Dinner Mate

Presentation

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Analysis

Synopsis

​Woo Do Hee and Kim Hae Kyung have both been through difficult break-ups. During her last break up, Woo Do Hee meets Kim Hae Kyung in Jeju Island. Not knowing anything about each other, they decide to become dinner mates and to eat together, when need be. Unfortunately, both their exes try to win them back, as Do Hee and Hae Kyung start falling in love. 

​My Opinion (No Spoilers)

Loved it! The cozy ambiance, the warm relationship and the mutual trust between Do Hee and Hae Kyung were just awesome! 

If you are looking for a nice and cute romance, never too cliché, I highly recommend it!

​Analysis (Spoiler Alert)

​Destined encounter: Woo Do Hee (Seo Ji Hye) and Kim Hae Kyung (Song Seung Heon) have one of the most beautiful encounters I got to see in dramas! It is even more beautiful that their numerous meetings are involuntary and give the impression that they are the result of some divine intervention. When they first meet, Woo Do Hee is at her worse: she has just discovered her boyfriend was cheating on her with someone else and made a scene at the restaurant Hae Kyung was seeing a patient. Of course, they had already gotten a glimpse of each other in the plane; but the real beginning of the relationship happens in Jeju Island, in that restaurant. Woo Do Hee storms out of the place, while Kim Hae Kyung is persuaded by his patient to follow her, in case something happens and to comfort her. They both end up at the sea. At that moment, Hae Kyung thinks Do Hee is going to jump in the water and runs to her rescue, but ends up falling into the water instead. Afterwards, when Hae Kyung is about to leave and take his plane back to Seoul, he has a change of heart and decides to stay with Do Hee and eat together. Their adventure in Jeju Island takes an end, when each goes back to Seoul. However, Hae Kyung promises Do Hee to see her again if a certain artist becomes number one in the charts. At first, he clearly said that because he was sure it would never happen and never would have to see Do Hee again. Unfortunately for him, destiny hits him right in the face. Due to a hacking problem, that same artist becomes number one and both characters are forced to hold their promise. They meet again in Seoul that time and decide to become dinner mates; meaning they will see each other only to share a meal. No strings attached, since they don’t even know each other’s name. What is even more crazy is that Woo Do Hee is an internet show producer and she wants Hae Kyung to be part of one of her shows. They only talk through emails and seem to never be able to meet face to face. They only discover much later that they already know each other. 

The beginning of their relationship is a succession of unexpected encounters, demonstrating that somehow fate is pushing them together. I simply loved to see how two strangers could share life struggles and comfort each other, without feeling burdened by anything. Moreover, Do Hee and Hae Kyung are in reality quite similar in many ways. Both have been through long relationships that ended badly. Their exes left them over night without explanation. They were hurt and it took them a very long time to overcome that separation. Interestingly, both their exes come back at the same time to win them back. Yet, it is very clear that Hae Kyung and Do Hee are over them and have moved one. By the way, these two ex-lovers are also the reason why Hae Kyung and Do Hee are able to bond so quickly. Since they share the same past experience, they manage to form a special connection through mutual understanding. 

What I was also really happy to see was how neither character ever got swayed by their ex. They had a very strong trustin the other and knew that they could rely on each other. Even when the two others were pushing them, they never flinched. Do Hee and Hae Kyung were solid from the beginning and asserted in their choices. No is no and that’s it! Great to see that for once, the ex-lovers don’t create ups and downs in the main leads’ relationship. 

Do Hee and Hae Kyung also grew up throughout the drama and learned from their past. Hae Kyung discovered how to open and express his emotions (he became his extreme opposite!) and Do Hee got to completely heal from her wounds. In the end, they proved to everyone (even Do Hee’s mother) that they were made for each other!

Food at the heart of the drama: Food is literally everywhere in the drama! First, it is the reason why Hae Kyung and Do Hee repeatedly meet. Indeed, Do Hee’s ex told her that he didn’t enjoy eating with her anymore and that he was forcing himself everytime. That’s when he knew the relationship was over. Because of that, Do Hee and Hae Kyung make a pact: they will only see each other as long as they enjoy eating together. I have to say, the drama highlighted very well the social impact of food. Hae Kyung insists on giving food therapy to his patients; but over that, food has a strong healing and gathering power. It linked Do Hee and Hae Kyung together; same for Nam Ah Young (Ye Ji Won) and Kim Ah Hyun (Park Ho San). They met at the convenience store; Ah Hyun was always waiting for someone’s food to be left and both ended up getting married. Even the second leads at the end Jung Jae Hyuk (Lee Ji Hoon) and Jin No Eul (Son Na Eun) share noodles, as they become friends. Food is also at the center of some internet shows produced by Do Hee. Thus, it creates social interactions, unites people and provides an entertaining environment. 

