K-Drama Review: The Third Charm

Naveena Nair, Vadodara, Gujarat

How many chances does love give you? At the end of the day, do differences mean nothing in love? Can love be reason enough to be together forever? Are romances the same as dramas?

The Third Charm takes you through the story of On Joon-young, played by Seo Kang-joon, and Lee Young-jae, played by Esom, who answer all these questions. With a total of 16 episodes, this drama directed by Pyo Min-soo was aired from September 28 to November 17, 2018, on JTBC every Friday and Saturday at 23:00 (KST).

Plot

Unlike its cheerful trailers and posters, The Third Charm, in a broader sense, is completely different. With the first few episodes establishing the differences between the characters and making them fall for each other, we think of it as your usual romance drama, but with gradual progress into the episodes, we realise that it is not what we were expecting it to be. The usual problems of relationships are portrayed here too, but the question that makes viewers anxious is: Will they overcome them?

Contrary to our expectations, they don’t. But love gives them another chance at it, making the audience more curious and making them continue their romance. Now adults, the main leads try again for their luck with love. There’s a whole different world with the supporting cast, forming more couples and romances throughout the drama. Failing again as a couple due to reasons like jealousy, the couple breaks up again.

The question of whether they were ever in love starts arising among the main leads. After a few years with both their lives turned upside down, On Joon-young, now in a different profession with a fiancée, and Lee Young-jae, a traumatised divorced woman who has lost a child in an accident, meet again. But this time their meeting is for self-discovery, not love. The ending will leave you pondering the meaning of the whole drama.

Our Verdict

There comes a point in the drama where you start questioning whether it is worth continuing. Even though it starts like any other cheesy romance drama, it will leave you questioning all the beliefs you have formed about love. The cast has done its job wonderfully, but the storyline was lacking in some way or another. The ending isn’t very self-explanatory, thus leaving the audience with a lot of questions and making the drama feel abrupt.

The supporting cast played their part well too. On Ri-won, On Joon-young’s sister, played by Park Gyu-young, is a catchy character. Overall, the drama seems fine, but it doesn’t have the essence of having the audience hooked, as the ending somehow disappoints.

While some found it boring and very raw, it is a piece that was appreciated by a few for being honest and sincere about human nature and emotions. If cheesy romance drama is what you are looking for, The Third Charm is something you should stay away from, but if you are looking for something that breaks the stereotype and gives you a real insight into human relations and love, then this drama is for you.

Have you seen this K-Drama? Did you like it? Tell us in the comments!