4 Things We Liked & 1 Thing We Disliked About Episodes 1-2 Of "Serendipity's Embrace"

Based on the webtoon written by Nam Ji Eun and illustrated by Kim In Ho, tvN’s new Monday-Tuesday K-drama “Serendipity’s Embrace” revolves around the lives of Lee Hong Joo (Kim So Hyun) and Kang Hoo Young (Chae Jong Hyeop). The pair used to go to the same high school, and while Hong Joo was in love with someone else, Hoo Young had eyes only for her. When Hoo Young moves to the U.S., he loses contact with his friends including Hong Joo. But after a decade, they accidentally bump into each other, one thing leads to another, and love happens.

Judging by the first two episodes, “Serendipity’s Embrace” seems like the warm and fuzzy K-drama that every romance lover should add to their watchlist.

Warning: spoilers from episodes 1-2 below.

Liked: “Serendipity’s Embrace” will only have eight episodes

uppoompat

uppoompat

uppoompat

The default K-drama episode count has long been set at 16 episodes, which might make you believe that every K-drama must have 16 episodes, no more, no less. However, not every K-drama needs that. Often, following the same formula affects the pace of the drama: the first few episodes have a thick plot, while episodes after episode 10 are filled with filler scenes just to reach the 16-episode goal.

Recently, maybe because of the popularity of shorter series in general, the K-drama episode count has also become more flexible. As a result, “Serendipity’s Embrace” only has eight episodes. While some viewers might hate this creative choice, one benefit of this lower episode count is that the show will have a tight-knit plot without any filler scenes, so you get the most action in the least amount of time, and it is evident from the premiere week’s episodes.

Not only did the main leads meet in episodes one and two, but we also learned about most of their background stories and set up the obstacles, such as Hong Joo’s ex-boyfriend who is back in town, Hong Joo’s best friend who loves Hoo Young, and Hoo Young who has only a few days to make his first love fall in love with him as he needs to go back to the States soon. Hence, if the first week’s episodes are so full of action, it is only right to believe that the remaining six episodes will be no different.

Liked: Romance is the plot

mostlyfate

mostlyfate

mostlyfate

Nowadays, when you see a “romance” K-drama, it often isn’t completely focused on just the romance, which isn’t a bad thing as a thicker plot means more entertainment for the viewers. However, sometimes you just want to sit back and watch two people fall in love, and “Serendipity’s Embrace” seems to be exactly that.

Judging by the premiere episodes, both the leads don’t have any major problems in their lives. The female lead is not a poor girl trying to work day in and day out to pay her tuition, nor is the male lead a rich CEO running away from his past. This lack of troubles in their lives means their love story will take the front seat and have more screen time.

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uppoompat

uppoompat

It should be noted that this does not mean there is zero plot, as there seems to be a mystery element yet to unfold. In the premiere episode, when the main leads meet 10 years later in the cafe, Hong Joo acts like she didn’t know him even though she does. Was it because Hoo Young had not contacted her in 10 years, or was her behavior a result of something else?

Liked: Loser-lover-boy main lead

dramashii

dramashii

There was a time when all male love interests in K-dramas could be classified as tsundere (a person or a character who swings between emotionally hot and cold). These male leads would not only annoy the female leads but also often hurt them while trying to keep their mysterious persona alive. They would also not profess their love until the 10th episode. Meanwhile, the second love interest would always be more cheerful and express his feelings better than the main love interest.

nunafilms

nunafilms

nunafilms

However, lately, the K-drama industry is seeing a shift and introducing more “loser lover boy” types as main leads. One of the most recent and popular loser boys is Sun Jae (Byeon Woo Seok) from “Lovely Runner,” and Hoo Young in “Serendipity’s Embrace” also seems to have a similar character design.

Not only was he the first one to fall in love with Hong Joo, but he also remembered her even after 10 years while forgetting the girl he had recently met at a wedding and went to university with. There’s also the way he kept playing with the 500 won coin he got in change after eating street food with Hong Joo, and the way he is not shy to show his affection towards her and wants to spend more time with her all prove him to be the perfect loser-lover combo.

Disliked: Love triangle

dramascene

dramascene

dramascene

Though the love triangle between our main couple and Hong Joo’s ex is a crucial part of her life, the inclusion of the ex in the drama timeline can easily go wrong. Considering “Serendipity’s Embrace” has only eight episodes, hopefully the story will just use the ex as a way for the main leads to get closer and not waste time on Hong Joo wondering if she wants her ex back in her life.

Liked: Breaking the first love stereotype

dramashii

dramashii

“Your first love is special because it happens only once in life.” – Hong Joo

It is no news that the first love trope paired with childhood connection is often used to show how the love between main leads is destiny, fate, and kismet. While in some stories this trope can seem meaningful, in most stories it makes the love between the main couple feel lazy.

Even though in Hoo Young’s case he will be getting his first love at the end of the drama, Hong Joo’s story is completely different, as in her case her first love emotionally abused her. Keeping these facts in mind, “Serendipity’s Embrace” is clearly trying to break the first-love-is-irreplaceable convention by showing that first love does not always go according to plan and how that is a normal part of life.

However, there is always a possibility that Hong Joo will confess how she never “loved” her ex but only had a crush on him, while Hoo Young was her one true love. That would also explain why she pretended not to know him in episode one.

 

 

 

source: Soompi