[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Oh My Ghostess" Episode 3

"Oh My Ghostess" spares not one moment as it delves into character development. Each interaction means something to our three main characters: Bong-seon (despite the fact that she's not mentally present), Soon-ae, and Seon-woo. They learn and grow from the people they were in the past or have the potential to learn in the future.

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This episode was about missed timing . Soon-ae missed out on life because of an untimely death. She sees Bong-seon doing the same thing with her meagre life-style, which foreshadows that Bong-seon is going to be doing some opening up when she takes possession of her body again. Seon-woo missed out on love because of poor timing. All three are hanging onto things they've lost or things that could've been. It's a sad, lovely parallel that continues in how they are working to move forward. Bong-seon is on pause, but she will have to shoot forward to keep up with Seon-woo and Soon-ae.

As an aside, I must say that Kim Seul-gi is an amazingly talented woman. Her singing voice is as rich as an older singer with a more developed instrument. Her humor is free and open, and her more serious scenes are imbued with a depth that belies her years. Park Bo-young is able to capture Kim's liveliness in her own acting and accurately portray both Bong-seon and Soon-ae. Cho Jung-seok is, as always, intensely accurate with his emotional depictions. Even if only listening to his voice we know exactly how his character feels.

Flashbacks flesh out Soon-ae's life and show us that she was vivacious and loved as a living girl. It draws us closer to her as we now have more to connect with than her love of good-looking men who are very attractive without a shirt. The contrast of past and present is sprinkled throughout the episode: Soon-ae alive and dead; Seon-woo shy in the past and full of deceiving bravado now; Soon-ae's former restaurant lively in the past, and with nary a customer now. The restaurant and her family is as dead as she is, stagnating in life as though hung in limbo.

On top of the comparison between past and present is how Soon-ae and Seon-woo (as well as the other chefs) force each other to change and grow. Just as Soon-ae deserves a scolding for stealing, so does Seon-woo deserve a scolding for hastily dismissing an important employee. Each person learns to admit fault and realizes how important maintaining relationships are - even if Soon-ae is dead. She does it for Bong-seon who lies waiting within.

Plotwise, there are small signs tucked here and there throughout the episode that are leading towards the eventual realization of a ghostly presence amongst them. That realization isn't the most stirring aspect of the story. Rather, it is the story behind Soon-ae's death, how to bring Bong-sook and Seon-woo out of their low self-esteem and learning to find happiness in life and each other.

Written by: Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

Follow @ raine0211

"Oh My Ghostess" is directed by Yo Je-won, written by Yang Hee-seung, and features Cho Jung-seok, Park Bo-young, Lim Ju-hwan, and Kim Seul-gi