Make sure you read the last article to get a review of the first 8 episodes. Transitioning to Part 2 of the K-Drama “Love Next Door”, I’m going to be reviewing the next 8 episodes, 9-16, including the series finale!
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
Here’s a quick glimpse + review of the episodes:
Episode 9. “Darkness in Life” : Seok-Ryu suffers from gastrointestinal pain, which leads her to visit the doctor— enlightening the audience about the reason for her return. As Seok-Ryu navigates through the illness and painful memories she shared in America, Seung-Hyo and her ex fight to win her “love”.
Review: This episode was cleanly executed, and I liked the healthy relationship between the ex and the male lead Seung-Hyo, because they weren’t quarreling or holding negativity towards each other. I also adored their efforts to impress Seok-Ryu and even take care of her, when they learned she was sick. But, this episode was a solid 9.8/10– payback for the pain it caused me.
Episode 10. “Bear in the Cave” : When Seung-Hyo’s family and Seok-Ryu’s family know of Seok-Ryu’s secret, they fall into a stage of shock and grief. Questioning her reasons for secrecy, they feel responsible for her suffering and her loneliness back in America.
Review: There was significant character development between Seok-Ryu and Seung-Hyo which was an added benefit to this episode. As an avid fangirl, this episode by far, was crucial to the plot’s development— 9.1/10!
Episode 11. “Belated” : Awaiting on Seok-Ryu’s answer to his confession three episodes ago, Seung-Hyo decides to venture out on new architectural projects to pass time and wait it out.
Review: The actor for Seung-Hyo, Jung Hae-in, had told viewers from episode 11 that the series would become light-hearted, so I was quite irritated to see this episode carry such pessimism. Therefore, this episode is 8.5/10.
Episode 12. “Puppy Love” : When Seok-Ryu and Seung-Hyo finally enter the beginning of a new relationship, it quickly takes a turn after a sudden fight. Left to resolve the matter, they both struggle to understand each other through the eyes of lovers and not friends.
Review: As usual, the two leads fight is petty and very unnecessarily dragged— however, I’m all for it— especially since it did, as a matter of fact, help them find middle ground in their new relationship. Clearly, this episode did not deserve anything above my rating of 4.7/10.
Episode 13. “Love” : Seok-Ryu and Seung-Hyo’s relationship flourishes after progressing forth from their misunderstandings and conflicting emotions. However, they find themselves in a predicament when they struggle to keep their relationship a secret from their family.
Review: I thought their relationship was cute and it was funny that they started being so nice to each other instead of tackling and nitpicking at each other’s flaws. I definitely think this episode and the last one could have been combined into a 2-in-1 episode, because both were dragging on. However, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the characters through their interactions— an easy 6.8/10.
Episode 14. “Sweet Love” : Seok-Ryu embraces the milestone she’d achieved through her passionate endeavors. Seung-Hyo progresses his relationship with Seok-Ryu speedily, catching him off guard about his own intentions and his hastiness for a “labeled” relationship.
Review: Hold on, my dude. You’ve literally dated Seok-Ryu for maybe a couple of months at most, and you’re already planning the final stage? I don’t think it was appropriate for him to do-so, especially when he’s panicking so much about her answer and she’s quite literally finding herself. I did not like the fact that they are trying to wrap up the show so quickly, especially when there’s two episodes left. This episode was thoroughly entertaining, though, so I will give it some credit and rate it a 5.1/10.
Episode 15. “Bravo, My Life” : When their secret— this time being their relationship— is brought to their parent’s attention, the families bring in personal grudges to deny their relationship with each other (though the families are best friends).
Review: This episode was the funniest by far and the strongest developmental episode within the drama. Easily, this episode would be an 11/10 because the comedic incorporation lightened the shows overall mood and made it more interesting to watch, especially I was kind of disappointed from the last three episodes.
Episode 16. “The End” : Agreeing to chase after their personal goal before taking the final step in their relationship, Seun-Hyo and Seok-Ryu uplift each other into a lifelong relationship.
Review: I loved the space the leads gave each other to expand their passions and business before they started a new life together, and I thought that their relationship was truly beautiful. That being said, the show ended off on a happy and great note—which means it’s only right to rate this episode a 10/10.
Unfortunately, I can’t rate the series as a whole because each episode had its own plot lines within the larger plot— making it reasonably difficult to come up with a consensus that respects the episodes’ individual ratings.
Transitioning from the review:
I’m sure you’ve guessed by now that this is a romance-centric series with a lot of classic cliches. However, that’s what makes this show nostalgic and unique from the varieties of shows being produced today— which, in my opinion, aren’t as appealing and hard-hitting as earlier generations.
The healthier side to a relationship contrasted the typical woman written by a man, which typically portrays the unrealistic standards which constitute or surround gender stereotypes. But, I feel like this show was lighter and realistic to the concepts of liberation, and I feel like it was primarily because it was a show written by a woman.
No matter who wrote the show, just watching it had me in Cloud-9, so its definitely worthwhile. A girl can dream!
