Mrs Durian

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Synopsis

Du Ri An and Kim So Jeo are 2 women from the Joseon era who end up traveling to modern times and meet the reincarnation of their family members.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

Mrs Durian is Phoebe’s new drama and I can clearly feel her print/style – she is the brain behind the 3 seasons of Love (feat Marriage and Divorce). I personally love her universe and her unique way of telling stories, though I understand it’s not for everyone. It’s original, slow but weirdly addictive at the same time. In Mrs Durian, 2 timelines (past and present) are intertwined. Like puzzle pieces spread throughout episodes, they all come together at the end. The fact that time travel is in the future and not in the past is also super interesting, as we are put in characters’ shoes. Not only do they discover a new world (and have to adapt to it), but they are also confronted with the ghosts of their pasts. By doing so and reshuffling family configuration and dynamics, the drama allows for a broad depiction of relationships (loveless marriage, convenience marriage, love at first sight, affection mistaken for love, obsessive/forbidden love,…) through a variety of personalities (Don Juan son, bold and reckless wife, ‘castrating’ wife…). But the arrival of So Jeo and Ri An with their beauty and innocence resets the dynamics. Of course, some characters are annoying but the plot is really enjoyable. Only issue for me is the ending that I found rushed. But there may be a second season who knows.

Analysis

• Timelines
• Relationships
  Forced marriage
  Forbidden love
  Marital duty
  Passionate/grieving love
  Loveless marriage
  Obsessive love
  Withered love
  Fake love
  Affection mistaken for love
  True love
• Direction and plot
• Ending
  Du Ri An’s ending
  Kim So Jeo’s ending
  Other characters

Timelines: Mrs Durian tells the story of 2 Joseon women traveling to the future. After losing her beloved husband, Kim So Jeo (Lee Da Yeon) desperately starts praying Buddha and begs him to reunite her with him. Her prayers are answered when on a lunar eclipse she and her mother-in-law are catapulted to the future. They end up in a pond located in a large garden that belongs to Chairwoman Baek Do Yi (Choi Myung Gil). The latter is currently celebrating her 70th birthday, and the sudden appearance of these 2 ghostly women disrupts the event, but also the family’s lives later on. Du Ri An (Park Joo Mi) the mother-in-law, and Kim So Jeo are full of mysteries. No one knows how they arrived here, who they are, what they want, and why they behave in such old ways. Just like present-day characters, we unveil these women’s past little by little. Quickly, the narrative displays a clear entanglement between past and present timelines. Indeed, most members of the Baek family happen to be reincarnations of their Joseon past selves whom Ri An and So Jeo knew. Each episode showcases pivotal events that happened in Du Ri An’s life – and sometimes So Jeo’s – to explain her current reaction, her behavior and the emotions she has towards the ‘ghosts of her past’.

All in all, it is clear from the get-go that Du Ri An and Kim So Jeo endured quite a lot during their Joseon times. However, their time travel is not necessarily synonymous with blessings, as they now need to overcome new hurdles. The first obstacles they come across is the novelty of the new world they landed in.
First, they need to re-learn everything from scratch and adapt fast to this buzzy environment (hence their writing/reading lessons for example).
Second, they take it upon themselves to never reveal where they actually come from out of fear of being perceived as crazy. They manage to fit into the family and gain their trust, despite not confessing their greatest secret. Unfortunately, it eventually gets out in the open.
Third, they have to deal with people they loved/hated in the past and learn how to behave around them. For instance, Du Ri An has a hard time appreciating the youngest son, Dan Chi Jung (Ji Young San), who was her past husband. As for So Jeo, she has to differentiate her former husband from the family’s grandson Dan Deung Myung (Yoo Jung Ho).

To be honest, I found the idea of time travel into the future quite interested and well executed in the drama. For once, I was confronted with fresh twists and funny moments, while Ri An and So Jeo discovered the more liberal ways of living people follow today (short clothes, walking hand in hand in the streets, going to the swimming pool, peeing on a toilet and not in a chamber pot…).

Relationships: The sudden presence of Du Ri An and Kim So Jeo in the Dan’s family completely reshuffles dynamics. Their beauty, innocence and mystery are either intriguing or upsetting for ‘present-day’ characters, as it reconfigures and questions relationships. On top of that, the drama uses this time travel opportunity to introduce viewers with a large panel of romantic involvements for various characters.

Forced marriage: In the past timeline, Du Ri An is the daughter of a noble man and her marriage has to benefit the family. So, she doesn’t marry out of love but is rather dragged into a forced union with a man of her rank Park Il Soo (Ji Young San). On top of marrying a man she doesn’t love, Ri An also has to endure his sickness and his demanding mother. She is imprisoned in a golden cage from which she can’t escape. Her voice is also shut. As a woman and the wife of an aristocrat, she is not allowed to voice her opinions, criticize her family or complain. She keeps everything buried and endures over the years, while being devoted to her husband. As for Park Il Soo, he’s well aware that Du Ri An doesn’t have affection for him, and resents her for being attracted to Dol Sae (her healthy servant). So, he punishes her indirectly through his behavior and the mistreatment of her beloved man, using his power and status as main weapons.

