Graceful Family
Secrets and Revenge
Welcome to my review of Graceful Family. Enjoy the read and feel free to leave a comment. If you haven’t watched this one yet, you might want to check out my unspoiled review with a simple summary and information here.
Graceful Family
♥ Aired: Aug. 21, 2019- Oct. 17, 2019
♥# of Episodes: 16
♥Where to Watch: Viki
♥Genre: Revenge Drama
♥Starring: Im Soo Hyang and Lee Jang Woo
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The Story
Mo Seok Hee is the rich heiress to South Korea’s MC Group who spent the past 15 years living in the U.S., away from anyone she knows. Now she is back in Korea with one goal; to solve the mystery of her mom’s murder and to make sure the true killer is punished for the crime.
To find the truth, she will have to outsmart MC Group’s TOP team, which is responsible for doing whatever it takes to make sure MC Group’s reputation remains untarnished. Seok Hee finds an unlikely ally in a quiet, unassuming lawyer who has been hired by TOP to keep tabs on her.
The Leads
Im Soo Hyang as Mo Seok Hee
15 years ago, Mo Seok Hee’s mother was murdered and she was sent away to America. But she is sure that the person in jail for the murder is not the actual killer. So, when Soek Hee receives word that her grandfather is seriously ill, she decides it’s time to go home and find out the truth of what really happened to her mom. Determination and spontaneity are her specialty, and with a little help along the way, she is sure she can bring justice for her mom.
This was a breakout role for Im Soo Hyang. She really shines and shows some depth and maturity in her acting. The character had such a fun strength and attitude. Im Soo Hyang also managed to balance that with a genuine honesty and vulnerability that gave the character authenticity.
Lee Jang Woo as Heo Yoon Do
Heo Yoon Do is a struggling lawyer who meet Seok Hee by chance when she is arrested on her way home from the airport. Because she can tell he is honest and diligent, she talks him into coming to work for TOP to be her overseer. And it turns out that Yoon Doo also has a secret of his own. His mother used to work for the Mo’s as a housemaid and she is the person currently in jail for Seok Hee’s mother’s murder. Of course, he is more than willing to help Seok Hee find the real killer and bring down MC Group. Working for TOP often puts him in moral dilemmas, but he remains calm and unwavering in his promise to stay by Seok Hee’s side until justice is established.
Lee Jang Woo didn’t have a lot to work with for Yoon Do’s character. Somehow he managed to make his quietly loyal and stoic character endearing. Yoon Do was genuine and I always trusted that his motives were good, even when I wasn’t sure why he was doing something. That kind of reserved role can come off as boring if the actor can’t carry it well, but I didn’t find that to be the case with Yoon Do.
Bae Jong Ok as Han Je Kook
Director Han is in charge of TOP Management and has worked for MC Group for many years. Unlike many villans who serve under powerful leaders, her loyalty is not to the chairman himself but to MC Group. MC Group’s reputation must be protected at all costs. Her motive is simple: to be the power behind the curtain that is MC Group.
Bae Jong Ok was very believable as a ruthless and evil person who never allows her emotions to interfere. Director Han is not the kind of villain that you understand and empathize with. The actress does a great job of keeping her character so intense that you never start to feel sorry for her. She is evil from start to finish.
Secondary Characters
Lee Kyu Han as Mo Wan Soo
Mo Wan Soo is Seok Hee’s oldest brother. Rather than following in their father’s footsteps, Wan Soo has given up his position as heir to become a movie producer. His action seem carefree and slightly jaded, but under the surface he is a broken child who never recieved his parent’s love or support. In the end, it is a wound that destroys him.
Kim Jin Woo as Mo Wan Joon
Mo Wan Joon is the perfect son. The Chairman and his second wife adore him as the heir who has done everything right since he was a child. The secret that he carries is that he is transgender. This is something that would never be accepted by his father, so he has kept his lifestyle hidden from everyone. When it is finally revealed, his position in the family is endangered. But with his mother’s tireless support, he will fight to keep the position he has been groomed for his entire life.
