This drama undoubtedly deserves all the praise that it gets because there is much to praise but the best part of it is the layered storytelling or to use a fairytale analogy... the princess and the pea storytelling. There are all these mattresses that sit atop the pea but the pea is unmissable because the core of the show never gets lost in all the cleverness. Even while the storytelling is smart in how it weaves together various elements, it retains its heart.
Elsewhere I noted that the drama follows the traditional monomyth -- the hero's journey. Gang-tae has embraced the call to adventure. He has crossed a number of thresholds. The latest is the acknowledgment that he can find a way to live with being his brother's brother as well as to love Ko Mun-yeong warts and all. He has had his mentors in the form of Ms Kang (Ju-ri's mother) and Dr Oh the quirky head psychiatrist from the mental health facility to aid him in this acceptance of this call to a move from the familiar. His latest challenge is to lead the way... to teach both Sang-tae and Mun-yeong how all three of them can co-exist. But first, the onus was always on him to make that decision to build a new family with Mun-yeong in tow.
The show hasn't disappointed so far because it demonstrates a respect for its characters despite lapses of judgment here and there. When challenged to make hard choices, they often choose the long-term best after a time of angst and deliberation. After a few missteps, Gang-tae learns very quickly that he must find a way of navigating his long-time relationship with his older brother while trying to locate his blossoming romance with Ko Mun-yeong in the overall scheme of things. It is heartening to hear Gang-tae admit to his closest and oldest friend that he is finally being himself. No one is making him act outside the script. After many years of self-denial and being on the run from an unseen threat, he is gradually living the way he wants to. It's clear to the people around him that change has come to him. Dr Oh notes that he is finally showing his "true colours". These new developments aren't about Ko Mun-yeong as such but primarily about Gang-tae broadening his horizons and redefining his relationship with his brother. He has no intention of abandoning his brother as he explains to Mun-yeong but it doesn't mean that he doesn't want one or can't have a relationship with Mun-yeong. As I've said this elsewhere, his dilemma wasn't an either or situation. That was always a false dichotomy. The unpredictability of life often calls for changes in relationship dynamics which may bring about different levels of discomfort in the short-term while the negotiations take place.
Mun-yeong is learning the benefits of eschewing instant gratification of her darker impulses. It's bleakly hilarious on some level to see her acknowledging the advantages of not stabbing Park Ok-ran, the escaped patient, who came to her place in the middle of the night because she realises the benefits of keeping her emotions under wraps. Especially when Gang-tae visits afterwards and confesses all over again. Like a child she needs to learn patience while dealing with Sang-tae who is navigating his own learning curve that his brother isn't his property to command at will. Luckily for her and the audience, Sang-tae manages to grasp a few home truths within the time limitations of the episode. Behind this is the assurance that he isn't losing his brother but gaining another family member.
Lee Sang-in is a bit of surprise package these days. Not only is he humorously likeable for the most part, he's demonstrating that he really does care about Mun-yeong. Maybe a change is as good as a holiday. I am particularly enjoying the way the show sets him up with Ju-ri because she needs to know the possibilities and what being liked by a man looks like. The problem with unrequited love, particularly in the way it is depicted in dramas, the person who is doing all the liking often tethers their self-esteem and identity to the object of their affections. She needs to know that Gang-tae not being interested in her romantically isn't personal... it certainly isn't about any character deficiencies deficiencies. Because what one man can't see, is another man's delight. Lee Sang-in, if he does nothing else right in this drama proves that Ju-ri is a person well-worth liking.
Over time Andersen's The Ugly Duckling story has been interpreted in a couple of different ways. It's often recounted as a story about late bloomers and even as a parable about finding one's true place in the world. Here Gang-tae reinterprets a familiar tale often associated with childhood to teach and to exemplify to Sang-tae the human need to belong in families and for the elders of families to have that inclusive spirit. He also looks to Sang-tae's favourite cartoon character as an exemplar of this family maker.
Sunday, July 26, 2020
Friday, July 24, 2020
The Good Detective (2020) Ideal vs Reality
Rather than a straight up, run-of-the-mill police procedural with a typical K drama corruption narrative, The Good Detective (2020) is a morality tale largely preoccupied with the moral choices made by people on bad days. While I wouldn't go as far as to say that the policing elements are merely window-dressing, it seems to be that the police investigation provides a familiar storytelling context in which these moral decisions are interacted with. Kang Do Chang (Son Hyun-joo), presumably the titular character, is a veteran cop that becomes reluctantly thrust into a re-examination of a case involving a death row inmate. 5 years earlier, an art major and a detective were killed and the crime was pinned on Lee Dae-chul (Jo Jae-yun) but in recent days, new information has come to light suggesting that Lee Dae-chul might not actually be the perpetrator but might in fact be the victim of a large scale conspiracy involving various individuals within branches of the so-called justice system. It's a familiar tale of woe from Kdramaland about corruption in high places and the abuse of power.
The title of the show could be said to work in two ways. It could be an oblique reference to Kang Do Chang. Or his latest sidekick, Oh Ji-hyuk (Jang Seung-jo) who seems far more eager to get to the bottom of things and has the acumen to match. On the other hand, the title could refer more generically to a particular type of police officer that is more an ideal that is a reality. Whatever this ideal detective looks like is an integral part of what is being explored in this drama. There are of course assumptions that underpin this ideal and these assumptions are governed by a particular set of moral values. Society at large presumes that there are shared values which inform our ideas of what constitutes an ideal detective. But that's not quite the case. These values are hotly contested especially by those who don't have altruistic concerns. As the drama unfolds, it is clear that depending on where you stand in the corruption spectrum or ladder, notions of the ideal detective shifts accordingly.
Is the ideal cop... as is the case here... just someone who lives by his/her conscience? That is to say, to act according to what he/she knows to be the right thing? But that seems to be an insufficient requirement if corruption of due processes occur routinely. Corrupt officials could well claim that they too are acting accordance to the dictates of their consciences. The word "corrupt" suggests that there is a pristine, untainted state in policing and after a while no one knows what that even looks like if abuses in the system have gained ascendency. When we first encounter Do-chang, he comes across as a timid, brown-noser whose only concern seems to be promotion. That's only half the story. Some time ago he had decided to play the "thou shalt not rock the boat" game because for a man of his experience, he's missed out on opportunities to get ahead while watching younger men climb the ladder of success. As the show progresses, it's clear that Do-chang isn't incompetent so the road blocks turn out to be political and conspiratorial rather than meritocratic. To some degree he had grasped something of the political nature of his position but it is only now that he's digging through the Lee Dae-chul that he's getting the bigger picture of how deep the rot goes. Far more importantly he's come to the conclusion that despite the pretence and the seeming capitulation, he's actually not one to play the game according to the rules of his supervisors. He can't look the other way when the evidence raises alarm bells. So it becomes clear that Do-chang was left out of that conspiracy because the schemers knew that he would never play ball with them.
