This week brought with it the end of JTBC’s Secret Love Affair so it only makes sense to mention it as a weekend marathon option but I have to warn you now, this is not going to be my typical “oh I love this drama and you have to go watch it right now” review.
For the first time ever, I’m going to talk about a drama that I personally hated, and when I say hated, I mean I wanted to shoot myself in the face every time I sat down to watch an episode. That’s how strong my feelings of dislike are for this drama. So why, you may ask, did I force myself to sit through sixteen hours of pure torture? The answer is really quite simple… DramaFever asked me to write for their Secret Love Affair Drama Club and I, quite stupidly, said “yes.” (What was I thinking!?!) Being committed to finishing what I started, I dragged myself through sixteen hours of complete boredom and found that on the other side, things weren’t so very bad after all which is why I can sit here and tell you that there are some redeeming qualities about Secret Love Affair but you’re going to have to really be committed to watching the entire drama if you’re ever going to find them.
For those of you who have never heard of Secret Love Affair let me give you the skinny. As the title would imply, the drama is about a 40-something woman, Oh Hye Won (Kim Hee Ae), who falls in love with a 20-year-old boy who just happens to be her husband’s prodigy piano student, Lee Sun Jae (Yoo Ah In). In true melodrama fashion, Lee Sun Jae is poor and underprivileged and it’s only through a stroke of sheer luck that he finds himself the recipient of a full-ride scholarship to a prestigious fine arts school. Because Sun Jae’s professor, Kang Joon Hyung, isn’t nearly as talented as his wife, he passes Sun Jae off to Oh Hye Won and asks her to teach him all she knows. Naturally, the pair find themselves attracted to each other and a not-even-remotely-secret love affair quickly develops.
If the story relied completely on the development of an affair between Hye Won and Sun Jae, the show would have ended in about six episodes but there’s actually more to the story than that. (Thanks goodness!) Hye Won, aside from being the director of an arts institute, is also the personal lackey for an exceedingly rich and corrupt family. Having spent the past twenty years bowing to their every whim, Hye Won has been privy to a whole lot of secret information and under-the-table dealings that the Seo family would like very much to keep hidden. Having Hye Won in on everything has never been a problem, until the D.A.’s office starts poking around the Seo family’s business and suddenly Hye Won finds herself being thrown to the wolves by those she’s devoted most of her life to helping. This would have been problem for Hye Won, had she not been one of the most sly and cunning leading ladies I’ve ever come across in Dramaland. Seriously, this woman spent all her life at the bottom of the totem pole but when her entire world fell apart, she found herself standing on top, strong and proud and I have to admire her for that. (Too bad that’s the only praise I can give this drama.)
I know a lot of people raved and raved about this drama, saying how deep it was and how refreshing it was to have such a mature drama to watch, but I am not one of those people. I found this drama to be incredibly long and boring and just plain painful to watch. Most of the characters are rich, spoiled brats who feel they’re entitled to the world and throw massive temper tantrums when things don’t go their way and being one who is around a zillion temper tantrums a day, I do not find this entertaining at all. At best, this drama was good for a nap as I found myself dozing off at least once with every episode. The only upside to this drama was that it was full of beautiful music but if you’re not a fan of classical music, I’ll tell you now, you’re probably going to hate this drama because at least half of every episode is a shot of someone playing a piano. I kid you not. If, however, you are one who loves a slow-paced, uneventful drama that plods quietly along without any real direction or meaning, then Secret Love Affair is the drama for you but it’s most definitely not my cup of tea.
Dang~ I’m about to start this drama. Okay, well, I sort of expect the rich, snobby people when the drama is about the classical music world featuring all the elite people. I’m not sure how I feel about the big, big age gap between the leads, but I love Yoo Ah In too much not to watch it. Hey, if I can watch “Fashion King” a little at a time, you think I can get through “Secret Love Affair?” Congrats on finishing the drama though. Wohoo!
It’s really terrible, in my opinion, but I know of others who just rave about how amazing it is and how wonderful it is to have a drama written for adults, etc. Personally, I couldn’t stand it but to each their own…
Honestly. I didn’t like this drama either. I ended up dropping it. It must have been really frustrating watching it all the way through when you didn’t want to. I guess the reason I didn’t like it was because I couldn’t relate to any of the characters. I found the secondary characters very difficult and boring to watch. I do understand some people liked it, but I just couldn’t get into it. The one thing that was kind of nice was the piano playing in the first few episodes, but not enough to get me past the first 5 or so episodes.
Ah! Finally! A kindred spirit! I was beginning to think I was the only person in the world who didn’t like this drama! It’s so good to know I’m not alone! Thank you for being a bright spot in a rather dreary day! 🙂
There is more skinship in this drama than in most other Kdrama I’ve seen. The kisses and hugs are more passionate and realistic than the wide-eyed barely touching lips kind of kisses that are typical Kdrama specialty. I’m sure by the end you’ll forget about the age difference.
