I had high hopes for this series.
Nine stars for the first half...
1. In the beginning, the FL was portrayed as a mature, competent woman - an independent, fun-loving, fully-formed human being. It was easy to care about her.
2. The ML was a bit cold. But he was responsible, thoughtful, and no-nonsense-someone with a sensitive soul and a philosophical side. His devotion to his grandmother was touching and seemed authentic.
The actors portraying both leads were phenomenal. Almost all the secondary characters were outstanding. The cinematography was excellent, and the dialogue was unpretentious-in the first half.
3. An important character died in the first half of this series. Someone less central, but also loved, died in the second half. The loss and grief experienced by those mourning the first death felt real and heartfelt.
BUT...Five stars for the second half
Starting with the last five or six episodes, this series just fell apart.
1. The narrative pace slowed to a crawl. Way too much talking. Lots of filler. The dialogue degenerated into a cascade of cliches, bromides, truisms, and empty blather about death, life, and love. A few of these lines were effective and original. Most weren't.
2. The second death was sad, but exaggerated and overworked. The trauma went on way too long.
3. The FL began showing a narcissistic side. Her explanations for her behavior were whiny and self-serving. I stopped respecting her. (I'm talking about the character, not the actor, who did an amazing job throughout.)
Hey, writers! It's possible to depict a flawed human being-and still keep the audience invested in that person. The writing didn't work for me here. In the end, I just didn't care about this woman and her choices.
4. A few plot elements that needed explanation didn't get them in the second half. I felt a little manipulated in spots.
5. The major conflict which the characters had agonized over for most of the series was resolved with a clumsy deus ex machina turn of events - By golly, a new industry is coming to town. Yay! Problem solved.
Not believable.