Conscience by itself evidently isn't enough. It's a perpetual juggling act. The road blocks and gatekeepers are ever present to ensure that the secrets stay buried. It certainly isn't enough to battle a large-scale conspiracy. The drama also demonstrates that there's an existential battle of wits going on. Those on the side of angels, as it were, have to circumvent many of the usual investigative avenues because of the obstacles within the organization itself. Much of the comedy comes from Do-chang and Co. attempting to scam the schemers. It certainly doesn't speak well of a justice system when cops have to create subterfuge within their own organisation in order to save a life and to get to the truth. Sadly the good guys have to play hide and seek in order to survive the backlash of trying to re-open a reprehensible frame-up job. Moreover, it is clear that Do-chang on his own could never achieve the level of success he has so far. Ji-hyuk has been an indispensable variable. As a partner, Ji-hyuk nudges Do-chang along in his journey to atonement. Ji-hyuk wisely perceives that Do-chang's crisis of conscience needs to be played out in more concrete ways. It isn't enough to "feel bad" for the victims of this injustice. Action is needed. Strategizing. And co-opting the media. The combination of Ji-hyuk's nous and Do-chang's experience has brought about some measure of progress against some powerful forces.
So perhaps too the point can be made that a good detective has to be able to work with others and/or provide necessary leadership. He, as is the case here, can't be a lone wolf. Moreover, it isn't just about Do-chang and Ji-hyuk's partnership but the team that they surround themselves with must be with them heart and mind. That's the lesson that we take from Kwon Jae-hong's arc where he's under pressure to cave in to the pressure to spy on his colleagues. Jae-hong had felt himself on the outer, not in step with the rest of the team. However, the team smartly plays up his contribution to the capture of a well-known gang leader with effusive praise and celebratory drinks. Winning his heart was essential to maintaining long-term unity and ensuring his loyalty on a bumpy road. Involving Jin Seo-kyung was also key to giving legs to getting a retrial on the road. She too understood the ramifications of what she was asked to do when cooperating with the "good cops". There are consequences for everyone who work outside the system or the confines of what their respective organizations have laid down. The irony is that though they are made to feel like renegades and even provocateurs the reality is that if they are supposedly seekers of truth and justice then really, they are only accomplishing what was always supposed to be the spirit of their jobs.
With regards to Ji-hyuk, he is driven by something intensely personal. He isn't just a dispassionate detective although it does appear that way to those who don't know him well. His is a life traumatized by crime. His father's murder has been a festering wound in his soul that he can't shake. As someone left behind in an unsolved murder and a suicide, he is driven to catch the culprit in a way other cops aren't. He must know what it is like not to have answers to the questions. No resolution means no closure. He certainly has no qualms about fingering his cousin, Oh Jong-tae for the crime or putting him in the hot seat if the shoe fits. For him, shaped by his tragic past, the truth of what happened is more important than blood ties. He is only too aware from his family baggage that people who share the same blood don't always share the same goals or moral compass.
The other brutal reality that emerges when cops don't do their jobs well is that people's lives are destroyed. Of course the larger forces that play their chess games in their ivory towers live by the maxim that omelettes can't be made without breaking eggs but down in the back streets and alleyways of the big cities are some of the results of their backroom shenanigans. Lee Eun-hye, the daughter of the death row inmate might be the biggest casualty in this as her bleak future continues to play out in unsavoury terms. She suffers from epilepsy. She has a tumultuous relationship with her pimp. There's no where she can call home. If her father is executed, she will forever live with the infamy of being the daughter of a murderer and death row candidate. So a man with a conscience like Do-chang can't look at the true victim of a true crime and walk away. After all she's the sort of person that he must have signed on to protect many years ago.
What's clear too is that justice can only occur when it's accompanied by the truth. Without truth, facts, data there can't be justice. Whoever is guilty of the original murders has to be found to save a man's life but at the end of the day it isn't just about him, it's also about society's confidence in its institutions to protect the lives of everyone without partiality.
The title of the show could be said to work in two ways. It could be an oblique reference to Kang Do Chang. Or his latest sidekick, Oh Ji-hyuk (Jang Seung-jo) who seems far more eager to get to the bottom of things and has the acumen to match. On the other hand, the title could refer more generically to a particular type of police officer that is more an ideal that is a reality. Whatever this ideal detective looks like is an integral part of what is being explored in this drama. There are of course assumptions that underpin this ideal and these assumptions are governed by a particular set of moral values. Society at large presumes that there are shared values which inform our ideas of what constitutes an ideal detective. But that's not quite the case. These values are hotly contested especially by those who don't have altruistic concerns. As the drama unfolds, it is clear that depending on where you stand in the corruption spectrum or ladder, notions of the ideal detective shifts accordingly.
Is the ideal cop... as is the case here... just someone who lives by his/her conscience? That is to say, to act according to what he/she knows to be the right thing? But that seems to be an insufficient requirement if corruption of due processes occur routinely. Corrupt officials could well claim that they too are acting accordance to the dictates of their consciences. The word "corrupt" suggests that there is a pristine, untainted state in policing and after a while no one knows what that even looks like if abuses in the system have gained ascendency. When we first encounter Do-chang, he comes across as a timid, brown-noser whose only concern seems to be promotion. That's only half the story. Some time ago he had decided to play the "thou shalt not rock the boat" game because for a man of his experience, he's missed out on opportunities to get ahead while watching younger men climb the ladder of success. As the show progresses, it's clear that Do-chang isn't incompetent so the road blocks turn out to be political and conspiratorial rather than meritocratic. To some degree he had grasped something of the political nature of his position but it is only now that he's digging through the Lee Dae-chul that he's getting the bigger picture of how deep the rot goes. Far more importantly he's come to the conclusion that despite the pretence and the seeming capitulation, he's actually not one to play the game according to the rules of his supervisors. He can't look the other way when the evidence raises alarm bells. So it becomes clear that Do-chang was left out of that conspiracy because the schemers knew that he would never play ball with them.
