I’m going on a limb and sharing a completely contradictory opinion – I think When the Camellia Blooms is a very cohesive and well-written and acted drama but it’s just not an engaging watch. I think a lot of South Korea disagrees because the final episode broke 23% ratings and honestly any prime time that drama breaks 10% nowadays is considered good so breaking 20% basically puts this drama in bona fide success territory. What I enjoyed was Kang Ha Neul‘s insanely committed performance, he disappeared into that role and never looked back. But conversely I always felt Gong Hyo Jin, a very talented actress, was Gong Hyo Jin doing a role she’s done times before, the timid and scared woman getting a second chance at life and love. He pulled me in and she pushed me out, the neighborhood and baseball stories pulled me in but the serial killer story pushed me out. It was this push and pull with this drama the entire time that never created a solid momentum so in the end I wanted to watch for completion but wished I loved it like I loved lesser quality fare that just happened to fully push my engage button. Continue reading →