K-Drama Review: When the Camellia Blooms (2019)
Warning! This K-drama will steal your heart and I dare you to try and be unmoved at the end of it!
Warning, warning! This K-drama will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride and I dare you to try and be unmoved, unchanged, unmotivated at the end of it!
Ok, now we’ve got that out of the way, I’ll admit something: it took a while for When the Camellia Blooms to grow on me. It’s a slow burn – but once I realised I liked it, I LOVED it (and have rewatched several times). The characters, at first, came across as a little quirky and, dare I say it, a little mean-spirited? In fact, some are downright miserable. So I felt let down initially and wondered why this drama had received such fantastic reviews. Was I being cheated? No. I wasn’t. I ended up so enamoured with the characters’ charms, I’m ready to move to Ongsan and beg the group of ajummahs to take me in. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
On the surface, it’s easy enough to describe the plot of this Kdrama. It’s about a single mum, Dong-baek (Gong Hyo-jin) and her eight-year-old son, Pil-gu. They live in a small town called Ongsan – where everyone knows everyone and if you’re an outcast to one, you’re an outcast to all.
Dong-baek is the town outcast. She grew up an orphan – abandoned at a young age by her mother – and she never really recovered from it. She lives a lonely life, not really letting anyone get close to her. And people tend to stay away from her anyway, believing she brings bad luck. Nevertheless she runs a bar, the Camellia, to make ends meet. She’s meek, quiet and carries a ‘glass half-empty’ vibe. But, her life starts to head in a new direction when the son of her only friend returns to town.
Enter Yong-sik (Kang Ha-neul) – a police officer and absolutely the most adorable guy on the planet. He is pure sunshine and serotonin. He’s a bit silly (ok, maybe a lot), and he wears his big, warm heart very proudly on his sleeve. He’s the exact opposite of Dong-baek – extremely cheerful and optimistic about life. And he is completely smitten with Dong-baek from the moment he lays eyes on her. Their romance unfolds against the backdrop of small town prejudices, family drama and a serial killer with his sights on Dong-baek.
The plot can slow at times, but there’s just enough teasing of twists and turns ahead to keep you guessing. That said, some episodes were a rollercoaster that had me chuckling one minute and reduced to tears in the next.
When the Camellia Blooms is mostly character-driven and it’s the characters that make it such a warm and comforting drama to watch. Without giving too much away, there’s a baseball player in a rocky marriage with his Insta-famous wife; an optometrist with grand intentions to become the next governor who is also in a rocky marriage (with a hilariously acerbic and ballsy divorce lawyer); a kleptomaniac and con artist who is taken in by Dong-baek; and lastly the group of aforementioned ajummahs. They absolutely RULE the town and give it a distinct girl-power vibe. They’re also the source of very well-timed comedic relief throughout – they really steal the show!
Dig a little deeper though, and the plot supports some very realistic and meaningful themes. At its heart, this is a story about the love between parents and their children: Dong-baek who longs for the love of her mother, Pil-gu struggling with the father figures in his life and Yong-sik battling his disapproving mother.
When the Camellia Blooms is also about happiness and the idea that you can take responsibility for ensuring happiness in your life – regardless of your history, destiny, taboos or bad luck. It sends a very clear message that life is how you frame it – if you think negatively, you’ll have a negative life. If you position yourself as a doormat, then people will walk all over you. I came away feeling like I’d had a real epiphany about life and felt inspired to consider what negative thoughts I’m allowing to influence my life and how I feel about myself.
The themes present in this drama are the sorts of issues most people will deal with at least once in their life and I think that’s what makes it so relatable and, in the end, uplifting. I really couldn’t recommend it highly enough. I’ve found watching this drama to be like the tv equivalent of curling up on the couch, snuggled under a blanket and drinking a soothing, hot tea. You’ll have a laugh, you’ll probably have a cry, and you’ll at the very least smile almost as widely at Yong-sik’s behaviour as he smiles whenever he sees Dong-baek. And that’s worth something!
Have you watched When the Camellia Blooms? I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to leave me a comment below.