Conscience by itself evidently isn't enough. It's a perpetual juggling act. The road blocks and gatekeepers are ever present to ensure that the secrets stay buried. It certainly isn't enough to battle a large-scale conspiracy. The drama also demonstrates that there's an existential battle of wits going on. Those on the side of angels, as it were, have to circumvent many of the usual investigative avenues because of the obstacles within the organization itself. Much of the comedy comes from Do-chang and Co. attempting to scam the schemers. It certainly doesn't speak well of a justice system when cops have to create subterfuge within their own organisation in order to save a life and to get to the truth. Sadly the good guys have to play hide and seek in order to survive the backlash of trying to re-open a reprehensible frame-up job. Moreover, it is clear that Do-chang on his own could never achieve the level of success he has so far. Ji-hyuk has been an indispensable variable. As a partner, Ji-hyuk nudges Do-chang along in his journey to atonement. Ji-hyuk wisely perceives that Do-chang's crisis of conscience needs to be played out in more concrete ways. It isn't enough to "feel bad" for the victims of this injustice. Action is needed. Strategizing. And co-opting the media. The combination of Ji-hyuk's nous and Do-chang's experience has brought about some measure of progress against some powerful forces.
So perhaps too the point can be made that a good detective has to be able to work with others and/or provide necessary leadership. He, as is the case here, can't be a lone wolf. Moreover, it isn't just about Do-chang and Ji-hyuk's partnership but the team that they surround themselves with must be with them heart and mind. That's the lesson that we take from Kwon Jae-hong's arc where he's under pressure to cave in to the pressure to spy on his colleagues. Jae-hong had felt himself on the outer, not in step with the rest of the team. However, the team smartly plays up his contribution to the capture of a well-known gang leader with effusive praise and celebratory drinks. Winning his heart was essential to maintaining long-term unity and ensuring his loyalty on a bumpy road. Involving Jin Seo-kyung was also key to giving legs to getting a retrial on the road. She too understood the ramifications of what she was asked to do when cooperating with the "good cops". There are consequences for everyone who work outside the system or the confines of what their respective organizations have laid down. The irony is that though they are made to feel like renegades and even provocateurs the reality is that if they are supposedly seekers of truth and justice then really, they are only accomplishing what was always supposed to be the spirit of their jobs.
With regards to Ji-hyuk, he is driven by something intensely personal. He isn't just a dispassionate detective although it does appear that way to those who don't know him well. His is a life traumatized by crime. His father's murder has been a festering wound in his soul that he can't shake. As someone left behind in an unsolved murder and a suicide, he is driven to catch the culprit in a way other cops aren't. He must know what it is like not to have answers to the questions. No resolution means no closure. He certainly has no qualms about fingering his cousin, Oh Jong-tae for the crime or putting him in the hot seat if the shoe fits. For him, shaped by his tragic past, the truth of what happened is more important than blood ties. He is only too aware from his family baggage that people who share the same blood don't always share the same goals or moral compass.
The other brutal reality that emerges when cops don't do their jobs well is that people's lives are destroyed. Of course the larger forces that play their chess games in their ivory towers live by the maxim that omelettes can't be made without breaking eggs but down in the back streets and alleyways of the big cities are some of the results of their backroom shenanigans. Lee Eun-hye, the daughter of the death row inmate might be the biggest casualty in this as her bleak future continues to play out in unsavoury terms. She suffers from epilepsy. She has a tumultuous relationship with her pimp. There's no where she can call home. If her father is executed, she will forever live with the infamy of being the daughter of a murderer and death row candidate. So a man with a conscience like Do-chang can't look at the true victim of a true crime and walk away. After all she's the sort of person that he must have signed on to protect many years ago.
What's clear too is that justice can only occur when it's accompanied by the truth. Without truth, facts, data there can't be justice. Whoever is guilty of the original murders has to be found to save a man's life but at the end of the day it isn't just about him, it's also about society's confidence in its institutions to protect the lives of everyone without partiality.
Sunday, July 12, 2020
Ancient Detective (2020) The Puppet Motif *Spoilers*
This post is an in-depth analysis of a recurring idea that plays out in the drama. Therefore it contains spoilers about the details of the plot and outcomes of the drama. It is strongly recommended that you not read this if you haven't seen the entire drama.
It occurred to me after the series finale when the identity of Wang Hua is revealed in not just one but two fascinating twists that the theme of freedom (especially individual liberty) finds intriguing expression in the exploration of the "puppet" motif. The motif works on different levels. As a literal, concrete plaything, as a metaphor for a form of indentured slavery and as a more Frankensteinian realisation -- being the creation of a person who wields immense power for good or for ill. The idea of a puppet is that of a lifeless doll that moves at the mercy of another with no will of their own. A puppet acts in accordance to how it is directed by the controller whether it be through some kind of mechanism or through the use of deception. It symbolizes the very opposite of free will, freedom, self-expression.
*Spoilers ahead*
According to the show's mythology, Wang Hua is a terror of the martial arts world (jiang hu) who was defeated 8 years earlier in Shenji Valley but his body, it seems, has gone missing. The show's protagonist, Jian Bu-zhi is concerned that he might still be alive so he sets out from the valley as a detective and a truth seeker. What's particularly suggestive is that Jian, though supposedly present 8 years earlier at the battle, has lost all his memories of the event and anything else before that fateful day. Only by reading the notes and diaries of his father, Jian Jin-huan, a legendary sleuth in the martial arts community, who died in the carnage, has he been able piece together some aspects of the puzzle.
*Ending spoilers ahead*
It turns out that Jian is not who he thinks he is but that he is in actual fact the Wang Hua that terrorized jiang hu 8 years earlier. However, the other twist that follows is that he isn't actually Wang Hua either but a puppet that was assuming the identity of Wang Hua. Wang Hua it seems, was a mind-controlled super soldier deployed by a shadowy figure who presumably used the Wang Hua persona to create chaos in that world. In effect, Wang Hua may not be a real person but a puppet of an unknown antagonist that remains a mystery at the drama's conclusion.
The irony of course is that our Jian Bu-zhi who identifies himself as the biological son and intellectual heir to Jian Jin-huan's legacy through the latter's writings actually becomes his true successor when he goes tabula rasa. Or not. Whoever his original controller or master might be, this Jian breaks free of his programming to gradually live up to the legacy and the legend. We don't know what he was like before he became a puppet but that matters little at this point. As Beggar Chief Hu says, what's really crucial is that Jian epitomizes the values of the late Jian Jin-huan who in turn personified everything that was good, true and heroic about jiang hu. According to him, the real identity of Jian Bu-zhi doesn't matter. It's what he does in present trajectory and what he symbolizes that count. He is the man that jiang hu desperately needs.
