The Fabulous (더 패뷸러스) premiered on Netflix on December 23, 2022, ahead of Christmas as a breezy watch with 8 episodes, each having a runtime ranging between 44-66 minutes. Created by Kim Jeong-hyeon, Kim Ji-hee and Im Jin-sun, the South Korean romantic comedy stars Chae Soo-bin as Pyo Ji-eun, Choi min-ho as Ji Woo-min, Lee Sang-woon as Joseph and Park Hee-jung as Ye Seon-ho in the lead roles.
Netflix’s official log-line for the series reads:
In this enlightened drama series, a group of four best friends navigate complex relationships and intense careers in the fashion industry.
-The Fabulous Review Does Not Contain Spoilers-
With the South Korean capital, Seoul as its blazing centre, the kdrama puts the focus on the city’s fashion industry. The titular group of four best friends work through their respective young adult life phases while juggling their careers, relationships and friendships in an environment that demands nothing short of the best from them. As they toil away their days and nights, they hope to ascend the social ladder while fusing their individual passions with fashion in an industry that doesn’t wait or stop for anyone.
The best takeaway of the series has to be the heartwarming friendship between the four main characters that stays intact till the very end, and thankfully, doesn’t become the prey of yet another stereotypical venomous rivalry or crossfire. Even though as individuals one of them suffers through the lows of life, while conversely the other celebrates the high simultaneously, collectively they unite on a common ground to share all the emotions together.
Min-ho’s Ji Woo-min stayed on as a consistently dull character, sadly, only put in as the eye-candy, especially during the first half of the season. And, it isn’t because he’s depicted as a passion-less individual struggling to find a dream that will help him speak his mind and heart. On the flip side, this could’ve easily made for a better arc for the character. His portrayal fall short because he’s posited solely as the emblematic jealous ex in the initial episodes, with his arc being fulfilled as the good guy only after the predictable change of heart happens eventually.
I don’t have anything against romantic trajectories, but seeing the kdrama female lead get caught in a moral dilemma about picking one of the two, or even three male counterparts as her better half really tired me out. Instead, what interested me in the meanwhile was watching the debuting actor Park Hee-jung. There are moments when her characterisation comes off as stiff, but still, her role as Ye Seon-ho, the supermodel going through an existential phase about her own professional front was refreshing. The same also brought on the much-needed complex nuances of the fashion world and its toxic glitz and glam to the forefront, even if just shortly.
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Lee Sang-woon as Jospeh, the fashion designer trying to make it to the top while not giving up on his roots was yet another vision one couldn’t let side just like that. His foundation in the show is built from the ground up as the embodiment of stereotypes associated with men involved in the fashion scene. Unfortunately, that’s not the last of the typical gay fashion ‘diva’ you’ll see in the series. Nevertheless, Joseph has heart too and still came up as one of the characters I couldn’t help but root for except Seon-ho.
The Fabulous: Worth the Watch?
The premiere date sits in as the perfect time to welcome such a drama series. It’s light-hearted, has its share of romantic-comedy highlights, and a plot and loveable characters that’ll make it easier for you to hit the ‘next episode’ button. There are certainly some highs that leave a smile on your face, but on other occasions the reigning stereotypes and caricatures tire you out.
Despite Choi Min-ho and Chae Soo-bin being the ostensible selling attraction of the kdrama, the side characters were what kept me going. Yes, some of them were extensively drenched in stereotypically reductive portrayals, but they still emerged as the life of the party. On the other hand, some supporting characters’ introduction was too weak and their roles throughout the entire run seemed pointless and hollow.
The first half of the series requires some patience on the part of the viewer as it remains consistently underwhelming as opposed to the hype the promotions for the same generated prior to the premiere. However, the latter half picks up some speed, in attempts to make up for that lacuna.
Therefore, the kdrama isn’t something you can’t do without, but it makes for a fun watch during the holiday season when you’d like to kick back and keep things cosy. It may not be the best content out there, but as a feel good watch needed to take your mind off your hectic routine of life, it does its trick. Just don’t keep your eyes open for realism, and you’ll enjoy your time spent with the show.
The Fabulous is now streaming on Netflix.
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