Forbidden love: As mentioned above, Dol Sae (Kim Min Jun) is Du Ri An’s servant. He has always had feelings for her, protecting her from afar and caring for her under all circumstances. Over the years, Ri An has developed feelings as well, but never ever gave in considering their social differences. When Ri An got married, her father sent his most trusted servant, Dol Sae, with her. What started as a forbidden love got even more complicated when Ri An’s mother-in-law schemed a plan to secure a successor. She asked Ri An and Dol Sae to spend the night together, knowing that her son was unable to conceive. In all secrecy, she arranged everything and succeeded. Du Ri An gave birth to a son she cherished with all her heart, and whose father was none other than Dol Sae. Ri An and Dol Sae’s feelings are slow-burning but so genuine that they survive years and reincarnation. Even in the present timeline, Dan Chi Gam is drawn to Ri An in a way that he can’t explain. Upon discovering the truth about their past lives and their heartbreaking romance (Dol Sae was killed, so he wouldn’t spill the secret about being Eon’s biological father), he doesn’t want to wait anymore to be reunited with Ri An. He’s wasted enough time already, and is willing to lose his marriage, stability and secured life to be with her.

Marital duty: We don’t know much about Du Ri An’s mother-in-law and Nobleman Kim’s marriage apart that it is an arranged one too. The only difference between their and their son’s marital life is that Nobleman Kim is a kind man, in good health and respectful towards his wife. So long as both their interests are served, they do not get involved in each other’s business. Nobleman Kim is in charge of providing for the household, while all other ‘woman affairs’ (such as taking care of the house, marriage and having an heir) are dealt with by his wife.

Passionate/grieving love: During Joseon times, Kim So Jeo gets married to Park Eon (Yoo Jung Hoo). Though they meet each other on their wedding day, the attraction is immediate. They become husband and wife, and are set for a happy married life together (unlike Du Ri An, Eon’s mother). Du Ri An is also very content with her daughter-in-law and thrilled to see her dear son happy. However, the marital bliss only lasts for a short time. Park Eon dies mysteriously. One morning, he just doesn’t wake up. This leaves his wife completely heartbroken. She feels guilty for not realizing he was dead when she woke up, and grieves the absence of the man she loves passionately. To reunite with her lover, she prays Buddha, bows hundreds of times and seeks His help. Until he finally answers. One stormy night, she starts running towards an abandoned cabin, followed by her mother-in-law who stumbled upon her running outside like a crazy woman. Thanks to that, both get transported to modern days where they meet the reincarnation of Park Eon. Once again, sparks fly between Dan Deung Myung and Kim So Jeo. The ending leads me to believe they ended up together and had a son. This a good way to complete their destiny though hundreds of years separated them at first. So Jeo’s devotion and love for her husband paid off.

Loveless marriage: There’s no better way to show what a loveless marriage is than by using Dan Ji Chang (Jeon No Min) and Jang Se Mi (Yoon Hae Young) as an example. Even though they had a son together – Dan Deung Myung – there’s no real bond between spouses. Jang Se Mi is obsessed with Ji Chang’s mother, and keeps on making him feel worthless in her eyes. Dan Ji Chang is completely resigned and has accepted his fate. He remains married out of interest, as it allows them to keep their comfortable way of life.

Obsessive love: Jang Se Mi is the craziest character of the drama. From the get-go we understand that she is bisexual. She is married to Dan Ji Chang, but harbors strong feelings for his mother Baek Do Yi. Se Mi constantly pushes her way in and forces her mother-in-law to recognize her feelings, when they’re only unrequited. She uses every occasion to strategically spend time with Baek Do Yi to the point that it becomes creepy and borderline. I was really under the impression that Jang Se Mi was a stalker at times. And the fact that we are talking about her mother-in-law is even cringier. Nevertheless, Jang Se Mi is forced to back down when Do Yi introduces her new husband to the family a.k.a Se Mi’s brother.

Withered love: Dan Chi Gam (Kim Min Jun) and Lee Eun Sung (Han Da Gam) have been married for years. Though their marriage may have started with love, this same love has now withered away. Lee Eun Sung is obsessed with her dog she considers her own child, she is opinionated and believes she is always right. She is never willing to give in, her husband has to make the effort. They never had children which has often been debated by the couple. I had a lot of empathy towards Dan Chi Gam over the course of the episodes. Clearly, his personality clashes with that of Eun Sung, and his unhappiness is palpable. That’s why he chooses to escape when Du Ri An comes along. She makes his heart beat again, when it had been frozen for years during his marriage.

Fake love: Dan Chi Jung (Ji Young San) is a 40+-year-old man who acts like a bachelor. He is unable to find a stable relationship and marriage has always been out of the picture. When the drama starts, he is with actress Go Woo Mi (Hwang Mi Na) with whom he wishes to get married. However, it’s clear that their so-called love is just a facade. Woo Mi is sleeping with her manager, while Chi Jung is attracted to Ri An. Love is faked on both sides, and Woo Mi only seems interested in getting married to a rich man. In the end, she gets pregnant but we find out years later that the real father is her manager and not her husband Chi Jung, causing the pair’s divorce.