This Jian that we come to know and love somehow managed to break free of whatever influence his controller wielded and chose to take the righteous path. To promote truth seeking and universal justice. In the same way, his love interest, Zhan Shi-qi who was a nameless assassin with a number was raised to be a soulless puppet for the sect. Through a series of incidents she comes to see the meaninglessness of being a cog in a well-oiled machine. So she unshackles herself in the name of freedom. The immediate consequence of which sees her living like a fugitive. Even before she escapes the tentacles of the sect, she's obsessed with beautiful clothes and pretty things as if to suggest that though she's a puppet, she's looking to differentiate herself from the rest by dressing distinctly.
Throughout the drama her colleagues and former mentor can't see the motivation behind her exit. While they can't conceive of a life outside of the sect and being an assassin, she longs to be free to make her own choices and even find love without any kind of expectations that life will be a bed of roses from here on. It's the freedom she craves, not necessarily the benefits or any that might come along with it. That is the point of contention. She chooses freedom over security, relative safety and even a sense of belonging in order to be her own person. Once she was a puppet, now she is someone redefining herself by finding her own meaning and identity in the wider world.
The word "puppet" 傀儡 is first given focus in relation to Jian's visit to Changle Gambling House on Puppet Li's island. Jian's purpose is to find the whereabouts of Handy Tang, one of the Shenji Valley survivors from 8 years earlier. Puppet Li is so named for his renown in constructing mechanical devices and was sought after for his expertise in making sophisticated traps. When the ten that board the boat on this occasion make their way to the gambling house, this is the visitors' first view of Puppet Li as their host.
His facial expression and form is hard to make out from due to the hooded cloak and the surrounding darkness. At this first encounter, everyone presumes the voice and the figure seated on the wheel chair are genuine. It is surprising that no one seems suspicious of the dilapidated and dusty structure that they are ushered into. But perhaps all who are there are eager to enter into some kind of transaction with Puppet Li. Most, however, are not there for the treasure hoard that he is fabled to possess. They have specific requests unrelated to wealth. However, in order to get what they want from him, they are required to play his game. The game involves puppets, and the contestants need to find the puppets' missing pieces from around the room. Unbeknownst to the visitors, Puppet Li's game is a game show of death (patterned after Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None) of which the puppets are the lure.
The 6 puppets made in the image of 6 missing jiang hu personalities are a distraction and misdirection. A part of the theatrics of a mastermind with bigger fish to fry. It is revealed later that Puppet Li, without the smoke and mirrors, has been relegated to a ventriloquist puppet -- the skeletal remains of a man who was a reputed engineering genius.
On this trip, Jian's vigilant protector and fellow traveller, Zhao Wo-huan inadvertently gets close to the assassin sect's spy Ming Yue and soon the two develop feelings for one another. On this occasion she takes the guise of a helpless mute girl while looking for a piece of crystal that contains the names of undercover agents belonging to the assassin's guild. The point of their romance is that at some level it serves as an instructive contrast to that of Jian and Zhao Shi-qi. Ming Yue is the willing puppet of her masters and remains so right to the bitter end. Despite falling for Zhao, she can't leave the guild behind because her relationship with it goes far deeper and she is still emotionally tethered to the organization. In effect, she is unable to cut the ties.
There are also other instances of body substitution in the story. In the third major case featured here, a series of murders take place at a gathering of top physicians who have come to treat a sickly wealthy businessman Mr Yin. The culprit cleverly attempts to deflect attention from himself by using a corpse he killed to frame another and to cause that man to believe that he has committed murder. A body swap and some high level martial arts are used for subterfuge. What's also interesting about that case is that the murdered men were reprehensible scoundrels using child beggars in an extended experiment to find the right drug for the wealthy Mr Yin. They were used, in our language, as laboratory rats or as insignificant vessels for a clinical trial. They could also be said to be puppets... dancing to the ugly tune of their controllers for their own ends. The idea of human rights was not accorded them because underpinning this ugly conspiracy was the idea of "might is right".
The physician Xiao Ye Ye who turns up at the gathering turns out not to be the genuine article but a character known as The Man of a Thousand Faces. The Pretender of jiang hu as it turns out. The real Xiao Ye Ye had died 8 years earlier. But this incarnation happens to be a quick study and has taken on various identities in his lifetime. He confesses that he has no personality of his own but he, like a shape shifter or an empty doll takes on the personality that most impresses him at a given time. Once again the puppet motif emerges.
On the outskirts of the Yan prefecture, the man who is named the Divine Archer has mysteriously disappeared. The simple villagers attribute this to a fox demon when his people find a pair of shoes which he purportedly left behind. Much later when Jian finally has all the necessary pieces in place does he realise that the Divine Archer's body was used to in Chief Bai Cao-ze's coffin (of the Mt Yan sect) as a substitute to give the illusion that Chief Bai has passed away. This is clearly meant to hide a much bigger agenda concerned with the Shenji Valley massacre 8 years earlier. Chief Bai's most senior student, Bai He, it is revealed, has been an undercover agent for the assassin's guild. Her identity was discovered by Jian Jin-huan years earlier but he allowed her to continue. She and the elder Jian knew that everyone would be after her blood including the assassin's guild. In her words, she was only a chess piece who's identity had been exposed. As long as she didn't act against her teacher, he would keep her identity a secret. Later she pays the ultimate price in the hands of Zhan Si for letting Jian go. When she is torn between her loyalty to the assassin's sect and her love for Jian Jin-huan, she acts of her own will knowing the consequences of her actions.
When Jian and his travelling companions arrive in Liaodong to seek information about the Shenji Valley event from the remaining survivor, they find themselves right in the middle of an internal leadership contest within the Santong Security Agency. In order to conceal his true motives to Jian, the second-in-charge usurps the leadership and installs a temporary "puppet" to assume the identity of the legitimate leader.
In a crazy twist in the body swap motif Boss Wang undergoes major cosmetic surgery and is now looking like a young man in a different body. He wants to retire and leave behind his responsibilities but doesn't think his usurper should succeed. He seeks the help of Jian and Co to regain his position in exchange for information about what happened at Shenji Valley 8 years earlier.
There are many aspects of the show I find fascinating but this is one that struck me when I thought a little more about the open ending and considered some comments I'd seen on the web. The implications are provocative because it feels that what is implied is that the body is a mere vehicle or vessel but the identity of the person is in the soul and the will.
