Powered by a superb cast, Love Next Door concludes its run with a feel-good finale that is bittersweet rather than satisfying.
The drama ties its plot points with a happy ending. But the journey to get there was more frustrating than exciting.
- Main Leads: Jung Hae In | Jung So Min | Kim Ji Eun | Yun Ji On |
- Addictive Meter:
- Overall Rating:
- Rewatch Value:
- K-Dramas of Similar Vibe: Welcome to Samdalri | Doctor Slump | Fight For My Way |
Love Next Door Series Quick Recap
In a story about childhood friends turned lovers, our leading lady, Bae Seok-ryu, suddenly returns to South Korea after a decade abroad, getting reunited with her mother’s friend’s son, Choi Seung-hyo, who gets his stagnant life turned upside down after coming across Seok-ryu.
Love Next Door Series Highlights and Musings
Billed by the “Hometown Cha Cha Cha” writer and director duo, we were promised a nostalgic and heart-warming tale about childhood friends turned lovers. Also, the posters and other promotional materials spared no effort in raising the hype. Honestly, this drama got the most attention this year and had pretty much everyone looking forward to this “epic romcom.” But what we got was much different from what we were promised.
Mostly, it felt like the drama couldn’t decide what kind of story it wanted to tell, and just blended themes from other dramas without having a clear direction. We had Welcome to Samdalri vibes in terms of Seok-ryu returning home after losing everything we worked so hard on and then deciding to do some self-exploration and find her passion. Then Doctor Slump made an entrance with the depression arc and how hard Seok-ryu had it because of her family’s sky-high expectations.
In a Lovely Runner arc, Seung-hyo lost his swimming career after getting into a sudden accident and kept his feelings for Seok-ryu pent up inside for a decade. I mean, we even got a buried time capsule. Moreover, Queen of Tears made a quick cameo through the terminal illness arc and Seok-ryu’s reconciliation with her family right after. Lastly, we had a bit of Reply 1988, with the parents being opposed to Seok-ryu and Seung-hyo’s relationship and Seok-ryu’s dad’s retirement party.
The penultimate week especially was low on plot, since the show had addressed most of the issues and was dragging its feet toward the finale. My favorite part of the drama, though, was the penultimate episode but rather than satisfying, it felt bittersweet because if the drama can deliver those heartfelt moments and make us connect with its characters, why is this too late? (Side note: I thought at least we were getting a proper finale week, but the last episode dashed my hopes since it was a filler fest.)
Honestly, there is nothing wrong with having a simple story to convey. Just make it into a 12-episode drama with a 60-minute running time and it would be enjoyable. But this 16-episode drama with an average 80-minute running time, which was mostly fillers and unnecessary plotlines, was too hard to sit through.
The most frustrating part was the exes plotline. Why depict Seok-ryu’s ex-fiancé as a shameless cheater, only to learn later he never cheated and was a decent man? If the story wanted to offer a fresh perspective and feature a couple who parted on good terms because of external circumstances and not because one of them cheated, do it like this from the start and don’t use the ex-fiancé as a plot device to stir Seung-hyo’s jealousy. Likewise, Seung-hyo’s ex-girlfriend’s arc got dragged out just to make Seok-ryu feel jealous.
The ones who stole the show for me were Mo-eum and Dan-ho. Their story was the romcom I was looking forward to. And watching them grow from strangers to an actual family was heart-warming and sweet. Those two deserve their own spinoff, featuring their married life with their cute daughter after Mo-eum safely returns after achieving her dream.
All in all, Love Next Door was another over-hyped drama that ended up being a big disappointment. It is a shame since all the actors did their best in their respective roles, but no matter how great of a cast we have, there is only so much they can do to save a poorly written story. And it surely says a lot that the behind-the-scenes clips were far more enjoyable than most of the drama scenes. What a waste.
Photos and Videos: tvN Drama
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