2024 Show
Shin Yoo-dam · South Korea · Korean
A Cinderella-esque female K-drama lead finally dishes out karma in this breezy time travel-enabled do-over
Abuse can manifest itself in subtle ways that can be hard to recognize, especially when you’re used to the behavior. Marry My Husband takes the familiar downtrodden female lead we’ve seen in K-dramas, but gives her a do-over, another chance to escape her abuse not just by romance, but by recontextualizing the Cinderella-esque hardships and allowing her, and us, to recognize abuse for what it is. The show is able to navigate all this without letting go of its breezy approach, and it’s just so satisfying to see Ji-won actively and successfully achieve her revenge.
Kang Ji-won, a terminally ill cancer patient, is killed by her husband and best friend after she witnesses them having an affair. She wakes up 10 years before the incident and decides to seek revenge with the help of Yu Ji-hyuk, a director at the company where she works. Now, she must reclaim her fate and eliminate the trash from her life.
Just before dying, Kang Ji-won discovers that her husband Park Min-hwan is cheating on her with her best friend Jung Soo-min. However, she wakes up to her life ten years ago, just before their marriage. To avoid the unhappy events they went through, Ji-won decides to change their lives, starting by encouraging her friend to marry her former husband instead.
Marriage can make or break your life, all depending on the partner that you chose to wed. Unfortunately, the female lead of Marry My Husband chose wrongly, but luckily for her, she has an opportunity to make a different choice when thrown back into the past. This concept stands out from other time travel dramas because Ji-won isn’t trying to solve a mystery over what happened, or trying to maintain continuity for any timelines– Ji-won just wants to change her life. It’s already clear what’s at stake for her, we’ve already seen what could happen. The concept practically drives itself with the way Marry My Husband treats time travel as a plot device.
Hui-yeon is the friend we all need!
Isabella Endrinal is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. She's now free from the corporate night shift. Previous articles have been published in outlets such as NANG Magazine. She's currently catching up on some classic films… if she isn't coping with the fact that the Haikyu anime will end soon.
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