[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Make a Woman Cry" Episode 36

Eun-soo's temper tantrum shows no sign of abating. Well, she is finally forced to stop being petty and selfish briefly, when one character finally manages to come up with a threat serious enough to force Eun-soo to cooperate on the question of Jin-han's wife instead of being constantly selfish. I'm tempted to call the theatrics over-the-top and unrealistic- the problem is, I've known people in real life like Eun-soo. Heck, in my worst moments, I've acted like Eun-soo myself. That's not an easy fact to acknowledge, but it's senseless to pretend like we're all rational actors in the real world.

Advertisement

The sheer irony of Eun-soo's position is what really clicks here. Eun-soo either complains about how the rich family has exercised control over her life, or she furiously fights to keep from losing influence over their family fortune. On many levels it's just plain ridiculous- if Eun-soo is so miserable then why doesn't she just walk away? Eun-soo doesn't even like any of these people, so why spend any more time with them than necessary? It's not like they sent her to prison- the apartment's pretty nice, actually, and prepaid to boot.

The social dynamic is especially obvious watching Hong-ran spend time with her new relative by marriage- and actually have fun. With Eun-soo the only mutual hobbies Hong-ran could indulge in her scheming, gossip, and general cattiness. With Jin-han's wife, Hong-ran can go shopping, or cook, or even play golf. What's the point of marrying into a golfing family if you don't even golf?

Beyond the rich family, the plot remains rather perfunctory. Song Chang-eui gives a more spirited performance as the youngest son of the rich family than he does as the actual main character Jin-woo, with his own romantic problems. I remain puzzled as to just how irrelevant both Deok-in and Jin-woo feel as characters, when they're the lead characters. Even the cliffhanger still manages to be more about Eun-soo than Deok-in's more serious problems.

The little moments still go a long way. With the more lower-class family, there's not that much of a plot. There's the one sibling who exists mainly to provide pizza-related product placement, and another who's reluctantly stepping into dating. But then there's the party at the end, and the absurdity of Deok-in not knowing this information notwithstanding, it's nice to see people of such obviously different temperaments get along. There's hope there, genuine hope that Eun-soo just can't appreciate.

Review by William Schwartz

"Make a Woman Cry" is directed by Kim Geun-hong and Park Sang-hoon-III, written by Ha Cheong-ok and features Kim Jung-eun, Song Chang-eui, Lee Soon-jae, Ha Hee-ra, Oh Dae-gyu and Lee Tae-ran.