‘The Fabulous’ Netflix Series Review - A Fashion Story

Some stories go to such bold and original places that they blow our minds. Then there are stories that tell us the same old tale, but even these can have a great impression on us if conveyed with sincerity and passion. The Fabulous, an eight-episode Korean web series, belongs to the latter category. One can easily spot where it's headed, and the show really unfolds as per your expectations. However, The Fabulous has an endearing quality that makes it almost irresistible for us to give up on it. You stay till the end because it's impossible to turn your eyes away from the screen.

It's not that The Fabulous is consistently fabulous scene by scene. The first aspect that bothers you a little is the will-they-won't-they romantic relationship between Pyo Ji-eun (Chae Soo-bin), a PR manager, and Ji Woo-min (Choi Min-ho), a photographer. They have one of those relationships where everyone, including other characters, can sense there is chemistry between these two people. But the series, through plot manipulations, keeps them apart for a significant amount of time. Ji-eun and Woo-min are comfortable with each other and hang out like BFFs. He even helps her professionally by running errands or driving full speed to deliver a purse for an airport-look picture. Yet, the two of them don't say they want to get back into a relationship together. We all know they will eventually reunite at some point. We even get one of those scenes where Woo-min expresses his feelings to Ji-eun only to find she has fallen asleep in the car. It's such an unoriginal moment that you can't help but groan.

Another issue relates to the sugar-coating of the darker aspects. The Fabulous suggests that the fashion industry can be highly competitive, and not everyone gets a break here. It's all about trends and the latest developments, so much so that even older models are sometimes forgotten. Take Seon-ho (Park Hee-Jung). She is a model with experience who stops getting work and considers taking up another career. Seon-ho (initially) is not even invited to a famous event in which she grabbed eyeballs in some previous year. But The Fabulous merely touches on these uncomfortable surfaces without diving into them. The series wants to own its title, which is why it brushes aside these uneasy facets. It waves a magic wand, and Seon-ho gets an invitation to that event. Other similar things are easily resolved to keep the story lightweight and enjoyable.

The Fabulous constantly solves the problems of its characters with ease and quickness. In one scene, people click the picture of a famous icon whose presence needs to be anonymous. This issue is dealt with off-screen, and we get a line stating that everyone agreed to delete the pictures. This is how easily the obstacles are thrown away in The Fabulous. Even that airport-look disaster is sorted out as soon as it's brought up through a phone call about an Instagram post. In a carefree show like this, heavy scenes like the ones with a mother suffering from Alzheimer's stick out like a sore thumb. And I still don't know who was that character we saw walking after a fashion show in the opening got bombed by a blackout. Yes, she was responsible for the power cut. But what was the motive?

And yet, despite so many flaws, The Fabulous remains consistently watchable thanks mainly to the performances. Not a single actor is bad or out of sync with the material. They all infuse a spark in their roles and glue us to our seats even during rough patches. You like spending time with them, and that's the reason you swallow the saccharine pill. The Fabulous doesn't only touch on the negative side of the fashion business. It rewards its characters for their hard work by showing us pool parties and elegant houses. Yes, it can be challenging to work in this field. But you are also handsomely compensated, and your efforts are recognized, opening doors for a better future. It even helps if you display kindness. This dual face of the industry can be seen in two scenes that mirror one another. In one of them, when Seon-ho walks into a room, the other girls give her a judgy look. In the second one, which arrives later, the girls excitedly surround Seon-ho when she enters.

In one of the scenes, Ji-eun and Woo-min remember and laugh at that moment when they shook hands and acknowledged each other as friends. Like them, we laugh at plot conveniences that keep two lovers apart when we know they are made for each other and, in the climax, will end up together. For them, that moment now seems ridiculous, and for us, the plot manipulations look mindless (especially when everything is highly predictable).

In The Fabulous, the characters have a habit of leaving personal items here and there. They also leave their relationships hanging in the air, which - like those items - need to be "picked up" so that they can travel to the right destination. For example, Lee Nam-jin (Choi Won-myung) drops his relationship with Ji-eun and picks it up later when he again falls in love with her.

A character says, "Now, how could I resist rooting for you guys?" In a nutshell, she sums up why The Fabulous works. These people manage to evoke tenderness for them from within us.

Final Score- [6.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times