REVIEW: ‘Marry My Husband’ Episodes 1-2

It’s a tried and true saying that life rarely goes how we plan it. You can do everything right and still get the short end of the stick. If you got a second chance at life, what would you do with it? What would you change? In the latest webtoon adaptation, Marry My Husband, terminally ill Kang Ji-Won (Park Min-Young) gets a second chance at life after being brutally murdered by her husband, Park Min-Hwan (Lee Yi-Kyung), and her best friend, Jung Soo-Min (Song Ha-Yoon). Each choice she makes has a ripple effect, but whether or not she can successfully get revenge is another story.

In Marry My Husband Episode 1, viewers are introduced to an incredibly debilitated Kang Ji-Won, who has terminal cancer. Her husband, Min-Hwan, has essentially left her to rot in the hospital while her best friend, Soo-Min, comes to visit her regularly to cheer her on. Despite Soo-Min’s best intentions, Ji-Won has lost hope. She knows her husband is cheating on her with someone but is unsure as to who. With her pitiful life now reaching this depressing conclusion, she has resigned herself to wasting away in the hospital. That is, until she finds out her husband hasn’t been paying the medical bills. With no other recourse, Ji-Won has to confront her husband.

This action results in some gorgeous symbolism when Ji-Won hails a cab. A conversation about second chances and shifted perspectives takes place as Ji-Won shares her woes. When the cabbie drives down a different path, the split in the road hints at what is to come, but can also be interpreted as a symbolic rebirth. Going through a tunnel of lights to emerge into a gorgeous cherry blossom-ridden forest, Ji-Won, for a brief moment, experiences a moment of purity and beauty.

This comes tumbling down after she departs the cab. Upon entering her apartment, she spots the shoes Soo-Min was wearing when she visited and puts the pieces together. It’s here that the viewers listen along with Ji-Won as the cheating couple reveals their true motivations. Revealing this truth so soon seems poised to make the pursuit of revenge more fulfilling in later episodes. In the moment, the truth behind Soo-Min’s and Min-Hwan’s cruelty stokes rage. Ji-Won, rightfully, loses her mind.

In Marry My Husband Episodes 1-2, flashbacks to Ji-Won’s past paint the picture of how awful her marriage has been with Min-Hwan. She’s constantly supported him, even while dealing with both his abuse and her mother-in-law’s cruel words. Stressed to the point of developing cancer, Ji-Won’s circumstances are thrown directly into viewers’ faces, and Park Min-Young’s performance renders us wholly empathetic. That’s why when she is so thoughtlessly murdered in the confrontation in Episode 1, the premise of her getting a second chance is so easy to root for. If anyone should have that chance, it’s her.

And she gets that chance, but quite suddenly. After Ji-Won perishes, she wakes up in 2013 smack dab in her office and promptly melts down after seeing Min-Hwan and Soo-Min acting as if nothing happened. The only one to really help her? Her boss, General Manager Yoo Ji-Hyeok (Na In-Woo). It isn’t until she gets home that she realizes that she’s now back in time. Equipped with knowledge of the future, Ji-Won hopes to get her revenge and take advantage of this opportunity to change her future for the better.

Marry My Husband Episode 2 sees Ji-Won taking what she knows about the future and her rivals to try to slowly start reclaiming her autonomy. Most refreshing is seeing how Ji-Won’s newfound knowledge of Min-Hwan and Soo-Min enables her to perceive them as they really are. Min-Hwan is too prideful, and attempting to break up with him proves to be too volatile of an option for her. Realizing that there is a chance for her to shift her fate over to Soo-Min, Ji-Won slowly starts taking steps to orchestrate them together.

As Ji-Won interacts with Soo-Min, she pieces together the dots on how Soo-Min sabotaged her in the past. In doing so, she realizes how fragile their friendship actually is. Through Ji-Won’s lightbulb moments when piecing things together, we see how Soo-Min’s idea of friendship is someone who can make her look better. Whatever Ji-Won desires, Soo-Min must have. If Ji-Won tries to pull away, Soo-Min lashes out. She’ll do whatever it takes to ensure that she will always come out ahead of Ji-Won. Ji-Won’s newfound awareness of what happens in the future gives her insight into how Soo-Min has hurt her in the past. This ultimately gives her the tools she needs to take control of her destiny.

Part of how Ji-Won does this is by making new friends at her company, U&K Food. She befriends her lazy boss, Kim Kyung-Wook’s (Kim Joong-Hee), righthand woman, the quiet Yang Joo-Ran (Gong Min-Jung). She’s able to bring Joo-Ran to her side when she proves that Kyung-Wook doesn’t read any of the proposals he receives, thus verifying that he has been halting not just Ji-Won’s ascension in the company but Joo-Ran’s as well. Ji-Won also wins the support of the junior employee, Yoo Hee-Yeon (Choi Gyu-Ri), by being kind. Hee-Yeon also can see how Soo-Min is not a great person. Both of these friendships may prove useful for Ji-Won in the future. For now, it’s nice to see her making genuine relationships with people.

In the process of this revenge triangle between Ji-Won, Soo-Min, and Min-Hwan, a potential love interest arises in Ji-Hyeok. Over the course of Marry My Husband Episodes 1-2, we see how in his own way, he tries to help her. Whether it’s pointing out the counterfeit earrings Soo-Min gave her or encouraging her to pursue her ambitions, he’s in her corner. The question is whether or not Ji-Won will realize his crush and what will change if she picks up on it.

Marry My Husband Episode 2 ends with well-orchestrated comedic awkwardness. Featuring an all-too-game performance from actor Lee Yi-Kyung, Ji-Won’s attempts to plot a potential hookup between Min-Hwan and Soo-Min falls flat on its face. Soo-Min, upset by Ji-Won’s cold behavior, decides not to come over to her place after Ji-Won has already invited her over. Instead, Ji-Won is greeted by a wild and all-too-ready Min-Hwan. Needless to say, actress Park Min-Young’s screams over the reveal of Min-Hwan’s naked form are enough to make anyone bowl over with laughter.

Marry My Husband Episodes 1-2 starts the series out incredibly strong. The emotionally impactful first episode and Ji-Won’s devastating end before projecting her back in time is an instantly successful hook. Knowing everything she has to lose, the viewers are with Ji-Won on her journey to reclaim her autonomy and life again. Anchored by strong performances from Min-Young, Yi-Kyung, and actress Song Ha-Yoon, we immediately know who everyone is right out of the gate.

As one of the first new Kdramas to drop in 2024, Marry My Husband Episodes 1-2 are great starter episodes. The series instantly captivates us with the plight of Ji-Won and has us wholly invested in her journey. With next week’s episodes set up to be quite dramatic, there’s no telling what is going to happen next or how the future will change for our underdog.

Marry My Husband Episodes 1-2 are now available on Prime Video, with new episodes premiering on Mondays and Tuesdays.