The World of the Married


The World of the Married is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Kim Hee-ae, Park Hae-joon, and Han So-hee. Based upon BBC One's drama series Doctor Foster that starring Suranne Jones, it tells a story of a married couple whose betrayal of one another leads to a whirlwind of revenge, grief, forgiveness and healing. It aired on JTBC on Fridays and Saturdays at 22:50 from March 27 to May 16, 2020.
The World of the Married is the highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history, overtaking SKY Castle with its final episode reaching a nationwide rating of 28.371%. It recorded the highest average rating for a drama on cable television, with an average rating of 18.829%. Its content also generated huge attention and discussion. The drama received positive reviews from critics for its screenplay, direction and acting performances, with Mo Wan-il winning Best Director and Kim Hee-ae winning Best Actress at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards.

Synopsis

Ji Sun-woo is a revered family medicine doctor and the associate director at Family Love Hospital. She is married to Lee Tae-oh, with whom she has a teenage son, Lee Joon-young. Sun-woo seems to have everything from a successful career to a happy family, but unbeknownst to her, she is betrayed by her husband and friends.
Meanwhile, Tae-oh dreams of becoming a famous movie director. He runs a small entertainment and film company with the support of his wife. Even though he loves and cares for his wife, Tae-oh sets himself up in a dangerous position with an extramarital affair.

Cast

Main

People at Family Love Hospital

Development and filming

In 2018, JTBC Studios acquired the rights to remake the scripted format of Drama Republic's drama series Doctor Foster from BBC Studios for The World of the Married. Kang Eun-kyung, who wrote popular TV series such as King of Baking, Kim Takgu and Dr. Romantic, served as the creator. Gaemi, who previously worked on the soundtracks of popular dramas such as Descendants of the Sun and When the Camellia Blooms, took charge of the music production.
The drama was directed by Mo Wan-il PD of the 2018 romance-thriller series Misty. In response to questions about the difference between the drama and the British original, Mo said, "While the original is focused more on the main character, in adapting the story for the Korean drama, we wanted to portray a whirlwind of emotions to rage around the main character and the people around her". Mo then emphasized that unlike the original series, The World of the Married does not just focus on one person but also focuses on the relationships in which the main female character, Ji Sun-woo, is involved with.
The first script-reading was held on September 30, 2019. The primary filming location was in Gangwon Province at Chuncheon City, which is the fictional city of Go-san in the drama, and Gangneung City. The Gosan Station featured in the drama was shot at Gangneung Station. Much of the filming also took place at an American village called Humphreys Landing, which is Gosan Premium Townhouse Complex in the drama, in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. The crew wrapped up the last shoot on May 12, 2020.

Casting

and Park Hae-joon were confirmed to star in the drama series on September 30, 2019. Park Hae-joon initially said no to the drama saying that, "I wanted to do it, but I was worried about whether I could do it well". Speaking to GQ Korea, he revealed that he was hesitant due the strong extreme traits of the male lead character who cheats on his wife. He also stated that he did not feel confident to give justice to the role of a cheating husband with the needed intensity as he did not have much time to prepare. However, he eventually accepted the offer after talking to a friend.
Subsequently, Han So-hee and Lee Moo-saeng were confirmed to join the cast on October 7 and on December 4, 2019, respectively.

Content rating

The first to the sixth episodes were fixed at late-night hours so that only those aged 19 or older can watch them under the Juvenile Protection Act. The drama's portrayal was deemed as too realistic to be shown to those who are under 19. For the seventh and eighth episodes, they were lowered to allow those aged 15 or older to watch them. However, after facing criticisms from a portion of viewers for including some aggressive scenes in Episode 7 and Episode 8, the rating was altered back to 19 or older starting from the ninth episode in order for the production team to be able to capture the complex emotions that the characters will face in future episodes.

Episodes

Original soundtrack

''The World of the Married OST Special''

The drama's soundtrack is compiled in a two-part special album released on May 25, 2020. The album contains 6 original soundtracks and 28 musical scores. The following lists are the track listings for the online streaming of the album.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Reception

Critical response

The World of the Married was met with praises from critics for steering away from the typical revenge storyline and instead focuses on the complex aspects of marriage life. Drama critic Gong Hee-jung said that it is different from other dramas about conflicts between couples in that it "closely depicted the psychology of the characters in each situation". Edmund Lee of South China Morning Post gave the drama series 4.5 out of 5 stars and called it "one of the best Korean dramas in years" due to its "masterfully scripted story of infidelity and revenge" and "vividly caustic dialogue, melancholic plot twists and some wonderfully convincing performances".

