More Flawed Than Loved
Love With Flaws is an utterly bizarre Korean drama and after a pretty enjoyable opening set of episodes, returns here with a questionable follow up, one that’s almost certainly going to polarise audiences. Kang-Woo’s IBS is a constant factor of the series that will make or break this and if you’re not a fan of bathroom humour or lowbrow comedy, this is unlikely to be k-drama you’ll stick with for the long-haul. Still suffering from bathroom problems, we return to Love With Flaws with Kang Woo hurrying to the toilet in the bar. However, upon seeing the state of it he decides to wander the streets and find an alternate option. Thankfully, he’s picked up and taken away by his assistant before causing another bathroom incident. Seon Yeo meanwhile heads off to Mi-Kyung’s house and they discuss Kang Woo before we jump back in time and see a flashback to Kang Woo’s childhood. Here, we see he and Seo Yeon’s woes, including the events that led up to the infamous bathroom incident that hangs so heavily over Kang Woo’s head. While a shy boy called Ho-Dul heads to the gay bar, Kang Woo continues to be haunted by voices, telling him to speak to Seo Yeon and clear the air. Seo Yeon however, finds herself in a difficult situation when she’s knocked out by Jang-Mi after pouncing on the delivery driver in the park. After this misunderstanding, the delivery driverk Kang-Hee is brought back home, where Seo Yeon convinces her to stay. With a date set with the handsome Hyun-Soo, Seo Yeon tags along to Mi-Kyung’s date. However, Kang Woo arrives and she immediately tries to get away. However, she reluctantly agrees to sit with him alone and share a drink, where we see their very different inner monologues over what the other is thinking. Unfortunately as the conversation turns back to Kang Woo’s ibs, their conversation is cut short as he hurries to the bathroom while she leaves. Back at the house, an unsuspecting Won-Suk falls down the stairs after being startled by Kang-Hee’s presence. After discussing her position at the house, back at school Min-Hyeok is questioned by Mi-Kyung in her office. However, for now it comes to nothing. After spying Seo-Yeon with, who he believes is her date, Kang Woo heads to the bar alone, unbeknownst to him that this is actually a gay bar. As all the men stare at him as he walks in, his confidence grows before spying Seo-Yeon talking to the barman, who he perceives she’s flirting with. As she looks up, she gasps as she sees Kang Woo and his therapist talking, believing they’re actually in a relationship together. As the episode closes out, Jang-Mi manages to gain Seo-Yeon’s number out in the park while Kang Woo arrives at the school as the new Chief Director. However, Seo Yeon is not happy and as she looks at him with contempt, Kang Woo’s IBS flares up again as we end the episode. Compared to the first episode, Love With Flaws abandons some of the slick editing and visual cues in favour of a more straight forward episode that plays on the toilet humour that dominated the latter periods of the previous episode. With more over-acting and a script that doesn’t move the story forward a whole lot, Love With Flaws feels more flawed than loved right now. Of course, there’s still time to change this and sometimes these dramas need a few weeks to find their feet. For now though, Love With Flaws is a tough choice to recommend and one of the weaker Korean dramas of the year. You can catch Love With Flaws on Viki. If you don’t have it already, feel free to click this link and sign up to access this and many other Korean dramas.
