Rhee Min-jung's comeback 'OK, Let’s Get Divorced' debuts with 0% rating

Rhee Min-jung, who established herself as a powerhouse actress by recording a peak viewership rating of 37%, has returned to TV dramas after six years, but her comeback's first report card was harsh. Contrary to the star power of Rhee, who once triggered a nationwide viewership rating syndrome through KBS weekend dramas, her new drama 'OK, Let’s Get Divorced' remained in the 0% range during its first broadcast.

However, to define this result as a simple 'box office failure,' one must consider that programming platforms and viewing behaviors have changed significantly. It is difficult to compare the viewership ratings of terrestrial weekend dramas and cable channel dramas using the same standard, and subsequent consumption and buzz through OTT platforms such as TVING and Wavve have emerged as key variables for future success.

According to the viewership rating research company Nielsen Korea, the KBS Drama and GTV Wednesday-Thursday drama 'OK, Let’s Get Divorced,' which aired its first episode on the 19th, recorded viewership ratings of 0.4% on KBS Drama and 0.2% on GTV, respectively.

Most eye-catching is the gap between Rhee's previous TV drama performance and this one.

The last TV drama Rhee appeared in was the 2020 KBS2 weekend drama 'Once Again.' At that time, Rhee played the role of pediatrician Song Na-hee, playing a married couple alongside Lee Sang-yeob. Backed by the popularity typical of family dramas and the stable programming of a weekend slot, the work recorded a peak viewership rating of 37.0%. Rhee proved both her artistic quality and popularity by receiving the Grand Prize at that year's KBS Drama Awards.

However, the six-year gap has completely changed the broadcasting environment.

In the past, high viewership ratings for terrestrial weekend dramas were often directly linked to an actor's public recognition. Currently, as cable, general programming channels, OTT, and short-form content fragment viewers' time, it has become difficult to judge the actual impact of a work based solely on 'live broadcast viewership ratings.'

Even so, a figure in the 0% range is not insignificant.

Especially considering this is the comeback work of an actress with long-standing public recognition like Rhee, the low viewership rating of the premiere inevitably places a burden on the production. The return of a star actor typically leads to expectations of an 'anchor effect' that drives initial buzz and viewer influx, but this time, that effect did not translate into visible viewership ratings during the first broadcast.

If so, there is a possibility that the issue lies not with the actor but with the work itself.

'OK, Let’s Get Divorced' is quite direct in its title. It depicts the process of a couple, exhausted by a long marriage, deciding to divorce and settle their relationship. It is directed by Joo Seong-woo, written by Hwang Ji-eon, and stars Rhee Min-jung and Kim Ji-seok as a married couple for the first time.

Baek Mi-young, played by Rhee, is the CEO of the wedding dress shop 'J&H White.' Paradoxically, while she works to complete others' weddings as their most beautiful moments, her own marriage is collapsing.

Mi-young, who has lived immersing herself in work after losing her parents early, falls in love and marries designer Ji Won-ho, who made her laugh. However, in their seventh year of marriage, their relationship, contrary to appearances, is actually heading toward a catastrophe.

Ji Won-ho is not depicted merely as an 'irresponsible husband.' He is a man who feels he himself was also hurt amidst repeated conflicts and gradually becomes emotionally distant from his wife. Ultimately, the core of this work is not a courtroom-style verdict deciding who was wrong, but tracing when two people who loved each other became strangers.

In the first episode, the cracks in this couple's relationship were revealed quite specifically.

Mi-young, worrying about declining sales, thinks appearing on a couple's variety show will be a breakthrough for the business, but Won-ho is not pleased. Furthermore, when Won-ho tells Mi-young to "stop acting so high and mighty," the emotional rift accumulated between them resurfaces.

Mi-young attempts to restore the relationship by personally preparing a birthday meal for her mother-in-law, Ryu Mi-soon, but while cooking, she cuts her hand, triggering a memory reminiscent of a scene where someone swings a knife.

This implies that a secret exists beyond a simple marital quarrel.

