Review: Netflix's Was It Love?

 

Photo: Handout via South China Morning Post

The Gist: A single mom,  Noh Ae Jeong (played by South Korean actress Song Ji-hyo) who works hard for a film production company has to suffer the consequence of her boss running away with an investor's money. She's a kind, responsible woman who has a daughter and mother to take care of so even if it's totally unfair, she strikes a deal with the investor, Koo Pa Do (played by Kim Min-Joon) to pay off the millions the company owed by producing a blockbuster movie.

To produce this blockbuster film, she needed a kickass story or manuscript and in the search for one, she ends up reconnecting with an ex from university, Oh Dae Oh (played by Son Ho Joon), a famous writer. She also ends up reconnecting with another college acquaintance, famous actor Ryu Jin (played by Song Jong Ho).

Another guy from her past returns about the same time the Oh Dae Oh and Ryu Jin do--Oh Yeon Woo (played by Koo Ja Sung) who happens to be her daughter's teacher. 

All these men will get rekindled or new feelings for Ae Jeong (SANA ALL) with one of them being the real father of her daughter, Noh Ha Nee (played by Um Chae Yong).

The Trailer:

Photo: Netflix

What I thought about 'Was It Love?': This series was super easy to watch. From the start, you will feel an empathy for Noh Ae Jeong and will want to root for her to succeed. I wish she didn't have to go through so many challenges because she really doesn't deserve so many hardships. She'd already been dealt bad cards from the start. But then, this is a K-Drama and I guess those challenges are needed.

I find this series to be a little bit like Mamma Mia where the daughter summons three men she suspected may be her father to attend her wedding. But 'Was It Love?,' for me, is more engaging because there are more factors that come into play in the sixteen episodes. 

You will probably also pick a favorite that you want Ae Jeong to end up with. For me, at first, I wanted Ryu Jin or Yeon Woo to be it but as the series progressed, it was Oh Dae Oh that I started to really invest in. I like his personality and the were scenes where Ae Jeong and Dae Oh really did not see eye to eye and those scenes felt full of tension and passion. My only complaint with this pairing is that they were a little bit lacking in chemistry for an ex-couple that used to be intimate.

I also loved the family angle to this series with the daughter, Ha Nee, always defending her mom but also wanting so badly to know her father. The mother of Ae Jeong played by Kim Mi Kyung (also the mother of the female lead Cha Eun Sang in The Heirs/The Inheritors) also had a lot of love for her daughter and felt badly that Ae Jeong ended up alone like her. 

I found myself most emotional though with the progression of the relationship between Koo Pa Do (the investor who seemed like a leader of a mob) and his son, Dong Chan, who also happened to be Ha Nee's best friend.  

The acting was good. No complaints in that area.

And I truly loved how this series ended. There are many shows that know how to start and navigate the meat of a story, but fail to land it well. 'Was It Love?' is not one of those shows. It keeps you engaged until the end, and gives you proper closure so you can sleep soundly after you watch it.

Overall, would rate 'Was It Love?' an 8.5/10. It's not quite something that will linger in my heart for a long time (For me, the ones that really stayed with me for a while after watching it were Hwarang, Itaewon Class, Romance is a Bonus Book, and Something in the Rain) but it's something I would definitely be up to rewatch after a few months.

If you've seen 'Was It Love,' let me know what you think in the comments section!