If you’re looking for skinship, I’d suggest you try any of the dramas in the I Need Romance series, they make SLA look like a Sunday stroll in the park! As for the age difference, it was never an issue for me in the first place. Love isn’t bound by age, race, gender, creed, etc. and I was happy to see that Sun Jae and Hye Won really did find true love my only problem with their relationship was that it developed as an affair. Being a married woman myself, I cannot condone an extramarital affair. I would have much rather had Hye Won divorce her husband, find her feet as an individual and then pursue a relationship built on love but that’s just my crazy side talking.
LOL! I’m not looking for skinship – I thought people on this blog would find it exciting, as they don’t seem to be interested in artistic value. In fact this drama is much deeper than that and the love of the main characters transcends the mere physical.
It’s good you finally admitted the real reason you don’t like the drama – it’s not the quality of the screenplay or the filming, but it’s your morals. Fair enough. You should have just stated that instead of calling the drama boring and whatnot. I don’t support extramarital affairs myself, but I still love this drama.
I also don’t like the Mona Lisa painting for example, but I can’t deny that it’s a valuable piece, technically well executed and artistic.
And talking about extramarital affairs – I Need Romance, which you are recommending now, is way worse from a moral point of view.
In SLA at least the husband was a total rat and the marriage was just a fake one.
So a mood piece… don’t like those
Yeah, I’m not really a fan either. (Blah!)
Worst drama ever along with the disaster that was Fashion King in 2012, but at least that was somewhat entertaining. Secret Love Affair was just so boring with pretty much no plot at all. But that’s just my own opinion on it since i don’t find anything deep about it & everyone’s greasy faces bothered me for 16 episodes.
Glad I wasn’t the only one bothered by the make-up artists’ lack of powder! Uck! I felt like everyone on set just needed to go home a take a shower! As for the plot, it was pretty much non-existent. When a show has to revert to playing the entire “Piano Man” song, just to fill up time, you know it’s missing something important. Like a plot… Or a script…
I love secret love affair story, because it is mature drama.. It’s realistic and not cheesy drama..
I don’t care if someone “immature” like you hate this drama because this drama is full of moral lesson (and it’s for mature person, not like you)
And personally i wanna say to you.. GET LOST!!
I’m not exactly sure which part of this show was realistic. The poor kid finding his way because of the internet, the complete disregard for marriage, the rich people using every cent in their power to belittle each other and everyone they deemed underneath them. As with all opinions, the author is entitled to her own, just as you are yours… However I implore you: please explain why you liked this drama rather than resulting to what is essentially name calling. I am fairly certain you do not know the author personally, so to call her immature just because she isn’t a fan of something you obviously love, makes you seem the exact opposite of what you are trying to imply you are (which is mature in case you missed that). So please, share more on your opinion in a constructive way or follow your own advice and “GET LOST!!”
How do you tell someone to get lost on their OWN blog and then proceed to call someone immature, hypocritical much? If you don’t want to read others’ opinions then stay away from reviews like this. Fans like you need to grow up & learn not everyone will love what you love.
I totally disagree with your article. It’s shallow and shows complete lack of reflection.This is actually a very complicated drama that requires some time and brain to analyze it. If you’ve slept through half of it no wonder you didn’t understand it.
It’s a very romantic story out of the ordinary. Definitely not your typical drama. Makes one reflect about real values in life.
For YAI fans – this is his best drama ever! He shows some amazing acting skills. Plus he’s an eye candy. And he doesn’t die in the end.
For the record, I didn’t actually sleep through any episode of this drama. I wanted to, but I didn’t. One cannot write a weekly review of a drama when one sleeps through it. I understood this drama perfectly, I just didn’t like how it was presented. There was a deplorable lack of actual content, in both plot and character development. Yes, both Hye Won and Sun Jae learned several valuable lessons by the end of this drama but they are the only two people who managed to develop any type of real character, everyone else stayed just as petty as ever and I spent the entire drama wondering why I should care about any of them. As for the drama being romantic… Sure, by the end, I could see that there was actually some real affection between Sun Jae and Hye Won but it took sixteen episodes to convince me there was anything more between them than a desperate need for companionship, which to me, does not equate love or romance. I’m happy that you could find some sort or relevance and meaning in this drama and that you enjoyed it but I could not, if that means I am shallow and lack reflection, so be it. Though if I may, I would like to point out that one’s personal taste in a drama does not make one shallow nor lacking reflection, it simply means that we are all entitled to our own opinions, likes and dislikes… I’m sorry that I can’t agree with your opinion on this drama but I do respect it and would appreciate it if next time, you point out what makes a drama so amazing so that perhaps, I can see said drama in a new light.
