** Disclaimer: The above picture is not my work. I got it from the Asian Wiki page of "The Greatest Marriage" **
** WARNING: SPOILERS! **
Alright so...today's review is on the currently airing drama "The Greatest Marriage". It stars the gorgeous and able Park Si-yeon as Cha Ki Young, a respected anchorwoman of the 9 o'clock news who also has a strong, independent personality. She gets pregnant with her secret boyfriend and decides, due to the patriarchal nature of her boyfriend's family, to become a single mother and raise the child by herself. Obviously, almost everyone around her disagrees with her views and encourage her to abort the child for more than one reason.
So far, only 6 episodes have been aired. I must say that I am quite impressed with the direction of this drama. Currently, Cha Ki Young's adversaries have viewers getting pissed off at the way she is being treated for her own decision. Hopefully the drama takes a good turn soon and things start to look bright for Cha Ki Young, a woman who is suffering just because she MADE HER OWN DECISION.
What I love about this drama:
Cha Ki Young is not afraid to express her bold, feminist opinions. She got pregnant and decided to keep the child despite not marrying her boyfriend. I don't think many women would be brave enough to do so because of our patriarchal society, especially in a place that values chastity and gender roles so much such as South Korea. Honestly, it is Cha Ki Young's decision to be a single mother...why in the world is she getting punished just because she feels that she DOES NOT NEED A HUSBAND? Ultimately it is her decision...it is HER child, it is HER body...no one has the right to force her to abort her child or get married.
This drama serves as an important issue for both women's rights and single parent rights. A woman is allowed, just like a man, to make her own decisions. She isn't some whiny teenager who cannot look after herself...she is a 35-year-old successful anchorwoman who makes her own money, pays her own bills, and even owns her own condo. She has all the means to raise a child. Who is society to look down upon her for her own decisions? Also, as a single parent, it is already tougher to raise a child because it is twice as much work due to the other parent being absent. Why would society try to make it HARDER for the single parent by judging and discriminating? I thought we as humanity have evolved from such close-minded thinking.
What I dislike about this drama:
The drama is a bit too slow for my tastes. But nonetheless, I think it portrays the emotions quite well.
So far, I give this drama a rating of 9.5/10 just because of the pace. Everything else is perfect. Park Si-yeon is gorgeous and talented and she is an inspiration to all women out there because she took on such a heavy role. I hope the rest of this drama doesn't disappoint (I honestly think the only way this can disappoint is if she gave into the patriarchal society thinking and marries her boyfriend without changing her boyfriend's family's views on women rights).