It occurred to me after the series finale when the identity of Wang Hua is revealed in not just one but two fascinating twists that the theme of freedom (especially individual liberty) finds intriguing expression in the exploration of the "puppet" motif. The motif works on different levels. As a literal, concrete plaything, as a metaphor for a form of indentured slavery and as a more Frankensteinian realisation -- being the creation of a person who wields immense power for good or for ill. The idea of a puppet is that of a lifeless doll that moves at the mercy of another with no will of their own. A puppet acts in accordance to how it is directed by the controller whether it be through some kind of mechanism or through the use of deception. It symbolizes the very opposite of free will, freedom, self-expression.
*Spoilers ahead*
According to the show's mythology, Wang Hua is a terror of the martial arts world (jiang hu) who was defeated 8 years earlier in Shenji Valley but his body, it seems, has gone missing. The show's protagonist, Jian Bu-zhi is concerned that he might still be alive so he sets out from the valley as a detective and a truth seeker. What's particularly suggestive is that Jian, though supposedly present 8 years earlier at the battle, has lost all his memories of the event and anything else before that fateful day. Only by reading the notes and diaries of his father, Jian Jin-huan, a legendary sleuth in the martial arts community, who died in the carnage, has he been able piece together some aspects of the puzzle.
*Ending spoilers ahead*
It turns out that Jian is not who he thinks he is but that he is in actual fact the Wang Hua that terrorized jiang hu 8 years earlier. However, the other twist that follows is that he isn't actually Wang Hua either but a puppet that was assuming the identity of Wang Hua. Wang Hua it seems, was a mind-controlled super soldier deployed by a shadowy figure who presumably used the Wang Hua persona to create chaos in that world. In effect, Wang Hua may not be a real person but a puppet of an unknown antagonist that remains a mystery at the drama's conclusion.
The irony of course is that our Jian Bu-zhi who identifies himself as the biological son and intellectual heir to Jian Jin-huan's legacy through the latter's writings actually becomes his true successor when he goes tabula rasa. Or not. Whoever his original controller or master might be, this Jian breaks free of his programming to gradually live up to the legacy and the legend. We don't know what he was like before he became a puppet but that matters little at this point. As Beggar Chief Hu says, what's really crucial is that Jian epitomizes the values of the late Jian Jin-huan who in turn personified everything that was good, true and heroic about jiang hu. According to him, the real identity of Jian Bu-zhi doesn't matter. It's what he does in present trajectory and what he symbolizes that count. He is the man that jiang hu desperately needs.
This Jian that we come to know and love somehow managed to break free of whatever influence his controller wielded and chose to take the righteous path. To promote truth seeking and universal justice. In the same way, his love interest, Zhan Shi-qi who was a nameless assassin with a number was raised to be a soulless puppet for the sect. Through a series of incidents she comes to see the meaninglessness of being a cog in a well-oiled machine. So she unshackles herself in the name of freedom. The immediate consequence of which sees her living like a fugitive. Even before she escapes the tentacles of the sect, she's obsessed with beautiful clothes and pretty things as if to suggest that though she's a puppet, she's looking to differentiate herself from the rest by dressing distinctly.
Throughout the drama her colleagues and former mentor can't see the motivation behind her exit. While they can't conceive of a life outside of the sect and being an assassin, she longs to be free to make her own choices and even find love without any kind of expectations that life will be a bed of roses from here on. It's the freedom she craves, not necessarily the benefits or any that might come along with it. That is the point of contention. She chooses freedom over security, relative safety and even a sense of belonging in order to be her own person. Once she was a puppet, now she is someone redefining herself by finding her own meaning and identity in the wider world.
The word "puppet" 傀儡 is first given focus in relation to Jian's visit to Changle Gambling House on Puppet Li's island. Jian's purpose is to find the whereabouts of Handy Tang, one of the Shenji Valley survivors from 8 years earlier. Puppet Li is so named for his renown in constructing mechanical devices and was sought after for his expertise in making sophisticated traps. When the ten that board the boat on this occasion make their way to the gambling house, this is the visitors' first view of Puppet Li as their host.
His facial expression and form is hard to make out from due to the hooded cloak and the surrounding darkness. At this first encounter, everyone presumes the voice and the figure seated on the wheel chair are genuine. It is surprising that no one seems suspicious of the dilapidated and dusty structure that they are ushered into. But perhaps all who are there are eager to enter into some kind of transaction with Puppet Li. Most, however, are not there for the treasure hoard that he is fabled to possess. They have specific requests unrelated to wealth. However, in order to get what they want from him, they are required to play his game. The game involves puppets, and the contestants need to find the puppets' missing pieces from around the room. Unbeknownst to the visitors, Puppet Li's game is a game show of death (patterned after Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None) of which the puppets are the lure.
The 6 puppets made in the image of 6 missing jiang hu personalities are a distraction and misdirection. A part of the theatrics of a mastermind with bigger fish to fry. It is revealed later that Puppet Li, without the smoke and mirrors, has been relegated to a ventriloquist puppet -- the skeletal remains of a man who was a reputed engineering genius.
On this trip, Jian's vigilant protector and fellow traveller, Zhao Wo-huan inadvertently gets close to the assassin sect's spy Ming Yue and soon the two develop feelings for one another. On this occasion she takes the guise of a helpless mute girl while looking for a piece of crystal that contains the names of undercover agents belonging to the assassin's guild. The point of their romance is that at some level it serves as an instructive contrast to that of Jian and Zhao Shi-qi. Ming Yue is the willing puppet of her masters and remains so right to the bitter end. Despite falling for Zhao, she can't leave the guild behind because her relationship with it goes far deeper and she is still emotionally tethered to the organization. In effect, she is unable to cut the ties.
There are also other instances of body substitution in the story. In the third major case featured here, a series of murders take place at a gathering of top physicians who have come to treat a sickly wealthy businessman Mr Yin. The culprit cleverly attempts to deflect attention from himself by using a corpse he killed to frame another and to cause that man to believe that he has committed murder. A body swap and some high level martial arts are used for subterfuge. What's also interesting about that case is that the murdered men were reprehensible scoundrels using child beggars in an extended experiment to find the right drug for the wealthy Mr Yin. They were used, in our language, as laboratory rats or as insignificant vessels for a clinical trial. They could also be said to be puppets... dancing to the ugly tune of their controllers for their own ends. The idea of human rights was not accorded them because underpinning this ugly conspiracy was the idea of "might is right".
