Prime Minister & I

4 out 5 - Shall We Dance?

Plot: Nam Da Jung (Yoona) is leading a decent life as an entertainment (read: paparazzi) journalist in order to support her sick father. But when she finds herself caught on film in a seemingly compromising position with the nominee for prime minister of South Korea (Lee Beom Soo), Nam Da Jung's world is turned upside down. In order to save her reputation and his political career, they agree to announce they are dating to the media. One thing leads to another and soon they end up married. Everything starts to unravel when this unlikely couple realizes that they just might be in love.

Recommendation: It's too early to tell if this will make my "must watch" list of 2014. But I really enjoyed the pairing of Lee Beom Soo and Yoona in this drama and the plot was nicely paced. I even liked the ending. If romantic comedies with a touch of drama are your thing, I'd say it is worth the 17 hour investment of time.

Other Thoughts: One of the really nice things about the DramaFever app is that viewers can post reviews and rate dramas. Periodically, I scan the reviews for shows that I'm watching just to get a sense of public opinion. The Prime Minister & I  had several hundred reviews and there were three common themes. The first is that many reviewers felt the age disparity between Kwon Yool (Lee Beom Soo) and Nam Da Jung (Yoona) was too great. Second, there was a lot of Yoona hating - for no specific reason that I could see. And, finally, Kang In Ho (Yoon Si Yoon) is "cute."

I think the reviewers got 2 out of 3... wrong! Kwon Yool and Nam Da Jung were never supposed to make sense as a couple but they found something in one another that, for lack of a better phrase, made them complete. Age, background, life experience, etc... It was all of their differences that made them work well together. Yoona brought a refreshing youthfulness and optimism to Nam Da Jung. Lee Beom Soo brought a necessary levity and maturity to the prime minister, Kwon Yool. It was a good match of talent. My only complaint is that while I felt they were connected emotionally it was never expressed physically. It would have been nice to see some hand holding, hugs, and even a few more kisses. They never kissed after confessing their feelings!

And, yes, Yoon Si Yoon is, indeed, cute. Oddly enough, I didn't immediately recognize him as Enrique from Flower Boy Next Store (one of my top 10 dramas). Maybe it was the change in hair color?

The children in this series also deserve some accolades. Where do all these amazing child actors keep coming from? I've seen a string of dramas recently where children play huge roles in the series and they have all been exceptionally talented. This includes: The Suspicious Housekeeper; Wonderful Mama; You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin; and Golden Rainbow. How adorable was Kwon Man Se?!