The KBS2 series, "Unkind Women," concluded its 24 episode run on May 14. "Unkind Women" explored the relationship dynamics of four strong women, whose family was deeply impacted by their infidelity of their patriarch. The series concluded with three generations of women bonding, while attempting to repair discord with outside parties.
Kang Soon Ok (Kim Hye Ja) was reunited with her 12-year cooking apprentice Park Eun Sil (Lee Mi Do), who admitted to wrongdoing and jealousy. Kim Hyun Sook (Chae Shi Ra) provided Na Hyun Ae (Seo Yi Sook) with a piggyback ride, after learning that her lifelong grudge was finally resolved.Hyun Ae developed a compassionate spirit after an embarrassing incident during a book reading, where she was reminded that her deceased husband continued to pine fo his first wife.
While the relationships between the elders were repaired, the love triangle involving Jung Ma Ri (Lee Ha Na), Lee Roo O (Song Jae Rim) and Lee Doo Jin (Kim Ji Suk) sputtered to an anticlimactic conclusion. Ma Ri and Roo O were destined to drift apart after he decided to pursue a study abroad program. In the final scenes of the series, which were set 3 three years in future, he was not present. However, the open-ended nature of the conclusion provides the opportunity for a sequel.
The drama explored cheating on several different levels, whether it was extramarital affairs, lying to excel within employment or simultaneously dating brothers. "Unkind Women" emphasized the opportunity for fractured relationships to repairs themselves through redemption.
In the first episodes of the series, there was an unsettling discord between Soon Ok and Jang Mo Ran (Jang Mi Hee). Mo Ran occupied a bizarre position within Soon Ok's life. Mo Ran was the other woman, a mistress her of husband Kim Chul Hee (Lee Soon Jae). The series concluded with the formation of an unbreakable friendship between the women. Through this lifelong love triangle, series writer Kim In Young drove home the point that women should choose friendships with one another, rather than fighting over men.
"Unkind Women" provided an excellent juxtaposition to K-Dramas where two young women spend 10 episodes or more fighting over the same man, who clearly only has feelings for one of them.
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About the writer: Adrienne Stanley is a contributing writer for Kpopstarz, KDramastars, MTV Iggy and CJ Entertainment's KCON blog. Her passions include a love of K-pop and Asian drama. When she is not writing she is hanging out on Twitter (@retrogirladdy).