The Squad
No revenge drama is complete without the squad who backs up our fearless leads. In this case, we have 2 journalists and a detective who help do the leg work behind the scenes. We learn a little about each of them individually, but their importance is tied to them as a group. Nothing gets done without a little teamwork!
Things I Liked
♥ Romance Arc
I’m sure that some would disagree, but I thought the romance arc was well timed and executed. Most often in these kinds of revenge dramas we have 2 kinds of romance story arcs. Either they have chemistry and flirting that never evolves into anything or they get together too soon and enter into a push and pull that is frustrating and distracts from the plot. In Graceful Family, there was a very natural, subtle progression that led to a perfectly timed kiss, and still left time to see them act a bit as a couple, linking arms and holding hands. This worked for me.
♥ Im Soo Hyang
Im Soo Hyang really was a highlight for this drama for all of the reasons I’ve already mentioned. Her kick-butt, wild, and unpredictable personality were a refreshing change from the pure and meek woman leads that are common in kdramas. I love a strong female lead and Im Soo Hyang really delivers that.
♥ Plot Twists
Graceful Family isn’t the kind of drama where you watch the first episode and already have a pretty good idea of how it will end. It kept me guessing all the way through, with twists and turns right up until the very end. The story and characters were unique and well written. This was definitely one of the best things about the drama as a whole.
Things I Didn’t Like
♥ Mo Wan Soo Ending
I will admit that I suspected Wan Soo might be the culprit from the beginning. Only because he was the only person who didn’t seem to have a motive, which seemed suspicious. Even still, I was hoping for a plot twist until the very end. He was one of the only decent people in that family and the only one Seok Hee really cared about. Killing him off in the end just seemed a little harsh. Especially in light of the fact that the real villain, Director Han, served 4 years in jail and waltzed back out again.
♥ Too Much TOP
Sometimes you really wondered if this drama was actually about the family or their Crisis Management Team. Too many scenes focused around TOP and it’s workers. We even get back stories for some of the TOP team that never really factor into the plot at all. I could have used less time on these soulless vultures and more time seeing our leads.
♥ Unexplained Characters
There seemed to be a lot of random characters and I didn’t always understand their place in the story. For example, the old lady loan shark or some of the politicians Director Han destroyed along the way. Again, they seemed kind of pointless and just took time away from the characters we actually cared about.
The Ending
The ending for Graceful Family wrapped things up pretty well. There were a few disappointments for me. As I said, Mo Wan’s ending made me sad. More importantly, where was the justice? Graceful Family’s final scene reminded me of SKY Castle. The villain is back and ready to do it all again, and just hope they don’t get caught this time. It hardly seems fair after all that the leads lost. Even the family members whose crimes were much less, seemed to suffer much more.
Seok Hee and Yoon Do’s ending was a bit unexpected. I guess I could understand why Seok Hee might have needed to get away for a while and regroup. They were together in the end, and that is what’s really important to me. And again, it was definitely not predictable, which I have to appreciate.
Should I Watch
Graceful Family is extremely well done. Mo Seok Hee’s character delivers plenty of tough attitude that had me rooting for her from the very beginning. It managed to tell the story of each of the family members the way the longer family dramas do, but in only 16 episodes. There is drama, revenge, mystery and romance. It is definitely worth giving this one a try. I give it 9/10 ramen.
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I totally agree with these review from the story. As you see, I just finished the 16 episodes and I just want to know the written story of it and if the story itself will have a different ending so, that’s why it leads me here. However, I’m really amazed on how this story gives me a thrilling moments and different suspicions from how the characters portray each of its role. This is the kind of drama that can be highly recommended, it has a unique plot ’till the end of the story. It may be a little disappointing because I expect so much from the role of Wan Soo and the way he’s been treated by his parents (mostly his mother). We can’t really tell how an individual may suffer or what they can do if their feelings are being invalidated, thinks that they’re useless, or a failure by someone who turns out to be the most precious and important person to their lives. So sad, no wonder why I cried my heart out when his (Wan Soo) mother received the gift that his son left before he suicide, that turns out to be the purest and innocent gift that a kid can give to his mother just because he’s so proud and thankful for his mom.