[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Don't Dare to Dream" Episode 16

"Don't Dare to Dream" has become a battle of the jealous in a very literal sense. Jeong-woo and Hwa-sin have not stopped fighting over Na-ri's attentions despite her explicit plea for them to stop. Most of the episode is dealing with the trios antics and a few big, long-awaited reveals.

Advertisement

The back and forth between the best friends is becoming wearisome, especially because Na-ri is not happy about it. Her solution to the constant emotional (and sometimes physical) tug-of-war is to suggest that they all live together. Cohabitation hijinks have to be better than what we've been given. I do appreciate that Na-ri stands up for herself and thwarts the very desperate advances of the two men. It does seem like they're fighting harder because of their friendship with each other and their love of the same girl. In that light, it seems like they're fighting less over Na-ri, and more to retain their friendship. So it was good that Jeong-won finally learned of Hwa-sin's cancer and that he took it in stride, taking care of his buddy while continuing to fight with him. I wish there had been more of a todo over it, but at the same time, their friendship has always been very unassuming.

Part of what I like about this show is how choreographed the staging is. It's so obviously thought out for whatever effect is needed for the scene, like in the last scene when the men are lying in the two hospital beds with Na-ri on a low cot between them. The men turn and flop in mirrored directions that shows both their inner turmoil and the years of friendship that have made them so similar to each other.

I do want the show to get a move on though. I have a feeling it feels draggy because of the twenty-four episode length and not enough material to make it logically to the end. Adding some familial and friend reactions to Hwa-sin's cancer would beef up the plot line as well as give us some much needed reactions from his family members, the mother reporters, and the people in Na-ri's building. I'd also like to see the younger characters get some development. As of now they just float in the periphery. Please join the core of the show.

Written by: Lisa Espinosa AKA Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Don't Dare to Dream" is directed by Park Shin-woo, written by Seo Sook-hyang, and features Cho Jung-seok, Kong Hyo-jin, Go Kyung-pyo, Lee Mi-sook, and Park Ji-young.