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Little Women - Full Review
Welcome to Little Women - Full Review. A young woman takes on a rich and powerful family in a scheme worth billions. If you haven't watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
Little Women
♥ Aired: September 3 - October 9, 2022
♥# of Episodes: 12
♥Where to Watch: Netflix
♥Genre: Mystery Thriller
♥Starring: Kim Go Eun and Wi Ha Joon
The Story
A bookish, naive accountant gets an unusal chance to free her family from the poverty that has followed them their whole lives when she finds her name attached to an international bank account and assets worth billions. But keeping that money involves risking her life to go up against one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the country. And as she investigates the wrong-doings that have led up to this point, she will discover a secret flower that is as deadly as it is beautiful.
The Leads
Kim Go Eun as Oh In Joo
Having spent most of her life as an outcast, Oh In Joo is thankful to have found her best friend, Hwa Young. But when Hwa Young suddenly kills herself, In Joo is left feeling lonely and confused. And she is shocked to find out that Hwa Young was siphoning money out of the company slush fund and putting them into overseas accounts and assets in In Joo's name. Park Jae Sang plans to use the slush fund to fuel his mayoral campaign and he will use whatever force is needed to get it back. But now that In Joo has had a taste of being rich, she has no intention of returning the money. With the help of a mysterious henchman who works for the Jae Sang's family and In Joo's sister, the fearless and righteous reporter, they will try to expose the crimes of Jae Sang and his crooked conspirators and run away with the money.
Oh In Joo has always believed that the root of all her problems stemmed from her family's lack of money. This belief made it easy for those with money to take advantage of her, whether they were her trusted friend, worst enemy, or somewhere in the grey between. Kim Go Eun is an amazing actress and she had some great, emotional scenes. But too often her role resorted to having greed as her only defining character trait. There was a lot of unexplored potential for this character, and I wish we could have seen more of it.
Wi Ha Joon as Choi Do Il
Choi Do Il has made a career as the quick thinking guardian of Park Jae Sang's financial fortune. When he finds out that the slush fund has been cleaned out and put into accounts belonging to In Joo, he strikes a deal with her to betray his employer and split the profits with her. But trying to protect her and their money proves to be a full time job. As they work together to gather proof of Park Jae Sang's criminal activities there will be danger around every corner. And his history with Park Jae Sang has shown him that his enemies never live long.
Choi Do Il is illusive and mysterious. He tells In Joo from the beginning that the only thing he loves is money. And since she controls the bank accounts, she will have his loyalty. But there is more to his character than he lets on. He is not as cold and ruthless as he pretends, as is evidenced by the fact that he staged a woman's death to help her escape Park Jae Sang's clutches. For me, Wi Ha Joon was one of the best characters in this drama. You never quite knew where he stood or what he was trying to do. He plays this kind of enigmatic role so well, and I really loved watching his scenes.
Supporting Characters
Nam Ji Hyun as Oh In Kyung
Oh In Kyung is the middle Oh sister. She is a journalist who is fired after her co-worker reveals that she has a drinking problem. She has a strong sense of justice and refuses to stray from her principals. She uses the skills she has learned as a journalist to help In Joo gather evidence against Park Jae Sang. Her long-time friend Jong Ho is by her side to help with the investigation.
Park Ji Hoo as Oh In Hye
Oh In Hye is the youngest Oh sister. She is a high school student. Both of her older sisters work hard to try to provide her with all the things she never had. She is a talented painter. She is approached by Won Sang A to paint a picture and allow her daughter, Hyo Rin, to claim it as her own work. Through this process, In Hye and Hyo Rin become best friends. And when the two of them become overwhelmed with the battle raging between the adults, they take all of Hyo Rin's savings and run away to travel the world.
Uhm Ji Won as Won Sang A
Won Sang A is married to Park Jae Sung. Her father is a famous general who started the Jeongran Society. She is twisted and narcissistic. She is responsible for the "death" of Hwa Young, which she staged for her own pleasure. She is also the mother of Hyo Rin, although her volatile relationship with Jae Sung is the main reason Hyo Rin decides to run away.
