Viewers choose 'She Was Pretty' over baseball playoffs
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Hwang Jung-eum, right, and Park Seo-jun in a scene from MBC’s “She Was Pretty” / Courtesy of MBC
By Kwon Ji-youn
Broadcaster MBC has ditched the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) league playoffs for its popular Wednesday-Thursday drama series “She Was Pretty.”
After receiving an overwhelming number of protest calls and e-mails when the series’ ninth episode was postponed Oct. 14, MBC said Monday that it was considering airing episode 10 of the romantic comedy drama series tonight as scheduled rather than covering Game 3 of the best-of-five playoff series between the NC Dinos and the Doosan Bears.
“It is very likely She Was Pretty will air tonight and the baseball game will go uncovered,” an MBC staffer confirmed, Tuesday. “But nothing is set in stone.”
On Oct. 14, the broadcaster tentatively delayed “She Was Pretty” for 40 minutes as it was unsure how long the Doosan vs. Nexen game would run, but it wasn’t until 10 minutes prior to that time that it officially announced the show’s postponement in subtitles.
With the drama series starring Hwang Jung-eum and Park Seo-jun now at its climax, fans complained that MBC had mishandled the situation.
“They should have announced the postponement hours before so that no one was kept up waiting,” said one viewer. “What about viewers who don’t like baseball? This is what sports channels are for.”
But the move may actually have done MBC some good, as the ninth episode, which aired Oct. 15, garnered 16.7 percent viewership, a record high for the drama that began at 4.8 percent. On Oct. 13, SBS cancelled coverage of the baseball playoffs to air its Monday-Tuesday drama series “Six Flying Dragons,” featuring Kim Myung-min and Yoo Ah-in. It also cancelled coverage of the Nexen vs. SK wild card game on Oct. 7
The three major broadcasters have signed to air seven KBO games each, and so far, KBS has aired five, MBC, five, and SBS, four. But as long as they meet the numbers, it doesn’t matter which games they decide to take off the TV guide, or when.
“Viewership isn’t as high for baseball games, so it’s natural for broadcasters to worry over which to air,” said the staffer.
KBSN Sports will cover the KBO playoffs tonight, but MBC’s decision not to cover the game will inevitably have a ripple effect.
Just another Cinderella story?
“She Was Pretty” tells the story of a young woman, Hye-jin, whose ordinary looks and qualifications put her in the shadows of an attractive and successful best friend. An intern working for a fashion magazine with freckles and a permanent flush to her cheeks, Hye-jin lacks the confidence to confront to her childhood best friend, who is now her boss at work and doesn’t recognize her. In episode nine, she undergoes a makeover.
It’s a typical “Cinderella” story, complete with a charming prince and a love triangle -- so why all the fuss?
The drama has a couple of unique details.
The relationship between the two female characters is one. Best friends since childhood, Hye-jin and Ha-ri are poles apart in looks, jobs and personality, but their loyalty toward and support of each other is unchanging. There is no antagonist in this drama -- not a jealous ex or an irascible colleague -- and each character has his or her own story to tell.
The acting, too, is solid.
Hwang, Park, Choi Si-won and Go Joon-hee are all in clothes that fit, and the work setting resonates with today’s youth. In all supporting roles are scene-stealers who are integral to the development of the narrative.
But it’s how the story unfolds through the next six episodes that will determine its success when the curtains fall in less than a month.
Parts of the plot have gone unexplained, such as why and with what money Hye-jin underwent a makeover, the timing of which doesn’t quite add up with the intent of the drama as defined at a pre-production press event.
Meddling with the friendship between the two female characters has also frustrated viewers, especially since the lack of an adversary has contributed to the show’s popularity. So far, the plot has seen Ha-ri (portrayed by Go) fall in love with Sung-joon (portrayed by Park), Hye-jin’s childhood friend and the love of her life.
Of course, there are still seven episodes left, and viewer response is better than expected so far. But if the resolution is as obvious as the storyline, it may test viewers’ patience.