Aw, I like this main couple so much, it’s a little disappointing to watch the show start at the end of their relationship. KBS’s upcoming The Best Divorce, featuring Bae Doo-na (Forest of Secrets), Cha Tae-hyun (The Best Hit), Lee El (Hwayugi), and Sohn Suk-goo (Mother), has just released its first teaser, where we get a glimpse of our main foursome as well as their dynamics.
The teaser starts out with Cha Tae-hyun’s character introducing himself, stressing the “divorced” and “ex-husband” parts as Bae Doo-na glares at him across the table. The clip then asks the audience whether we think marriage is the “completion of love.” Well, the show certainly doesn’t seem to think so, as we get shots of Cha Tae-hyun and Bae Doo-na’s troubled marriage, complete with bickering, eye-rolls, and divorce papers.
Enter: Lee El, playing Cha Tae-hyun’s first love, who appears in his life suddenly after ten years of no contact. He asks her why she married someone like her husband, Sohn Suk-goo, and the tone of the question implies that Lee El’s marriage isn’t doing all that great, either. Offscreen, a voice replies that, “divorce doesn’t just involve the two people,” as Cha Tae-hyun and Bae Doo-na attend what looks like a neighborhood party out in the countryside, the latter enjoying herself much more than her ex.
Cha Tae-hyun asks Lee El over a beer whether she’s ever thought about “walking a different path with a different person,” which, to me, sounds like a good indicator that he’s moved on from his marriage to Bae Doo-na. But, that doesn’t stop him from looking shocked as Bae Doo-na declares she wants to call it quits because she “doesn’t need him anymore.”
I know that The Best Divorce is being touted as a rom-com, but the teaser paints a rather bleak picture on both love and marriage. Reconciliation dramas, especially when a divorced couple is involved, make rooting for the main couple a little more difficult because there’s usually a very good reason why they didn’t work the first time around. But I’m willing to keep an open mind, given these actors and the rom-com label. Reports also say that the two main leads start secretly cohabitating after their divorce, so it’ll be interesting to see the hijinks involved in that aspect of the show.
The Best Divorce will premiere in KBS’s Monday-Tuesday slot on October 8, following currently airing Lovely Horribly.
