The Golden Spoon

Welcome back to Hallyu Reviews! We hope you enjoyed Sabrina’s review of “Melting Me Softly.” If you missed it, be sure to go back and have a read!

This week, we take a look at **“The Golden Spoon.”**
**SPOILERS AHEAD!!**

Final Verdict: WATCH

Synopsis

What does a teenager who is bullied and has the opportunity to change his future do? He eats from the Golden Spoon. “The Golden Spoon” is a story about how our choices impact our future. It also takes a look at how, once we make a change, we must accept the consequences, both good and bad. It is also a story about the impact that greed can have on a person’s character.

In the story, Lee Seung Cheon (Yook Sung Jae) is poor and is brutally picked on for attending a posh school with no money. He meets an old woman who tells him he can change his parents with a Golden Spoon. He must purchase the Golden Spoon and then eat 3 meals with a classmate, causing them to exchange parents like a Freaky Friday situation. Only he will know the switch has occurred. Sung Jae purchases the spoon and eats 3 meals at the home of the richest students, Hwang Tae Yong (Lee Jong Won), and swaps out his life with that of his classmate’s. He does not realize how severe the consequences of his choice are, however, as he experiences what it is really like to eat with a “Golden Spoon,” nor how many people are aware of the choice he has made to switch places.

Main Cast

Lee Seung Cheon trades places with Hwang Tae Yong, believing that Tae Yong's life is perfect. He has rich parents and can afford anything he wants, and he is never bullied at school. However, what Seung Cheon doesn’t realize is that Tae Yong's home life is torturous. His father completely ignores him, primarily because the real Tae Yong harbors a debilitating secret that his father has helped him conceal: he is implicated in the deaths of a school full of children while he was in America. In truth, it was his uncle, Seo Joon Tae (Chang Ryul), who committed the horrendous act.

Both Joon Tae and Tae Yong are vying for the favor of CEO Hwang Hyeon Do (Choi Won Young), Tae-Yong’s father. Joon Tae is a vicious character who frequently beats on and manipulates Tae Yong. He also appears to have an unsettling obsession with his “sister,” Seo Young Sin (Son Yeo Eun). When the CEO reveals to Joon Tae that she is actually his mother, he commits suicide in front of her.

Before switching lives with Tae Yong, Seung Cheon worked at a convenience store alongside Na Ju Hee (Jung Chae Yeon). Although she comes from a wealthy family, Na Ju Hee was expelled from school and is trying to win back her father's favor. Seung Cheon falls in love with her, and fortunately, she begins to develop feelings for him as well when she recognizes his good character. Unfortunately, when he switches lives with Tae Yong, Seung Cheon has to give her up. Na Ju Hee, however, cannot love the "new" Seung Cheon because she knows he is not the same person. Seung Cheon tries to stay by her side and win her favor throughout the series. Her father ends up murdered, and the main suspect is Tae Yong, who did not do it, but works to help find out who did, unbeknownst to her. This causes a divide between her and the original Seung Cheon, who is now Tae Yong.

Golden Spoons

The old woman who sells Seung Cheon his Golden Spoon is selling the chance to change his future. But surely this is not a once-in-a-lifetime deal, is it? NO. There have been a few Golden Spoons sold before. In fact, Seung Cheon’s classmate, Oh Yeo Jin (Yeon Woo), who is in love with Tae Yong, has bought a Golden Spoon. Another purchaser? None other than Mr. CEO himself, Hwang Hyeon Do, has purchased a Golden Spoon.

Rule of the Golden Spoon

There is an important rule about the Golden Spoon: if someone eats from your spoon, they recover all of your memories. This happens to Hwang Hyeon Do, who is himself replaced as a product of the Golden Spoon. As a teen, he was in love with Ha Mi Yeon (Song Da Eun), but she fell in love with Kwon Yo Han (Kim Jae Chul). He acted as a parasite and maintained a close friendship with Kwon Yo Han while stealing from him and helping him “run” his business. At the end of the three bites, he killed him to take over his life. This illustrates the ruthlessness of Hwang Hyeon Do. When Tae Yong is going to convict his father of money laundering and embezzlement, Hwang Hyeon Do turns the tables and has Tae Yong convicted of murder. Hwang Hyeon Do will stop at nothing to be on the top.

