The Weekend Binge: Bo-ra! Deborah (True to Love)

ENA channel's production Bo-ra! Deborah premiered to less than stellar ratings in April. While it picked up somewhat in the next few episodes, it never went past the 1.2 mark throughout its run. Were the ratings well-deserved or is it one of those shows that should have gotten more love? Read our spoiler-free review to find out.

The Plot

Where do broken hearts go? They find their way to each other, of course! Dating coach Yeon Bo-ra (Yoo In-na) has just had a very public breakup and subsequent meltdown when she meets Lee Soo-hyuk (Yoon Hyun-min), a book editor who has just been dumped himself. Now these two broken hearts must learn to pick themselves up with a little help from each other. Will they allow themselves to fall in love again or will they swear off love forever?

Aside from our main couple, the drama also explores other kinds of romances like the heightened sensation of first love, the disillusionment of divorce, the lack of romance after marriage, and unrequited love.

The Review

Yoo In-na has perfected the art of playing a lovable ditz. That’s no mean feat considering how particular today’s audiences can be about fictional female characters not falling into stereotypes and having agency. Perhaps it is because Yoo is not a one-note actress. She provides Bo-ra with enough depth and personality for the audience to want to be her friend. She also has great comedic timing. On another actress the character would be campy and annoying, but Yoo makes it work to great comical effect.

Yoon Hyun-min plays beta-male book editor Lee Soo-hyuk with a subtlety that makes the slow-burn chemistry between him and Bo-ra very convincing. Between him and Bo-ra, the repressed sexual chemistry could burn holes on the screen.

While the drama itself is trope-y, the scenes are fresh and funny. The writer Ah Kyung, who also penned Mad for Each Other, does a great job of picking run-of-the-mill rom-com scenes and turning it over its head. One of my favorite breakup scenes with garbage truck had me laughing at the seams.

But there are poignant scenes too. My favorites are those when the two leads converse and get to know each other without the pressure of romance. Most dramas would force you to believe that the couple is meant for each other but this one actually shows you why they should be together.

The drama doesn’t break any new ground, but it does charm you with its wit and simplicity. And since good k-drama rom-coms are so hard to come by these days, I found myself looking forward to every new episode all the way until the very end.

14 episodes. Available on Amazon Prime.

Stream if you want to be charmed by a solid rom-com.

Skip if you want your romance with a side of crime and a traumatic backstory.