Of course I would be happy to write an article on it if DramaFever ask me to. I wouldn’t write it as a reply to a reply on your blog. My criticism is directed at the lack of any proper analysis in your article here, not at your opinions, likes or dislikes.
What I am saying is that you should do some research before writing an article, not just state an unsubstantiated opinion, because that’s not serious.
If you or anyone else cares to read a detailed reflection on this drama, they may go on Soompi, where people have written about 420 pages on the drama, analysing and dissecting it to perfection. They’ve taken an enormous amount of time and efforts to examine all the details, searched for musical expert analysis, explained the meaning of important conversations and Korean words and also poured their hearts out. Almost everyone there is an expert by now and can write a dissertation on the topic.
http://forums.soompi.com/discussion/2021825/drama-2014-jtbc-secret-love-affair-%EB%B0%80%ED%9A%8C
And I am happy Soompi exists, for just that reason. People need a place where they can gather with like-minded individuals and discuss, in whatever depth they wish to explore, all of their favorite dramas and Soompi provides just that. But this is not Soompi, nor is it DramaFever, this is my personal blog, where I, perhaps naively, believe I am free to express whatever opinions I have on any topic I wish to discuss, which if I may point out, is exactly what I’ve been doing for quite a long time. It just so happens that, this time around, I voiced an unpopular opinion and have been ripped to shreds for it. Oh the joys of being a blogger!
As for this particular piece lacking any sort of analysis, may I point out that it wasn’t written as an analytic piece to begin with. If you go back through and read every other “Friday Night Drama” article I have ever written, they are all simply written as a brief overview of a drama combined with my opinion of said drama, as a means of bringing to light dramas that perhaps have been overlooked or forgotten. In some cases, as in this one, I will feature a drama that has just finished airing so that those who prefer to wait until a drama is done airing before they begin, will know that that long-awaited moment has finally come. I never set out to dig into the ins and outs of a drama when I write my weekly Friday piece because I devote an infinite amount of hours doing just that in my “Hallyu Zombie Drama Review,” “Zombie’s Drama Review,” and “Zombie’s T-Drama Review.” If you’re looking for depth and deconstruction of a drama, I suggest you look there or go to DramaFever and look for their Drama Clubs or, as you suggested yourself, dive into the various discussions on Soompi. There are many places where you can find “deeper” discussions of dramas than my one page summary of an entire drama series.
As to suggesting that voicing an opinion isn’t serious, I would simply ask you to pick up any sort of daily, weekly or even monthly publication, be it in print or online and tell me if there isn’t an entire section dedicated solely to personal opinions. I believe almost every major publication in the world provides a place for readers and writers to voice their opinions on a subject and if they can do it, why can’t I? Call me crazy but I think it’s important for people to have a place where their voices can be heard and even more important that they be allowed to voice their opinions without being torn apart for it or being told that they ought to “research” their opinion more before voicing it to the world.
Now if you would like the pleasure of standing in my shoes and being told that your ideas and opinions are unsubstantiated and poorly formed, please, by all means, write to DramaFever and tell them that you would love to participate in their next round of Drama Clubs. They are constantly looking for new writers and I’m sure they would be more than happy to oblige you. Perhaps once you start writing reviews of your own you’ll come to understand what it takes to put an article out there for all the world to read and you won’t be so quick to judge the work of others. If you’re really lucky, you might even come across a reader or two who doesn’t agree with what you have to say and, have no fear, they’ll be more than happy to tell you how many ways you suck. I’ll warn you now, when that day comes, and believe me, it will come, the urge to reply in the negative and nasty is incredibly strong and it will take every ounce of willpower you have to be objective and civil so I’d start preparing myself now.
In the meantime, I welcome your ideas and opinions here anytime you wish to offer them. I’ve made it a goal of mine to try to provide as many opportunities as I can for readers to do exactly that because, if you ask me, there aren’t enough places in the world where K-Drama addicts and K-Pop fangirls can gather and discuss that which they love most.
Thanx for explaining to me in detail how I’m not welcome here, because I voice a different opinion. I don’t think I have been nasty or uncivil, if you still perceived it that way, please forgive me.
This is your personal blog, but if you want to see only praises and likeminded opinions, you should just state it on the top or bottom of the page and not leave a possibility for discussion. I shall not bother you anymore. Have a nice day!
In short – I object to your claim that the drama is not deep and has no real direction or meaning. You just haven’t dug in. At all.
Otherwise everyone is entitled to like or dislike.
I would beg to differ with you on that point. I actually did dig into this drama, I just didn’t do it here. As I said in my original post, I joined two other bloggers in writing a weekly review of SLA for one of DramaFever’s Drama Clubs where we discussed, in as much detail we could squeeze into the word limit we’ve been given, the ins and outs of this particular drama. If that’s what you’re looking for, I would suggest going there. This is simply an overview of the drama and my opinion of it. Like it or not, that’s all this was ever meant to be.
