Kdrama Review: Lie to Me (AKA Most Romantic Kdrama of 2011, or possibly Ever)


Oh, would you look at that, another amazing Korean drama that aired in 2011! My housemates and I just finished watching “Lie to Me,” directed by Kwon Hyuk Chan (who also directed “Secret Garden”) and starring Yoon Eun Hye (of “Coffee Prince”) and Kang Ji Hwan (of the tragic “Hong Gil Dong,” which I’ve been advised to never watch).


Basic premise: a white lie hits gossip central, and after a series of ridiculous and hilarious events it becomes mutually beneficial for two strangers to pretend they’re married. The fake bride is Gong Ah Jung, hardworking yet hot mess civil servant (meaning she works for the government). The fake groom is Hyun Ki Joon, perfectionist and wealthy hotel heir/owner (I mean, what kdrama male lead isn’t?). Side characters include Hyun Ki Joon’s adorable little brother and classy former fiancé, and Gong Ah Jung’s first love and vicious frenemy.

“Lie to Me” starts as a romantic comedy and develops into a full-fledged romance. Midway through “Heirs,” my housemates and I were sighing “My feeeeels!” over the tragedy, but midway through “Lie to Me,” our apartment resonated with “This maaaaan!” over the romance. Hyun Ki Joon knows how to woo a woman! The chemistry between the two leads is perfection. “Lie to Me” may not have done very well in Korea when it aired (I mean, there was a lot of stiff competition that year), but pretty much every ranking of kdrama kisses on the internet has this drama at the top of the list. Plus there’s depth to the main relationship in “Lie to Me” (comparatively), and I never had to wonder why one person was falling for the other.

I was about to write “This drama is definitely in my top five!” but then I realized that I say that about most every drama I see – whoops! There are a lot of good dramas out there! And I don’t watch dramas carelessly. “Lie to Me” is really good though.

Okay, mild SPOILERS from here on out! You’ve been warned! Here are some of my random thoughts…

There was an absurd amount of alcohol consumption in this drama. How many times was Gong Ah Jung drunk? When she felt sad, she got senselessly drunk, which is just dangerous. But this is kdrama, and we all know that a sad female lead getting drunk will result in male lead taking care of her (as opposed to abduction, rape, death, etc). Clearly Ah Jung learned to solve her problems with alcohol from her father, who offers her the substance to cheer her up and challenges Hyun Ki Joon to a drinking contest – twice. Granted, they were really funny drinking contests.

If you’ve watched enough dramas you’ll notice that it’s perfectly legal to pull a sudden, dramatic u-turn just about anywhere on the streets of South Korea. But this is the first drama where I’ve ever seen a HELICOPTER U-TURN. There were a lot of funny parts in “Lie to Me,” but Hyun Ki Joon cancelling the helicopter is my fave.

Though this drama does depict a wealthy heir and a poor girl, I appreciated that “Lie to Me” put a fresh twist on the stereotypical plotline. Hyun Ki Joon is actually good at business and wasn’t forced into being CEO by ruthless parents. Gong Ah Jung isn’t as wealthy as Hyun Ki Joon, but she isn’t working five part-time jobs. She’s smart, competent, and good at what she does. She refuses to sacrifice her career. The fact that both Ki Joon and Ah Jung are workaholics adds an interesting layer to their relationship. Remember those flirty work scenes? So good!

I can’t finish this review without a brief mention of the clothes – very well done. Gong Ah Jung’s black and white dress from Hyun Ki Joon for the fancy dinner date is the best outfit I’ve ever seen a kdrama male lead put on a girl. And, let’s be real, male leads usually give their love interests makeovers at least once a drama. (I shudder at the memories of BOF… So many terrible dresses! Ugh!)

Besides the sigh-worthy romance, general hilarity, and good story, I appreciated how the petty (if amusing) lies from the beginning of the drama were acknowledged as petty and actually had consequences. Gong Ah Jung found she no longer needed to lie and made up with her frenemy. Hyun Ki Joon found something in life more important than work. Thanks, kdrama.

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