Crash Course in Romance is the story of an unconventional love between Choi Chi Yeol (Jung Kyung Ho) and Nam Haeng Seon (Jeon Do Yeon) in the middle of many chaotic incidents. Choi Chi Yeol is a celebrity Math tutor while Nam Haeng Seon is a single mother who owns a Banchan (Side dishes) shop. The series also tries to portray the implications of the Korean education system and the pressure it brings to the students and their parents, especially mothers. This series does not dive deeply into it as the series Sky Castle. But I think this is a more realistic approach to the theme.
Reasons to Watch Crash Course in Romance
The Versatile Leads
The most important reason to watch the series is the refreshing lead pair Jeon Do-yeon and Jung Kyung-ho. These two actors are incredibly talented and have a knack for bringing depth and complexity to their characters.
Jeon Do-yeon has received international recognition for her acting abilities. Her performances have been praised for their emotional depth and nuanced portrayal of complex characters (In the movie Secret Sunshine, she is amazing).
We have already loved Jung Kyung-ho in the series ‘Hospital Playlist’ (You can watch it on Netflix, if you haven’t already). He is so natural in bringing his characters to life, making them relatable and engaging. So as these two versatile actors got paired together, we can see improvisations in almost every combination scene of them.
Comedy Sequences
The comedy sequences in the series are excellent and well-executed. Especially, I loved the scene in which Nam Haeng Seon mistook Choi Chi Yeol as a burglar and chases him. There is a scene in which Nam Haeng Seon walks to the coaching centre overtaking every other mother on her way. That was hysterical. There are also other sequences like playing football and getting injured, which was hilarious. The combination scenes of Nam Haeng Seon, Nam Jae Woo [Haeng Seon’s little brother] and Kim Young Joo [Haeng Seon’s best friend] were also really good.
A Pinch of Mystery
As a parallel line, an element of mystery is also going on throughout the series. Although, it does not seem very necessary for the story, it helps in adding the curiosity of the audience. But very soon, it becomes predictable who “The villain” is going to be.
The Supporting Cast
The extremely talented and versatile supporting cast requires a special mention. They are one of the important pillars along with the lead pair. Roh Yoon Seo who plays Nam Hae Yi [Haeng Seon’s daughter] is amazing. Lee Bong Ryun, Oh Eui Shik, Jang Young Nam and
Kim Sun Young were mind boggling. All the other actors were also good at their roles.
The Shortcomings
Cliché Destiny
The past connection between the lead characters and the ‘destiny’ factor is so over used in Kdramas and honestly it should be stopped. Although we were very fond of these destiny driven romances, now it has become more of an imposition than of a need of the story.
The Ending
The final two episodes were unnecessary and very lagging. The episodes were added just for the sake of it and have nothing to do with the story. I also did not love the ending they gave to the mysterious killer. There was no convincing reason for him to do the horrible things he does.
Overall, the drama Crash Course in Romance is a feel-good love story between two middle-aged people and how they navigate through the problems that come into their life which are not necessarily related to their relationship. This series is definitely worth watching.
