Can We Love?

Summary: Can We Love? is a 2014 South Korean drama that follows the lives of three women as they approach their 40th birthdays. Yoon Jung Wan (Eugene) is a divorced mother of one looking to reignite her career as a script writer. Kim Sun Mi (Kim Yu Mi) is a successful interior designer that has sacrificed romance to build her career. And, Kwon Ji Hyun (Choi Jung Yoon) is the wife of a wealthy businessman with a dark secret in her past and a mother-in-law that abuses her because of her poor background. Their friendship is tested as each woman struggles with personal dilemmas and they come to terms with their changing lives.

Recommendation: This drama had a cast of superstars that, when put together, should have produced a great television experience. But the sum of its parts didn't add up to anything special. There are some shining moments but, overall, I didn't care for this drama. The treatment of the female characters, particularly their interactions with one another, left me feeling disappointed. The male cast makes this drama salvageable but only just barely. You should only consider watching this if you have absolutely nothing better to do.

With friends like these, who needs enemies? 

Other Thoughts (And Possible Spoilers): I was excited to see this drama because of its exploration of female friendship and the bond that comes with age. But, for 90% of the drama, they seem to forget they are BFFs. I kept thinking, "Why are these women friends? Do they even like each other?" They lie, betray, and intentionally say hurtful things to one another. The B in BFF must stand for something other than best (I'll give you a hint - it rhymes with witchy). Gentleman's Dignity explored the very same topic but for male friendships. So, why did that drama feel like a celebration of strong male bonds and this one felt like an excerpt out of Bad Girl's Club?

On that note, Kim Sun Mi (Kim Yu Mi) is one of the most dislikeable female characters that I've come across in a k-drama - this is not reflection on the actress but, rather, the writers. Instead of giving us a strong and confident woman, who is sure of her self-worth, the writers gave us a weak and selfish woman afraid of not finding a man before her biological clock stops ticking. It's as if they were trying to insinuate that a successful business woman can't also be a successful lover, wife, mother, etc... She does ultimately redeem herself and regain her sense of purpose but I think that resolution could have been accomplished without the steal-your-boyfriend and lie-you're-the-baby-daddy drama. I Do, I Do (review pending), which has similar themes and situations, did a better job at keeping the heroine's integrity intact as she struggled with career vs. family choices.

The one aspect of the show that I did enjoy was the romance between Oh Kyung Soo (Uhm Tae Woong) and Yoon Jung Wan (Eugene). It had a nice build-up and the chemistry between them felt authentic. There is a kiss in a stairwell that rated an 11 out of 10 on the passion-scale. That's not something you see in every drama!

Staying on the subject of handsome male leads, Shim Hyung Tak makes an appearance in this series as Yoon Jung Wan's ex-husband and, to his credit, I didn't recognize that it was him until several episodes into this series - which is odd as I was simultaneously watching the drama Let's Eat. I guess my eyes are not what they used to be?