Thirty Nine Korean Drama Review

Drama : Thirty Nine (서른, 아홉)

Screenwriter: Yoo Young-ah

Director: Kim Sang-ho

Actors:- Son Ye-jin, Jeon Mi-do, Kim Ji-hyun, Yeon Woo-jin, Lee Moo-saeng, Lee Tae-hwan, Ahn So-hee, Kang Mal-geun, Seo Hyun-chul, Lee Ji-hyun, Seo Ji-young, Nam Ki-ae, Lee Kan-hee, Song Min-ji, Jo Won-hee, Oh Se-young, Park Ji-il and others.

About the Show:-

Three women, now thirty nine years old, have been friends since they were teenagers. As they are getting closer to turning forty, they discover a truth that has left the three of them heartbroken and on the brink of misery. The three decide to spend their life experiencing all the love that they hold for each other and for others around them before they experience their biggest loss.

Cha Mi-jo is a head Dermatologist at her clinic in Gangnam. Jung Chan-young has always dreamed of becoming an actress but when her wish remains unfulfilled she turns to teaching acting as her career. Jang Joo-hee is a manager at a cosmetics department store. Their personalities are poles apart but that doesn’t change their affection for each other. Mi-jo is calm and soft-spoken, Chan-young is blunt and straightforward and Joo-hee is timid and childlike. The three spend their late forty’s experiencing love and life like never before. What will happen when an unexpected news befalls them?

(*This review may contain spoilers. If you have already watched the show, please continue reading. If you haven’t watched the show yet, you can still continue reading or you can come back to the review later.)

What I loved about the show and my takeaways:-

Thirty nine/서른, 아홉 is a reminder to me and many others that instead of regrets, grudges, complaints and holding ourselves back if we throw ourselves 100% into everything we do, we will lead a complete, happy, joyful, satisfying and elevated life.
We run everyday living a stressful life not aware at the end of the day as to what we are running after and whether that ultimate goal which is giving us stress is worth running after. Why aren't we sitting down and understanding that we could take one day at a time and focus on what we really want to do instead of doing what we are expected to do?

Thirty nine is a reminder of all these. It's a show that has made me laugh, smile, reminisce, cry (a lot). Thirty Nine has taught me to appreciate life and God and all that has been given to me. It has taught me to self-introspect and to recognise myself. It has made me realise about the gratitude I need to have for everything at present. I should always remind myself to focus on my path and not on people convincing me to compromise for little.

Friendship, love, family and life are the centre point of the show. There are so many amazing moments and scenes from the show that I love. What stands out about the show for me is how the writers didn't shy away from writing dialogues that didn't beat around the bush or sugar coat the issue or topic in hand. The conversations are raw and pure and genuine and unfiltered. I also really appreciate the show's end. It shows that no matter how hard you prepare yourself for the pain, when it hits you, you have nowhere to go. You have no option but to endure it, overcome it. Without pain comes no joy.

The show is realistic when executing friendship as well. There is scene in the last episode where Chan-young and Joo-hee talk about Chan-young giving more importance to Mi-jo. It shows that there may be a few friendships that are stronger than others and that sometimes we are allowed to feel envious of those friendships.

The Actors and their Characters:-

Jeon Mi-do has my heart. No one could have pulled off Chan-young's character better than her. I fell in love with Jeon Mi-do in Hospital Playlist and I must confess, I picked this drama because of Jeon Mi-do, but slowly fell in love with everybody. Every emotion, every scene and every dialogue in the show is perfection.

I have immense respect for Son Ye-jin and Kim Ji-hyun. There couldn't have been a better Cha Mi-jo and a better Jang Joo-hee than them. Their acting, their screen presence, their hard work behind the making, their dedication and commitment, and their team work along with Jeon Mi-do is the reason for the show's brilliance.

Son Ye-jin's dedication for her role is praiseworthy. Her acting is impeccable but what caught my attention is her voice and her dubbing. The narration for the show is spectacular. In the behind the scenes, we see how after the shooting is finished, Son Ye-jin would straight away go for the recording of her narration for the show. Her voice has everything that the narration needed. The dialogues for the narration have a lot of depth but they would remain mere words on the screen if not for Son Ye-jin's perfect narration and the deep emotions that she has poured into them. Through her voice she emotes suffering, ache, torture on one side and through the same voice that is calming and soothing she emotes joy and comfort that she and the characters are feeling. She is the right choice for Cha Mi-jo. Son Ye-jin is exceptional in Thirty Nine.

Kim Ji-hyun as Jang Joo-hee is phenomenal. Kim Ji-hyun has such a vibrant personality in real life. To tone that down and become a character that is shy, quiet, nervous and under confident is remarkable. With the portrayal of a character like Joo-hee, who is so different in terms of personality, Kim Ji-hyun has proved what an amazing actor she is. Joo-hee's character balances the characters of Chan-young and Mi-jo. She has a calm demeanour. When the three of them are on the screen together, Joo-hee is always the peacemaker. When she is on the screen as the noona to Lee Tae-hwan's character Park Hyun-joon, you can see how dependable, considerate, supportive and loving she is as the older one. The casting for the three female leads is undoubtedly exquisite.

A show stealer for me is Lee Moo-saeng. The emotional scenes by Lee Moo-saeng are natural, realistic and effortless. The show was extraordinary and he had a big part in it being the greatness it is. Yeon Woo-jin and Lee Tae-hwan are amazing actors as well. Through their characters Kim Seon-woo and Park Hyun-joon, they show that men can be gentle, loving, caring and vulnerable for themselves and for women and can still be considered strong. Their characters show that men don’t always have to try and solve problems for women. Them staying by the women’s side, listening to them and giving them love is the biggest support.

The Director, The Screenwriter and the Crew :-

I have so much respect for Director Kim Sang-ho for producing such a brilliant show and for putting strong women as the leads. Screenwriter Yoo Young-ah is already my favourite. She has written for amazing movies and dramas like My Annoying Brother (Hyung/형), Kim Ji-young, born 1982 (82년생 김지영 - one of my favourite movies about women) and Miracle in Cell No. 7 (7번방의 선물). These movies and dramas including thirty nine are full of meaning, life lessons, struggles and positivity. They have strong women characters standing up and fighting for themselves, for their loved ones and always working for the welfare of others.

The cast is extraordinary and the acting is par excellence. The show makes you appreciate life, God and people to the fullest. Thirty Nine is a women centric show with strong women characters and actors. The show proves how women are mentally and emotionally strong beings. Having to deal with extreme pain and still carrying on with your life knowing very well that it will all come crashing down some day soon is courage.

The show is a must watch for the extraordinary cast, acting, screenplay, writers, director and the crew. For everyone who looks for all this in a show, thirty nine is your one stop. Also, watch this show for the women and how womanhood and sisterhood is celebrated and give them lots of love and support.