Acting: 8
Storyline: 7.5
Overall: 7.5
Grade: B
Starring:
Son Ho Jun 孙浩俊 as Choi Ban Do 崔半岛
Jang Nara 张娜拉 as Ma Jin Joo 马珍珠
Jang Ki Yong 張基龍 as Jung Nam Gil 鄭南吉
Han Bo Reum 韓寶凜 as Yoon Bo Reum 尹寶蘭
Heo Jung-min 許正民 as Anh Jae Woo 安在宇
Lee Yi-kyung 李伊庚 as Go Dok-jae 高獨才
Jo Hye-jung 曹惠晶 as Chun Seol 千雪
Go Bo-kyul 高甫潔 as Min Seo-young 閔瑞英
Kim Mi-kyung 金美京 as Go Eun-soo 高恩淑
如果能够回到1999年，那美好的年代。。
如果你的人生可以重来一次，你会试图改变些什么? 最想做的又是什么?
I may be slow to jump onto this journey to the past with “Confession Couple”/”Go Back Couple”, but it’s better late than never. It’s a 温馨小品 that you should watch, or even re-watch to revisit this story since it relates so closely to our everyday life.
A trip back to 18 years ago could be nostalgic, but it also brings back bittersweet memories.
How would you handle things differently now that you are a 38-year old soul back as a 20-year old young adult?
“Go Back Couple” is not just about dealing with marriages, but all your interpersonal relationships. It’s about every aspect of life in general, the rationale behind your decisions and their consequences, youth, first loves, growing up, dreams, passion, etc.
It’s a drama that would make you reflect and laugh at the same time. 充满感触和感慨。
“Go Back” sounds like “Goh Beh” in korean, which means “Confess” aka “告白“. It also means that they had a chance to re-look and reconsider all that has happened, so that they could be truthful to themselves.
I’m not a fan of drama themes with going back to the past or coming from the future, for the ending is definitely about parting and returning to where they belong.
You can relate well to the drama because of similar real life struggles that we face in our 30s, the many regrets and “What If”s in life.
Traveling back in time allows the leads to revisit, mend or rekindle relationships with their family members and friends in the past. Not everyone gets a second take in life. We see how the leads tried to right all those things that they felt were wrong. They also got to rediscover certain facts of the past they did not know of.
人生就是一段旅程。能够回到过去，或许就像戏里说的“也许我们只是暂时去了一趟旅行，而所有的旅行终究是为了回归。是为了更爱惜自己的所有，才选择出发的。 “
All the characters (including the sidekicks) are so lovable and have got a story of their own. There’s laughter and some tears, especially when they got “reunited” with their deceased loved ones.
If you like “那些年” or “我的少女时代”, you should like this too. I like how they go back to the past and look the same as they were in their 20s but with a more matured mind set of a 38-year old.
You would seriously laugh at yourself for all the silly things you did when you were in your 20s. 你也会很想把所谓的“黑历史“给抹掉。
The breaking point of their relationship is the death of Jin Joo’s mother. It is a painful void that cannot be erased from either of their hearts or memories.
人们常说“时间是最好的良药“，但并非所有情况都是如此。
有些事情放在心里不说，以为时间会冲淡一切。但其实只会让彼此间的疙瘩越来越多，像雪球一样滚。
I like how the story started with the wedding ceremony that was so sweet and comical, for we know the “happily ever after” in romance comedies don’t exist in reality.
旁白叙述:
“爱情剧中，结婚一般都是大结局里出现的场面，而且是愉快的结局。对于经历千辛万苦的主人公来说，婚姻是爱情的结晶，也是终点。即将过上美好日子的主人公们，打开了幸福之门，幸福地生活了下去。“
接下来的画面就是14年后离婚，摧残的模样，形成了强烈的对比。
“爱情剧中主人公们的结局，会一直都是愉快的结局吗?”
你或许会听到许多周遭结了婚的朋友们说，结了婚之后, 爱情会由农转淡，渐渐转变成亲情，感情和责任。一切都是以家庭和孩子为先，这是种相呼应的关系。
或许小时候童话故事看多了，听多了。。人们都会对婚礼和婚姻有着不切实际的憧憬，但慢慢长大之后，许多人都会对婚姻有莫名的恐惧。
婚姻是爱情的结晶，终点。。。还是坟墓?
之前的甜言蜜语，浪漫的二人世界，被现实狠狠地冲击着。天天只为了赚钱养家，照顾家人和孩子，几乎没了原有一个人时的自由和自我。开始埋怨对方，厌倦彼此，有了倦怠感，互相折磨。所谓的“梦想“更是不复存在。
夫妻之前少了沟通，也就变得很少会体恤对方，站在对方的角度思考。妻子连吃喝拉撒睡都得带着孩子，丈夫又到处找业务，得应酬，赚钱养家。孩子病了却以为丈夫不理会。这些听起来都很写实，是你周遭有人或自己的故事。
Most couples will start to feel lost and sick of their married life and wish that they could go back to the past to make things right. Many a times, we wish that we could go back to a particular moment or period in life, so that we could have done things differently. There is a “butterfly effect” or “Domino effect” in every little decision or action that we make.
