Matrimonial Chaos Review: Hilarious Moments And A Good Cast Make This Drama Memorable

“Matrimonial Chaos” is the Korean adaptation of the Japanese dorama, ‘Saikou no Rikon’. It is the story of two imperfect couples doing their best to make the relationship work. The show is about men who want and need love but are unable to express it. It is about women who make sacrifices for their men but also deserve to receive love in return.

The drama explores the deep dark ends of romantic relationships (with a sense of humor) and makes you wonder what exactly is needed to sustain a relationship. Even the major chasm of fidelity that exists for one couple and absent in another does not guarantee a successful relationship. So, how do you maintain a marriage amidst the chaos?

I discovered this drama when writing about “My Liberation Notes” actor Son Seok Koo. I have to admit that I am in awe of this actor and when I learned that he is paired opposite Lee El (also from “My Liberation Notes”) I just had to watch this drama. Son Seok Koo has very limited screen time but he makes it count with his impeccable acting and natural charm.

Matrimonial Chaos (2018) (32 Episodes)

Jo Seok Moo (Cha Tae Hyun) works for a security company and lives with his wife, Kang Whoo Ree (Bae Doo Na) who runs an Air BNB and works part-time jobs. They have been married for three years but are constantly at loggerheads because of their polar opposite personalities.

Seok Moo is a neurotic neat freak while Whoo Ree is a clumsy, disorganized person. Seok Moo hates going out too often while Whoo Ree loves spending time outdoors in the company of people. Seok Moo feels trapped with Whoo Ree while Whoo Ree desperately seeks his love and attention.

Seok Moo despises his marriage and grumbles all day long at work. One day, he meets his ex-girlfriend from college, Jin Yoo Young (Lee El) who is also married and has recently shifted to the same neighborhood as Seok Moo.

Yoo Young is a fashion designer who runs her own boutique. She lives with her husband Lee Jang Hyun (Son Seok Koo) who is an art teacher at a drawing academy. Jang Hyun is not faithful to Yoo Young and has illicit affairs behind Yoo Young’s back. Sadly, Yoo Young is aware of his affairs but does nothing about it as she is madly in love with Jang Hyun.

I enjoyed watching ‘Matrimonial Chaos’ because…

…I loved the characters.  

The show starts with Jo Seok Moo travelling from one end of the city to another only to be told that the security alarm was a false one set off by a little child. As the day goes on, Seok Moo is constantly sought by clients to fulfill their demands. It is a tough job but Seok Moo does it wholeheartedly.

At home, the finicky Seok Moo is welcomed to a messy house, which frustrates him. He starts cleaning the house right away because he cannot stand untidiness. His wife Whoo Ree’s mess stretches from the living room up to the bathroom. She is also a bad cook so Seok Moo cooks after returning home from work.

Whoo Ree works as an assistant physical education teacher at a school and also runs an Air BNB hosting rooms for foreigners.

She loves Seok Moo and yearns for a few words of love from him. But his prickly nature and her disorderliness often become the bone of contention for the couple depriving them of the much-needed intimacy.

Frustrated, Seok Moo talks to an artificial intelligence app sharing his problems and pain. He is a big-time fusser and has a problem with every single thing around him so people avoid his company. 

One day, he happens to meet his ex-flame, Yoo Young, and the warm happy feelings he felt ten years ago return. He feels nice about meeting Yoo Young and starts wondering how life would have been had they not broken up and gotten married instead.

Yoo Young is surprised to see Seok Moo work for a security company when he had musical aspirations. Seok Moo was a musician in college and went on to work for a music company after graduation. Seok Moo tells her the harsh reality of life and what led him to take up such a thankless and tiring job.

Yoo Young seems to be doing well as a designer and leads a supposedly happy married life with her husband, Lee Jang Hyun. However, Seok Moo has seen Jang Hyun in the company of other women and is aware that he is cheating on Yoo Young.

Yoo Young too is aware of Jang Hyun’s philandering ways but chooses to turn a blind eye to it and pretends to believe the lies that Jang Hyun feeds her when asked about his whereabouts.

What Yoo Young does not know is that Jang Hyun may be disloyal to her but he is struggling with his insecurities because of a past incident that skewed his definition of love and marriage.

As individuals, each of the characters has its quirks and flaws. Their unique personalities grew on me through the course of the show.

Starting with the fussy compulsive whiner Seok Moo. He comes from a good family with impressive educational background. He too graduated from a good college but did not meet success in his work. He is a clean-hearted person always doing his best but the lack of appreciation makes him bitter and angry.

His relationship with his wife Whoo Ree is similar to that of “Tom and Jerry”. They can’t live together and they can’t live without each other. They bicker, they fight but always have each other’s back.

