A single mom gives birth to a daughter while she is still in high school, and has spent her whole life growing up alongside her.  But now that her daughter is an adult with a life of her own, their relationship is entering into a new phase.  Since the pair are still living together, there are plenty of new areas to chart.  And things become even more complicated when a man from her past comes back into her life hoping for a second chance.  Meanwhile, her daughter’s new job working for the local police department puts them in the middle of a dangerous investigation involving a murder.  

Choi Soo Young as Kim Jin Hee

Kim Jin Hee had a good job working at the central police station in Seoul before she steps on the wrong toes and gets demoted to team leader at a small, neighborhood substation.  And as luck would have it, she isn’t the only one.  Her mentor from Police Academy days is also there.  But misunderstandings between the two of them has left their relationship awkward.  And to make matters worse, decisions made at the head office have left a bad taste in the mouths of all her new co-workers.  Now it will take all of her efforts to get into their tight-knit circle.    

Kim Jin Hee grew up with her young, chaotic mother.  And this causes her to often assume the responsible, mature role in their relationship.  This is probably also what attracted her to becoming a police officer.  But now that she is able to see her mom through adult eyes, she is learning some important lessons about her, not just as a person but also as a woman. I really like Choi Soo Young and I feel like she has a nice sense of subtle comedic timing.  She and Jeon Hye Jin had a great rapport and their interactions, both serious and sincere and more humorous, were the highlight of this drama for me.  

Park Sung Hoon as Eun Jae Won

Eun Jae Won is the director of the substation Jin Hee is transferred to.  He was also demoted to the substation for political reasons and hopes to eventually earn back his position at the Head Office.  He knew Jin Hee during their police academy training time andhas always had feelings for her, but he has kept it hidden and pretends to be annoyed by her.  But as the two of them are thrown together on the job, they both realize that they have feelings for each other.  

 ♥ Mature Themes

This series takes a modern approach to slice of life drama.  It tackles some difficult themes with a slice of honesty and humor.  I liked that it committed to the topics without trying to sugarcoat any of it.  The idea of reaching an age where we can see our parents as individuals with dreams and desires is an important one.  And the leads are able to talk about things that might be hard to talk about even with friends your own age, as shown by Jin Hee’s conversations with her best friend about her mom.  

 ♥ No Instant Family

So many dramas have an estranged parent show up and make them suddenly a close happy family, with no real thought to the time it takes to form those kinds of bonds.  I liked that this series took its time before Jin Hee could acknowledge her dad at all, let alone as a parent.  Even by the end, they had reached a mutual affection, but they were still a long way from Jin Hee asking for fatherly advice.  I appreciated this more realistic approach to relationships and parental reunions.  

Crime and Politics

I never felt like the politics at the police station were ever explained in a way that made them worth the screen time.  The story seemed kind of vague and rather pointless.  True, both Jin Hee and Jae Won are transferred because of politics and injustice in the system, but that’s really all we need to know.  The same is true of the stalker story.  The fact that he was following Eun Mi is important but his other victim and the investigation itself was kind of a wasted story that disappeared as soon as he was caught, with no explanation of who he was or why he did it.  

Secondary Character Development

Slice of life dramas don’t always feel the need to develop every character they introduce, which I get.  But there were a couple characters in this drama that had some important storylines that seemed like they deserved more screentime and development.  On the top of my list would be Mi Jung’s grandmother, who is so pivotal in Eun Mi’s life and Jin Hee’s best friend and first “love” Jin Su.  I just wish we could have seen a bit more about these characters.

The ending of “Not Others” is as simple and to the point as the rest of the drama.  Mi Jung’s grandmother passes away and we find out that she had included Eun Mi and Jin Hee on her family registry, and left them a large portion of her estate.  Jin Hee finds out that after cracking the case she is being promoted back to the head office.  But she just isn’t excited about it.  Later she decides to take a year off and travel the world by herself.  Eun Mi has a hard time accepting her decision, but Jin Hong helps her understand she needs to let go a bit.  Jae Won tells Jin Hee that he will be there waiting for her.  At the airport, Jin Hee runs into Eun Mi, who is carrying her own backpack.  At first Jin Hee is upset that her mom is intruding on her independence, but Eum Mi tells her she is taking her own trip to walk the Santiago Trail.  Back in the neighborhood, we see both Jin Hong and Jae Won hanging out at the local convenience story, each waiting for their ladies to return.