More than that, the power of food grows bigger, when we see how it can heal wounds. Do Hee and Hae Kyung are able to get better because they become dinner mates, Hae Kyung’s mother and her terrible soup is imprinted in her son’s memory and they laugh about it as they reconnect, even Sandara Park who suffers from anorexia gets way better after her food therapy. 

I am pretty sure you will find a number of allusions to these particular powers that food has in the drama: either it’d be in terms of healing, gathering, introducing or entertaining people. Never underestimate it!

Let’s not forget also that the Korean title “Shall we eat together?” is said in every episode, emphasizing that power! Really interesting how they turned this simple question into a repetitive moto!

Relationships with parents: As an underlying theme, Dinner Mate also sheds light on the destructive influence parents can have on their children. The best example is Jae Hyuk’s relationship with his father. Because he lacked attention and affection, Jae Hyuk developed a mental obsession for Do Hee who was able to give him that. Therefore, he can’t accept the “abandon” feeling from their break-up. In reality, and that is shown in the end, Jae Hyuk needs to get to the root of his problem and distance himself from his father’s expectations. He needs to accept that you can’t be liked by everyone, even your parents sometimes. I liked seeing how he recovered in the end, even though he annoyed me during most of the drama. His actions were kind of forgivable because of his mental disorders. Yet, not entirely.

Hae Kyung’s relationship with his mother is depicted as well. When he was a kid, his mother left him and his father to pursue her career. He suffered from abandonment issues too, but of another sort. That’s why, he has troubles opening up to people. Especially also because he had to make food for himself. Therefore, sharing a meal with someone he loves is an enormous step in his healing process. He is able to reconnect with his mother before her death, allowing him to heal a bit before it is too late.

Finally, Do Hee’s mother and father are also present in the drama and more precisely their wedding. Do Hee’s father cheats on his mother and she refuses to divorce him. She eventually changes her mind, but this time her father refuses. 

To me, the entire drama tackles two specific themes: abandon and letting go. They are deeply intertwined but all characters eventually learn how to let go to be able to move on. Then, we get to see how life becomes easier (and happier!), when you just accept to move on: the ex-lovers give up; Ah Hyun forgets his grudge against Jae Hyuk, Do Hee’s mother decides not to care about her father, Do Hee and Hae Kyung move on from their past relationships, Hae Kyung reconciles with his mother and forgets his anger…

Annoying second leads: I had to talk about them! Very quickly they are probably the most selfish, inconsiderate and pushy second leads I have seen! They only care about their emotions and their needs without taking into account the other’s. Moreover, they don’t care about the other’s happiness as long as they satisfy theirs. I was really annoyed to see that and really fell in love with Geon Woo’s (Lee Hyun Jin) cue: “Unwanted love is not love. It is violence”. Damn so accurate! Even though he happened to be the most inexistent character in the drama, at least he spoke wisely the truth!

Cameos and references: Of course, I couldn’t finish that review without mentioning the incredible cameos and references that punctuate the drama. For all of those who have seen the drama Player with Song Seung Heon (the character of Kim Hae Kyung), I am pretty sure you have recognized his past co-stars Lee Si Eon and and Tae Won Seok as the owners of the foodtruck in Jeju Island. As for Seo Ji Hye (playing Woo Do Hee), the reference to her previous drama Crash Landing on You was more than obvious. Indeed, Kim Jung Hyun (who played Seo Dan’s lover in Crash Landing on You) embodied Do Hee’s first boyfriend at the beginning of the drama. Dinner Mate even went further in terms of reference, since Do Hee’s colleague Park Jin Kyu (Ko Kyu Pil) dreams his name is Ri Jong Hyuk and Woo Do Hee herself imagines her reincarnation with Kim Hae Kyung dressed as a military officer from North Korean. She even ensures her name is Seo Dan. 

A very clever and funny introduction to both actors’ previous shows, that reminds viewers of them with nostalgia or makes them want to discover them. 

Even more, Dinner Mate introduced a lot of famous faces throughout the drama making guest appearances such as Kim Hyun Sook (the star of Rude Miss Young Ae); Sandara Park; Kim Won Hae playing patients. But also Kim Hee Jung, Seo Eun Su (from My Golden Life) or Jung Sang Hoon (SNL Korea’s comedian). In overall it is a refreshing introduction to some notorious faces that we can’t help but love seeing in dramas (even for a few seconds!).  

P.S.: The entire playlist of that drama is excellent! I really advise you listen to it! Plus, it perfectly fits with that cocooning, warm and cozy ambiance the drama conveys!