first almost KDrama loves Kim Sung-soo, who lost against Rain in Full House), the CEO of a film company. He seems like an honest, up-right man. He is divorced and works like crazy, not thinking about any other women but his one-true-love. Which happens to be Ji-hyun. There is Jung-wan's ex-husband Han Joo-mo (Shim Hyung-tak), a friendly, harmless type who is about to get re-married to a rich kid (who also happens to be Director Ahn's sister) and who might, just might, not be entirely over his first wife. Oh, and we have Choi Yoon-seok (Park Min-woo, whom I swear was just a kid a few months ago, but now?!), with a noona-crush deluxe on Sun-mi. Man, is he cute ... This set-up, of course, is not overly original (though I have never seen so many genuinely NICE men in one drama). But I myself have not yet seen a Korean drama explore this difficult age in the life of a woman with such unpretentious honesty. Mind you, I have nothing against beautiful and emotionally-damaged chaebol sons and their transformation into good human beings and all that, but I do sometimes crave for a glimpse of a different Korea, one that I know must be there as well, one in which women talk about their periods and cry their hearts out because of unfulfilled dreams, one in which there are good things and bad things, happening to us at the same time, in which a successful career doesn't necessarily mean happiness, at least not all the time, but one in which our pride would have us pretend to be extremely happy even though we're absolutely not. Oh, and one in which there are many divorced people. Cause yeah: that's real life. 

The Characters / The Cast

Oh man, there's a LOT of people in this drama. Frankly, the first episode in particular gets quite confusing, and the dialogue is fast and complex. I found myself trying to speed-read the subs and to grasp all the connections between the characters while not missing their facial expressions at the same time. They indeed dump ALL the characters on us right away: mothers, fathers, mother-in-laws, husbands, ex-husbands, new wives, kids, sisters, cousins, etc. etc. etc. Ouf. Still, all these characters are introduced in ways that make connecting to them (or disliking them intently) easy and natural; the story flows naturally around and through them and even though it's a lot of information, it still all falls in place. 

Jung-wan (Eugene)
Let's start with Jung-wan, which is the main female lead, and the people around her. Jung-wan is an upright, loyal and honest person, with a big heart. She is a bit on the shy and naive side and it's also possible that she is a bit dull. I don't mean that in an overly negative way - she is just so bogged down with life, there isn't much else to her than struggling for money, making ends meet, simply living without any visions or dreams. I like her, but at the same time, I hope there is much more to her than this (part of my "issue" with her might have to do with Eugene's acting). And I also hope she gets a make-over. Have I mentioned how much I hate the hair? Not yet.    
She is an overall positive person (though with a terrible ahjumma haircut, had to mention it again), but her life is difficult after her divorce. We do not yet know why she wanted the divorce, but we know she was very unhappy in her marriage with Han Joon-mo, so I guess her life was difficult before the divorce as well. She lives with her mother (Kim Hye-ok, who can be so deliciously creepy if she wants to, but definitely isn't in this role) and her kid, Tae-geuk.

Her mother is eternally and loudly suffering from a lot of things (but mainly her back), wishes to have a hair salon again, and tries to get her daughter back together with her ex-husband, who isn't entirely gone from her life, because they share custody of their kid (who, by the way, is much too serious for a kid his age and is far too attentive of his mother's troubles). Jung-wan is a writer, but not really successful; that is why she works part-time in a supermarket, a fact she is trying to hide from her family and friends. When things seem at their darkest, she meets Ahn Do-young, who likes her writing, and gets a chance to work on a skript with Oh Kyung-soo, even though their first encounters range from awkward to outright embarrassing.
 
And then, boom, things get even darker when her mother is cheated out of all their money AND their house by a loan scam. They (temporarily?) move in with Sun-mi, but Jung-wan's mother has also contacted her (ex) son-in-law about their dire situation. The ex-husband seems like a very nice kind of person, but also the kind of man who lets his life be dictated by others. His new bride, who is spoilt and loud, but also rather insecure, has given him what he always wanted: his professorship. It is possible that his and Jung-wan's marriage didn't work out because both of them were not really getting anywhere in their lives, probably both keeping each other down. Happens. Even to people who love each other. I foresee complications of the heart due to the fact that their relationship isn't entirely void of feelings for each other, and ex-husband is quite ready to help out his ex-wife and her family whenever he can. Also, both the Oh and Ahn boy are potential love interests for Jung-wan. Seeing how hung up with his old love Ahn is, I guess it's going to be Oh.