“谁都可以爱一个人, 但并不是所有人都能得到爱情。“
这句话倒是真的。
The Lovable Leads
Jang Nara still looks quite pretty and youthful even without makeup, though she made herself look like a shagged housewife. She portrayed the agonizing parts about being a mid 30s housewife vs a 20-year old college student very well.
Son Ho Jun is very comical but he can also make you tear with some of his more sombre moments. You can see how he was trying hard to make ends meet and having to put up with harsh treatments at work in his 30s, but also how he would behave when he was in his varsity days.
They both experienced heart thumping moments again when they met their first loves back in varsity days.
Well, it does take you on a memory lane.
Their chemistry is very much on point, not overly dramatic or lacking. They are definitely a “make-believe” couple that we see in our daily lives.
After being together for 18 years, they lost the passion and took things for granted. They tried to avoid each other at all costs when they returned to the past, but they eventually realized they still love and care for each other.
通常陷在里头的人看不清自己的心，也只有局外人才看得出。
Jang Ki Young did a pretty good job too. It’s a 10 yrs difference between him and Jang Nara, but he really can look at her like she was a 20 yr old. You fully understand why Jang Nara thanked him at the awards for being able to look at her like a college girl. Those fluttering moments.
Well, Love is never about the conditions or how well someone treats you. It has to be something reciprocal.
Those heart fluttering moments
We feel sad for Nam Gil Senbei, but we know he would meet someone who deserves his love in the future.
There was some love rectangle going on, but be it Ban Do’s 1st love, Seo Young, or Nam Gil Senior, they know when it was time to let go of their unrequited love. There wasn’t anything too out of this world.
They were all young adults trying to maneuver in the world of love and romance, but handled things in a matured manner.
Back to the 90s
故事策划方面还挺 detailed 的，例如90年代发生的大件事。
1999年时Michael Jackson 还很红，第一次到韩国演出的时候。他们也试图把他去世的日期和珍珠妈妈的忌日安排在2004年的同一天，为的就是要形成一个强烈的对比。
全世界会缅怀一代巨星，但失去母亲就是等于失去全世界。但她的悲伤却变得那么微不足道。
我们也看到了许多90年代流行的发型和服饰，例如大耳环，男生爱学 Bratt Pitt 留长头发，还有当年的 Pager, Flip handphones, cassette player, cassette tapes, video tapes, Movie DVDs and comics.
里头也看到了“阿飞正转“的 DVD, 听见红极一时的“Titanic”主题曲“My Heart Will Go On”，还有1999年的“世界末日“论。
啊，这又何尝不是你我的青春呢?
逝去的青春
青春多美好，只因为它的短暂灿烂。绽放。你认为青春结束之时，它才会真正结束。
真正的青春是没有年龄的束缚。
回到1999年在念大学时，珍珠变年轻，肌肤紧绷，没了鱼尾纹，恢复纤细的身材，应该是所有女人都向往的。
回到学生时期的种种一切，真的很令人怀念和心动呀~~~
但看见已逝去的亲人的那份悸动。。会令人感觉既温馨又心酸。
那些念大学时的校庆和 Open House，还真的让人仿佛回到了学生时代。
他们当时最想做的是即兴旅行。The carefree days (other than worrying about studying) when you could just go BBQ, camping and have fun with your friends.
那无忧无虑到海边嬉戏的日子。。
顿时，好想脱离只有还贷款的年代。
A chance to revisit and change the past
It’s a chance for them to regain those feelings they had when they were younger, so that they understand why they did what they did.
这也算是上天想给他们重新认识彼此，也更了解自己的机会。
Jin Joo regretted not giving her very eligible suitor a chance, so she took on the initiative when she was back to the past, so that it can end her “bad” affinity with Ban Do。
On the other hand, 半岛也积极地追求当时的初恋。
他们两人都很勇于地争取自己想要的。但这一切也会连带地影响到其他人的未来。
我想除了半岛和珍珠的感情线，最感人的就是珍珠和妈妈的感情线。
The scenes on how she tried to make up for the lost time and cherished every single moment and create more memories with her mum, would grip your hearts. The final scene when they bade farewell and her mum finding out that she came from the future, was heart breaking enough to make me tear nonstop at 3am.
They managed to expose the acts of a baddie and discovered the reasons behind Chun Seol’s disappearance and managed to encourage her to continue studying.
These are some of the good changes they made, which would impact all of them in future.
Difference between 20s and 30s
It’s not just entirely about the physical appearance (better skin, complexion, figure etc), it’s also about how different the treatment would be.
