It’s Okay That’s Love was not the romantic comedy it masqueraded as for the first 6 episodes. With a show that centers around two mentally ill characters, I can see why it received so much attention.
So this is another one that Sarah (soongyi) recommended to me, and I’ve learned to trust her in these things because she’s never recommended something that I haven’t loved (see Master’s Sun and You Who Came from the Stars). So I came in with fairly high hopes and was mostly not disappointed. Before I get to my issues, I’ll talk about our main characters.
Jang Jae Yeol, technically was the chaebol asshole character. But only technically. Though he owned Hye Soo’s building, he never pulled the “I’m rich and therefore better than you” act, which was nice. It was great to have a jeans-and-a-tshirt kind if lead for once, and even though he was a well known author, it rarely went to his head. His mental health issues aside, he was a great voice of reason among his quirky and mentally ill roommates. I think his multidimensional-ness is what made this character. He was a good boyfriend, friend, brother and mentor. And once his own mental health problems came to light, his downfall became the driving emotional force of the show, and it worked.
Hye Soo was... something. From the first patient you see her deal with, you can tell that her life is filled with two bad choices and she often has to pick the lesser of two evils. When the trans* woman came into the hospital, I was immediately worried that she would be treated as mentally ill. But Hye Soo recognized that there was nothing wrong with her, but at the same time knew she couldn’t send her back to a home where she’d be beaten to death. I can only now see this as foreshadowing how she would deal with the two bad choices of admitting Jae Yeol into a hospital she knew he’d hate or let him kill himself. Her outstanding character is what made me love her. As well as her own self awareness. What other heroine would completely own up to being a selfish bitch? She knew she hurt people, and she knew when she needed help. Her own phobias made her a dynamic and interesting character.
In terms of an endgame couple. Hye Soo and Jae Yeol had their issues, obviously. Having two very strong willed, mentally ill characters fall in love is bound to meet difficulties, and theirs were bad. Watching Jae Yeol’s downward spiral (while terrifying) was made that much harder by Hey Soo’s reaction to it. This show was unfair in so many ways, but the biggest goddamn tragedy was that as he was saving her, she was destroying his. Hye Soo’s fear of commitment took the forefront as this couple’s biggest stumbling block for the first half on the series, and even when we could see Jae Yeol struggling, he was focused on her and making their relationship work. And just as she was getting over her fear of loving freely, Jae Yeol’s past came back to bite him. Watching him deal with his guilt and fear by making someone up was heartbreaking and watching Hye Soo realize she was making him more guilty created a delicious tension for the writers to work with.
Something this show did so well was keeping me interested in the characters. Everyone had a past and a purpose. Soo Kwang, Don Ming, and all the other supporting characters had their own arcs that made them believable characters. Every relationship was important whether it was mother/daughter, friend/friend or anything else. So many shows focus so much on the main characters that any side characters get thrown aside when their no longer useful to the main plot, and that never happened here.
Another thing this show did amazing with was keeping the stakes high. After Je Yeol and Hye Soo slept together, the constant battle of “I’m scared to love so I’m gonna push you away” started to get old, but soon Jae Yeol’s arc with his hallucinations got started and kept me so engaged. This was the first time I actually feared for a character’s death. This show had the emotional pull and dynamic characters that I loved. It was looking like a strong 9 until....
I believe that a show can only be as good as it’s finale. It’s the last time you’re seeing these characters and the audience requires a certain sense of closure. I know I always say that I prefer my finales tied with a neat little bow, but this cookie cutter ending has to make sense with the rest of the show. The first 15 episodes were an emotional rollercoaster, and the last ep needed to keep up with that theme. Everyone living happily ever after was never gonna work for me with iotl, but that’s what we got. It felt so rushed and forced, and while I love that Jae Yeol and Hye Soo got married, it seemed strange that they would completely gloss over the wedding. Hye Soo had said multiple times that she didn’t want to get married. I wanted to know how Jae Yeol changed her mind, but we got a short shot of wedding photos before they rushed out to tell Jong Min and Soo Kwang that they were pregnant. This show was messy, and raw, and heartbreaking. The finale felt like anyother rom-com finale. and it’s not what there characters are.
My other major issue with this show was the pacing. It felt so slow-burn even though I know it wasn’t. They kissed by what? ep 3, and were official by episode 8. I get that they wanted to establish their relationship so Jae Yeol’s mental health problems would have more emotional pull, but one minute they hated each other and the next they were making out in a cave. They moved to fast at some parts and seemed like they were making no progress the next.
This show had me on the edge of my seat for the most part. They handled mental illness so well and showed that a person is more than their disability. Watching Jae Yeol’s downfall was heartbreaking and watching Hye Soo leave him was even worse. This show was doing so well, but does a not great finale ruin a great show?
I still haven’t decided, so I’m basing my judgement on the way this show made me feel until the last moments.
