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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Modern Farmer" Episode 19

The exact details of what's happening with Yoo-na and her management company are exposed here. With this information, the story from that angle moves in about as predictable a manner as possible, once again mostly leaving our main characters right where they started. I suppose it's an improvement over the meteor storyline, since there's at least some brief discussion of backstory and also one nice scene where Yoo-na firmly gives Min-gi a piece of her mind.

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"Modern Farmer" has hit the resolution stage. Multiple characters leave the show presumably for good here, although the presentation gives the distinct impression that we're going to get some sort of epilogue about how everybody's doing several years down the line. It's just as well that there's nothing immediate about the concluding plotlines. The decision the characters have to make here about what to do for the rest of their lives is a fairly important long-term one that requires a lot of thought.

Let's never mind that, though. For the first time in quite awhile "Modern Farmer" actually manages some good jokes. Mostly as a result of the gangster plotline. And this case too mostly as a result of the gangsters being kind of incompetent. It's a good thing they brought the big car, otherwise they would have been forced into doing something sensible not like committing a mass kidnapping in broad daylight. It all makes for some simple, goofy fun even if a gun is involved.

It's not exactly satisfying as long-term characters arcs go, but then Soo-hyeon has never had the most deep characterization to begin with. I have to admit I'm a little disappointed the money ended up being so irrelevant overall. There's a real lack of synergy with the scripting here. Characterization is consistent across different storylines, but the actual effects tend to be so tangential as to prevent the development of a particularly convincing story backdrop.

While this episode fails to live up the heights that characterized the early portions of the drama, there are at least a few good jokes here. Additionally, the characters behave understandably in the face of hardship, the exact details of which are plausible enough to guard against much criticism in storyline construction. An average episode overall. That's nice compared to how ineffective "Modern Farmer" has been lately, but it's irritating to go into the last episode wishing that there was more actual substance here.

Review by William Schwartz

"Modern Farmer" is directed by Oh Jin-seok, written by Kim Ki-ho and features Lee Hong-ki, Lee Hanee, Lee Si-eon, Park Min-woo, Kwak Dong-yeon and Lee Han-wi.

 

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