Lazy Unnie’s Couch: When Life Gives You Tangerines

It is a story that resembles a tribute to our parents’ tender and still youthful seasons when they were so young, including the story of mother’s first love, father’s heroic tales, grandma’s rebellious youth, and grandpa’s romantic era. Ae Sun is rebellious but gets nervous every time she rebels. She is not well off but is always shining and full of positivity. She dreams of becoming a poet, although she cannot attend school, and she is a bold character who doesn’t hide any emotions. Gwan Sik is an extremely diligent and quiet character. Romance is not a strength for him, and he doesn’t know how to act if Ae Sun cries or laughs, but he is a silent warrior who only loves Ae Sun from the very beginning and pours his all into loving her.
mydramalist

Starring: IU | Park Bo Gum | Moon So Ri | Park Hae Joon
Episodes: 16 (1 hr. 2 mins. )
Aired: March 7 – March 28, 2025
Network: Netflix
Where to Watch: Netflix

There comes a time when you just watch a drama and it sticks with you well after watching. That’s When Life Gives You Tangerines for me. The last couple of years, I’ve been in a love-hate relationship with dramas. I couldn’t find the energy to care. But last year, I was doing some traveling and I had a west to east coast one and felt like I needed something to watch. I saw this on the list and was apprehensive about it. Immediately I thought that it was going to be slow and didn’t think I’d like IU because I was not a fan of Hotel De Luna. Boy, was I wrong.

On paper, the show isn’t really about much. It’s about relationships when it boils down to it. The relationships we have with our parents, with ourselves, with grief. From first loves to last loves, it shows the strength that is needed to navigate through life and generational trauma. This show was told among generations, with IU doing double duty and playing not only her mother’s younger self, but also the rebelious oldest daughter.

Everything about this was simplistic but captivating in the best way. IU CARRIED! I was shocked and glad because her portrail O Ae Sun was a masterpiece. Park Bo Gum did what he did best. He played a simp that put all other simps to shame. Their chemistry is what drew me in but it was actually the stories of mothers and daughters that made me stay. Watching the story unfold from when O Ae Sun was just a little girl and her own relationship with her mother was heartbreaking. But then seeing the kind of mother she became later on, you realize how one carries things with them.

I was worried when the story switched from O Ae Sun and Gwan Shik’s love story to the more modern one of Geum Myeong navigating her own love story. I worried that the show would feel disjointed and more of a before and after feel. But surprisingly, it flowed well. Not going lie, I did miss seeing Park Bo Gum as the young Gwan Shik but it was disgustingly sweet to see the middle aged version be a simp now for his daughter.

The cinemtopgraphy was gorgeous. The cast was a who’s who and you knew that Netflix really put their foot into this production. As much as I cried, I laughed too. There were great comedic moments that helped balance out the emotional assult the show was giving. But it makes no sense for me to keep going on about it, it’s better if you take the leap and watch it.