But this rule of the Golden Spoon is what leads to the downfall of Hwang Hyeon Do. Seung Cheon acquires Hwang Hyeon Do’s Golden Spoon and eats from it, allowing him to recover all of his memories. This includes all of his wrongdoings, such as the murder of Chairman Na Sang Guk, Na Ju Hee’s father. Seung Cheon finds the murder weapon and turns it in to the police, along with evidence of money laundering and embezzlement.

Seung Cheon and Hwang Tae Yong are present when Hwang Hyeon Do is arrested. Seung Cheon asks Hwang Tae Yong how he knew who he was. To which Hwang Hyeon Do responds that he recognized the Golden Spoon and understood Seung Cheon’s intentions the moment he saw it.

Surprise Ending

There is a twist at the end - Seung Cheon dies. He is murdered by the maid with his juice. But is it the real Seung Cheon? This murder was planned by his father before he was imprisoned. When his father is released from prison, his wife, Son Yeo Eun, slowly poisons him in the same way. He can no longer move, a shell of his former self.

The Sacrifice

Seung Cheon’s father, Lee Cheol (Choi Dae Chul), knows! Oh Yeo Jin, in an attempt to be cruel, gives Seung Cheon’s Golden Spoon to Hwang Tae Yong, but it ends up in Lee Cheol's hands. When he eats from it, all of his son's former memories flood back to him. He feels upset about the choices his son has made, mistakenly believing that Seung Cheon does not love him. In reality, Seung Cheon is trying hard to create a good life for his parents by purchasing them a new store and canceling out their debt.

After Lee Cheol and Hwang Tae Yong – who is really his son, Seung Cheon – share a meal, Joon Tae stabs Lee Cheol in an alley. As he dies, Lee Cheol calls Tae Yong by the name “Seung Cheon,” revealing that he knew the truth. Seung Cheon breaks down in tears as his father tells him he loves him. This moment is incredibly poignant as the family navigates their grief. Seung Cheon wants to mourn as a son, but because of the Golden Spoon, he cannot. Instead, Tae Yong must take on that role.

Seung Cheon also realizes that because of the Golden Spoon, he has missed out on ten years of his life with his family. He reflects on how he is not in their pictures or shared memories, bringing into perspective what he has sacrificed to chase that which he desired.

Yook Sung Jae Shines

I can understand why this drama was nominated for Best Drama of 2022 at the MBC Drama Awards. It truly has it all - love, angst, jealousy, murder, betrayal, family fun, and much more. This drama was a massive hit, due in no small part to Yook Sung Jae’s performance. Yook Sung Jae deserved to win the Best Actor award for his phenomenal acting. He can convey a story just through his facial expressions. Through his performance in “Golden Spoon,” you get to see so many sides of Yook Sung Jae, making it an incredible experience.

The Villain of Villains

Choi Won Yong also won for Best Character for his work in “The Golden Spoon.” I have watched eight of his K-dramas and his characters are masterpieces. He plays a villain better than most because you want to like him. With his charming features and great smile, he captivates you, but he also has a sly smirk that conceals his true intentions. “While You Were Sleeping” is another of his roles that is a MUST WATCH!

Final Verdict: WATCH

But while “While You Were Sleeping” is a MUST WATCH, “The Golden Spoon” is just a WATCH. I loved the series, don’t get me wrong, but there is a huge time jump of ten years in the series that does not make sense to me. Seung Cheon is shipped off to America for ten years, but the timeline is just off. There are also moments in “The Golden Spoon” when I question plot choices. For instance, there is a suicide of a character that I do not think was completely necessary for the development of characters. But maybe it was just that I do not like suicides.

So there it is, our review of “The Golden Spoon.” What did you think of “The Golden Spoon?” Thank you for joining us on this journey.

Have a favorite K-drama you think we should review? Comment down below!! We look forward to seeing you back again soon!

Up next, “My Demon”

Final Verdict: WATCH

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