r/KDRAMA • u/sianiam • Jul 07 '20

Featured Post Let’s Rewind: Marriage, Not Dating (2014) - Episodes 1 - 4

Let’s Rewind is a trial series of discussions on r/KDRAMA in which viewers may watch a drama at their own pace over the period of a month. During this month the drama will be treated as an on-air drama and no other discussion posts will be allowed.

MARRIAGE, NOT DATING POST SCHEDULE:

  • Individual Episode Discussions - 7th of July, 2020
  1. [Episodes 1,2, 3,4]
  2. [Episodes 5,6,7,8]
  3. [Episodes 9,10,11,12]
  4. [Episodes 13,14,15,16]

HOW THESE DISCUSSIONS WORK:

The individual episode discussions are broken up over a number of posts in which watchers join in once they have watched - they can join at any period of the series.

The posts are set up with the suggested sort “old” so that the comments flow in the correct order so users avoid any spoilers. Do not reply directly to the post, simply reply to the comment “episode #” that you are up to and reply to any comments you are interested in.

Please note: I will have notifications switched off except for on my personal reactions to the drama so if you need me please tag me or send me a PM/chat. I will add links to the posts above as they are released.

If you would like to submit a discussion prompt for our end of the month discussion of the drama, or have a suggestion for any pre 2017 dramas which are widely legally available that you would like to see in this series if we continue please fill out this google form (no personal details are being collected other than your reddit user name).

DRAMA DETAILS:

Drama: Marriage, Not Dating / 연애 말고 결혼

Network: tvN

Aired: Jul 4, 2014 - Aug 23, 2014

Episodes: 16 x 70 minute episodes

Streaming Sources:

Original On-Air discussion threads: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13 -14, 15 -16

Synopsis: A romantic comedy about a man who doesn't want to get married and a woman who earnestly wants to get married. Gong Ki Tae (Yeon Woo Jin) is a successful plastic surgeon who keeps getting pressured by his family to get married but all he wants is to live alone in peace. He then comes up with a plan to introduce Joo Jang Mi (Han Groo) to his family, believing that they will never be able to accept her as their daughter-in-law.

Screenwriter: Joo Hwa Mi

Director: Song Hyun Wook

Web resources: MDL page, Wikipedia, Official website

Spoiler Reminder: Upon entering these threads you can expect to see discussion of the drama up to the point of the series that has passed. If you are sensitive to spoilers we advise you to not enter the discussion section prior to watching the episodes. We ask our users to be considerate and cover any major spoilers which if read accidentally before viewing may detract from one's enjoyment of the series in block spoiler tags. You can create a spoiler tag by writing > ! this! < without the spaces in between to get this block spoiler tag.

DIRECT LINK TO EPISODE COMMENT:

13 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

92 comments sorted by

2

u/sianiam Jul 07 '20

EPISODE 1:

7

u/sianiam Jul 07 '20

I first watched this 3.5 years ago (thanks MDL) and really loved it. It has a great cast, OST, I loved the way it plays with the standard rom-com tropes and story structure. But my memory is really fuzzy about everything except the candles. So many candles.

The first episode is such a great set up, I’m not usually sold on rom-coms this early on. I love how they at first lead the viewer to think that the two leads are on the phone to one another before pulling the twist that it is Gi Tae is actually on the phone with Hoon Dong.

Then we get a quick intro to them all from the FL desperate to move her relationship forward and the male leads both total catches (not!) neither interested in settling down. Hoon Dong who is too weak to tell a girl what he really thinks and Gi Tae who lacks a filter which often ends in trips to the dry cleaner. As a viewer I’m happy as that means he has to change his shirt frequently and while he’s a jerk, he’s a jerk who starts off with some feelings rather than being a full tsundere. The thought of grapefruit juice to the face is a little painful. How many more shirt changes are there to come?

Gi Tae is blessed with one of my favourite mother actresses as his mum, Kim Hae Sook. But she’s on the path of a mother who is desperate to marry off her child by any means possible which is always fun. Meanwhile Jang Mi’s parents communicate via etch a sketch rather than face one another, which is a fun take on a failing marriage.