Aha! That Fashion King reference at the end. Yoo Ah In is an amazing actor, that’s not a lie, but this drama was less than stellar for me. I started watching because I like him.
Too bad he wasn’t enough to keep things interesting. Maybe I would have liked this drama more if I were a Yoo Ah In fangirl but I’m not. I know, I suck. lol 😉
I wasn’t a YAI fan before this drama. Now I am. The guy showed amazing acting skills! I hope he gets the award he’s been nominated for!
I know this drama has been nominated for several awards (five so far, if I’m not mistaken) so I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see. Beside YAI being nominated for both best actor and most popular actor, the director, the screenplay and the drama overall have all been nominated for “best of” in their respective categories. I’m actually interested to see which awards this drama takes home as the competition for “best of” is always fierce.
I haven’t seen this drama yet and I probably won’t because it’s not my cup of tea. However I must say this writer’s reflection is somewhat blehh.. I don’t care if the drama is good or not but I’ve never read a review that is so shallow right from the get go. Of cos everyone is entitled to their own opinion but all I get from reading this review is “don’t watch it..no plot..boring..” oh how reflective. tbh I’m not bashing the writer, maybe he/she can learn a few tips from javabeans or girlfriday @ dramabeans.com.
If that’s all you got from this review, then my original intentions in writing this article have shown through. In short, that means this article has been a success. After spending weeks and weeks digging into the ins and outs of this drama for other websites, I simply set out to vent sixteen weeks worth of pent up frustration on my personal blog. I never set out to write this as an honest or unbiased review, I was simply sick of pretending that I enjoyed this drama when I, in fact, hated it. And I still do. I probably always will. Again, I would like to point out that summarizing an entire drama in one article does not lend itself to an in-depth analysis which is why I never attempt to do so in my Friday Night Drama pieces. My goal is to give a quick glimpse, a tease, if you will, for those who might be looking for a drama to watch over the weekend, or in this particular case, which drama to avoid like the plague.
@zombiemama you said you never set out to write this as an honest review… Oh dear what the heck does that mean? Are you saying you never had the intentions of writing an honest review? ;/
I would never watch this drama because of it’s theme about adultery, however my 2 cents for you is…
your review could’ve hve bn more constructive whether it was short or not. I have read other reviews that were even shorter than yours that gave a good insight to what the story was about. I’m sorry to say your writing did not give a quick glimpse or tease of the drama. I have read your other reviews before and thought they were great but I’m not sure why this one seemed hmm.. maybe you were just a tad tired from having to go thru all those weeks of torture from watching SLA.
*hwaiting* I know you are better than this! Thank you for your efforts though!
When I said I never set out to write this an a honest review, I would have done better to say that I was actually writing too honest of a review. I’ll try to chose my words better next time. I’m sorry you found this particular review lacking but I thank you for sticking with me anyway. I suppose every writer has published pieces that aren’t as well-written than others, perhaps this is simply one of them. I am happy to hear that you’ve not only read my other reviews but also enjoyed them, it reassures me that, despite the way things appear now, I am actually doing something right. Thank you for your honesty, encouragement and for cheering me on! I really do appreciate it. 🙂
I agree
I am rather appalled that some commenters have come to a PERSONAL blog site and attacked the blogger for her blog stating her PERSONAL OPINION review regarding a drama. It’s completely acceptable to have personal opinions, and state that one disagrees with the blog review, it a respectful manner, and state ones case in point. Or even ask a blogger to clarify a point if one feels the opinion is not clear. But it simply not cool to come on a personal blog and state that one objects to a personal opinion simply because one does not agree with it. It just completely denotes a lack of respect for other peoples thoughts and opinions. We do not have to like someone else’s opinion, and we can question it or even debate it, but we bloody well need to respect that they have a right to that opinion. otherwise we negate individualism and become collective sheep. I personally have no interest in a Borg-like K Drama community. I learn so much from seeing how other people think even if I do not agree, and well, if I find myself at total odds with the majority of how someone thinks, I move on.
The “get lost” comment on a personal blog is completely ridiculous, I had to laugh at the same time shake my head. And I’m sorry to say this but the commenter Amy that pointed to Soompi as a bastion of serious discussion really just lost all vestiges of credibility, because there is such a taint of vapid and rabid squeeing and “don’t mess with my oppa” mentality associated with many of its comment threads. ZombieMamma was much more diplomatic in saying that it was a venue for “like minded people.”
Seriously, if one does not like a review of a favorite drama, just say one disagrees, and write ones own bloody blog post about how wonderful it is. There is no need for trauma drama and bashing a blogger over a difference of opinion over a television show. If we were all the same how boring this world would be.
Thank you and can I just say, I loved your Borg reference! “Live long and prosper!” (Sorry, it’s not often I get to unleash my inner Trekkie. lol)