‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ K-Drama Review: This emotionally rich, profound show is a must watch

Park Bo-gum and IU in a still from When life Gives You Tangerines
| Photo Credit: Netflix

Once in a while, a K-Drama comes along to remind you of the magic of fiction, and its ability to have you invested, shed many (MANY) tears, and partake in the happiness of a family and a set of characters who stay with you much beyond the runtime of sixteen episodes. When Life Gives You Tangerines, Netflix’s latest slice-of-life drama, is a tale propelled by its women. Women who dream big, women who want to overcome poverty and a patriarchal society, women who break generational cycles, and most importantly, women who are their mother’s daughters. 

Early in When Life…, Ae-sun(IU) dolefully agrees with what her mother (Yeom Hye-ran) always says — it is better to be a cow than a woman in Jeju. A bright student and an aspiring poet who has her sights set on college, neither the times she has been born into nor the environment around her are the kindest. Ae-sun’s world is one where girls from poor families cannot be class presidents despite fairly winning the majority vote. At home, she is made to do housework and seldom gets the good fish; living with her uncle’s family means everything goes to her cousin, the boy of the house. Much of Ae-sun’s determination comes from her mother, a Haenyeo or a female deep sea diver who harvests seafood. Having to put her life at risk constantly, she wants her daughter to be well-educated, take a different path, and rid herself of the abject poverty they live in.

In all this turmoil, the one solid and steady presence in her life is Gwan-sik(Park Bo-gum), a steelheart who remains Ae-sun’s loyal shadow. This is a constant subject of awe and ridicule in equal measure among the community in the small coastal town they live in. When the two do eventually elope and get married, not many are surprised, even if all of this does come in the wake of much drama.

Park Hae-joon and Moon So-ri play the older versions of Gwan-sik and Ae-sun

Through the show, we follow Ae-sun and Gwan-sik’s lives set against a rapidly evolving South Korea — governments come and go, the economy battles a financial crisis, sporting victories, new music, movies, and more. The show is beautifully shot through seasons, alternating between Jeju’s yellow canola flowers and blue seas, and the cold and dreary city. The couple (Moon So-ri and Park Hae-joon play the older Ae-sun and Gwan-sik) struggle through one personal crisis after another as they navigate their way around all of this while wanting the best for their children, Geum-myeong(Also played by IU) and Eum-myeong (Kang You-seok). As Geum-myeong trudges through an economic downturn, her first heartbreak and subsequently finding love, she grapples with the weight of her parents’ faith and belief in her as their high achiever first-born daughter. 

There is much that is relatably profound and heart-wrenching in the everyday lives of this family. Ae-sun’s helplessness as a woman who gives up on her dreams owing to her circumstances, Gwan-sik’s fond smiles at his wife when she dances around in joy after they buy a new fishing boat, and the grief when the couple lose a child and decide to pick themselves up in record time because they do not want their other children to bear the burden of their sadness. In one scene that is sure to feel all too familiar, Ae-sun and Gwan-sik waste no time plying a dejected and heartbroken Geum-myeong with food and fussing over her when she pays them a surprise visit. The couple are so instantly cheered up by her presence that Geum-myeong can’t help but wonder how silent and lonely the house must have been just minutes before her arrival. 

The narrative switches between Ae-sun’s past and present and this is a clever choice given how the writing spotlights its women and the all-too-similar societal challenges they encounter. Writer Lim Sang-choon, who previously wrote When The Camellia Blooms is in fine form here. We see Ae-sun passionately tell Gwan-sik that she doesn’t want her daughter to set a table, but to flip it, and years later, when Ae-sun sees Geum-myeong quietly ladle out food for her boyfriend’s conniving mother, she intervenes.  The women here are determined to break everyday microaggressions like this, and ensure generational cycles aren’t repeated. The writing is nuanced, layered and gripping – not a word generally associated with a slice-of-life show but this is that rare drama that does keep you hooked. There are no villains, only life’s many twists and turns to contend with. 

IU in a still from When Life Gives You Tangerines

The show has an ensemble cast that is so good that it feels like a grave injustice to single out a performance as spectacular. IU is stellar in two roles, as the fiery young Ae-sun and the more sober, vulnerable daughter Geum-yeong and Park Bo-gum as the steadfast, warm Gwan-sik turns in his career best. Playing their older versions, Moon So-ri and Park Hae-joon ensure these characters are never one-note and defined only by their grief and suffering. Your heart might break for them over and over again, but their stolen hugs, warm words of affirmation, and unwavering faith in each other despite their circumstances, shines through.

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There are lingering “what ifs” that When Life… wants its viewers to sit with; throughout the show and much after it has ended. How different would Gwan-sik’s life have been if he had become an athlete? Would Ae-sun have conquered college? When Life…is one of those rare shows that stays with you much after it has ended. There is much that is compelling about this bittersweet, profound life, where the lows are low, and the triumphs bring so much joy. Watch with tissues handy for the tears; both happy and sad.  This might be one of the best K-Dramas ever made.

When Life Gives You Tangerines is streaming on Netflix