The KBS2 series, "The Eccentric Daughter-in-Law," reflects a prevailing theme within Korean drama in which a harsh matriarch presides over a traditional household that includes a son who consistently shirks responsibility. The drama, which is also known as "The Virtual Bride," explores the fractured relationship between a mother-in-law and the women that have captured the hearts of her sons.
Sistar's Dasom portrays Oh In Young, a washed-up K-pop idol, who signs on for a scripted reality show, in a last ditch attempt to revitalize her career. Once the member of a popular four-member girl group, she struggles to live in the real world, after years spent within Korean entertainment. She is plunged into reality when she begins filming the reality show, "Experience of a Daughter-in-Law from the Eldest Son's Family."
Veteran actress Go Doo Shim is Yang Choon Ja, a nightmarish mother-in-law who maintains unrealistic expectations for In Young and other daughter-in-law, Kim Se Mi (Kim Yun Seo). Choon Ja is a traditionalist who built a thriving business with her homemade kimchi. With the aid of her jealous assistant, Lee Ha Ji (Baek Ok Dam), she creates an endless supply of kimchi for consumers who long for the taste of home-cooked food.
While her cottage business is charming, she relentlessly torments her daughter-in-laws for their lack of homemaking skills, while failing to acknowledge their accomplishments within the workplace. In the fourth episode, Choon Ja demands that Se Mi leave from her post as a teacher at a study school to pick up boxes for kimchi.
Se Mi obeys her mother-in-law but faces harsh consequences from the parents and administration at her school. Meanwhile, her husband Cha Dong Seok (Kwak Hee Sung), is depicted lounging at home. He assists Se Mi by taking over the nightly ritual of ingredient preparation for kimchi, which was assigned to his wife by his mother, but does not have any other responsibilities. When Choon Ja realizes that her son accepted the burden of all night food preparation, she removes the assignment from Se Mi, thus removing one of the only demands from her son.
Dramas like "The Eccentric Daughter-in-Law" are frustrating for many international viewers, many of whom easily recognize the disparities between demands placed on male children and the overwhelming perspectives of mother-in-laws.
While "The Eccentric Daughter-in-Law" is a bit over the top, the weekend series "All About My Mom" incorporates similar dynamics. Ironically, Go Doo Shim also stars as a despicable mother in "All About About My Mom." Her daughter abhors her willingness to concede to her brother and reluctance to force her husband into the workplace.
Eugene is Lee Jin Ae, a woman who dreamed of a different career path but became the manager at a factory. She falls in love with Kang Hoon Jae (Lee Sang Woo), a contractor, whose mother is her employer.
Jin Ae aspires to become independent from her family, who is financially dependent on her. Her father, Lee Dong Chool (Kim Kap Soo), is a layabout who shirks responsibility by hiding out at Korean spas. Jin Ae is plagued by a fiscally irresponsible brother, whose dreams of becoming a lawyer outpaced her aspirations. She despises her mother, Lim San Ok (Go Doo Shim) but gains insight into her personality when she marries Hoon Jae.
"All About My Mom" and "The Eccentric Daughter-In-Law" have universal appeal for women who are annoyed by their mother-in-laws and the inability of a mother to recognize that her son is not carrying his weight in a relationship. While both dramas portray extreme circumstances, the conflicts faced by Eugene and Dasom are those that women have struggled with for many years.