The physician Xiao Ye Ye who turns up at the gathering turns out not to be the genuine article but a character known as The Man of a Thousand Faces. The Pretender of jiang hu as it turns out. The real Xiao Ye Ye had died 8 years earlier. But this incarnation happens to be a quick study and has taken on various identities in his lifetime. He confesses that he has no personality of his own but he, like a shape shifter or an empty doll takes on the personality that most impresses him at a given time. Once again the puppet motif emerges.
On the outskirts of the Yan prefecture, the man who is named the Divine Archer has mysteriously disappeared. The simple villagers attribute this to a fox demon when his people find a pair of shoes which he purportedly left behind. Much later when Jian finally has all the necessary pieces in place does he realise that the Divine Archer's body was used to in Chief Bai Cao-ze's coffin (of the Mt Yan sect) as a substitute to give the illusion that Chief Bai has passed away. This is clearly meant to hide a much bigger agenda concerned with the Shenji Valley massacre 8 years earlier. Chief Bai's most senior student, Bai He, it is revealed, has been an undercover agent for the assassin's guild. Her identity was discovered by Jian Jin-huan years earlier but he allowed her to continue. She and the elder Jian knew that everyone would be after her blood including the assassin's guild. In her words, she was only a chess piece who's identity had been exposed. As long as she didn't act against her teacher, he would keep her identity a secret. Later she pays the ultimate price in the hands of Zhan Si for letting Jian go. When she is torn between her loyalty to the assassin's sect and her love for Jian Jin-huan, she acts of her own will knowing the consequences of her actions.
When Jian and his travelling companions arrive in Liaodong to seek information about the Shenji Valley event from the remaining survivor, they find themselves right in the middle of an internal leadership contest within the Santong Security Agency. In order to conceal his true motives to Jian, the second-in-charge usurps the leadership and installs a temporary "puppet" to assume the identity of the legitimate leader.
In a crazy twist in the body swap motif Boss Wang undergoes major cosmetic surgery and is now looking like a young man in a different body. He wants to retire and leave behind his responsibilities but doesn't think his usurper should succeed. He seeks the help of Jian and Co to regain his position in exchange for information about what happened at Shenji Valley 8 years earlier.
There are many aspects of the show I find fascinating but this is one that struck me when I thought a little more about the open ending and considered some comments I'd seen on the web. The implications are provocative because it feels that what is implied is that the body is a mere vehicle or vessel but the identity of the person is in the soul and the will.
Friday, July 10, 2020
Ancient Detective (2020) Non-Spoiler Review
As someone who watches a lot of detective/crime dramas from everywhere, my verdict is that this one that does almost everything right. I say "almost" because there are a few niggly things in the storyline further along in the story that did frustrate me but as a whole the juggling act is quite commendable particularly when it positions itself fundamentally as a wuxia story. There have been quite a few offerings from Mainland China this year in the genre but the quality has been a mixed bag. The biggest problem, to my mind, is that most shows struggle to get the balance right. Characterization, relationship dynamics, romance, plotting, sub-plots. Some start off well enough but go off on tangents and lose their way. I sometimes wonder why directors and producers think that every drama in the crime genre has to have romance. It's clear that some shows don't lend themselves to romance or even if they did, the incorporation of it ends up being less than desirable. Fortunately this doesn't seem to be a problem here. Of the numerous C dramas that fall off the assembly line, this is actually one of the better products. I am supposing that the only reason why it's escaped wider notice is because of lesser known cast of actors that spearhead the series.
The story of Ancient Detective revolves around a young detective, Jian Buzhi who has emerged from the famed Shenji Valley to find out what really happened 8 years earlier in an almighty altercation with the terror of jiang hu (or the martial arts community), Wang Hua. He is the son and surviving successor to the mantle of jiang hu's greatest detective Jian Jinhuan who died tragically in the carnage to stop Wang Hua in his rampage. To complicate matters, the young detective has no recollection of the event. Jian Buzhi is played by the relative newcomer, Yu Jiwei who embuse the character with gentle and youthful elegance. The show loses no time in introducing the character as one that follows the Sherlock Holmes template. Not only does he produce the culprit by keen observation and deductive logic, he saves the hide of an innocent man and meets first time the man who later becomes his protector and loyal companion, Zhao Wohuan. Zhao isn't just his offsider. The bromance of the two men is one of the key elements in Jian's ability to navigate through the rough and tumble of jiang hu because Jian's Achilles' heel happens to be that he has no martial arts ability.
The romance serves the plot well. While they may be hints of a love triangle, none of that is played out fully or given full flight. The women in this show are independent, intelligent and logical human beings who never see themselves as victims of circumstances even when others might tempt them to do so. Jian's primary and only real love interest is Zhan Shiqi, a former mercenary/assassin now on the run from her former masters for absconding. The two only have eyes for each other and neither waver in the bumpy course of true love. Jian is an impressive figure, a purist and idealist for truth and justice so it makes perfect sense that the woman he falls for can't be an ordinary one.
Zhao has his own romance thread with the mysterious Ming Yue, a member of the Assassins Guild. His brave and simple devotion attracts her even while she wrestles with her feelings for him and her duty to the guild. Despite the braggadocio at his expense, his dogged loyalty to his bosom friend and his eagerness to protect everyone he cares about is very attractive. Even a woman skilled in the art deception can't resist its allure.
Integrated into the main storyline are several arcs that serve as hurdles/stepping stones towards Jian's search for the truth about the death of Jian Jinhuan, the missing Wang Hua's body and his own amnesia. As with all such tales, he has a mysterious adversary who seems determined for him not to get to the heart of the matter. Each arc sees Jian employing his detective acumen in criminal cases while looking for a surviving member of the campaign against Wang Hua. They are styled very much in the vein old school, classic British whodunits with their own twists and turns coloured with a wuxia flavour. As if the show isn't complicated enough, Jian is poisoned not once but twice and so he's also up against the clock to solve mystery after mystery in order to reach his final destination.
Jian has many others in his ever growing travelling entourage that support his endeavours. He is a man that commands deep respect and loyalty from encounters in his journey. The likeability and reliability of his character ensures that when he needs help from his motley crew of skilled individuals, they jump to his aid.
The thing that surprised me most about the drama is that it did have fairly sophisticated things to say about the wuxia genre and the nature of heroism. That was something I hadn't expected. The fact that the protagonist is someone who has no martial arts in such a context demonstrates a push to rethink what a jiang hu hero should look like. He is given a martial arts manual as is often the case in traditional wuxia but unlike the classic trope, he gives it away to his friend preferring to rely largely on his mental prowess to deal with his opponents.
