Starring: IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, Park Hae-joon
Director: Kim Won-seok
Written by: Lim Sang-choon (When the Camellia Blooms)
Genre: Slice-of-Life
Episodes: 16 (1 hour each)
Available on: Netflix
A Rare Gem in the World of K-Dramas
Every once in a while, a K-drama will make you think of the pure magic of stories. One of these rare gems is When Life Gives You Tangerines. From the first episode on, you’ll be hooked and cry (many) tears, laugh with the characters, and feel every triumph and tragedy they go through. The story and characters will stay with you long after the 16-episode run is over.
Women Who Dream, Fight, and Break Cycles
Ae-sun, played by IU, is the main character of the story. She is a smart, aspiring poet who grows up in Jeju in a poor and male-dominated society. She says the same sad thing her mother did early in the series: “It is better to be a cow than a woman in Jeju.” Girls aren’t allowed to do well in her small, religious town. Even though Ae-sun won the vote for class president, she is not given the title because she is a girl.
Haenyeos are women who work as deep-sea divers and risk their lives to catch seafood. Yeom Hye-ran plays her mother. Her dream is to break the cycle of generations by sending Ae-sun to college and giving her a chance she never had. But the world around them always makes these dreams seem less real.
The Steady Love of Green Flag Gwan-sik
Ae-sun’s unwavering support comes from Gwan-sik (Park Bo-gum), a kind person who is often made fun of for being loyal. He loves Ae-sun no matter what and will be there for her through good times and bad. No one is surprised when the couple finally runs away and gets married, even though the way there was full of drama and sacrifice.
A Story About Two Generations
The show goes back and forth between Ae-sun and Gwan-sik’s younger and older selves over the course of sixty years, with Moon So-ri and Park Hae-joon playing them so well. Their life together is shown in stunning detail, against the backdrop of South Korea’s fast-paced changes, from political upheavals to economic crises.
While they are raising their kids, especially their daughter Geum-myeong (also played by IU), the story goes into more depth about trauma, love, and how to get through it. Geum-myeong also has problems, like broken hearts, social pressure, and problems at work, but she also has to carry the weight of her parents’ faith in her.
Deeply Relatable Moments
Being honest is what makes When Life Gives You Tangerines so powerful. Ae-sun’s broken heart as she gives up on her hopes and dreams. Gwan-sik’s soft smile when his wife dances with happiness over a new fishing boat. How much they hurt when they lose a child and how well they hide it so their other kids don’t have to. And the quiet happiness that comes when Geum-myeong shows up out of the blue and brings life back into a home that was dead quiet moments before.
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Rich writing and strong characters
Not what you’d expect from a slice-of-life show, but that’s what makes this drama stand out: Lim Sang-choon’s writing is subtle but gripping. There are no bad guys here; just the many curveballs that come up in life. There are many small but powerful acts of defiance that make up the show. One of them is when Ae-sun stops Geum-myeong from serving food to a rude future in-law.
Not only are these women fighting for themselves, but they’re also changing the story for the next generation.
Last Words: A Drama That Sticks With You
You are encouraged to think about “what ifs” by the show. For example, what if Gwan-sik had gone into sports? What if Ae-sun was born in a different time? The book When Life Gives You Tangerines doesn’t give any answers. It doesn’t have to. Instead, it gives us a deep, meaningful chance to think about the decisions we make, the situations we are born into, and the love that gets us through it all.
