Call it Love is a Korean language series that aired on Feb 22, 2023, on Disney+. It narrates the story and possible romance between two people who are tired of life. The catch in the series is that they are, in a way, ex-stepsiblings though only one of them knows about this.
Woo-jo, as a teenager, was broken by her father’s affair and his later abandonment. This causes her to have a hatred for both her father and his mistress, with whom he ran away. She is said to go crazy when she gets angry, as seen by her jumping in front of her father and mistress’s car to teach him a lesson, going to his funeral, and acting disrespectfully.
The male lead, Dong-jin, is also having a hard time. He is troubled by his mother’s constant remarriages, marriage for money mostly. He was betrayed by his girlfriend, and a man is trying his best to bring him down. He is the son of Woo-Joo’s father’s mistress.
The two cross each other’s path, not coincidentally, because woo-jo is planning to ruin him. But she soon realizes he is already ruined and miserable, just like her.
Recap and Review of Episode 8
This show has an overall melancholic feeling looming over it and correctly fits into the genre of melodrama. As of now, the show has eight episodes, and you can feel it in every one of them. Once again, even in this episode, Dong-jin does not find out how exactly complicated his relationship with Woo-jo is.
Though I hope he finds out soon. Every time a new episode is released, I sit with my hands clamped together, wondering if this is the episode he finds out the truth.
I want him to find out the truth soon, this man has gone through enough pain, and he needs to find the truth before he falls deeper for Woo-jo. And I genuinely hope he finds it out from Woo-jo and not his mother.
In the last episode, we see a fight between Woo jo and Yoon Joon, and in this episode, we see Woo-jo pondering over the fight and her actions.
And she asks Dong-jin to not like her, this obviously hurts Dong jin but he doesn’t show it explicitly, remember, we are dealing with a man who is good at suppressing his feelings. Dong-jin kneeling down and staring at a drunk Woo-jo was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.
In this episode, we also get to know something new about Woo-jo, she used to be a promising archer, but her shoulder injury from the accident destroyed her career. Meanwhile, CEO shin, the man trying to destroy Dong-jin, is in a dilemma and tries to find Kang Min-Yeong, Dong-jin’s ex.
It seems like she still has feelings for him and is affected by his indifference. The cheating ex coming back is one of the tropes that I hate, but I understand sometimes it can be useful in developing a plot, which I hope is what the writer is going to do in this drama.
Then we find out the misunderstandings and break in Min-yeong’s and Dong jin’s relationship is partly due to his mother’s behavior. But, in my opinion, that still doesn’t justify her cheating on him for a year and then sending him the wedding invitation.
Meanwhile, the relationship between Hyeyoung and Suho is deemed incompatible by Jun, and I have a feeling that he may be right. It seems like a ‘doomed from the beginning relationship’ from the viewer’s point of view.
It could also be because we know there is a chance for something between Jun and Hye-young. We also get a hint that something is wrong with Hye young because her colleague mentions her taking medicine, and she gets fidgety.
The episode ends with Min-Yeong back hugging Dong-jin and CEO shin witnessing this and misunderstanding Dong-jin has something to do with his downfall. He walks ahead to confront them. But Woo-Joo stops him by blocking his way.
This episode was slow-paced too, but it was not the boring kind of slow; it was an intriguing kind of slow. This pace helps us absorb all the emotions that the characters are feeling. And the mood the story sets require such a pace. So, I enjoy this pace, which is rare.
As mentioned earlier, the show has a feeling of melancholy to it, maybe aroused by the circumstances of the main leads of the show. This feeling of melancholy is made intense by the background music and performance of the actors.
So, they do deserve a big shout-out. I would like to appreciate the camera works too. The switch from one scene to another scene is smooth and is yet again accompanied by suitable background music. This helps us enjoy the episode without any interruption.
This is not the first time we see an ex-step-sibling romance, the iconic movie Clueless introduced us to the concept. But this concept has always given me a weird feeling, not with this drama though. Maybe because the leads in this drama never actually lived as siblings or shared similar parents, there was just the absence of one in their life. But it is still a teeny bit weird, which is a personal pet peeve.
The chemistry between the lead characters is brilliant, we don’t have the sizzling hot chemistry, but we have the summer rain on a hot day chemistry. There is comfort in their chemistry. This makes sense, especially considering the stage they are in. They are not even in the talking stage, but both are in a sort of denial stage. The fact that Woo-jo
tries to hide her feelings and not act on them, despite being impulsive at times, showing how much she treasures and empathizes with Dong-jin.
Performance of the actors
The actors did not disappoint and gave their best for the show, as evident in all the episodes, including this one. One thing about Lee Sung Kyung is she will nail the role given to her, doesn’t matter what kind of role. And Kim Young-Kwang also did a really good job of portraying his character. If you are wondering where you have seen him before, he is the boss in The secret life of my Secretary.
I really appreciate the versatility the lead actors have in their portfolios. The other actors are all doing a really good job. But the leads are so good at portraying their characters everybody else just becomes just a part of the background.
The misery the characters face is brilliantly portrayed by the actors. In the scene in episode 8, where Woo-jo requests Dong-jin not to like her, her expression on Dong-jin is excellent.
The emotional baggage that both of them carry weighs on the viewer’s shoulder, too, not just the character. The makeup, or lack thereof, also helps a lot with character images. The wardrobe of the show is also great.
They are all wearing clothes that show their lifestyle and way of living. Woo-jo wears clothes that do not complement her, which shows that she does not care about what others think of her. We can also assume it shows her financial status and mental state too. It’s the same with Dong-jin, too he wears suits, but he looks worn out in them, yet again reflecting his struggling emotions.
Check out: Top Lee Sung Kyung K-Dramas That Prove That She Is Beauty With Brains!
Our Verdict
This is a review based on personal opinions and observations, so the rating will also depend on it. The episode was adequately paced, and great performances by the actors. The storyline was on track and did not appear to be scattered. The flashbacks were on point. There were enough plot points to cover the episode, and did not have many fillers.
Overall, I really enjoyed watching this episode, so I give this episode a 3.8 out of 5. Not giving it a 4 because I was really hoping for Dong-jin to find out about the relationship between his mom and Woo-jo, but he did not.
On top of that, they made use of cameras and editing to provide the anticipation that it would happen soon. There were times when I personally felt a bit lagging and found myself skipping over some parts.
Our Rating: ⭐ (3.8/5).
Also read: LEAP Review: Is It Worth Buying?
