Drama Review: Alone in Love

Alone In Love (SBS 2006)
Number of Episodes- 16
Main Cast- Gam Woo Sung, Son Ye Jin, Gong Hyun Jin, Lee Ha Na
Korean Wiz Link: http://www.koreanwiz.org/at/drama-aloneinlove.html

This drama marks the return to the small screen for Gam Woo Sung and Son Ye Jin, both with very successful movie careers. Son Ye Jin plays Yoo Eun Ho, who works as a personal trainer at a Seoul health club. She is divorced from Lee Dong Jin, played by Gam Woo Sung, who is a manager at large bookstore. The couple divorced after the stillbirth of their first child. Dealing with the grief tore them apart, and only 2 months after the baby’s death, they decide to divorce rather than to continue fighting each other. However, despite their divorce, neither Eun Ho nor Dong Jin has moved on, and their lives continue to be intertwined. They meet every year at the same restaurant on the anniversary of their wedding, they see each other at the same donut shop every morning before work, they visit the grave of their child together, and they still share the same friends. While each feels pressure to move on, it is obvious that neither is ready, and both carry the heavy weight of unresolved feelings over the death of their child. To balance the complex issues surrounding Eun Ho and Dong Jin, the drama includes a colorful cast of supporting characters including Eun Ho’s sister, Ji Ho, who is always ready for her next meal, and Dong Jin’s best friend Joon Pyo, an OB/GYN doctor who has developed a sudden fear for delivering babies. Throw in as well a lady professional wrestler, a gay bartender, the gym crowd, and Dong Jin’s book store co-workers.

I read somewhere that this is the non-Korean Korean drama because it lacks the typical elements of a K-drama, like a Cinderella story or a love-triangle. In fact, when I first started watching the drama, I thought it may be too slow moving for me, but by the third episode, I was completely engrossed. No fancy story lines here- the main characters are average people with normal jobs and normal lives. The misunderstandings that led to their break-up are sad, but very real and understandable. In particular, I found myself so drawn to Eun Ho, who grieves over the loss of her child and in reality, her husband. Each episode is loaded with rich dialog, moving scenes, interlaced with lots of humor. As The Man, a regular on the HI drama board stated: "every scene, every expression, each piece of dialogue, every move, EVERYTHING in this show, sad and comedic (yes, let's not forget the morsels of hilarity in this show; it's half the reason why I decided to order the boxed set) MATTERED; and all that was a mere testament to giving all in love a lesson of sorts. Nothing was wasted." In addition, the cinematography is superb with so many wonderful scenes of modern Seoul. I highly recommend this drama.

For now, the complete drama with subs is loaded on d-addicts. Here is the link to ep 1, part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQyabvLK1Fw