This was a drama that I marathoned relatively easily in 2 days. It has a friendly 40 minute, 24 episode format. It's one I recommend unreservedly mainly for its overall consistency, decent performances and intriguing sub-plots.
The story of Ancient Detective revolves around a young detective, Jian Buzhi who has emerged from the famed Shenji Valley to find out what really happened 8 years earlier in an almighty altercation with the terror of jiang hu (or the martial arts community), Wang Hua. He is the son and surviving successor to the mantle of jiang hu's greatest detective Jian Jinhuan who died tragically in the carnage to stop Wang Hua in his rampage. To complicate matters, the young detective has no recollection of the event. Jian Buzhi is played by the relative newcomer, Yu Jiwei who embuse the character with gentle and youthful elegance. The show loses no time in introducing the character as one that follows the Sherlock Holmes template. Not only does he produce the culprit by keen observation and deductive logic, he saves the hide of an innocent man and meets first time the man who later becomes his protector and loyal companion, Zhao Wohuan. Zhao isn't just his offsider. The bromance of the two men is one of the key elements in Jian's ability to navigate through the rough and tumble of jiang hu because Jian's Achilles' heel happens to be that he has no martial arts ability.
The romance serves the plot well. While they may be hints of a love triangle, none of that is played out fully or given full flight. The women in this show are independent, intelligent and logical human beings who never see themselves as victims of circumstances even when others might tempt them to do so. Jian's primary and only real love interest is Zhan Shiqi, a former mercenary/assassin now on the run from her former masters for absconding. The two only have eyes for each other and neither waver in the bumpy course of true love. Jian is an impressive figure, a purist and idealist for truth and justice so it makes perfect sense that the woman he falls for can't be an ordinary one.
Zhao has his own romance thread with the mysterious Ming Yue, a member of the Assassins Guild. His brave and simple devotion attracts her even while she wrestles with her feelings for him and her duty to the guild. Despite the braggadocio at his expense, his dogged loyalty to his bosom friend and his eagerness to protect everyone he cares about is very attractive. Even a woman skilled in the art deception can't resist its allure.
Integrated into the main storyline are several arcs that serve as hurdles/stepping stones towards Jian's search for the truth about the death of Jian Jinhuan, the missing Wang Hua's body and his own amnesia. As with all such tales, he has a mysterious adversary who seems determined for him not to get to the heart of the matter. Each arc sees Jian employing his detective acumen in criminal cases while looking for a surviving member of the campaign against Wang Hua. They are styled very much in the vein old school, classic British whodunits with their own twists and turns coloured with a wuxia flavour. As if the show isn't complicated enough, Jian is poisoned not once but twice and so he's also up against the clock to solve mystery after mystery in order to reach his final destination.
Jian has many others in his ever growing travelling entourage that support his endeavours. He is a man that commands deep respect and loyalty from encounters in his journey. The likeability and reliability of his character ensures that when he needs help from his motley crew of skilled individuals, they jump to his aid.
The thing that surprised me most about the drama is that it did have fairly sophisticated things to say about the wuxia genre and the nature of heroism. That was something I hadn't expected. The fact that the protagonist is someone who has no martial arts in such a context demonstrates a push to rethink what a jiang hu hero should look like. He is given a martial arts manual as is often the case in traditional wuxia but unlike the classic trope, he gives it away to his friend preferring to rely largely on his mental prowess to deal with his opponents.
This was a drama that I marathoned relatively easily in 2 days. It has a friendly 40 minute, 24 episode format. It's one I recommend unreservedly mainly for its overall consistency, decent performances and intriguing sub-plots.
Saturday, July 4, 2020
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020) Initial Impressions
When I saw the first trailers and stills for this it occurred to me that this was a something that could go very well or very badly. Something about it didn't sit right with me admittedly and despite being on Netflix I was reluctant to pick it up while it was airing.
Three episodes in and I have really mixed feelings about this one. My early conclusion is that the show doesn't really know what it wants to be. While the premise is good, there are so many elements at play and not only does it feel overcrowded and stuffed, there's no real coherence to all of these disparate aspects. The show gives lip service to the sci-fi side of things, then goes straight for the romance and love triangle like your average rom com with fish-out-of-water elements and then it's also a bad cop drama with cringey comedic relief. Moreover, there are large chunks of backstory in flashback that don't seem to fit well with present happenings. It feels like there are three or four stories doing their own things perhaps in search of a script. The direction, the pacing are all very problematic. Compared to Mystic Pop Up Bar and It's Okay Not to be Okay, where the storytelling is super tight and the juggling act has been a delight, this show lacks purpose.
Considering the production values, the set pieces and the money they obviously threw at this, it's not coming together for me. While I didn't mind the first episode, the second and third felt like filler. Very little of those two episodes make a lot of sense to me. I certainly didn't understand Lee Gon's motivations for someone who was stuck in a parallel universe. Little of it sat well with me. He acts like someone following a script more than someone who is lost in an unfamiliar setting. I for the most part was wondering what in the world is going on, not certain why I should care about most of these people in Corea or South Korea. If you're supposedly following the Alice in Wonderland trope like The Matrix does, for instance then there should be more exploration and confusion. And definitely more circumspection.
What's worse is I'm not really feeling or buying into the romance which I imagine is supposed to be fairly important. It's partly a case of too much too soon I imagine. Lee Min-ho is satisfactory as the titular character and suits the role because he has a quiet elegance that is needed here. However, Woo Do Hwan's dual role is probably the one I'm most enthused about.
I liked Kim Go-eun in Cheese in the Trap and her chemistry with Park Hae-jin there but here, I keep wondering if she isn't miscast at some level. It isn't just her chemistry with LMH either. So far I find her unconvincing as this badass female cop.
I may give this another episode or two before I decide "yay" or "nay".
Three episodes in and I have really mixed feelings about this one. My early conclusion is that the show doesn't really know what it wants to be. While the premise is good, there are so many elements at play and not only does it feel overcrowded and stuffed, there's no real coherence to all of these disparate aspects. The show gives lip service to the sci-fi side of things, then goes straight for the romance and love triangle like your average rom com with fish-out-of-water elements and then it's also a bad cop drama with cringey comedic relief. Moreover, there are large chunks of backstory in flashback that don't seem to fit well with present happenings. It feels like there are three or four stories doing their own things perhaps in search of a script. The direction, the pacing are all very problematic. Compared to Mystic Pop Up Bar and It's Okay Not to be Okay, where the storytelling is super tight and the juggling act has been a delight, this show lacks purpose.
