Review notes were previously posted on Letterboxd, on a private list with watched K-dramas. I deleted the list so will publish the notes here.
The Package (2017)
Watched 10 - 12 April 2022 — 12 episodes (VIKI)
*Love the story premise and felt part of the group, as if I was on the tour in France myself. Spending time with the characters really felt like you got to know them on the trip.
*Strong point is the location shooting in France and all the tourist information given by the guide.
*The side stories were more interesting than the lead romance.
*I loved Lee Yeon-hee as the guide. She’s very convincing in her role, and looked pretty.
*Weak point for me was the male lead character. The actor Jung Yong-hwa is less appealing and attractive than the actors I’ve seen so far (Hyun Bin and Jo In-sung, love them both!) — he’s more of a school boy — but it would have been less of an issue had his character been more interesting. The most interesting thing — and which gave his character more depth — was the fact that he stood up against the company he worked for and tried to expose the misdeeds the company was committing. But there was not enough of that. During the trip in France his character was just a bit goofy, didn’t think before acting (chastity belt!), he was basically stalking the tour guide, and was portrayed as a lovesick puppy. It didn’t seem very believable Lee Yeon-hee’s character would fall for a guy like that.
*I cried with the storyline of the elder couple and the woman having cancer. It was very touching and well played.
*Also felt a bit sad when the tour had come to an end and they were saying goodbye at the airport.
*I was doubting whether to continue watching around ep. 8 — due to my disappointment with the male lead character and the main romance story — but being already so close to the end I decided to finish it and was glad I did. Overall it was an enjoyable show.