First Impression: "For Eagle Brothers" Is All About Making Makgeolli, Found Family, & Love In 40s

Are you looking for a sweet and cozy K-drama to watch on your free weekends? A drama that revolves around found family, mature main leads, and plenty of comedy? Look no further — “For Eagle Brothers” might be the perfect match for you!

This Saturday-Sunday K-drama follows the story of Kwang Sook and her four brothers-in-law, the Oh brothers of Eagle Brewery, as she embarks on a journey to turn the struggling brewery right side up. While it’s impossible to judge a 50-episode drama based on just the first two episodes, here’s a first impression of “For Eagle Brothers.”

Warning: Spoilers for episodes 1-2 ahead!

“For Eagle Brothers” starts a little differently than your typical rom-com. Instead of the main lead meeting their love interest in the first episode, we first see a woman being dropped off at work by a man she seems deeply in love with.

The lady in question is Kwang Sook (Uhm Ji Won), a woman in her 40s who works at the post office. The man she loves is her fiancé, Oh Jang Soo (Lee Pil Mo), a 40-something-year-old owner of Eagle Brewery, a makgeolli (traditional Korean fermented rice wine) brewery he runs on his own. He takes great pride in keeping the makgeolli’s taste exactly as his father and grandfather made it. Their love story is sweet and simple — Jang Soo and Kwang Sook met three months ago at the post office when he was delivering letters to his brothers. One thing led to another, and they fell in love. Despite being in their 40s, their decision to marry wasn’t due to their age but because their love felt deep and pure, making marriage the natural next step. This marriage not only gives Kwang Sook the eternal love of Jang Soo but also brings her four Oh brothers, whom Jang Soo raised as his own sons after their parents’ passing. She accepts them as her own family.

Unfortunately, by the end of episode two — just 10 days after their marriage — Jang Soo dies in a tragic car accident, leaving Kwang Sook to take care of Eagle Brewery and the four Oh brothers, who despite being adults in their late 20s and 30s, face different struggles in life.

Since “For Eagle Brothers” is a family-centered K-drama, both Jang Soo and Kwang Sook have eccentric families. For Jang Soo, his entire family consists of his four brothers:

Oh Cheon Soo, played by Choi Dae Chul, the second brother after Jang Soo, used to work in finance but had to resign to protect his company’s reputation. His wife and daughter live in the States, where his daughter is studying. To support them, he currently works at a laundromat.

Oh Heung Soo, played by Kim Dong Wan, is passionate about dancing. He was once a choreographer for a well-known K-pop group, but his glory days are behind him. Now, he teaches Zumba classes and live-streams to make a living.

Oh Beom Soo, played by Yoon Park, lives in the U.S. as an academic, seemingly leading an ideal life. However, no one knows that he is a single father raising an infant daughter while balancing his career.

Lastly, there is Oh Kang Soo, played by Lee Seok Ki, the youngest of the Oh family, who is considered the most handsome by his brothers. A soft-spoken professional marine, he appears to have his life together, but he has recently discovered that he is losing his hearing due to an infection he suffered in childhood.

As for Kwang Sook, her family is only her mother, played by Park Joon Geum, who, despite being in her 70s and in a retirement home, is full of life. Her young personality clashes with other people her age, causing loads of entertaining trouble.

As the story progresses, it becomes clear that after Jang Soo’s death, Kwang Sook will take over Eagle Brewery. However, she won’t be alone — since each of the Oh brothers is struggling with their own career and life challenges, they will return to the family business, working together to make it flourish.

While “For Eagle Brothers” is a rom-com, the comedic moments come from the family dynamics. But with Kwang Sook’s husband dying in the premiere week, where does the romance come in? It seems Cupid will strike again — Kwang Sook’s new love interest is Han Dong Seok (Ahn Jae Wook), the chairman of LX Hotel. A widower with a college-aged daughter, he still deeply misses his late wife and has never moved on.

Kwang Sook and Dong Seok actually meet before Jang Soo’s death at LX Hotel just before her wedding ceremony. As Dong Seok’s daughter tries to set him up with a good woman to ease his loneliness, and the Oh brothers might encourage doing the same for Kwang Sook after her sudden loss, an adult and mature romance patiently awaits the viewers.

All in all, “For Eagle Brothers” seems like a great story about family and the ups and downs of adulthood. Since the K-drama is set to have 50 episodes, the pacing will be slower to give viewers a deeper understanding of each character — a great way to form a stronger connection with them.

Start watching “For Eagle Brothers”:

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Javeria is a binge-watching specialist who loves devouring entire K-dramas in one sitting. Good screenwriting, beautiful cinematography, and a lack of cliches are the way to her heart. As a music fanatic, she listens to multiple artists across different genres and stans the self-producing idol group SEVENTEEN. You can talk to her on Instagram @javeriayousufs.

Currently watching: “Love Scout,” “Motel California,” and “Study Group.”
Looking forward to: “Reborn,” “Weak Hero Class 2,” and “The Witch.”