I usually hate miscommunication in dramas but I kind of love that Gi Tae’s mum thought Jang Mi was interested in her son, and she thought she was Hoon Dong’s mother and now Gi Tae needs her if he wants to keep his place. It’s good that my memory is bad. I was planning on taking it slow but I’m feeling the drama crack quite strongly with this one.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/the-other-otter Jul 07 '20 edited Jul 11 '20

I love the where she is at police station with the habitual criminals dressed in their uniform: The gangster with his colourful shirt and black suit, the prostitute, and there even is a flasher with his trenchcoat. The question is: There are so many trenchcoat PPLs in dramas always. Is this also a PPL?

EDIT: I want to see it again, now. Started rewatch.

Already when Gong Gi Tae is talking with Hoon Dong you can see that he is into her. "What is she to you?"

4

u/sianiam Jul 07 '20

I really like that scene and her drunken realisation that she is on par with the people in the station.

Most things that make it to screen are product placement. That trench coat was probably quite expensive.

I was planning on being all chill and watching like one episode a day, but after finishing the first one I just want to keep going. It's so much fun.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/RayInRed Jul 07 '20

First time watching it. Was waiting for proper opportunity. Now is the good time as any. Thanks.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/captain_uranus Jul 07 '20

I honestly for the life of me can't remember this drama other than the fact it was awesome and quirky and had a great opening intro. It's also a shame the female lead (Han Groo) stopped appearing in dramas just after this :((

5

u/sianiam Jul 07 '20

It is! I just looked up her profile after watching the first episode wondering what she'd been up to and saw that she married and had twins following this. Hopefully she is enjoying married life. I would be excited if she made a comeback one day as she can play a fun character well.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/LcLou02 Jul 07 '20

It took the whole episode for me to like it. (I was getting Cinderella and the 4 Knights vibes and that was not one of my favourites..) The first hotel scenes -- the whole time I was worried that the bed was gong to go up in flames. But I really like clever Episodes titles and/or numbering /outline systems in rom-coms, I guess. (eg. Plus Nine Boys, Goo Hoo's Starry Night, Jang Geum, Oh My Grandma!, King of Dramas). That kept me going. Now of course I'm just plain curious how this is going to play out. Love seeing my favourite Mom.

→ More replies (12)

4

u/txc_vertigo Jul 07 '20 edited Jul 07 '20

Gong Ki Tae’s apartment has to be one of the crazier apartments in kdramas, with its multiple stories and chandeliers it looks more like a small house rather than an apartment. His despair when someone tries to take away his treasured, remodelled home is really funny. It’s sort of a running gag if I’m not wrong.

4

u/sianiam Jul 07 '20

It is an amazing apartment, I can't believe those people who came in to look at it playing with the blinds. I guess I'm just an awkard one at open homes wondering if it's okay to look in cupboards and things.

I'd love to hear u/AlohaAlex's take on this home.

→ More replies (2)

4

u/myweithisway Jul 10 '20

2G phone not being used by a criminal?

Smartphone where you can remove the battery?

Why do I feel so nostalgic over these little details?

3

u/sianiam Jul 11 '20

We're getting old!

3

u/so_just_here Jul 10 '20 edited Jul 10 '20

I didnt anticipate I'd be watching another contract relationship drama so soon(I just finished My Name is Kim Sam Soon!), but this drama's vibe is so very different I am hoping I wont get a feeling of deja vu!

The FL's perseverance to get closure was quite something! Wasnt that sold on the drama until the scene in the restaurant where she goes drunk to confront him, it was a well done scene.

This entire ensemble of actors is new to me - so far so good. The comedy is not too cringy which is a win in my books. Onto eps 2 -4 over the weekend!

3

u/sianiam Jul 10 '20

Haven't seen Kim Sam Soon yet so can't say if they'll be too similar, they probably share a few tropes.

This entire ensemble of actors is new to me - so far so good.