珍珠20岁时是“校花“类型，但成了 ahjuma 后，别人都只是为了卖保险而靠近她。
崔半岛年轻时血气方刚，脾气火爆，容易闯祸，长大后却得看别人颜色受人凌辱来谋生。
其实踏入社会多年后，我们都只是忙着赚钱，而忽略了自己和深爱的感受，也变得不那么经常沟通。
有些时候，放慢脚步，试着从不同角度看事情，会让我们变得没那么暴躁，也更懂得体恤别人。
初恋的定义之初恋永远都是最美好的
大家对初恋的定义都不一样。
是第一个令你怦然心动，第一个接吻，或第一个交往的人呢?
看到主角们在争论自己那最美丽的初恋时, 嘴角会不禁的上扬。
因为会想起自己的初恋。你对初恋的定义又是什么呢?
Lessons Learnt
时间并不一定是最佳的良药。
有些时候，早点摊开来说，让彼此明白各自心里想的是什么。其实两个人一直以来都没把心底话说清楚。
一个想要的是陪着她，不是守护她的人, 不是顾着赚钱而是陪她一起吃饭，一起哭和悲伤的人。另一个则只想让她笑, 再也不想看见她哭。
所以两人都以各自以为是为了对方好的方式来相处，却不知这却渐渐地加深恋人之间的磨擦。
世界上没有什么是理所当然的。我们往往对于习惯的事物，别人对我们的好，都习以为常。不是所有事情都 comes in a package.
这戏剧想带给大家最大的message 无疑就是人与人之间最重要的就是沟通，还有不要把一切都当作理所当然，要珍惜现在和眼前人。
Indeed, communication is the key to any relationship. Some people are more expressive while some do not know how to express themselves well.
This is a heartwarming drama, which takes us through a journey of learning some important life lesson.
The script is meaningful, the main and supporting cast delivered their roles well with good chemistry. It gives you a warm feeling after watching the entire drama.
希望大家都有所领悟和收获，也能把受益的运用在各自的生活里。
经典名言
Ep 3: 每个人都有每个阶段应该享受的权利。十多岁比起丑恶，只看着美丽的事物长大的权利。然后到了二十岁享受钻石般闪烁的青春的权利。大家都觉得轰轰烈烈的青春，对我们来说，就像没能欣赏完花朵就结束的春天。
Ep 4: “人生不会有什么绝路的。搞出了事情，总会有解决的方法的。”
Ep 5: “初恋比世上任何一种爱恋都更加极致，更加单纯，更加纯情。虽然意义如此非凡，但定义和标准却相当模糊，还有其他类似这样的单词吗? ”
EP 6: “小时候的我认为年龄只是个数字。世界上有我，马珍珠。年龄只是走向我的数字而已。每年数字走在增长的时候，我才意识到并不是数字走向我，而是我在迎合那个数字。”
其实，我也认为适合自己就好。何必那么在意别人说些什么?
Ep 7: “当你要骗人的时候，如果确信对方完全被骗了，那么那个对方有可能是爱你的。 他不是分辨不清真假而被骗，有可能只是因为爱你才没有分辨而已。”
“太过痛苦的爱就不是爱了。外遇不是爱，而只是暴力。而且是最狠毒，最痛苦的暴力。一直以来的信任，情义，就连自己的价值都跌入谷底。 也许对我们而言，爱并不是全部，而是在真相与假象之间。我们无暇去顾及那藏在某处的真心。 ”
Ep 8: “有过那么一段时间，因为一无所有，所以没有什么可以失去的时光。只有闪耀的眼神与不灭的梦想。有过不知自己的能力有多大的时光。”
看看过去写的梦想，都会觉得很不切实际。
“我不该有所期待的。每次需要你的时候，你都不会在我身边。”
“如果说，青春有梦想和热情这一强大武器，而对我们而言，有着不管面对什么样的世界，都不会认输的强大武器，孩子。”
Ep 9: “那时的我们并没有算计，只忠实于心脏的反应。全宇宙都在以对方为中心转来着。曾经月亮和星星都想摘下来的，我们的时光和心都消失到哪里去了呐? 我们现在是站在哪里呢?”
Ep 10: “有时事情变得熟悉又方便，会以为是理所当然的。我爱人的好意，得到的幸福，生活中觉得那些都是理所当然的。但是失去所有之后才知道的事实是，连某人的存在也。。全部都不是理所当然的。”
Ep 11: “有时并不是谁的错，只是因为当时的情况，相互之间的误会会纵横交错。那时候，我们不应该以为时间就是良药的心态，逃避和置之不理。也许应该把心结一个一个解开。 在乱遭遭的线团，某一天大如雪球，吞噬我们之前。”
Ep 12: “任何的悲伤都会慢慢转淡，你都会坚强起来，总会如此。”
“也许我们只是暂时去了一趟旅行，而所有的旅行终究是为了回归。是为了更爱惜自己的所有，才选择出发的。 ”
“当需要与世界这个强敌抗战时，毫不犹豫，站稳脚跟，坚决站在你身边那个永远的自己人。在和这个艰险的世界抗战时，我们靠战友的情谊生存下去。”