Sun-mi (Kim Yoo-mi)
Where is Baksa Adeul, Jin-sook? He would certainly stand up for you in your difficult times! Ah, Kim Yoo-mi, I love her ... and she rocks her role here. Of course. Sun-mi has it all, success, money, boys in the sack. But she doesn't have a family of her own (and also doesn't seem to have any siblings, and no connection to father-mother, at least not so far) and everybody around her is constantly rubbing that in her face. Tick-tock, tick-tock, you have to get married NOW or it will be too late.
 Sun-mi is a very confident woman, bordering on arrogant, but her husbandlessnes and childlessness seems to be a real wound she is carrying around. At the beginning of Can We Love she is sleeping with the PD of her house renovating show, and I guess she is hoping for more, but he is just one of those richard simmons that exploit women for their own benefit. She renovates his place for free, and once she's done, he is done with her. She overhears him talking to a friend about the "old hag" at the swimming pool and that is a tremendous blow to her, wounding her very deeply where it already hurts the most. Goddamn, and then he even replaces her with another interior decorator for the show. 

But there is sweet little puppy Yoon-seok. Oh my. He works at her company and they have "a past" ... of sorts. He is completely, utterly, and madly in love with her, but she cannot (yet?) accept his feelings. I do understand her well: he is so young (in his early to mid-twenties, it seems)! Yes, he also is very, very sweet, looking out for her, bringing her food, cooking for her, cleaning her apartment - but yeah, I understand why she is keeping him away from herself. Trying to, at least. If she is not into him (and it doesn't seem like she is, much), it would be cruel to lead him on. And if she were into him, like ... a lot, things would still be difficult for them, in the way things are always difficult for unconventional pairings, all over the world.   
I am very curious to see where this is going, especially since Director Oh and her also keep bumping into each other, i.e. at the beach, where he takes pictures of her and saves her from a rock. Never mind he then falls and dumps her into the water. There is an almost inaudible crackling when they go to a motel together to change ... only, he gets them seperate rooms and leaves almost immediately after without her.

As different as our real-world situations are, I can relate quite a lot to this character; maybe because I have a few friends who are just like her. Always busy, seemingly brusque - but with a heart of gold, and highly vulnerable. She takes in Jung-wan and her family without even blinking when they are in need (though she refuses to lend Jung-wan money earlier, because she knows what money does to people) and I am sure she is also the person to take in stray cats and dogs. Or lost puppies (hint, hint). 

Kwon Ji-hyun (Choi Jung-yoon)
This, for me, is the most difficult of the female main characters to like. She is über-confident and very insensitive. She keeps the appearance of a perfect housewife, totally devoted to her husband (and their family), but that is really not her at all. There are little things she does when nobody is looking (like smoking secretly in the bathroom, waring a plastic cap so her hair will not smell), or going out with her friends as soon as her husband goes on a business trip. She also screams in frustration at the bathtub full of cabbage her mother-in-law wants her to turn into kimchi and she almost looses it when she is suddenly confronted with her past (Ahn). She is struggling to keep up the lie of a perfect life, but it is visibly difficult for her.What I don't like about her is that she constantly lies - to herself and everybody around her. We don't know for certain yet, but she seems like the kind of woman that gave up happiness for money - and now pays the prize for it. She comes from a modest background. Her life isn't happy at all, she has a mean mother-in-law who puts her down all the time, she has a husband who may be devoted but is hardly ever there, and she has a teenage daughter, Sera, who returns from the US, bearing a huge grudge against her mother - and shows signs of a serious alcohol problem. The big trial coming her way is the choice between the family she now has (which equals unhappiness) and the man she truly loved/loves (which (maybe?) equals happiness). 
Ahn-Boy and Oh-Boy
Of course they're not boys - they're goddamn fine ahjussis. Yum. See, I do not mind Korean almost-men ... but I DO prefer Korean ahjussis. After two episodes, we do not know a lot about these two characters. But we do know thatAhn Do-young is very, very nice and not easily offended.
 We also know he has a past with Ji-hyun (is the teenage daughter his, maybe?), one that they are trying to hide from her new family. But there is always unmyeong, and unmeyong wants it that they meet, after what seems a long time. Ji-hyun's saint of a husband Lee Gyu-shik (also unknown to me, Nam Sung-jin), (hm, no skeletons in his closet?!), invests in movies, so, unmyeong be thanked, he works with Ahn. When Do-young and Ji-hyun meet face to face unexpectedly, they keep up appearances, very well at that, but there are the little glances they steal at each other, that special kind of awareness between people who know each other much better than anybody is supposed to know. That scene was really, really well played. We do not see how the meeting affects him, but we see how it affects her: it completely shatters her confidence and turns her into a shaking mess. Hm.
Oh Kyung-soo remains the much bigger mystery up until now. He pretends to be someone he isn't, really: a womanizer. There are lots of stories about him and his affairs, but none of them seem to be true. He is witty and flirty, but he is also quite serious in almost everything he does. He has a sick mother (dementia/ Alzheimer?) but doesn't want to hear anything about her; it is Ahn that visits her instead of him. He is hurting and covering it up. He is probably not letting anybody and anything touch him, because keeping your distance is easier than getting emotionally involved. It's always epic when these kind of characters fall in love.  