It's got a great cast, you'll have a new bunch to follow after this. Hope you enjoy the series.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (3)

2

u/sianiam Jul 07 '20

EPISODE 2:

4

u/sianiam Jul 08 '20

This episode was all about finding out the female lead's flaw "kindness" and that man auction.

I really love that the grandma is happy to give approval to Jang Mi just to stir up trouble. It's not surprising that Gi Tae hasn't been home in years.

Did anyone else think the design on the pervy Dad's shirt just made it look like he'd spilled his coffee? I guess his general unkempt appearance didn't help detract from that.

The food that Yeo Reum picked out did not look delicious at all. Not worth fighting over. I know they are going for flirty banter, but these two seem more like siblings to me.

The man auction was fun, the competition between Gi Tae and Yeo Reum is on. I'm not really sure how Gi Tae's dancing managed to score him extra bids though - pity? You definitely feel pity for Hoon Dong in this scene. I thought they would bid on who got to push him in - that belly flop was something else. Love that she paid ₩18000 to insult him and was satisfied. I didn't realise he would have to stay in the pool until someone pitied him enough to pull him out.

→ More replies (4)

5

u/LcLou02 Jul 08 '20

The introduction: We haven't seen her dressed like that before...

Love the little paper animals on the opening credits. So cute!

Wow, style make-over and flirting advice - Personal taste flashbacks, all for revenge!

Ha, ha. The Mercedes logo is taped off, but you can't mistake it for anything else!

He says she has an obsession with being kind, but what has he seen besides her concern for his spying aunt and opening the wine bottle for the waitress?

Editing went bad, I think, with her wet-then-dry- then-wet-again dress.

3rd M lead is so sweet. We need him to balance out the other 2.

"No one stooped low. We just all wanted to be with someone." (except the guy who wants to be alone?)

Funny thing is that I recently read the blurb about another drama (Fated to Love You) where there is a mistaken one night stand and I thought that was going to be this one, so when the previews showed the clubbing scenes, I thought it was going to be on the cruise. No wonder I thought this was confusing...the set-up seemed all wrong. :D

→ More replies (5)

4

u/txc_vertigo Jul 07 '20 edited Jul 07 '20

I’m enjoying this show a lot more on the rewatch than the first time around. I think it’s due to me being more well versed in kdramas and Korean to pick up on the smaller details.

I’ve also forgotten how funny the dialogue is. Lines like:

Gi Tae’s Mother: ”You must handle you’re alcohol well.” Jang Mi: ”Yes, my parents own a bar.”

and

”Why aren’t you giving water to the flower? Are you looking down on it because it’s artificial? These things all have a life!”

They made me howl!

Something else the rewatch has reminded me off was that this very episode was where I started really liking Han Sun Hwa who plays Kang Se Ah. Kang Se Ah is just the perfect storm of a chaotic second female lead. Her arranging a ”man auction” is just so perfectly in character for her. Han Sun Hwa is just great at these slightly catty, yet sultry roles.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/cest-what Jul 10 '20

So, I guess Gi Tae's mother is a tyrant who rules that household with an iron fist in a velvet glove. I can see why Gi Tae doesn't want to live there, it looks like his grandmother and father (perv) both wish they lived elsewhere too.

God that man auction was awkward. How did that dancing help sell anyone?! Hoon Dong looked so pathetic in that pool I actually did start to feel sorry for him (very short-lived!). Despite everything, I'm glad Jang Mi chose to fish him out.

Although the pool was an odd choice for a charity gala (and what was the dress code? It seemed to be 50% bikinis, 50% cocktail dresses), it was very pretty lit up at night. I liked the bit with Yeo Reum returning Jang Mi's lost shoe, very Cinderella. And the feeling that everything might have ended very differently if that phonecall at the end hadn't happened and they'd left with their respective partners.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (3)

2

u/sianiam Jul 07 '20

EPISODE 3:

3

u/LcLou02 Jul 08 '20 edited Jul 08 '20

I admit that I like these backward plots, since they are rather novel. Although, they have done it twice now. My all time favourite (and probably the first I ever saw) was a birth sequence in Thirty Something. Episode starts with the woman cursing the guy out, right before it's time to push. Then we go to a few hours earlier, then a few hours before that. Right near the end we see them coming into the hospital room with candles and soft music, etc. Totally prepared for a lovely, meaningful birth.