The issue of not having children also becomes a fuse for conflict at the in-laws' house. When Mi-soon blames her daughter-in-law, Won-ho engages in an argument with his mother and leaves.

Tension is maximized when Mi-young receives word that Won-ho is at the hospital. She rushes to him thinking something happened, only to find he was at a fishing spot instead. Upon confirming her husband is safe, Mi-young collapses as her long-suppressed emotions finally break through.

The episode then reveals the past that effectively destroyed the couple's relationship.

Three years ago, Mi-young was pregnant. At that time, she pleaded for Won-ho to stay by her side, but she was ultimately left alone to endure the pain of a miscarriage.

Following the loss of the child, Mi-young was left with a void so deep she could not even express her anger. The scene of her sobbing while clutching a rabbit doll compactly illustrates the emotional isolation of a person following such a loss.

Rhee's acting left a strong impression during this sequence.

While she initially appeared as a confident and realistic businesswoman, Rhee portrayed Mi-young's gradual breakdown—as past wounds and present disappointments overlap—in a relatively restrained manner. She utilized the gap between explosive emotional outbursts and moments of frozen silence to reveal the character's psychological cracks.

Notably, unlike the bright and grounded persona she showed in 'Once Again,' Rhee adopts a much drier and darker tone for this project.

This shift is also linked to her six-year hiatus.

For an actor, a hiatus is both a risk and an asset. An actor returning after a long break must find a new balance between their past image and their current acting style. Rhee is attempting this variation, moving away from the strong image of Song Na-hee to portray a woman experiencing the failure of marriage and profound loss.

The chemistry with Kim Ji-seok is also a vital pillar of the work.

Ji Won-ho is far from a typical villainous husband. He is a man who fails to understand his wife while simultaneously feeling misunderstood himself. Ultimately, their conflict stems from emotional asymmetry rather than a simple good-versus-evil dynamic.

Because the story depicts a couple whose way of expressing love has broken down rather than a couple whose love has vanished, the narrative of 'OK, Let’s Get Divorced' resonates with modern views on marriage.

This is also where modern divorce dramas differ from those of the past. While divorce in older family dramas was often depicted as a result of catastrophe or deficiency, recent works tend to view divorce as both the end of a relationship and a choice to reconstruct one's own life.

'OK, Let’s Get Divorced' rejects the premise that maintaining a marriage is always the correct answer, as suggested by its title.

Thus, the scene in the latter half of the first episode, where Mi-young says, "Okay, I've decided," before throwing her wedding ring into a river, carries weight beyond a simple declaration of divorce. It is an act of mourning for a seven-year relationship and a declaration of parting from the past that wounded her.

The problem is that despite the work's heavy psychological depth, it failed to draw an immediate audience during its premiere.

Furthermore, since the title is provocative and utilizes the familiar 'divorce theme,' a differentiated narrative and strong initial hook are essential. It remains to be seen how the miscarriage trauma and marital cracks revealed in the first episode will organically expand into mystery and emotional narrative.

Of course, it is too early to judge the final fate of the work based solely on the premiere's performance.

Today, drama consumption is a multi-layered structure involving live viewership ratings, OTT streaming numbers, clip views, and social media mentions. Since 'OK, Let’s Get Divorced' will also be released on TVING and Wavve, a key variable will be how many viewers the show can attract on online platforms after the broadcast ends.

Ultimately, whether Rhee's return will be remembered as the 'fall of a 37% rating queen' or a successful comeback following a slow start remains to be seen.

However, the question posed by the first episode is clear:

"Why, after an actress who once captivated 37% of viewers returns after six years, have the viewers not yet moved?"

The answer lies not in the actress's stardom, but in the changing media environment, the genre's barriers to entry, and the narrative pull established by the premiere.

The second episode of 'OK, Let’s Get Divorced' airs on the 20th at 11 PM on KBS Drama and GTV. All eyes are on whether Rhee's comeback, starting from the cold reality of 0.4% and 0.2% ratings, can find a turning point through word-of-mouth and OTT popularity.