Comments

This seems like a must-watch: The cast is superb, the directing swift and confident, and despite its seriousness, there is enough light-heartedness in this drama to make this a real feat for people like me who really don't like melos and makjang and crave for something different. Something that feels real. And something that has huge sushi posters in it. Cause .... sushi. And ... you know, incredibly nice and hot ahjussis. 
Eingestellt von kakashi um 14:47 http://dr-myri-blog.blogspot.com/2014/01/can-we-love-yes-we-can.html

[Guest asyree]

nancykimlee said:- Anyhoo, I LOVE this drama. I find myself anticipating the next episode and am pleasantly surprised by how much I love the characters and their interactions, esp. Kyungsoo and Jungwan. Its warm and fuzzy. Uhmforce is killing it as Kyungsoo with his facial expressions and adorable personality. I love how he seeks after Jungwan and teases her.

 - Kyungsoo isn't aware of his interest and his attraction yet but I think what draws him to Jungwan is her optimistism and pure heart since he's so jaded about life. It works and it's cute. 
- Can I just say that ALL of the parents are annoying in this drama? They're all money driven and/or selfish. J

- Jihyun's father and brother are more despicable to me than her mother in law. I also think that Jihyun's husband is hiding something, maybe he's cheating on her? I'd love for her to clear the misunderstanding with Doyoung but wouldn't want their relationship to develop as an affair but hope they reunite if she splits with her husband. She's clearly not happy and is still in love with Doyoung so I hope that if it's possible, they too would get their happy ending. 
And Sunmi is just doing her thang, lol. 

[uhmforce]

@olang Sorry. I looked it up but couldn't find who the artist is. L-)

[uhmforce]

asyree said:And lol, are we gonna see Kyung Soo and Jung Wan live under the same roof soon? Cohabitation hilarious encounters? Bring it on!!!

P.S. How i love that the lead OTP romance here isn't forced to our throats, rather it just comes naturally to us. And Sun Mi still eyeing for Kyung Soo right? The preview when she kicks her own car rear window is because she sees him getting much closer to Jung Wan right? So we already have Sun Mi and Ji Hyun in cold term, and later Sun Mi and Jung Wan's friendship might also be tested coz of the guy Sun Mi likes unfortunately falls for Jung Wan instead. Hmmm

[Guest nedenuleyn]

In the preview, JH's niece said that her friends said she looked more like her aunt than her parents. Remember in the first episode there was a little girl with JH when they were watching the football match. Then in this weeks episode when JH was trying to learn if DY had looked for her when she was away. She had gone to another place.And the reason why they argued in the fist place was JH didn't like the food at the restaurant and complained about it.My theory is JH was pregnant; that's why she couldn't eat the food. After they broke up she learned that she was pregnant and started to live away until the baby was born. And that baby is the niece.The point I don't get is why did she give her baby to her sister.

[Guest nedenuleyn]

I guess dramabeans is not recapping Can We Love. It made me sad. I watch it myself but I like reading recaps and I think when dramabeans recaps a drama it automatically becomes popular.  ( 

[Guest nedenuleyn]

In this video at 3: 09 the way Kyung Soo lifted Jung Wan is very funny.  =))

[ymiss]

^^^ That's my favorite scene in episode 4!

I'm most touched by Do Young and Ji Hyun's story! In reality, it's rare for that one past special, true love to be available, around for a second, another chance! The writer must provide a decent reason relating, involving Gyu Sik, Ji Hyun's husband to break their marriage for both Do Young and Ji Hyun to be together if the storyline is heading in that direction on their parts!

I think I have to watch Ressurection again! I don't remember, can't recall Uhm Tae Woong being this face expressive before! I really, truly love his character, Kyung Soo in here!