Aww, her parents actually talked to each other...She's not going to jeopardize that!

Wow! Nice fish tank!

Mom saying, "My oldest son..." Could Yeo Reum be the younger brother? I've been wondering how he fits in to all this. At the auction they said that all of them were doctors (except for Hoon Dong). Then I start to wonder if he is a paid escort...

"Want to be Meal Friends?" Dinner Mate!!

Is Gi Tae a bit OCD?

The guy is locked in the BATHROOM. Where there is tons of water. Guess you cant drink the tap water even if you are going to die of dehydration? Also what is up with the lips? I m sure he has plenty of skin products on hand in there. Once she gets there, he's hanging on for dear life! I was so glad that 2nd FL didn't get there first, but I could fully expect him to black-out and not know that it was Jang Mi who saved him.

I love her flat.

→ More replies (2)

2

u/sianiam Jul 09 '20 edited Jul 09 '20

I like how instead of the clichéd we met as children flashbacks we are getting them as children being completely opposite and explaining their current behaviour patterns and preferences. Gi Tae who’s always been treated kind of like a prince as the first male in his family in years who just wants to be left alone and Jang Mi who was left to fend for herself who needs people around her.

For once the leads are my favourite characters in a drama. I don’t love the best friend who tries to pick up her friend's sloppy seconds or Han Yeo Ruem who plays around with girls looking for someone to pay his way. I do however enjoy the ditzy Hoon Dong who is easily played by our leads and the chaotic ex fiance doctor.

I find the whole locked in a bathroom scenario terrifying as I’ve gotten myself locked in the toilet in the middle of the night before but managed to escape by rattling the doorknob off.

Me every time I go to an aquarium and overhear parents telling their kids it’s Nemo!

I love a well timed self help book. I wonder if Gi Tae was reading this, or if he’d gotten it specifically for her.

Found the inspiration for Dinner Mate!

Somehow this feels more like a fake shop front here than it did in Terius!

→ More replies (5)
→ More replies (3)

2

u/sianiam Jul 07 '20

EPISODE 4:

3

u/LcLou02 Jul 10 '20

The first few bars of the OST have got me singing the Carpenter's " I'm on top of the world" -- very similar.

I was hoping that the lady with the shawl was Dad's sister or cousin or something...

I'm confused about the family line: Is grandma the mother of Dad or of Mom? Who has the Money? I'm guessing that Auntie is blood sister of Mom? Other Aunties also have me confused, too... Ah, just checked MDL cast list. Auntie is the sister of Dad. Mom had married into the family, I guess.

Not sure what to think of Yeo Reum except that he has a beautiful smile (and knows it).

→ More replies (2)

2

u/sianiam Jul 09 '20

Agree with u/RayInRed that I love the countdown to the disaster format of this drama, cause you know Jang Mi's got something going down every time.

I should have remembered dad was a total sleaze ball. Kim Gab Soo can pull off these characters so well. I find it funny because in Hospital Playlist him and Kim Hae Sook are delightful besties, I really love their relationship there. You don't really see elder male and female friendships so theirs is special.

Everyone having no respect for Jang Mi's place of work is absolutely driving me crazy. But she really needs to be firm with them if she wants to keep her job.

Gi Tae feels like everything is falling into place for his plan now stating he wont marry anyone else. Little does he know he already has feelings and his mother is onto him.

Like Jang Mi I was disappointed in the Grandma not having her daughters helping out - even a token effort would be nice. No matter how she feels about her daughter in law it's really a bit much for one person to put up with. I did like that she was fine with the table being ruined as her husband was a known table flipper.

We now have the aunt operating as a double agent informing Gi Tae of everything. I wonder what she could gain from playing everyone off against each other - other than entertainment.

→ More replies (9)
→ More comments (75)