Season 1 Review
Crash Course in Romance is a fun romantic drama… when it isn’t. Like many new K-dramas that have aired recently, tvN’s latest prime-time drama tries to mix genres with the show dabbling in comedy, mystery, thriller, and suspense, but it does so with mixed results.
Despite its surprising script – especially late on – the characters find a way to overshadow any problems with the writing. Everyone gives a fantastic performance, while the chemistry between the two leads is palpable, keeping the drama feeling fresh and fun throughout.
There’s a bit of Weightlifting Fairy here, along with Twenty Five Twenty One and Sky Castle , the main romance echoes parts of What’s Wrong With Secretary Who , and you can really see those influences bleed through throughout the drama.
There are many comments about the Korean education system, including its harmful effects on children. However, unlike shows like Sky Castle, this is only the surface level, and the show avoids really diving into it in a way that has consequences and serious side effects.
The main character we follow is Haeng-seon, a retired national athlete who now owns his own side dish shop. He does everything he can for his niece Hae-e, whom he takes under his wing as his own daughter. While working to get Hae-e into a top academy, Haeng-seon inevitably crosses paths with Choi Chi-yeol, a charismatic and sought-after math teacher.
The pair hit it off and became friends with a faint hint of romance in the air. However, forces conspire against them, including neglectful mothers at school, society’s expectations for those in education, and a metal ball killer.
As the episodes progress, Crash Course in Romance is in danger of collapsing. The pernicious tonal shift is especially terrible because it still tries to blend in cute romantic and comedic moments and doesn’t work particularly well.
Anyone who watched a mystery or thriller last year will probably guess who the culprit is by episode 6, but it takes until episode 15 for the show to even wrap that up! This protracted slow burn ultimately makes the thriller feel awkward when it revolves around a predictable conclusion, which is a shame.
In fact, the mystery coalesces around several subplots towards the end, which feels like trying to stretch the drama to 16 episodes. While other characters like Yeong-joo and Jae-woo are dragged into a clumsy plot that doesn’t build up at all, there’s a last-minute twist involving Hae-e that doesn’t work too well.
The show addresses some of these complaints with the chemistry of the main pair and some genuinely enjoyable segments. When the show leans into romance and explores what it means to be old and in love, the show excels. In fact, this is one of the rare times where the original title – One Shot Scandal – feels like a more appropriate name for this drama, as Crash Course in Romance (which sounds very similar to Crash Landing on You) feels like it. will be a cute rom-com – and it’s not really.
While genre mixing is more prevalent in K-land, Crash Course in Romance doesn’t quite pull it off satisfactorily. The show has its moments and the romance is great overall, but the unresolved and weak subplots keep it from being much better. It’s certainly not a bad drama, but it could have been more than it was.