This is my first time watching actor Cha Tae Hyun and I loved his comic timing and innate innocence. He was beyond perfect for the role of Seok Moo as he played it most naturally.

Seok Moo’s better half Whoo Ree is one hell of a dynamite. She is the perfect match for Cha Tae Hyun as she effortlessly switches from comedy to emotional in the blink of an eye.

Her character Whoo Ree wants a normal family with a loving husband and kids. But nothing about Seok Moo is normal so she makes peace with her destiny and lives the way Seok Moo prefers. She puts up with Seok Moo’s constant sighs and complains because she loves him despite his annoying ways.

She may show she feels unaffected by Seok Moo’s reunion with his ex-girlfriend Yoo Young but she silently burns with envy and insecurity. However, that does not make her resentful of Yoo Young as she shares a great camaraderie with her.

 

Yoo Young is a talented, calm, and sophisticated woman that any man would love to be with. Like Whoo Ree, she too wants a normal life with a loving husband and kids. However, her husband Jang Hyun is not loyal and unabashedly engages in multiple romantic affairs. Yoo Young is fully aware of his dalliance with other women but she acts cool about it.

Yoo Young loves Jang Hyun and he too is nice to her so she finds nothing wrong in their kind of relationship.

Actress Lee El is outstanding as the poised and graceful Yoo Young. She has a painful past that has shaped her into such a tolerant woman. Her trademark lip quiver in emotional scenes makes her look too vulnerable. The scene where she finally confronts Jang Hyun about his infidelity is one of the best scenes in the drama. It is the breaking point for Yoo Young and also a fresh start for Jang Hyun.

Coming to my reason for watching this show, Son Seok Koo was terribly charming and cute in this show. Lee El and his story had relatively less screen time as they were almost like a supporting couple. However, even in the limited time Lee El and Seok Koo did a great job as they claim their place in the show.

Jang Hyun is an ‘innocent player’ who does not want to hurt Yoo Young but he also cannot help getting involved with other women.

Of course, cheating in a relationship is never justified but as viewers, we see that Jang Hyun is never emotionally involved with any of his other affairs.

His character motivation is complicated to understand. You have to see it from his POV to apprehend the chaos in his head and the dark cloud of self-doubt dominating his decisions.

He acts playful in tense situations and cries like a baby. He agrees to everything that people want of him and seldom opposes any idea or demand made by others.

Despite the flawed character, Son Seok Koo looks incredibly attractive as the adrift Jang Hyun. (Actually, he is attractive in general. He is not your conventional pretty boy but he is attractive in a very unconventional way. Something about him makes his personality compelling. Ah!! Here I am once again gushing about yet another Korean actor. 😉 ) He looks too gullible for a cheater. I especially loved the scenes where he is messing with Seok Moo. Their bromance is spot on.

Seok Koo and Lee El both ace their emotional scenes just like their counterparts Seok Moo and Whoo Ree. But it is Son Seok Moo’s bromance with Cha Tae Hyun that steals the show.

<<Spoiler>> In episode 21, Son Seok Koo takes his own name saying his fellow professor named ‘Son Seok Koo’ was sleeping in the study room. Don’t miss the naughty grin on his face when he says that dialogue. <<Spoiler>>

 

I did NOT LIKE ‘Matrimonial Chaos’ because…

…after a point the show becomes a draggy affair with irrelevant characters added to take the show on for a few more episodes.

I don’t mean to sound degrading but I honestly fell asleep in one of the episodes and I didn’t even bother to go back to the part missed because I couldn’t care less of what was happening at that point of the show.

I felt the show was getting too preachy about marriage and relationships. Characters would keep talking about each other’s nature and personalities repeatedly with different people. As viewers, we see the characters firsthand and understand why they are the way they are. A little explanation and background is enough but why go on and on about it?

One of the biggest problems was that the makers tried to create love triangles several times for Seok Moo and Whoo Ree. In the show, we see different men fall for Whoo Ree and then fight for her affection. But the writers never explain exactly what these men like about Whoo Ree. The love angles looked unconvincing and forced.  

But what disappointed me most was that the drama focused on Seok Moo and Whoo Ree’s story when I was more interested in Yoo Young and Jang Hyun. Had the screen time been divided equally then I wouldn’t have had any complaints. But Yoo Young and Jang Hyun’s screen time was a lot less than the main couple which was disappointing. I was so invested in their story that I hoped they might feature more in the later episodes, but that never happened and I was left sulking.

  

All in all “Matrimonial Chaos” is an entertaining show with a great cast and lovable characters. It has its high point in terms of acting and comedy and low points in terms of writing. It is a show about self-exploration, self-love, family, and relationships.

I give ‘Matrimonial Chaos’ 3 out of 5 rating. The show gives you some hilarious moments amid some serious, teary drama. Watch it for its amazing cast.

Image Courtesy: KBS2

 

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