“Bora! Deborah” Episodes 1 And 2 Review- A Mixed Bag 

After what seemed like an eternity, Yoo In Na is finally making her drama return, so how were the premiere episodes? Let’s talk about them!

Note: this article is a first-impression review, it doesn’t mean this is the writer’s final thoughts on the drama. This is a spoiler review.

For starters, “Bora! Deborah” initial plot, which was revealed a while back, sounds a lot like a typical Korean drama about dating, something we’ve seen many times before. A woman who says a lot about love and has reportedly experienced a lot of love over the years but is blissfully unaware of how bad her relationship is, and somebody who is very hesitant to accept love, get involved together.

I would not say that the first and second episodes did much to change my opinion from what I had expected seeing the posters and the video teasers, and the premiere episodes were a mixed bag for me. Let me explain!  

I struggled with “Bora! Deborah” premiere more than I’d like to admit, in the sense that it’s a bit typical, goes on tangents, and is cringy at times. Of course, since we’re talking only about the premiere, these are my thoughts on only the first two episodes.

But as it went by, I realized that there might be something there to talk about and to discuss in terms of relationships, this drama could definitely end up being a fun watch depending on the route it takes, but to me personally, it’ll depend on just how it tackles the topic of relationships and dating because I am not interested in watching something that meanders, wanders or worse, give genuinely horrible advice about love.

I know I appear picky right now, but I’d expect a bit more maturity in handling such topics when the casting was done with older actors. I expect this level of pettiness from younger characters, so to speak.

Going back to what made me hopeful… it was the fact that both lead characters were in relationships, this made the dynamics between the two characters more intriguing than if she was merely a dating coach that would preach about dating but has little to no experience. Whats sad is the fact that the two characters relationships crumbled in the premiere episodes, I would have loved if that didn’t happen and we explored the collapse throughout the 1^st half of the drama.

Personally speaking, I would say that I do not agree with about half of the advice that she’s given especially the one about how women must come on top as if it’s a battle that should be ‘won’, that’s just not a stable happy relationship.

At the same time, I understand why such types of advice would be given to us women and why we’d gravitate toward them. This is why I said its a mixed bag.

Some of the advice that she gave was generally good advice and others was genuinely bad. Of course, each person thinks differently depending on what they define to be a romance and a relationship, so this is a very subjective review more than usual.

Being in a relationship or dating generally does not have one defined truth to it or a particular set of ‘rules’ so to speak, which is the reason why dating coaches exist to begin with because many find it difficult to navigate and need advice.

I would say that there are some certain universal rules that we can all come to understand or expect, even if we don’t particularly apply them to our own romance and romantic relationships.

The two episodes go through what felt like BIG moments of ups and downs in terms of grabbing attention, at times, I felt invested and thought to myself, ‘wow, this is good,’ and at other times, I felt like giving up.

There were also some cringy moments that almost turned me off. It was a sort of rollercoaster in terms of enjoyment. Despite saying that, there is potential that the drama might turn out great. I don’t agree with many of the writing choices made in the premiere episodes but I do understand why the screenwriter chose to insert them in that order. I would have loved it if it slightly subverted my expectations because the cast is older thus, this could have been approached with more maturity, it would have been nice to not go the exact typical route you’d expect from such dramas.

To clarify, what I intended was that Bora’s boyfriend was not a cheater who had been caught by his girlfriend with Su Hyeok present in some capacity. And, alternatively, Su Hyeok was not a bitter individual who was jaded by Bora’s remarks, but rather someone who approached the situation with levelheadedness and challenged the flawed advice given by her, without resorting to throwing shade due to emotional hurt like a teenager.

Su Hyeok also does not make a good first impression at all. Honestly, I didn’t like any character in the premiere episodes but I did find Bora interesting, granted, I don’t need to like the characters to watch a project but if it’s a romance drama, I need to like the character to continue watching.

My opinion could change depending on how the drama progresses, but overall, it was not a good first impression. I could see this going into two directions, and I certainly hope that the drama becomes better as time goes by. I think there is definitely some level of awareness in the writing for the first episodes which makes me feel hopeful.

So, what did you guys think of the first and second episodes of “Bora! Deborah”? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.