just finished When the Camellia Blooms

On the whole I did enjoy it..though for me it wasn’t without it’s hiccups..it stars Gong Hyo Jin as the single mother who runs the bar called Camellia and Kang Ha-Neul..an almost childlike man/cop who falls in love and keeps trying to wear her down to accept him. The background is the typical (I assume) small town filled with critical neighbours who have yet to accept her into the fold even after having lived there for years. She is forever an outsider of dubious character and they let her know it.

To tell you the truth I started up on it and dropped it for a while but then decided to give it another chance. One main reason for me was that I truly dislike dramas where the love story is at the beginning and there is no journey I can take along with them as normally would be the case. It was almost love at first sight for him and seconds later a public declaration..so where does one go from there? It had none of that delicious tension that I so love..the only difference is that it was all on his side!! I think Kang Ha neul did a great job with this because at times his character bordered on an over the top innocence that would have been hard to take. Perhaps this is why I had a bit of issue with seeing them as a couple..at times she appeared almost maternal and I couldn’t see them together at all.

Also sometimes I really disliked her character and her attitude about things (for instance..being righteously indignant towards her child’s father because he wasn’t there for his son..when all along she NEVER told him about him in the first place!!)..it was her choice to be a single mother in a society that didn’t take it lightly but she seemed to not understand that her decision had consequences for herself and all around her.

And what is it about those poor orphans in Korea???? THis fact shaped her whole persona and resulted in her terrible lack of confidence..one of the pleasures was seeing her journey into a strong woman..I could have done without the serial killer plotline since I don’t think it added that much to the drama at all…in summary..while there were things I didn’t like..as a whole it had pretty strong, interesting and human characters..the secondary characters were more than fillers and..while I didn’t get to see the growth of romantic love..there was an abundance of love of other kinds…

yenchan69 12:53 pm on June 5, 2020

Sounds like it’s been damned with faint praise, hahaha!

i’m with you on not appreciating storylines that incorporate love-at-first-sight scenarios… soooo dull!! Though there have indeed been some delightful exceptions, like “Mukodono” or “Descendants of the Sun.” But one-sided love tho…. that has more possibilities for pining!! Was there any? Or was our childlike hero too sunny to notice she wasn’t that keen on him? It doesn’t sound like they had much chemistry at all. Maternal?? Interesting.

Did the annoying villagers ever come around to see our girl’s worth or did they fade into irrelevancy? How was the kid?
- chingu123 2:36 pm on June 5, 2020
  
  Ah..I forgot to mention that kid..such a great character..he was an old man in a little boy’s body..and he was so realistically written..the poor little guy had been trying to be “the man” all his life..constantly defending his “infamous”mother and at times she seemed so oblivious to his feelings..while at the same time she was so understanding of others…He was very perceptive and mature but still could be immature if you know what I mean…I loved the fact that he wasn’t afraid to tell her off..lol..he had a quick temper who told it like it was..naturally any such relationship would mean that he would instantly hate anyone who got close enough..like our hero for instance..like his real dad for instance..even if they were the best men on earth who truly loved him.
  
  Maybe I’m the only one who got the maternal vibe..they had chemistry but for me not necessarily the passionate kind..he was truly someone any girl would want to meet…supportive..respectful..loving..and not afraid to tell tell you what was in his heart..I would say they were a very comfortable couple..those neighbours did come around..in quite an amazing way actually..
  
  I read that this drama was extended by 4 episodes..sometimes it felt stretched but that also allowed them to add things that they might not have had time to do so without feeling rushed.