TYPE OF REVIEW 
: GOOD OL’ REVIEW
No spoilers.
Jun Jong Seo, Moon Sang Min and Kim Do Wan do their best to try and elevate simple, though mostly enjoyable rom-com fluff in Wedding Impossible (웨딩 임파서블). The series features a refreshing approach to a familiar Korean drama set-up. But unsteady pacing and missed opportunities with depth and nuance hold Wedding Impossible from being something much more than it is.
Wedding Impossible follows talented, but unrecognized extra actress Na Ah Jeong (Jun Jong Seo) who agrees to pretend to be the wife of her best friend Lee Do Han (Kim Do Wan). The son of a chaebol family, Do Han proposes the set-up in order to appease his grandfather’s pressure for him to get married and take charge over their family’s company while also trying to hide his sexual orientation.
Do Han’s younger brother Ji Han (Moon Sang Min), however, is against the marriage as he himself has long worked to ensure Do Han eventually takes the reins of the company. But as his skepticism of the marriage grows, he soon begins to develop feelings for Ah Jeong. And potentially vice versa as well. Throwing everyone’s originally fool-proof plans into chaos.
Wedding Impossible certainly has your typical rom-com scenarios. And the three main characters in Ah Jeong, Do Han and Ji Han are the perfect catalysts to drive what should be a fun and entertaining story.
The initial dynamic between the three characters help to make the early episodes very appealing. You are quick to connect to the three of them and enjoy their back and forths. Whether it’s between the BFFs Ah Jeong and Do Han, brothers Do Han and Ji Han or the cat and mouse clashing of soon-to-be-romantic partners Ah Jeong and Ji Han.
There are nice moments of heart and warmth alongside the usual rom-com shenanigans. But the initial brisk pace soon gives way to an inexplicably slower and more shallow approach to its storytelling.
The series kind of loses its way. The steady development of its story, characters and their relationships almost grinds to a halt. The needed depth that seemed to be building later is nowhere to be found. Especially when the series unfolds several sideplots that should help support the main trio’s growth and development, only to end up holding them back. And in turn, resulting in pretty much all of the series’ plot threads to be lacking and ultimately unsatisfying.
At the heart of the series is the idea of people being unable to help others find happiness if they are unable to do so for themselves. The idea of being selfless or selfish and the gray area that can develop between those two sides.
Our three main characters all have a solid foundation to be able to tell compelling stories touching upon those ideas and themes. But the series is never able to fully maximize the emotional impact the stories of Ah Jeong, Do Han and Ji Han should garner.
The three lead actors, however, do what they can to try and elevate the unstable material.
Jun Jong Seo has delivered acclaimed, award-winning performances in films like Burning and The Call as well as play badass roles in Money Heist: Korea and Ballerina. She gets the chance to show off her versatility with her first rom-com role as Ah Jeong. And she does a very good job. While still bringing her fierce confidence that she has become known for, Jun Jong Seo is able to give Ah Jeong the right amount of vulnerability while also being fun and showing she can absolutely be the familiar romantic lead.
Moon Sang Min had a breakout performance in Under the Queen’s Umbrella as well as smaller roles in My Name and Duty After School. He delivers a solid, if not strong performance that is able to relay the conflicted feelings the character has throughout the series.
Jun Jong Seo and Moon Sang Min have a solid chemistry. But again, the series does not make best use of it with its writing.
Kim Do Wan, meanwhile, finally gets a well-deserved lead role as well. And he shows why here as Do Han. Though Do Han deserved a bit more material than he eventually gets, Kim Do Wan makes the most of it with an endearing performance. Kim Do Wan, who has had a very diverse filmography so far, goes a long way to help Do Han be someone you can easily understand and relate to. Even when the material lacks the deserved depth for the character, Kim Do Wan really elevates Do Han. And probably is the best example of how much potential the series unfortunately wastes.
Even more so, the series fails to capitalize on the great chemistry between the brothers. When magazine photo shoots outside of the series featuring Moon Sang Min and Kim Do Wan better show their chemistry than the series itself, then that’s going to be a problem. Especially when aside from the romantic angle, the brothers’ story should be front and center. And unfortunately, it is not.
If you are going into a series just wanting some nice, cute and fluffy romance, perhaps this series will be enough. But it’s hard to overlook the potential for Wedding Impossible to be something far more than what it ends up being. Underdeveloped stories and characters and unnecessary subplots take away from what should be a strong basis for a full, well-rounded experience. Instead, Wedding Impossible is a frustratingly unsatisfying series that wastes a talented cast.