General response

The drama became the talk of the town due to its fast-paced, unpredictable plot and cliffhanger endings. It emerged as the hottest and most-talked-about drama in South Korea in the first half of 2020. It consistently topped the buzz rankings and television viewership ratings throughout its run. After only 12 episodes, the drama series became the most-watched drama ever in Korean cable television history according to Nielsen Korea, surpassing the previous record of 23.8 percent set by another JTBC smash-hit SKY Castle. This marked the highest viewership by a drama episode aired on a local cable channel and the second-highest for all programs aired on cable networks. According to big data analytics firm Good Data Corporation, the series ranked first place in the drama category with an overwhelming score, achieving an "all-kill" record for its huge online presence in terms of news articles and comments, video views, and blog and community posts and comments. Additionally, various parodies were made about the drama by other entertainment programs, Korean celebrities and the online community. As a result, the keyword 'adultery', which was considered to be a serious and rarely-discussed topic on Korean broadcasting channels, went beyond the drama and became a widely-discussed topic on social media.
Although the drama is restricted to only viewers above 19, it became massively popular among the general public for its realistic and stimulating content. Jung Deok-hyun, a pop culture critic, called the drama "a great significance", as there have been no Korean television show restricted to viewers over 19 that achieved the same success as The World of the Married and said that the drama opened the door for other dramas to contain more mature content. The drama increased the level of immersion with stories closely attached to domestic viewers without missing the depth and essence of the original. According to The Guardian, the drama won praises for its realism with its portrayal of life after divorce and how it broke the way how men are usually portrayed in Korean dramas, as well as featuring plot lines implying issues that were not featured in the original series such as dating violence and the widening social inequality and gender inequality in the Korean society. Storylines about gender discrimination in the workplace were shared broadly on the internet and further prompted many women to share about their negative experiences with male colleagues.
The production team also received positive reviews for their willingness to push the boundaries not only with the story but with their unique filming approach. The drama's success was led by director Mo Wan-il, whose detailed and sensuous directing that focused on the emotions and psychology of the characters differentiated the drama from other dramas about adultery. Additionally, the success of the drama was attributed to the solid performances from the cast, particularly Kim Hee-ae who received rave reviews for her intense and explosive portrayal of Ji Sun-woo throughout the series. Kim's unique fashion and styling in the drama also received great attention from the public by consistently rising to be the top real-time search term after an episode was aired. The fashion, dubbed as "Kim Hee-ae Fashion" and "Ji Sun-woo Style", boosted a style that mixes inner outfit, outer outfit and shoes of similar colors. In addition, premium golf brand St Andrews experienced an unexpected huge burst in sales by about 4,000% YOY in the first two weeks of May after Han So-hee wore its golf apparel in the drama. The clothes and hats that Han wore were all sold out in stores across the country for two days after the episode was aired. Emons Furniture also saw its sales volume almost doubled after its products appeared in the drama.

Controversies

Violence and sex

The drama series sparked viewer criticisms for a violent scene featured in Episode 8, which was edited from the perpetrator's view similar to what it is in virtual reality. The unprecedented "detailed first-person perspective" of the scene was said to be too aggressive for television and could possibly be a trauma trigger for some viewers. Nevertheless, there were viewers who found the "first-person perspective" camerawork to be refreshing and experimental in the Korean drama scene as it added to the overall tension of the moment.
There was also a controversial scene that was deemed to be a "commercialization of sex" in the drama when a female character asked for a luxury bag in return for sexual flavor. It was criticized for the manner in which it depicts the theme. After the controversies, the Korea Communications Standards Commission suggested that new measures have to taken to curb inappropriate content on South Korean television, as such plot points promote violence and deliver negative messages about women. Committee member Park Sang-soo claimed that "the scene of the assault is cruel" and that "the scene of the female character demanding the luxury bag shows a disgusting view of women". However, there were differing opinions saying that television should be more bold with more mature content as such situations are realistic. In a meeting held on 27 May 2020, the broadcasting review subcommittee of the Korea Communications Standards Commission decided on the administrative guidance "recommendation" for the drama due to its controversial scenes and the re-broadcasting of the same content during the youth viewing protection hours. As a result, the series received a warning from the broadcasting committee, although no penalty was given to JTBC.

Child actors

Actor Jung Joon-won who plays Cha Hae-kang, Lee Joon-young's classmate, was reported to have recently engaged in underage drinking and smoking. Joon-won was born in 2004, making him 16 in international age and 17 in Korean age. Photos began circulating online that were purportedly from Jung Joon-won's Facebook account. Although Jung Joon-won is currently a minor, the photos appeared to show him engaging in drinking and smoking with his friends. On May 10, an official from JTBC clarified that the actor would not appear in the last two episodes as Episode 14 was his last.
On May 10, 2020, a controversy arose over posts that Jeon Jin-seo, who plays Lee Joon-young, had made on Facebook. The controversial posts included an illustration of a male manhwa character giving the middle finger with both hands. A speech bubble above the character reads, "All women, get lost" in rude language. Conversations with his friends on Facebook were also shared in which the actor used many swear words. On May 11, 2020, Jeon Jin-seo's agency released a statement expressing their apology and citing that he is a young actor who is still maturing and developing his values, and they recognize that they have not done enough to give him guidance. The agency assured that along with his guardian, they will work hard and guide him so that he can develop upright standards regarding his words and actions as well as his attitude.

Awards and nominations

Ratings

In this table, represent the lowest ratings and represent the highest ratings.