| Actor Namkoong Min / Courtesy of MBC |
Lee Ha-nee emerges as rom com queen, creating rare rivalry in Friday-Saturday dramas
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Drama fans these days are faced with a tough choice on Friday and Saturday nights, as two TV channels simultaneously broadcast two hit TV series ― SBS's romantic comedy, "One The Woman," and MBC's spy action series, "The Veil."
Some digitally-savvy viewers turn to the over-the-top (OTT) service, Wavve, to see the latest episodes of the two TV series. But there's still a decision to make as they have to choose which one they're going to view first.
Two talented actors, Lee Ha-nee who plays a dual role in "One The Woman," and Namkoong Min, who proved to be a versatile actor with his marvelous transformation into an athletic intelligence agent in "The Veil," have raised the stakes for the rivalry between SBS and MBC in the hot Friday and Saturday night drama time slots.
In "One The Woman," Lee plays a corrupt, aggressive and hilarious prosecutor who feels no sense of guilt in dropping criminal charges against those who are in power or the richest people to curry favor with them to ensure a successful career. Her life turns chaos after a car accident causes her to suffer from amnesia following a traumatic brain injury. Mistaken as a daughter-in-law of a rich family because of their identical physical appearance, the prosecutor experiences a whole new life of wealth.
In the romantic comedy drama, her character proves to be irresistible.
In the spy action drama, "The Veil," Namkoong proved how he became one of the most sought-after actors of his time. To perform his role as an elite field agent, the actor gained 10 kilograms and bulked up at the gym. Before "The Veil," he was slim and thin and mostly played cheerful characters. But now he looks like a burly spy.
Suffering from amnesia after a tragic incident that killed his two teammates while undertaking a confidential counter-espionage operation in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, he is searching for a mole inside the spy agency responsible for killing his teammates.
In the two dramas, Lee and Namkoong both proved again that they are indispensable actors.
The hearts of viewers, however, appear to be on Lee's side, as the SBS drama starring the actress has led in the Friday-Saturday TV ratings war since the two dramas premiered on Sep. 17. The latest viewership for "One The Woman" stands at 13.3 percent, whereas that of "The Veil" marks 7.6 percent.
As always, however, ratings are not the sole indicator determining whether one drama is better than the other. Actors and their performances as well as their attempts to breathe life into the characters they are playing are other critical criteria that need to be taken into account.
In this sense, Namkoong's "The Veil" still has a chance of outperforming the rival TV series "One The Woman" as a more popular TV series. The actor's extreme makeover from a cheery actor into a brooding agent doggedly pursuing the truth is fascinating.
| Actress Lee Ha-nee / Korea Times data file |
Compared to him, the pressure Lee has shouldered in her new drama does not seem as high.
She played the role of a prosecutor in another SBS drama in 2019 called "The Fiery Priest" and there seems to be no distinct difference between her performances then and now.
Despite her skillful performance in "One The Woman," Lee revealed her limitations when, playing her other role of an abused daughter-in-law of a wealthy family whose presence was barely noticed before suddenly disappearing on the day of the tragic car accident that injured the prosecutor who looks just like her. Viewers find it difficult to find differences in characters she has played before.
The rivalry of "The Veil" and "One The Woman" is a reminder of the 2019 rivalry between SBS and KBS dramas that featured the same actors.
Lee starred in "The Fiery Priest," whereas Namkoong was in "Dr. Prisoner" that aired on KBS which wrapped up on May 15, 2019 after 32 episodes.
Lee played a prosecutor in the 40-episode TV series with an average rating of 22 percent. Namkoong, meanwhile, played a revenge-seeking, morally-upright doctor who is wrongfully charged and served a jail term. The winner of the TV ratings war back then was "The Fiery Priest."
Two years later, the two stars are competing again for viewership on Friday-Saturday dramas.