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May I Help You – Full Review

This is a full review and contains

 Spoilers!

May I Help You - Full Review

May I Help You - Full Review

 

Welcome to  May I Help You - Full Review.  A magical power gives a funeral director the ability to grant her clients one final wish.   If you haven't watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.

May I Help You

Aired:  October 19 - December 22, 2022

# of Episodes:  16

Where to Watch: Amazon Prime

Genre:  Supernatural Drama

Starring:  Lee Hye Ri and Lee Jun Young

May I Help You - Unspoiled Review

The Story

 

May I Help You - Full Review

A new funeral director has magical hands that will bring her clients back to life long enough to ask one final favor before they leave their loved ones.  If she can grant 21 wishes, she will fulfill her task and her hands will lose their magical ability.  When a young man who runs an errand company with his uncle accidentally finds out about her secret ability, she enlists his help in granting wishes.  Along the way, they will each find healing for their own personal loss and purpose for their futures.  

May I Help You - Unspoiled Review

The Leads

 

May I Help You - Full Review
May I Help You - Full Review

Lee Hye Ri as Baek Dong Joo

Baek Dong Joo wants a job that doesn't require any special skills, so she applies to be a Funeral Director.  But when she touches her first corpse, the boy comes to life and begs her to help him.  Her uncle, who is a priest, explains that she has the homework of helping fulfill the final wishes of 21 people before this special magic power will go away.  The only problem is that her dad still thinks she is studying for the civil service exam.  So the secret remains between her and her uncle, until a young man who owns an errand business accidentally finds out.  Thankful for someone to help her, she begins to lean on him more and more.  But when she finds out there is a connection between him and her first funeral, she worries that he may never forgive her.

May I Help You - Full Review

Baek Dong Joo is bright and optimistic.  Once she gets over the fear, she loves creating a happy and healing atmosphere for the people she will be meeting in the coffin room.  Lee Hye Ri has a hilarious way of adding silly over-exuberance to her roles.  While it is true that many of her characters have the same, silly edge, I think she continues to grow as an actress.  There is something to be said for the fact that her loud clumsiness makes me smile every time.   

Lee Jun Young as Kim Tae Hee

Kim Tae Hee was a successful doctor before his little brother, Jun Ho, was killed in a tragic traffic accident.  After that, he decides to help his uncle run his errand business.  The stress-free environment of doing small daily jobs gives him time to heal and process his loss.  But when he meets Dong Joo and learns about what she is doing for people, he jumps in to help her.  And slowly he begins to remember how healing it can be to help others heal.  And as his feelings for Dong Joo grow, he begins to allow himself to be happy again and starts to dream of a future.

May I Help You - Full Review

Kim Tae Hee begins this drama as someone who has lost the ability to feel anything at all.  His days go on with no emotion or desire.  But meeting Dong Joo changes all that.  Now he has to let go of his guilt and allow himself to live a full life, as his brother would have wanted him to.  I recently said that I was concerned Lee Jun Young was being boxed into playing the same idol character in all his dramas.  So I was thrilled to see him tackle a more complex, mature role.  While his acting is still developing, I can see his improvement and I hope he will continue to grow and challenge himself.  

May I Help You - Full Review

Supporting Characters

 

May I Help You - Full Review
May I Help You - Full Review

Song Deok Ho as Seo Hae Ahn

Seo Hae Ahn is a young police officer who lives in Vincent's building.  He moved to Seoul from a small town and has no other friends or family.  At least that is what he says.  But Hae Ahn ends up being the hidden "villain" of this drama.  His brother was responsible for Tae Hee's brother's death, and Hae Ahn leaves him there to die instead of trying to save Jun Ho.  Hae Ahn has a crush on Dong Joo, but she only sees him as a friend.  

Lee Kyu Han as Vincent

Vincent is Dong Joo's uncle.  He is a priest who was raised by Dong Joo's father, who is his brother-in-law.  He is the only one who knows about Dong Joo's "homework" at the Funeral Home.  He keeps her secret and offers his support whenever Dong Joo needs it, whether that entails a strong shoulder to lean on or just a strong can of soju.

May I Help You - Full Review
May I Help You - Full Review

Oh Dae Hwan as Michael

Michael or Hyang Bok is Tae Hee's uncle.  He is the one who started the errand business, and acts as the business manager, sending his nephew to do most of the hands-on work.  He rents out rooms in his building to both Dong Joo and Hae Ahn.  

