Season 1 |
Episode Guide
Episode 1 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 2 -|Review Score – 4/5
Episode 3 -|Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 4 -|Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 5 -|Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 6 -|Review Score – 4/5
Episode 7 -|Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 8 -|Review Score – 3.5/5
There have been many Korean TV shows that have been set in the backdrop of the fashion industry but now is a time like no other. With K-pop and K-dramas reaching global popularity, many Korean celebrities are now close to becoming household names around the world.
With their rising popularity, these celebrities from South Korea are associated with major international brands. This proves that fashion is at an all-time rise in South Korea, as it is around the world.
The Fabulous on Netflix attempts to show a story of love and friendship among people who are working in the fashion industry. The eight-episode show narrates the story of Ji-eun, a PR agent who works for the fashion label – Audrey. She is dating Nam-jin, the CEO of another fashion brand named Rublani.
Ji-eun has famous friends including South Korea’s most influential model – Seon-ho and an up-and-coming designer – Joseph. Three years ago, Ji-eun used to date a fashion photographer named Woo-min who are close friends with Seon-ho.
The four friends went through a lot together and Ji-eun’s sudden breakup with Woo-min broke the group until the friends convinced the two to get back together. Now with Ji-eun’s life seemingly settled, she is working towards her goals. All that suddenly changes when Nam-jin breaks up with her leading her to make the drunken mistake of hooking up with Woo-min, bringing back her unresolved feelings from three years ago.
The show is a simple story and the makers’ decision of telling it from the perspective of the fashion industry is really interesting. Ji-eun has a perfect life and it is rather too perfect for her own good. It would have been nice to see her character with more growth and development. Whenever she went through troubles at work, someone was always there to save the day for her, which shows how cookie-cutter perfect her professional life turned out to be.
The jump between the flashbacks and flashforwards seems a little out of place and repetitive. The characters of Joseph and Seon-ho sadly did not have as much importance in the overall story but their respective character arcs worked out really well by the end. However, that doesn’t excuse some of the plot holes here, which are too deep to oversee. One of them comes in the form of Woo-min’s photo journal. When Do-young had given it to Ji-eun, how did Woo-min find it laying in his room the next day?
Not only that but in Episode 2 we see that Ji-eun’s broken pearl necklace was used by a model for a photoshoot. How did the necklace not look broken on the model when she wore it but when Woo-min returned it to Ji-eun, it appeared to be broken just like it was from the beginning? Things like these compound into much larger issues that are impossible to ignore.
Moreover, Do-young’s character seems pointless. He was a good addition to the story in the beginning but having him in the story through the very end and giving him a romantic angle with Chae-young did not make any sense. I wish instead of spending so much time on Do-young, the makers would have focused on Joseph and the stranger he fell for.
The OST for The Fabulous is the only thing that there are no qualms about here. Out of all the tracks from the OST, Oh My Girl’s Seunghee’s ‘My Finale’ is one song that really worked well with the story. AB6IX’s ‘Life is beautiful’ is another that fits well with the vibe of the story. Having SHINee’s Minho as part of the show’s cast, it is shame the makers did not make him participate in the OST of The Fabulous.
Chae Soo-bin looked really great as Ji-eun and her outfits on the show really make viewers feel the high-fashion vibe. The show is a quick watch for fans of romance but viewers expecting real drama from fashion that shows you the nitty-gritty of the industry would find the show another generic romantic K-drama.
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Verdict - 6.5/10
6.5/10