jTBC Drama The Beauty Inside Wraps with Decent Acting and Disengaged Narrative

This week concluded the airing of jTBC Mon-Tues drama The Beauty Inside, an adaptation of the movie of the same name but with a gender switch and also tweaked body morphing logic. Female lead Seo Hyun Jin changes once a month for a week and has managed to become a top actress, albeit one known for suddenly disappearing for a chunk of time. She crosses paths with face blind male lead Lee Min Ki and together the drama piles on the romance but I really didn’t connect with their relationship. I don’t know if it was the lack of chemistry, both have been way better with previous costars, or the general vibe that these two well-off and successful people can find a way to be with each other and navigate her face changing problem. The side stories also didn’t hook me and the only relationship I cared about, and did so deeply, was Seo Hyun Jin’s character with her onscreen mom. Those middle episodes were the highlight of the drama bookended by meh narrative and too much kissing, hugging, and professing love without making me feel the connection in my gut. Ratings wise the drama was high for jTBC, averaging in the 4% and counts as a success. I did love each individual cast member and am happy to see them below celebrating at the drama wrap party! Continue reading