Take 3 badass ladies, 2 conglomerate web companies, 1 kickass suit designer, and what do you get? An unbelievable explosion of power and feminism. Search Query: WWW is the new TVN drama about the kind of woman I’ve always wanted to be… You know, if I was motivated, and rich, and pretty….
Synopsis
The synopsis provided by YTN is very misleading, especially after having watched the first few episodes. A lot of the character descriptions are correct in some sense but are extremely unrelatable to what we see and how the story itself progresses.
“ This is a romance drama that depicts 3 career women who specialise in trending portal sites and the men that shake up their lives.”
You can read the rest of the press release at the link below
Reference: https://www.ytn.co.kr/_sn/0117_201902261036232814
Thoughts
What I liked
What a fresh drama. It’s well-paced, different and imaginative in its writing. In stark contrast to Korean family values, this drama takes us on a trip through the lives of people who are not a norm in Korea. Career women? Yes, until you get married. But not here. In this drama, women get to decide for themselves what they want to be, and they do it in designer outfits with bitching attitudes.
The characters are introduced in such bold ways. It makes it easy for me as a spectator to pick a side. Bae Ta Mi is fierce; she is revered by her colleagues and loves her job above all else. She’s certainly not a hard character to understand. You can tell straight off the bat that she’s a force to be reckoned with. And boy does she prove it. She not only takes a stand against a government that dictates whenever it suits them but sticks it to the very people that thought she would comply to be a scapegoat. That’s badass. And I get her. For all the money and power KU Group can buy, they can’t make someone say the things they want. I like how the writers use Bae Ta Mi’s trial to show that conglomerates only hold the amount of power people afford them. Money only does so much.
There’s more to be said about Scarlett but considering that her story line is pretty thin at the moment, I can’t say I’ve made out anything about her. I do love how she just loves beating people up, that’s always fun to watch.
I’m yet to conclude how I feel about my male lead. I mean, he’s younger, he’s handsome. He’s almost one dimensional. I feel like the writers will have to make his story arc a big one for me to take him seriously. From what I’ve seen so far, he’s too young. Even in his mannerisms. Like, how am I supposed to take this child seriously? Does he know what happens in a board meeting? I get it, he’s supposed to be in love with her, and its cute. For the first 2 episodes. After that, he’s just an annoying love-struck puppy that follows you around everywhere. Its cute for the first hour or so. After that you just want your puppy to go do things other puppies do.
I’m happy to see that Song Ga Gyeong knows the weight of the consequences of her actions (not to say she’s the villain per se’, but she’s doing pretty villainous things at the moment, so… if the shoe fits). She’s aware that she’s a pawn and has no power. She’s also well aware that by doing so, she’s giving up a whole set of ethics. She knows. But she chooses to anyway. And I think that’s what makes her my favourite character for now. Because I foresee a change in her in the near future that’s going to redeem her. For now, she’s ok with just being a bitch, because she’s chosen to be one (coping mechanisms).
What I didn’t like
I don’t have any real complaints about the drama as a whole at the moment (there will be in the future, trust me). I am a bit put off by the lack of proper character development though. I don’t know if it was purposeful, but I was able to describe Ta Mi’s character within the first 5 minutes of episode 1. Maybe because she’s the protagonist? But is that it, Search WWW? That’s all she’s going to be? I certainly hope not. I hope that at some point characters such as Brian, Scarlett, and even Oh Jin Woo (Song Ga Gyeong’s husband – there’s a story there, I tell you) get their 2 minutes of fame. Their characters are integral to the plot. Please, writers, don’t leave them bare. I might be nit-picking. There’s only so much time that can be given to building a character, the show must go on. But build your characters fully and I promise you the story will basically drive itself.
Though our villains seem to have a duality to them that is a bit jarring, its hard for me to ever have to believe that circumstance determines the choices you make. I call bullshit on how people think they don’t have a choice. Yes, the consequences may be dire (Bae Ta Mi loses her job, so…), but the right choice is there to be made. I suspect this will happen at some point. If you push someone to the edge, they’ll fight back eventually. I can’t wait for that moment (fingers crossed for an interesting mid-drama episode) because it will show the true nature of each character (if written well enough).
One could argue that our villains choose to be such, yes. But that doesn’t excuse some of the things that happen for the sake of happening. Jin Woo needs to man up and tell his mother where to get off. Song Ga Gyeong is a pawn, yes, but she doesn’t need to take orders AND be kicked around. Let’s show some class rich people!
Am I the only one who thinks the cameraman is drunk in many of the scenes? I’m jarred a bit by the filming technique. It’s done so purposefully, I get it, but it’s starting to make me feel like I’ve been smoking something… just a thought. The scenes are still beautiful though, save for a few cuts into other scenes.
Yay or Nay?
It’s a top-notch drama! Of course, this is just my humble opinion. And a definite must-watch for me! I will be seeing this drama through, even if just to see our main characters in fresh tailor-made suits.
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