ReviewK-drama review: Thirty-Nine on Netflix – Son Ye-jin in tale of love, death and friendship that drives to an emotional climax
- Korean drama series about three women and their relationships with each other and with men takes a decisive turn when one is diagnosed with terminal cancer
- Several big reveals are thrown in before the series reaches its emotional close. Son Ye-jin’s performance stands out; Jeon Mi-do provides strong support
This article contains spoilers.
3.5/5 stars
An end is often a new beginning and that certainly applies to the heartwarming Korean melodrama Thirty-Nine, which ended its 12-episode run with the expected death of a main character on March 31, the same day that series lead Son Ye-jin tied the knot with Hyun Bin off the screen.
While Son’s new beginning is a very happy one, the one experienced by her character Cha Mi-jo is one that’s forced on her against her wishes – a life without her best friend, Jeong Chan-young (Jeon Mi-do).
At first Thirty-Nine placed a lot of focus on the challenges of dating for working female professionals, but while Mi-jo, Chan-young and Jang Joo-hee (Kim Ji-hyun) all pair off with men pretty quickly, the importance of these relationships fades over time.