Affection mistaken for love: Just like Go Woo Mi, Ayla (Kim Chae Eun) only wants to get married to Dan Deung Myung for her own selfish interests. He’s popular, he’s rich and she can secure a future with him. On top of that they are childhood friends, so it’s easier to get closer to him. Deung Myung also appreciates Ayla and considers her a dear friend. Therefore, he believes that he has feelings for her too. However, it’s clearly visible that Ayla is pushing Deung Myung into this marriage, when the man is getting more and more confused about his feelings towards So Jeo.

True love: Among all of these relationships, only 3 can be regarded as true love: Du Ri An and Dol Sae; Kim So Jeo and Park Eon; and Baek Do Yi and Ju Nam. Ju Nam (Kwak Min Ho) and Baek Do Yi are the most unexpected pair. They are 30 years apart and meet in rather extraordinary circumstances. While at a club, Ju Nam falls head over heels for Do Yi without even knowing her name, age, occupation or family members. They decide to get married hastily without getting to know each other first. Though it’s pure madness, it doesn’t break their couple apart. Only later on do they discover that Ju Nam is the brother of Do Yi’s daughter-in-law Se Mi. This news still doesn’t split the pair. What does is the fact that Ju Nam is unwillingly transported back to Joseon time during the lunar eclipse, leaving his dear wife behind.

Direction and plot: Knowing Phoebe’s unique writing style, it’s kind of expected that the drama would display a lot of slow and scattered past scenes here and there, while holding on to the main narrative in the present. And that’s exactly what happened. Phoebe created a web in which characters are all entangled, and each new piece of the puzzle leads them closer to the truth and their ‘freedom’ that is choosing their own fate (stay in the present, going back to the past, reunite with a lover, become an actress, marry someone…). The direction brilliantly supports that style until the very last episode.

Ending: The ending is as unexpected as probably 95% of the plot.

Du Ri An’s ending: Upon realizing that her secret is known to everyone, and that she may have to get married to Chi Jung again in this life, Du Ri An gets scared. On the new lunar eclipse, she rushes to the pond and waits for it to bring her back to her lifetime. I totally understood that behavior personally. Considering how tough her existence was while married to Park Il Soo, she must’ve been anxious to lose her newly acquired freedom to the same man she doesn’t and will never love. The story could’ve stopped there and be as simple as this: A Joseon woman makes a quick disruptive entrance in people’s lives before leaving again. However, she doesn’t go back in time on her own. Indeed, the second son of the family Dan Chi Gam follows her. His marriage to his current wife is starting to break down, they have no children, and he has strong feelings for Ri An. On top of that, he doesn’t want to miss out again on his chance to finally be with the woman he loves. He’s now aware of the fact that she was her lover with whom he had a son. All along, she’s loved anyone but him. Once again, this could’ve been enough. But Phoebe doesn’t like simple. Instead, she pointed out to the possibility of a second season by making newly-wed Ju Nam unexpectedly travel back in time. Indeed, he had gone to the pond to assess its location and see whether it could feature in his drama. He dropped his sunglasses in it, and disappeared while trying to retrieve them.

Kim So Jeo’s ending: I want to believe that So Jeo’s ending is actually a happy one. After starring in the successful drama ‘Master Jung’ alongside her star-crossed lover Dan Deung Myung, we see her receiving a prize. In parallel to that scene, Dan Deung Myung is coming out of a plane and watching her acceptance speech on TV. It’s unclear whether he’s gotten married to Ayla or not, but one detail actually grabbed my attention. During her speech, Kim So Jeo is joined by a little boy named Dan Bin she calls her son. It could actually be her character’s son in the drama, but the surname Dan is the same as Dan Deung Myung. This leads me to believe that they have actually tied the knot and had a child.

Other characters: Apart from Ri An and So Jeo, we also get a glimpse of other characters’ ending. Considering that So Jeo and Woo Mi have children, it’s only normal to suppose that Du Ri An, Dan Chi Gam and Ju Nam have not come back to the present. Indeed, Baek Do Yi is a senile woman, wearing her high school clothes and suffering from dementia. She lives alone in her big house and only interacts with the housekeeper. Dan Chi Jung discovers years later that Woo Mi cheated on him and that he’s not the biological father of their daughter. Kim Woo Mi and him seem to split – suggesting that they were married – and she goes back to her daughter’s actual father (her former manager). The final scene shows Dol Sae, as he lies down and is being killed by Ri An’s mother-in-law. He forgives her in his final words, which indicates that the karmic entanglement is now resolved. Both Do Yi and Chi Jung made Ri An suffer in the past, and they were somewhat punished in the present by not fulfilling their love or being betrayed by a loved one.

That being said, I think that those who deserved a happy ending actually got it, while others had to deal with the consequences of their actions. What do you think?