This week’s drama to marathon is one of those you’re going to have to watch with a box of tissues handy because there’s no way you’re going to be able to get through it without crying. (Hey, sometimes you just need a good tear-jerker!)
Originally airing on SBS in 2010, Stars Falling From the Sky follows the story of the Jin Pal Gang (Choi Jung Won), a twenty-five year old brat whose greatest ambition in life is to marry her company’s rich, handsome lawyer, Won Kang Ha (Kim Ji Hoon) and have everything she wants handed to her on a silver platter. However, Pal Gang’s life is changes in an instant when her parents suddenly pass away and she’s left the sole guardian of her five adopted siblings. With nowhere to go and no hope in sight, Pal Gang is forced to take on a job as Kang Ha’s housekeeper so she can sneak her siblings into the house in a desperate attempt to keep them off the streets. No longer interested in anything other than providing for her family, Pal Gang finds herself the object of more than one man’s desire but who has time for romance when your family’s survival rests squarely on your shoulders?
As I’m sure you can tell, Stars Falling From the Sky is one of the more melodramatic dramas out there. It’s so full of trials and tragedy and the characters are forced to suffer one hardship after another you sometimes wonder why you’re still watching. The good news is, all that bitterness is coupled with moments of such sweetness that you find yourself forgetting all about the moments of pain you had to endure to get there. Personally, I’m a sucker for dramas that make you cry just as much as they make you laugh so it’s no wonder I liked this one. However, I’ll be the first to admit, this wasn’t a drama I loved from the start. Jin Pal Gang started out as such a horrid person, I really couldn’t stand her. There were several moments when I wondered if I’d be able to endure an entire drama with her as the lead but as the story progressed, her character changed and I soon found myself cheering for her as she put aside all of her selfish ambition and sacrificed so much to keep her family together.
It’s no secret that I’m also a fan of cold-hearted male leads who eventually have a change of heart and Won Kang Ha fills that role well. He’s such a jerk at times, you wonder what Pal Gang ever saw in him but as was the case with Pal Gang, as the story progresses Kang Ha’s character changes and in the end he proves that he’s every bit as worthy of Pal Gang as she is of him. Of course having an adorable brother around to provide a little romantic competition doesn’t hurt anything and Won Joon Ha (Shin Dong Wook) fits the bill nicely. (Hooray for adorable second leads!)
If you’re not afraid of a little (or a lot) of melodrama and you’re in the mood for a good try, I’d recommend you give Stars Falling From the Sky a shot. The first few episodes may be a bit rough but I promise you, it does get better. Of course if you do decide to stick this one out I’d love to know what you think. Was it worth the first few episodes of pain or was it a bit too melodramatic for your taste? Be sure to let me know by leaving me a comment below!
I finally got around to this one. Fortunately it wasn’t a gut-wrenching, nail-biting melodrama. The bad people weren’t pure evil, there were sad parts, where you needed tissues, but you weren’t doing the ugly sobbing that can happen with a melodrama. On the whole it was a good drama. The hairstyles are awful (finally in episode 20, they gave the male leads a haircut but waiting until the last episode was rough!), but the characters were likable after you dug deeper. The ending was a bit silly and rushed, and I don’t really understand how everyone’s life just carried on as usual afterwards – especially after the suicide. But K-drama justice isn’t always obvious to me. The boy got the girl (and her entire family), and most of the characters showed growth. It was pretty good. Maybe a 4 out of 5 stars.
The male lead was in “Come, Jang Bo Ri” which was an intense melodrama with several characters who were pure evil (and kept getting away with it…for about 48 episodes!!!). He played a similar character to Kang Ha in that one – a rich boy with a rotten family who falls in love with a poor girl. He’s good at it.