Pretty Man = Pretty Good

Is THIS the face of a vegetarian?

I refuse to call this drama Bel Ami. (Might as well call it Bore Ami, for all the interest that title evokes.) So, for this blog, it’s still Pretty Man. And I’m relieved to say it’s pretty good.

Cue the Runway Music

JGS still has a voice that could melt the M&Ms right in your hand. We first meet his character, Dokko Mattei, as a rich, older woman tries to crawl right into his dress shirt, offering to buy him anything he wants. I was impressed that he turned it all down. Maybe this guy isn’t a gigolo, just a misunderstood pretty boy. Pfffft. Nope. He was just waiting until the price got high enough. Despite this MAJOR flaw, I still don’t hate him. We see brief glimpses of a tortured soul underneath the pink, pretty dust. And anyone who tears into a plate of spare ribs like him can’t be all bad.

Sweet Sixteen is all grown up

 

Bo-tongie’s babyface hides a surprisingly racy mind, as she’s turned on by everything from the muscular arms of the butcher to raw chicken in the freezer section. But nothing turns her on like Mattei Oppa. She’s not too bright, not too good, not too ambitious, but altogether hilarious. And her relationship with her equally dim brother looks ripe for comic fodder.

Hard-hearted Hannah

 

Yu-ra remains a puzzle at the moment. But three things you can be sure of. The gal is gorgeous. Clever. And Eeeeeeeeeeevil. Did anyone else wonder if she’d smothered Mattei’s mother with a pillow? When teasers about the show were coming out, it looked like Mattei was going to seduce a flock of other women just to win her over with some weird bet. How much better is it that she holds the key to finding his long-lost father, and she’s openly manipulating him. *Shiver* She is one cold customer.

Is there a chill in the air?

 

Speaking of cold, this drama surprised me with its dark, jaded undertone. The candy colored action bounces around like a page from a comic book, then suddenly we’re knee deep in birth secrets, hidden chemotherapy, and emotional blackmail. It left me a little unsettled, but interested, all the same.

Too soon for sparks

 

Mattei and Bo-tongie spent very little time together in the first episode, so it’s hard to gauge their chemistry. But I liked them, and I think there were hints that Mattei cares for her. Like when he railed at her for wrapping herself in Saran. That seemed like the kind of angry you only get at the people close to you. Especially for the cold-as-ice playboy. It looks like the two will be working together in the upcoming episodes, so that should leave lots of room for romance to blossom. IU never seems to shy away from the skinship, unlike some of her fellow actresses *cough-Park Shin Hye-cough*. And she wasn’t afraid to take the initiative and plant a kiss on her much older, though completely adorable co-star Jo Jung-suk in You’re the Best, Lee Soon Shin. Hopefully, we are in for some squee-worthy moments with the OTP.

I’m a little weirded out by Pretty Man, and yet strangely attracted. I hope Mattei shows genuine growth and emotional maturity as the show progresses. I bet Bo-tongie continues to crack me up. And I’d really, really like some smexy kisses (the ones with his Sugar Mama don’t count). Pretty please!