Sigh… I don’t hate this show, but I don’t love it either. I don’t really feel any strong emotions for it (I’m kind of like Park Hae-Jin’s deadpan expressionless face). Spoilers below.

There are moments where I fight the urge to shout at the screen for Do-ha to put a sock in it. Yeah, I like it when a female lead is no pushover and is intelligent, but if this means she doesn’t know when to shut up it irritates the hell out of me. There have been enough incidences in her beloved “oppa’s” life that require that he have a bodyguard in the first place (and the car incident should hint that there are risks out there, not to mention the whole blackout/army barging in thing in Russia even if she didn’t know the whole story). So if someone who is that bodyguard tells you to do something safety-oriented, shouldn’t your first response be “okay” and not insist on explanations or think this is flirting? Yeah, I get it that her dad is a scumbag and she’s had a hard life, but she’s not all that adorable IMO.

Conversely, when K cracks a smile (in his character of the “smitten” suitor), or messes with her head, or better yet, makes a face of poorly concealed disgust, Park Hae-jin makes me laugh. Him telling Do-ha that she is not his style, and that hairstyle is a mistake when she’s thinking he’ll tell her she’s pretty (after she’s just finished telling him to pretend that they’re not dating and be very covert about it and don’t say anything that will give it away AND he’d just done his suitor duty and told her she was pretty) was somehow very gratifying. Very.

The supporting cast is hanging in there, giving reliably good performances — with the exception of the guy who plays Do-ha’s father who almost always overdoes it in his roles. The guy who K’s manager (controller?) reports to is doing very well, as is our smooth bad guy. But… I still find it kind of meh. Maybe with the ante upped with her kidnapping it will start clicking more. Let’s hope.

On the other hand, I can’t wait each week for episodes of Stranger (Secret Forest) to come out and I savor them. I really would like to feel half that interest for MXM. Fingers crossed it improves.

#kim-min-jung, #man-to-man, #man-x-man, #park-hae-jin