When Time Stopped

Photo from Soompi

Synopsis

A young hard working and down on her luck woman by the name of Kim Soon Ah. Since her father died when she was all but 19 Kim Soon Ah has taken responsibility of her father's huge debt and the building that he treasured. However, running a apartment building while loan sharks are after her are proving to be more complicated than she can handle. She is tired and in desperate need of some good sleep. When handsome Joon Woo asks to move into the vacant basement room everything changes. Joon Woo has the ability to stop time with his special ability, and the caring nature of Soon Ah, the two change the lives of some of the tenants in the building.

Review

Hello dear reader! I hope your thanksgiving was a good one filled with friend, family, and, of course, good food. Well, I have to say this series was the dark horse of the group. It took me by surprise. It was one of those that heard the advertisements for and thought the story was interesting but it didn't quite grab me. I decided to give it a chance one day while perusing through the catalogue on Viki.com.

This was an original story, one that actually had be guessing and wondering. I'm not sure as to why this didn't get the attention that I think it deserves. For storytelling I gave this series a 85% and for directing a 3/5. Wile i loved the series I couldn't give it a 100% on story telling there were a few problems I had with the plot of the show, as well as the directing.

The story line is great. I love how When Time Stopped begins. It shows little clips from both Soon Ah's past and her two best friends to explain just how their situations ended up in the present and why they are so close. The writer does great with setting the scene for the main cast, however they introduce the myriad of side characters without much context as to who they are. That was my first problem with the storyline. It takes a few episodes to know who they are and their purpose in the show.

Another problem I had was the inconstancies in the storyline. In the beginning it was Soon Ah's ne'er do well uncle that landed her father in thousands of dollar's in debt with a loan shark. Then later they change the fact that the uncle was supposed to be Soon Ah's uncle and make him her best friend, Choi In Sub's, uncle instead. It was a complete change in the story line and I'm sure many didn't notice, it is a minor detail but I did and it stuck out.

In Sub also happens to be the second male lead. I will warn you, you do get a little bit of second male lead syndrome in this series. However, I love what they did with his role in the grand scheme of things. In a great many dramas the second male lead is basically created to either make the main lead jealous and finally make his move on the girl, or to show soulmate and husband concept (Something I picked up from Boys Over Flowers).

Anyway, a big part of the second male lead's purpose in K-Drama world is to fall in love with the main female lead and let her go to her chosen lover. That is it, there is almost no other function for him. Happily, that wasn't the case in When Time Stopped. He almost has a central role in that he helps the audience understand what is going on in this celestial world that the writer created. He seems to understand a lot more about what is happening around them than the main leads do. So, he acts as a guide to the audience and the leads. As a second lead he does also come to the aid of Soon Ah when she needs him. He loves her enough to know when he should bow out and still be a best friend to help her with the guy she is interested in. I liked that added complexity of the second lead in this series.

The reason I gave the directing such a low score was the fact that things seemed to be a little half hazardly shot and put together. The kiss scenes was one of my biggest problems. I understand that in old ways of K-Drama's it wasn't uncommon for the director to get different angles of the kiss and put it in the finished episode. The reason they do this is to show the importance of the kiss. However, that method is all played out. Things have progressed and shot a little more naturally. It's still a big moment, but without all the jump shots of the same darn kiss. I don't need to see the same lean in twenty times. Just let me see the kiss and enjoy the tender moment. It also makes the kiss seem so unnatural and forced like they couldn't do the kiss right. I can't say that is due to the acting, it was due to the way the scene was shot.

Anyway, that was my take on this series. It is only 12 episodes long, which is a shame because I was enjoying it. On the other hand I suppose it is a good thing, you know, stopping while you're ahead and all that jazz. I hope you give this a chance, dear reader. If you do, leave me a comment below and tell me your take on things. Also, if you have seen the series leave a comment tell me what you thought. Or if you have any questions you would like answered leave it in the comment section I would love to answer any questions. I watched it on Viki.com, which is a free site that is virus free. Goodbye and until next time dear reader!