Things I Liked
♥ Choi Da Il
As I have said, I really loved Choi Da Il. His character had plenty of depth and subtlety. The pent up chemistry he was able to show with In Joo although they never had a single romantic scene was swoon-worthy. And there was something so charming about the way he was helping take care of In Joo and her family behind the scenes, while never letting on. I have to say, this drama would have been much less interesting without his presence.
♥ Sang A
As much as Sang A's character did get a bit over the top toward the last few episodes, I still found her a chilling villain. The slightly unhinged look in her eyes and the God-complex that led her to manipulate the scenes and people around her were creepy in just the right way. And the cold way she forced Jae Sang to kill himself for the good of the Jeongran Society was perfectly in character for her.
♥ In Kyung and Jong Ho
I liked the straight-forward friend to lover romance between In Kyung and Jong Ho. It worked well without needing to take up a major plot line. Their time spent researching and investigating together gave their story time to develop while still moving the plot along. His patience was perfect for her impulsive personality. And I was happy that at least someone got a kiss scene!
Things I Didn't Like
Secret Society
The whole secret society thing seemed a bit unnecessary, especially since there was a lot of negative press around their distortion of history during the Vietnam War. A greedy family with someone about to become the mayor of Seoul would have been enough to represent the kind of power and loyalty this story dealt with. And in the end, the exact role of the Orchid seems a bit vague anyway. This concept was interesting but I don't know that they pulled it off very convincingly.
Sang A's Death
Sang A's whole ending was a bit heavy handed for me. The police receive video proof that she murdered someone, yet she still has time to roam around, kidnap Hwa Young, and stage a dramatic death scene for Hwa Young and the beloved orchid. And then, Hwa Young sits under an acid shower and suffers only slight cosmetic injuries, while Sang A falls into a diluted pool and instantly burns to death. The whole scenario was taken to the extreme, without the audience getting to enjoy seeing Sang A's face when she realizes her well-constructed scene was falling apart around her.
Young Travelers
I thought the way they handled Hyo Rin and In Hye running away seemed a bit weird. Two sheltered high schoolers hit the road with a fortune in assets and no one is concerned about their safety? That felt like a bit much. It was never that they couldn't find them. With Hyo Rin's family's influence, that would have been easy enough. But no one, except Do Il, cared enough to keep an eye on them or lend their support.
The Ending
"Little Women" ends, feeling a bit rushed but mostly happy. First, In Joo finds out that Hwa Young is still alive when she shows up to testify on In Joo's behalf at her trial. Hwa Young and In Joo have their final showdown with Sang A. In the end, Sang A and her beloved father tree full of orchids gets burned to death with the acid meant for Hwa Young. In Joo takes Do Il to the airport where he plans to finally retire in Greece. It's obvious that he wishes she were coming with him, but she declines his invitation. In Kyung finally confesses her feelings for Jong Ho, and the couple make plans to go to the US together. In one final twist, we find out that Da Il has joined forces with In Hye to keep the slush fund money safe. Now its finally time to split it up between everyone. Do Il will take his portion off to Greece. In Hye and Hyo Rin will keep a portion to continue traveling the world. In Kyung gets enough to pursue her studies. And a major share goes to In Joo as a thank you for all she has done to raise and protect In Hye. With any luck she will eventually find her way to Do Il in Greece, where they can live in happy luxury for the rest of their lives.
Should I Watch
"Little Women" is a mystery thriller full of suspense and unpredictable twists. In keeping with Netflix' style, this series is amazingly produced and packed with a star-studded cast. But it fell short for me in its writing. Dragging storylines, strange plot holes, and flat, uninspired characters gave this one a bumpy, inconsistent feel. If you love a good mystery revenge tale and are willing to overlook some slow moments and shallow characters, this story is a wild rollercoaster of a ride that looks great and will keep you guessing until the end! I give "Little Women" an 8 out of 10 ramen.
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