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K-Drama Review: Graceful Family



Hey guys, so I actually finished watching this drama last year after completing Hotel Del Luna as I was looking for something to watch to get over my withdrawal syndrome! This review has been in my draft for quite some time now and I decided to share this with you guys since both Im Soo Hyang and Lee Jang Woo has recently come back with their respective new drama this year! 

Graceful Family 우아한가 is a 16-episodes 2019 MBN drama starring Im Soo Hyang, Lee Jang Woo, Baek Jong Ok and many other veteran actors and actresses. Im Soo Hyang plays the lead role in this drama- Mok Suk Hee, the only granddaughter of MC Group, one of Korea's most powerful and largest corporations. However, unlike other chaebols, Suk Hee was banished to the United States when she was 15 years old after her mother was murdered in their home. After her mother's death, Suk Hee was not allowed to return to Korea as her whereabouts were tightly controlled by the head of MC Group- Han Jae Gook, potrayed by actress Baek Jong Ok. Before becoming the head of  "TOP" - MC Group's very own control center, Ms. Han was a judge who decided to leave her career behind to join MC Group. 

 Lee Jang Woo, on the other hand, portrays a freelance lawyer, Heo Yoon Do, who sets up his firm in a small corner of his father's BBQ restaurant. Yoon Do has a painful past as his mother was wrongly convicted of a murder which she did not commit 15 years ago. 

Without the knowledge of MC Group, Suk Hee has been planning for her return to Korea. When she found out about her grandfather's deterioration in his health condition, Suk Hee decided to return to Korea. When she returned to Korea, she got into a minor car collision and she met Lawyer Heo. Although they started out on unfriendly terms, they soon decided to work together to uncover the mystery behind Suk Hee's mother's murder from 15 years ago. 

PROS:
1. I really liked how the writer was daring in exploring the various themes that are considered Taboo in South Korean society in this drama such as transgender, the power struggle and manipulation of the law etc. It was very interesting and definitely a surprising plot twist when it was revealed that Mo Wan Joon had a secret- that he was a transgender. I think the writer did really well in managing to conceal this secret well until the big reveal in the last few episodes! 

2. Each character in this drama was potrayed extremely well. Especially Mo Suk Hee and Mo Wan Soo. I especially really liked the character of Suk Hee- where she is not afraid to go out of her way to find a solution and although she has been hurt the most, she does not show her weakness easily and she strive to find justice until the very end of the drama, despite having lost so many of her loved ones along the way and finding out about her birth secret. Another character that I really liked was Wan Soo, as he was the most carefree yet sensitive character in this drama. Although he was revealed to be the real murderer of Suk Hee's mother in the end, it was difficult to blame him because he was a pitiful character who only wanted to be noticed and loved by his mother who only ever acknowledged Wan Joon as her son. 

3. The interesting plot twist in the end was definitely something to look forward to in this drama. I find the ending quite refreshing as it pretty much sums up the drama as a whole and it also gave the bad characters the punishment they deserved, as well as a happy ending for those who deserve it like Suk Hee and Yoon Do! 

CONS:
1. Like many other dramas, this drama got a bit draggy in the middle. But the unexpected plot twist in the last few episodes definitely made up for this! 

2. The lack of romance between the main leads, Suk Hee and Yoon Do. I felt like it was a waste of chemistry as their relationship did not progress much. But the lack of romance did allowed viewers to concentrate more on the main story rather than their romance. 

RATINGS: 4 / 5

DID YOU KNOW? 
1. Graceful Family was the highest rated MBN drama in 2019. 
2. This is the second time Im Soo Hyang and Lee Jang Woo worked together in the same drama, they previously starred in the MBC drama "I Do I Do" with Kim Sun Ah. 

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