In the time-travel plot of ‘Marry My Husband,’ the wife goes back in time to take her revenge
Fictional character Jung Su-min is pretty, goal-oriented, and convincing. She’s also a mistress. The audience hates her for being The Other Woman but everybody wants her to successfully steal the man. Korean Drama “Marry My Husband” accomplished the unthinkable.
It’s easy to get misled by the title. It’s not a sweet goal, it’s a curse. “Marry my Husband” stars Park Min-young, Na In-woo, Lee Yi-kyung, and Song Ha-yoon. It is based on the popular webtoon of the same title, created by Sung So-jak.
Park plays Ji-won, the wife who witnessed how she died in the hands of her husband and bestfriend. Ji-won goes back in time, 10 years to be exact, and a few days before her husband Min-hwan proposes to her. Ji-won decides that the best punishment for her treacherous best friend and husband is to bring them together. It turns out that it’s easier said than done.
This type of time travel trope grew popular in recent years. The addictive mobile game “Legend of the Phoenix ” has this exact same plot where players take on the character who goes back in time, fully aware of what happened in the past, and tries to make different choices to arrive at a different conclusion. Mobile reading apps have several stories offering the same plot.
Horrific death
What makes such trope an easier content to digest is that the worst has already happened. All of these stories start a few hours before the lead character dies a most horrific death. The real story starts rolling after the rebirth.
It is something new in K-drama. This is the first time viewers are solidly rallying behind the mistress. Everybody agrees that Su-min and Min-hwan deserve each other.
Lee doesn’t attempt to soften Min-hwan but he makes him easier to watch. He made it his job to make the audience laugh at him and make them feel no guilt whenever he suffers. In contrast, Song chose to make Su-min irritating, like nails on a chalkboard.
One is left questioning what is her motivation and why she is the way she is. Watching the two slowly pay for what they’ve done to Ji-won is the fun part of the drama. It’s like playing god and poking these two characters to reveal their true selves.
Park as an avenging wife is very calm and calculating. She doesn’t lose her composure when she discovers that changing choices doesn’t necessarily have to mean a different outcome. Time traveling has rules and she studies, learns and adapts to them. This is the puzzle that everyone participates in.
Plot twist
Na plays Ji-hyuk. He’s the biggest supporter of Ji-won. However, he has secrets of his own which can be frustrating at times because a lot of misunderstandings would’ve been immediately solved if he was honest. Perhaps, there was a need to prolong some moments given that the original material is very short as well. Thankfully, his chemistry with Park is undeniable.
“Marry My Husband” is predictable but watching the story unfold is still enjoyable. Another twist come in BoA whose presence as a villain challenges that of Su-min.
Dramas typically drag the suffering of the main character out. There are shows where it’s 12 episodes in and you feel that the character is still inside a dark tunnel. This is not one of them.
Ji-won learns to love herself. Every episode is about her regaining some of her self-respect. And it’s as satisfying as the attire she wears in the office.
“Marry My Husband” is available on Prime video.
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