Things I Liked

 

 ♥ SamSam

The uncles in this drama brought just the right amount of cute comic relief.  I never felt like it was too slapstick, but the scenes with them were always fun; especially when it was both of them together.  I also liked their relationships with Dong Joo and Tae Hee.  It felt like they truly wanted the best for them, which was a refreshing apporoach.  These two actors are both so talented and their partnership in this drama was very enjoyable.  

 ♥ Coffin Room

I loved what a bright and beautiful room the coffin room turned into when Dong Joo was helping people.  The comparison between the dark and sterile coffin room, and the elegant and warm makeup room was well done.  The message this room conveyed to me was the idea that death can also be calm and beautiful for those who are moving on to a better place.  I really appreciated this concept.  

♥ Baek Dal Shik

Bael Dal Shik is an amazing character.  His relationship with Dong Joo was so natural and healthy.  He always listened to what she wanted and never pushed her against her will.  His patient approach to parenting was inspiring.  It was so sad that he had to be Dong Joo's last case.  It really served no purpose, except to throw in a little last minute heartbreak.  But I certainly wouldn't have been so upset if he wasn't such a great character to begin with.  

May I Help You - Full Review

Things I Didn't Like

 

Fire Story Tie-In

This drama had a really interesting tie-in between Dong Joo's job at the Funeral Hall and the fire she and Tae Hee were both involved in when they were young (Or, in Dong Joo's case, in the womb).  But the writers didn't do enough to introduce the back story into the series as it went along.  Then they just threw it in as a rushed story at the end.  If it had been better paced and there had been a few more clues along the way, it would have made the story so much more meaningful.  

Chung Ha

I don't really feel like Chung Ha's character was needed in this drama.  If Tae Hee had carried some anger and blamed her for Jun Ho's death, it might have made more sense.  But in the end, he said he didn't blame her, he just didn't have feelings for her anymore.  And after her mother's death, she seems to disappear as quickly as she showed up.  Her story felt weak and unneccessary. And what was the point of the other doctor who liked her?  He was a totally pointless character with no significance.    

Wishes

There was a strange unevenness to the people that Dong Joo helped.  While some had very interesting stories and I felt like we got to know the characters well, others had very few scenes and short backstories.  It seemed like the writers just didn't have enough material to tell all the stories that they chose.  Maybe showing fewer characters with more complete stories would have made the series stronger.  We didn't even see some of the characters walk down the path, as they moved on to the afterlife.  Some consistancy in the way these wishes were told would have made more sense.  

May I Help You - Full Review

The Ending

 

The last couple episodes of this drama were a let down for me.  What started as such a nice, interesting story, turned into a tragic tale where the whole purpose is buried in a rush to finish.   Hae Ahn is exposed as the villain who broke several crimes to keep the truth of Jun Ho's death hidden.  I really hate that they ruined this character, who was always so sweet and sincere.  Nothing is achieved by finding out that he is the brother of the actual killer, who has already died.  Dong Joo's dad ends up being her last wisher, which is also sad and pointless.  But once she spends her final moments with him, she is freed of her magical power.  And in a sudden voice over, we later learn that all of the people Dong Joo helped were in a fire with her mom, while her mom was still pregnant with Dong Joo.  Thanks to their help, Dong Joo's mom made it out long enough to give birth to Dong Joo before her death.  And young Tae Hee was also there, which explains the burn on his wrist.  That's a lot to take in for the final 10 minutes, but there it is.  Chung Ha comes to say goodbye to Tae Hee before moving to the US.  Vincent gets an investor to help expand the company.  Dong Joo quits the work at the funeral hall, but finds she can't stay away.  In the end, Dong Joo continues her job, but takes on a different role, while a new "student" gets her old special ability.  And Tae Hee goes back to being a doctor.  And their relationship is going strong! 

May I Help You - Full Review

Should I Watch

 

May I Help You - Unspoiled Review

"May I Help You" is an emotional, supernatural drama.  It deals with themes like death, final goodbyes, and healing for those who go on after losing their loved ones.  The stories are meant to pull at our heartstrings and possibly require a tissue or two along the way.  So if you aren't up to bittersweet and heartbreaking farewells, this one is probably not for you.  The pacing of this one is definitely an issue and the last couple episodes are rushed and a bit of a disappointment.  But the stories of the people she helps are unique and interesting, and the leads have a sweet chemistry.   I give "May I Help You" a 7 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

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