Office politics are rarely something to be excited about and that’s simply because it encompasses a place where work is done and (most of the times) dreams go to die. However, that’s not to say office life isn’t at sometimes interesting and engaging. I mean, it kind of has to be considering the average human spends 90% of their life at work. In any case, it takes a lot to show one the appeal of office life but one thing that strives to do this is Kdramas, believe it or not. After all, if it’s not a medical drama, law drama or school-esque drama you can be sure that somehow, in some way, office life is integrated and relevant to the drama world as it influences the storyline and characters. Such is the case with a recent drama that has caught my fancy, after much deliberation.
Ms Temper and Nam Jung Gi is your average drama that takes a look at the lives of those working in a cosmetics industry and explores the whole concept of superior and subordinate. A very interesting concept to ponder on indeed, one that has made me frustrated and reflective on the idea of ever entering a company or just throwing in the towel and becoming a freeloader, just like the male lead’s brother, all in order to avoid the hassle and inevitable struggle to protect my pride and livelihood.
The story follows the timid and self-proclaimed ‘defensive pessimist’, Nam Jung-Gi, who would rather avoid conflict than face anything head on as he tries to launch a new product he has come up with, the adorably named ‘Pat-Pat’ serum. Unfortunately for him the person who he is reporting his new product to is the fiery tempered Ms Ok Da-Jung who can’t stand his type. Our lead female who has been divorced three times and is known for her sharp tongue doesn’t care for what others think and unfortunately for Nam Jung-Gi and his colleagues their first meeting goes horribly wrong with some hilarious consequences.
Needless to say things go slightly pear-shaped for Nam Jung-Gi but things don’t end there as fate brings these two mismatched individuals together again as Nam Jung-Gi discovers who his new neighbour is. From there on things become even more interesting as Nam Jung-Gi becomes indebted to Ms Ok creating a baseline for all the fun scenarios to dance upon.
The show is surprisingly good and I say surprisingly because I had very low expectations for it. I never expected an office drama to yield such interesting characters and such gripping storyline, though I’ll admit to being more than frustrated with a few things but that could just be because I dislike the unfairness of the world and how people with power work and always win…but that’s a deeper issue I should address elsewhere.
The characters are well developed and you can see them change and grow as the drama unfolds. The plot is also pretty interesting to keep track of, it’s not exactly a love story but it is somewhat a romance in many ways. Confusing don’t you think? To be more precise, the romance lies within the human struggle of these ‘subordinates’ who strive to work and keep their dignity and pride not just in themselves but in their work too, all the while as bigger and uglier predators try to take them down simply because they feel so inclined to do so.
Don’t get me wrong, there seems to be a love blossoming between the two leads, but what I like about it is that it’s a mature kind of love - one that takes time and recognition. Though I won’t lie and say I wasn’t sitting through episode five and thinking ‘so when are they going to kiss?’ I’m totally guilty of that.
Over all I think this drama is highly underrated. I mean they are basically complaining about everyday office troubles and here I am, with my own life and drama to worry about watching them and finding it all fascinating. You have to give props to that.
No comments:
Post a Comment