Women Who Make Me Watch Dramas Against My Will: Ahjumma Edition

So, it was recently international women's day, and I was busy all day. Oh well. But I thought that I could at least celebrate it late with the next installment of Women Who Make Me Watch Dramas Against My Will, and no better edition than the one dedicated to the ahjumma.

Whether they play the moms (evil or good), the aunties, the neighborhood ahjumma, or the bad-a mentors, these ahjumma are like the backbone of the drama world. A show is always going to be better with a well placed ahjumma. I realized going into this that it is an infinite list, because there are so many wonderful ahjumma in the world. So I had to try really hard to narrow it down and put my personal top favorites. The cream of the crop in my opinion.

Momance: Sometimes the Mom-Drama is actually the best part of the drama

When we think of Kdrama mothers, we usually think of those evil moms, like in Boys Over Flowers or Secret Garden who will stop at nothing to get rid of our heroine by whatever means.  We think of those moms that are just another plot device to tear the couple apart.  Or we might think of the mom drama moms.  The ones who throw a spanner in the works while trying to protect our protagonists, or themselves, or just make everything overly dramatic.  When the drama becomes a battle between the moms or the mom and children for what is best.  Like You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin, which I watched for Jo Jung Suk who was barely in it, which isn't really about Lee Soon Shin but her mothers.  Every single mother in the entire show was annoying and made me want to scream.

Moms are an important part of dramas, because moms are super important in real life.  But what I love and want to celebrate now is those mothers who actually made the dramas better.  Sometimes, they are the best part of the dramas, or at least so enjoyable to watch that they made it better.

213. Dear My Friends 디어 마이 프렌즈 (2016) Korean

Go Hyun Jung, Kim Hye Ja, Na Moon Hee, Go Doo Shim, Park Won Sook, Youn Yuh Jung, Joo Hyun, Kim Young Ok, Shin Goo

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: C/A

I knew I would love this one, because you can't go wrong with this many veteran actors.  They are just too good at acting.  Also, the minor roles were played by peeps like Lee Kwang Soo and Jo In Sung.  Like.  I also don't think I've cried this much in a drama in a very long time.  There really wasn't a single person that I didn't like.  I thought I wasn't going to like several of the characters at first, such as Wan (who was miss bad attitude), Young Won (who seemed annoying at first), Suk Kyoon (who is an idiot) and Sung Jae (who came of as a creeper for 2 seconds), but all of their characters were so fully developed that there wasn't anyone who was not sympathetic and loved.  The relationships were all so very complicated and beautiful and crazy that I couldn't help but be sucked in.  My favorite was Choong Nam because she was smart and bad-a and I already have a halmoni crush on Youn Yuh Jung.  I loved how no nonsense and stick up for herself she was, while still having things she was sensitive and sentimental about.  It was so beautiful to see where everyone had come from, growing up through such hard times, to become the people that they were.  How their faults became so poignant and understandable when they are placed in the context of the life they had, etc.  All those deeply sad and emotional parts, that would normally be awkward or boring to me, were just heart-wrenching and beautiful and I cried and loved it all.  If this show had a fault, it would be that it was so complicated that I couldn't help but be frustrated, but that was because it was so real.  Wan complained that all the old folk's stories seemed so makjang, but they all protested that they were real and that's why we watch makjang.  Life is not beautiful, life sucks, but we still live it and make the best of it.  Despite how emotional it all was, the ending still managed to make me grin with delight because it was so beautiful.  I thoroughly enjoyed this show and wish that it had been given a little more love.  I definitely heard less about it than all those idol dramas.  I mean, it still had two sexy men in it (Kwang Soo being one of the sexiest in my opinion) but it was definitely not about that and didn't really even need it.  It was about those elders and they were all wonderful.  Heart.

143. Unkind Women 착하지 않은 여자들 (2015) Korean

Kim Hye Ja, Chae Shi Ra, Do Ji Won, Lee Ha Na, Lee Soon Jae, Song Jae Rim, Kim Ji Suk

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A

What I liked about this show was that it was about the women, and they were real women who were not afraid to get out there and be mean, and hurt each other, and then make themselves better because they realized that blaming other people just makes things worse and you don't progress, etc.  There were some infuriating parts, and some unrealistic parts, but on the whole I really liked how there was character progression, for pretty much everyone.  I was surprised that one of my least favorite parts was Song Jae Rim's character.  I liked him at first, because he's sexy, but then I realized that his character was a bit annoying and immature and I really hated how they drew out that tension with his romance.  But it's probably more because as sexy as Song Jae Rim is, I am absolutely in love with Kim Ji Suk.  Someday he will get the girl.  Goodness knows his character deserves it 9 times out of 10.  But I really loved how it was about a bunch of women who sunk pretty low on the crappy life scale, for lots of different reasons, and then they all pulled themselves up through their own efforts, and not because some man saved them.  The men were all very secondary in this, and that was perfect.  They were also all pretty sweet (even when they were immature and annoying).  It was a show about women, and it was the women who did everything.  I loved that.  I do have to say though, that the older sister's romance was adorable, and ahjussi was the sweetest man ever and I want a man just like him.  But he didn't solve her problems for her.  He let her be strong, and they worked as a team.  It was great.  And the friendship between the grandma and her "rival" was the cutest thing ever.  It's a great drama, especially if you have a mean sense of humor (which I do) and you think that snarky smack talk is funny (which I do) and you like a lot of character development, which is the best.  Nothing is worse than a static character... especially when it's a lead (and it's typically the female lead- boo sexist writing!) so yay for good character arcs!