“Thirty-Nine” starring Son Ye-jin, Ahn So-hee faced criticism for out-dated storyline and glorifying love affairs
Public criticism towards Son Ye-jin’s comeback drama is fierce.
JTBC’s “Thirty-Nine,” which aired on February 23rd, revealed the identity of Yeon Woo-jin‘s younger sister, played by Ahn So-hee. Viewers could not hide their absurdity.
Kim So-won, played by Ahn So-hee, is a pianist who graduated from Juilliard School of Music. When her mother dies early due to illness, her feeling of loss and anxiety grows out of control and wanders. The drama featured her working at a bar as part of her wandering.
However, viewers only showed cold reactions. After the broadcast, the made comments on online communities, saying, “The drama pretends to be calm but only talks about very provocative stories,” “This material is really old,” “Isn’t it a repertoire in 1988?,” “So-hee’s role is really…,” “I thought it was a calm drama,” “Why is it like this?” and “Is it a drama in 2022?”
Earlier, viewers also showed mixed reactions regarding Jeon Mi-do‘s character in “Thirty-Nine.” Jung Chan-young, played by Jeon Mi-do, thought that not sleeping with the married senior-guy she had a crush on was “not an affair.” At the same time, she continued to meet the senior privately and asked him to divorce. Despite her life-limiting illness setting, these scenes give the impression that the drama is glorifying an affair.
Although the drama is still in its early stages, many are paying attention to whether it will be able to persuade viewers in its future developments. “Thirty-Nine” started with a 4.4% viewer rating (according to Nielsen Korea) in the first episode and soared to 7.4% in the third episode.
