Drama Digest
This romance drama by Baek Min Hee, titled “Peng, is a 2021 Viki Original, and tells a tale of life, love, and progress. The series follows Go Sa Ri. She is thirty years old when she discovers she can no longer date her boyfriend, and she soon breaks up with him. After a heartbreaking end to her love life, she gets entangled with four potential men with whom she could end up. In order to fix her love life, she uses her skills to look into the future and tries to mend her life that is falling apart, in particular in the field of romance.
The Feel-Good Part
The drama is not like the typical romantic comedy dramas and, as a result, does great in this aspect. The story and characters are well thought out from the start to the end, and they do not seem over the top and flow well with each other from the beginning to the end.
The Disappointing Factor
The only disappointing factors in the whole show are the main female character and the ending. Firstly, the female lead comes off as annoying and dumb at times, looking at her unnecessarily and randomly falling in love and looking for the love of her life. Secondly, the ending feels a bit abrupt, which might catch viewers off guard and make them unhappy.
In-Depth Analysis
thirty-year-old Go Sa Ri bids her twenties farewell and is eager to begin her new decade. Sa Ri is prepared to start again, leaving behind the confusing jumble of her twenties. But it is proving harder than she anticipated for her to put the past behind her. Sa Ri was optimistic that she had put her recent breakup with her partner in the past. Go Sa Ri is followed throughout the show. She breaks up with her partner shortly after realizing she can no longer date him at the age of thirty. She becomes involved with four possible guys after a painful end to her romantic relationship. She utilizes her ability to predict the future to attempt to restore her crumbling life, particularly in the area of romance, and to fix her love life. But things become challenging when he unexpectedly makes a comeback. In addition to coping with her ex, Sa Ri starts to see that one of her closest friends, Pi Jung Won, has begun to feel something for her. Sa Ri regularly runs into Ki Sun Jae, the charming and amiable CEO of the firm where she works, while she tries to sort out her own feelings for the gifted artist. Sun Jae might be difficult to read, but occasionally all it takes is one of his puzzling glances to send her heart racing. Even worse, Sa Ri discovers that Yeon Ha Rim has unintentionally become interested in her. He is many years younger than she is, yet he is not shy about saying what is on his mind. Unknowingly attracting the interest of four separate guys, Sa Ri is left absolutely at a loss for what to do next. She is having trouble moving forward since every avenue appears to be barred by a convoluted maze of emotions.
Star Power
The acting is, undoubtedly, a mixed bag. Although it will not win any Oscars and there are times when you might wonder how certain lines were delivered, it is nonetheless watchable. Yoon So Hee, the main actress, has played several guest parts throughout the years. The actor who played the female lead did well and brought more than enough and brought a touch of sweetness to the part. But the biggest issue with So Hee being cast as Go Sa Ri was that it was difficult to believe she was the actual age of her character.
Overall Opinion
The reverse-harem romance program Peng is precisely what it sounds like: it features an elderly woman choosing possible romantic partners. Although the show was lighthearted, it frequently seemed to struggle with giving the characters more depth, providing a compelling plot (aside from romantic misunderstandings and dull tropes), and providing a clear resolution, with many important themes frequently coming off as being overly sentimental. While not inherently unwatchable, it lacked the particular zest of having an interesting, memorable, or well-written plot with an ending that would make even the most patient viewers question what on earth they had just wasted their time on.
