Season 1 |
Episode Guide
Episode 1 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 2 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 3 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 4 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 5 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 6 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 7 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 8 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 9 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 10 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 11 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 12 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 13 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 14 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 15 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 16 -| Review Score – 3/5
Forecasting Love and Weather is a show stuck between two different tones. Caught up between being a quirky romcom and a serious, drawn-out melodrama, JTBC’s latest offering eventually flatlines into mediocrity long before its 16 episode run is up. That’s a shame because there are some nice ideas here, including the symbiotic relationship between weather and emotion, as well as showcasing some big K-stars. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to save this sinking ship.
The story predominantly revolves around four main characters and their intimate ties together. Ha-Kyung is a promising worker at the Korea Meteorological Administration. She’s on the verge of a big promotion but there’s a problem. This problem comes from her slimy partner, Ki-Jun, whom she ends up walking in on having an affair. If that wasn’t bad enough, it happens to be a fellow worker at the KMA, Yu-Jin.
Just to entangle things further, Yu-Jin has recently broken up with rookie worker Si-Woo, who also works at the KMA and transfers into Ha-Kyung’s team. As Ha-Kyung lets loose her feelings at work, she consequently finds herself growing closer to Si-Woo.
The first 5 or 6 episodes set this drama up to be a quirky office romance. There are some lovely scenes early on featuring Ha-Kyung lashing out at Ki-Jun, Si-Woo and Ha-Kyung flirting, along with some promising set-up for supporting characters too. While memorable, those supporting characters ultimately end up being a bit of a mixed bag, and even more so as this show moves into melodrama territory.
While there’s nothing wrong with a tonal shift like that, the way Forecasting Love and Weather handles this move leaves a lot to be desired. There’s a real conflict with the screenplay too, with a desire to depict serious weather issues and throw a good deal of realism into this…only to suddenly thwart that with incredulous character decisions. Does Ha-Kyung really need to travel off alone in the middle of a storm, in the middle of the sea to launch a weather balloon? No, probably not.
That tone is not only problematic with the shift across to melodrama but also with the way it handles comedy. There are some jarring sequences here that throw a completely unearned joke in the middle of a really serious conversation, and it does the series absolutely no favours.
The other problem here comes from the second couple of the show. After seeing Ki-Jun and Yu-Jin embrace their affair, this series has an utterly bizarre moral compass, deciding this is a couple we should root for.
Not only that, but Ha-Kyung’s disdain for her ex starts to wane and they even end up becoming chummy later on down the line. I know this is a bit of a spoiler but it’s important to note because a lot of people are likely to go into this and not understand how Ha-Kyung could forgive him.
Some of this could have been overlooked if there was actually some chemistry between the two leads but unfortunately that’s not to be. With the tonal shift comes a noticeable lack of enthusiasm and chemistry from the leads, as if they just want to finish this drama and move onto a better project. And to be honest, if you make it further than episode 12 or 13, you’ll feel the same way.
The supporting characters and their stories are also a bit of a mixed bag. Ha-Kyung’s sister, Tae-Kyung, has a cute and unexpected romance with Seok-Ho, Ha-Kyung’s colleague. That’s one of the brighter spots, while senior Um and his absence from his family, which is never really addressed and receives a happy ending, falls somewhere in the middle. Then you have Si-Woo’s abusive and absent father who comes bundling into the story late on, interfering with what little hope this show had to redeem itself.
Overall, Forecasting Love and Weather is akin to a very overcast day. While there are glimmers of sunshine here and there, this is largely a very dark, black cloud moving across and blanketing the area in misery.
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Verdict - 4/10
4/10