A ‘makjang’ drama is a show with an exaggerated storyline and unexpected plot twists. These shows are extremely popular across Korea, especially among the older generation. Though the dramas are interesting, they have certain parts which are very similar. Here are some overused ‘makjang’ plots.
1. The Evil Mother-in-law
Mother –in-laws who ill-treat their daughter-in-law and her family are a must. These moms-in-law are rich, arrogant, and controlling and justify every action by saying it’s because of their love towards their sons. From splashing water to killing people, they are extremely ‘capable.’
2. Death
It might be someone from the protagonist’s family, or a good friend, or someone who knows a secret. Someone has to die after the first few episodes. Their death will get an innocent person in the jail or someone gets thrown out of the house. These dead characters can also be revealed to be alive after the first half of the show.
3. Losing A Baby
A miscarriage, a baby getting kidnapped, or losing a baby due to custody rights, the protagonist will somehow lose her kid. This usually marks the beginning of revenge. The protagonists will go to any length to save their babies.
4. Extra- Marital Affair
The lead couple could have married after years of dating or married because of property, one of them will start having an extra-marital affair. This will be with someone who is shown to be ‘better’ than the protagonist. But these affairs won’t last long.
5. Unexpected Siblings
Your boyfriend could actually be your long lost brother if you are in a ‘makjang’ drama or one can accidentally fall in love with their step-sibling. These issues are resolved towards the end of the show or remain as a sad one-sided love story.
6. Female Lead From A Poor Family
The female lead can never be rich. In almost every ‘makjang’ drama, she has to be a former employee of the company run by her in-laws. Her parents or siblings would have accidentally got money from their in-laws and the female lead has to bear their wrath.
7. A Transformation
From a simple haircut to a plastic surgery, ‘makjang’ dramas have the most shocking transformations. The cheating husband falls for his wife after her transformation and she uses this for revenge against him and his family.
8. Revenge
‘Makjang’ dramas run on revenge. If you take out the revenge part there is no story left in the show. The protagonist accidentally meets another family who seeks revenge against the same person. They decide that forgiving is not an option and put their lives to risk to get revenge.
9. Finding Love Once Again
The protagonist will definitely be cheated by their partner or his/her family. When they have lost all hope in love and marriage, they meet a new person who loves them for who they are. This ‘Melo’ aspect is a huge relief in ‘makjang’ dramas.
10. A Totally Shocking Ending
The final episodes of a ‘makjang’ drama will have a lot of twists. There are new characters, secrets are revealed and an important character is at the brink of death. But even after knowing all the common plots, one can never predict the ending of such shows and we definitely need to congratulate the writers for that.
