[HanCinema's Drama Preview] "The Prime Minister And I"

2013 has not been a great year for fluff or dramas in general. With a few exceptions garnering great love and ratings, it has been quite a melodrama-oriented and boring ride. Here to shine a ray of hope in the rom-com fluff department is 'The Prime Minister and I', which starts its run on December 9th.

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Premise

Kwon Yool (Lee Beom-soo) is the nation's youngest Prime Minister. At the age of 42 and widowed 7 years ago, he is a workaholic with zero skills at being a father to his three children. Nam Da-jeong (Lim Yoona) is a 28-year-old woman who wanted to be a writer like Jane Austen. Needing money to take care of her sick father (Lee Han-wi), that dream is put on hold and she now works as a tabloid reporter. Her latest task, stalk the Prime Minister to get dirt on his love life. When a scandal breaks out about her being his woman, they find themselves faced with some tough decisions. Enter contract marriage and hopefully, hilarity and romance.

The Worrying

SM C&C

Now, while Lim Yoona herself is looking lovely and fun, the fact that the company behind this is powerful and also managing her is worrying. Make no mistake, companies are in it for money, not art and entertainment. Will the creators be allowed to do things as they know need to be done, or will SM C&C interfere? If it does, there is no stopping such a big force.

The age gap

In itself, it is not a problem (not for everyone). But if it affects the ratings or the public don't take to it, it could mean killing the romance to stop the decline. Will there even be a kiss and skinship? Will those involved go there and will the netizens accept and like it or are we in for a platonic and boring love avoiding sexual attraction and intimacy at all cost? The previews make one hopeful, at least.

The writers

Kim Eun-hee and Yoon Eun-kyeong seem to divide opinions a bit. Their last drama "My Fair Lady" got pretty messy by the end and this may mean they will be a bit more cautious this time around. That can be good, but it can also lead to panic and mistakes, as well as yielding to outside pressure, should that happen.

The Reassuring

The previews

The drama has been described as a warm romantic comedy for the whole family to enjoy during the holidays. Now, judging from that and the funny, feel-good and uplifting preview photos, interviews and videos, that seems to be the case. The cast is great, the series looks and sounds nice and all you'd need right now is a blanket and some mulled wine. While we can't possibly be sure it will remain as light and lovely until the end, the fact that this seems to be the creators' intention is encouraging.

The chemistry

What makes or breaks a romantic series. Due to the huge contrast between Lee Beom-soo and Lim Yoona in everything from age to acting experience to looks, this was quite hard to assess in the past few weeks. However, what little we saw from the videos out so far is easy to get excited over. Their differences seem to have been channeled into an opposites attract type of fun. While we still cannot call it, it is certainly looking like a very good pairing.

The history

Given that this year has been quite bad drama-wise and that the series this succeeds was the mind-bogglingly disappointing for many 'Marry Him If You Dare', KBS might be more than eager to give people something light and happy for a change, especially considering most of it will air before, during and after two major family- and joy-heavy holidays.

Final Thoughts

Good cast, fun premise, Lim Yoona seems to be good with comedy, the writers have some successes on their track record despite their mistakes and the whole thing is oozing with holiday cheer, comedic situations and romance. It looks exactly like what fans of the rom-com genre need right now and if it does not disappoint, we are in for some fun year-end times.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

Follow @OrionsRamblings