Considering the production values, the set pieces and the money they obviously threw at this, it's not coming together for me. While I didn't mind the first episode, the second and third felt like filler. Very little of those two episodes make a lot of sense to me. I certainly didn't understand Lee Gon's motivations for someone who was stuck in a parallel universe. Little of it sat well with me. He acts like someone following a script more than someone who is lost in an unfamiliar setting. I for the most part was wondering what in the world is going on, not certain why I should care about most of these people in Corea or South Korea. If you're supposedly following the Alice in Wonderland trope like The Matrix does, for instance then there should be more exploration and confusion. And definitely more circumspection.
What's worse is I'm not really feeling or buying into the romance which I imagine is supposed to be fairly important. It's partly a case of too much too soon I imagine. Lee Min-ho is satisfactory as the titular character and suits the role because he has a quiet elegance that is needed here. However, Woo Do Hwan's dual role is probably the one I'm most enthused about.
I liked Kim Go-eun in Cheese in the Trap and her chemistry with Park Hae-jin there but here, I keep wondering if she isn't miscast at some level. It isn't just her chemistry with LMH either. So far I find her unconvincing as this badass female cop.
I may give this another episode or two before I decide "yay" or "nay".
Thursday, July 2, 2020
Mystic Pop Up Bar (2020) Final Remarks
This is a drama I feel that really needs a bit of a plug because it seemed to have gone under the radar. It's one that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and would have followed in its entire run if I hadn't been obsessing over Hospital Playlist. I'm not big on fantasy as a rule but this one didn't take itself too seriously and in so doing made itself highly accessible through its wacky humour.
Despite the budgetary constraints, the world-building of the drama was surprisingly quite consistent all throughout. In an absurdist nutty fashion. It drew on a hodgepodge of various religious traditions as well as the Journey to the West mythos as its source material. On top it does a decent job of juggling the mishmash of the modern, the ancient and the hilarious corporatization of the Afterlife. Certainly the 12-episode format helped in keeping things tight and disciplined. Now that I've seen this drama and 365: Repeat the Year, I'm now convinced that the majority of Kdramas could be greatly improved by being trimmed to 12 episodes.
The show also benefits from keeping the focus on where the focus needs to be and that's on the main trio. Sure it's a Korean drama and there's romance to feast on but ultimately the superhero teamwork of the three is what makes this show magical and heartwarming. I loved laughing along as our trio embarked on adventures and inadvertent misadventures to settle grievances for those who fell into their laps while earning brownie points for our female lead Weol-ju so that her past misdeeds can be atoned for. Each grievance case is delightfully incorporated with Weol-ju's tragic past and has some bearing on her present trajectory. Despite all the madcap antics on the surface there is a really wonderful love story lurking beneath.
I've always been fond of Choi Won-young since he came to my attention in Hello Monster. He's a fine, experienced actor who has played a whole gamut of characters. But this has to be my favourite role of his. From the start I didn't really believe that he would take on a role just to be the female lead's offsider and I was proven correct. I came to the conclusion while watching this that I like him very much as a straight character and an all-round Mr Nice Guy. I loved his skill set and that he wasn't just there to keep a lid on Weol-ju's fiery temper or be a mentor to young Gang-bae. All of the trio were really good here and their interactions whether it be humorous or poignant were always on the money.
Prior to this I was unfamiliar with the lad who plays Kang-bae, Yuk Sang-jae. But he holds his own with the veterans admirably especially in the humour department. I also enjoyed his rollercoaster romance with the kickass security guard, Yeo-rin, in an delightful exercise in role reversal. All their scenes were adorable beyond words.
Overall this was a morality tale hidden under the cloak of a fantasy-superhero team-up. Spirit beings who were cast down among the living in search of redemption find answers to the meaning of life and their purpose in the bigger scheme of things.
Despite the budgetary constraints, the world-building of the drama was surprisingly quite consistent all throughout. In an absurdist nutty fashion. It drew on a hodgepodge of various religious traditions as well as the Journey to the West mythos as its source material. On top it does a decent job of juggling the mishmash of the modern, the ancient and the hilarious corporatization of the Afterlife. Certainly the 12-episode format helped in keeping things tight and disciplined. Now that I've seen this drama and 365: Repeat the Year, I'm now convinced that the majority of Kdramas could be greatly improved by being trimmed to 12 episodes.
The show also benefits from keeping the focus on where the focus needs to be and that's on the main trio. Sure it's a Korean drama and there's romance to feast on but ultimately the superhero teamwork of the three is what makes this show magical and heartwarming. I loved laughing along as our trio embarked on adventures and inadvertent misadventures to settle grievances for those who fell into their laps while earning brownie points for our female lead Weol-ju so that her past misdeeds can be atoned for. Each grievance case is delightfully incorporated with Weol-ju's tragic past and has some bearing on her present trajectory. Despite all the madcap antics on the surface there is a really wonderful love story lurking beneath.
I've always been fond of Choi Won-young since he came to my attention in Hello Monster. He's a fine, experienced actor who has played a whole gamut of characters. But this has to be my favourite role of his. From the start I didn't really believe that he would take on a role just to be the female lead's offsider and I was proven correct. I came to the conclusion while watching this that I like him very much as a straight character and an all-round Mr Nice Guy. I loved his skill set and that he wasn't just there to keep a lid on Weol-ju's fiery temper or be a mentor to young Gang-bae. All of the trio were really good here and their interactions whether it be humorous or poignant were always on the money.
Prior to this I was unfamiliar with the lad who plays Kang-bae, Yuk Sang-jae. But he holds his own with the veterans admirably especially in the humour department. I also enjoyed his rollercoaster romance with the kickass security guard, Yeo-rin, in an delightful exercise in role reversal. All their scenes were adorable beyond words.
Overall this was a morality tale hidden under the cloak of a fantasy-superhero team-up. Spirit beings who were cast down among the living in search of redemption find answers to the meaning of life and their purpose in the bigger scheme of things.
Saturday, June 27, 2020
It's Okay Not to be Okay (2020) First Impressions
It amuses me no end that I left a medical drama behind only to find myself in another. I had no indication of that from the trailers that I saw. To be honest it didn't matter all that much what this was about as I came to it because of Kim Soo-hyun. Thankfully these first two episodes show a great deal of promise.
The premise of the show seems to be centered around an almighty clash between a nursing aide who is also caring for his autistic brother and a children's book author with ASPD. From the Burtonesque preamble we are led to assume that the two had a childhood encounter. A well-worn Kdrama track. However, what's different here is that the memory is not a pleasant one.
What I took away from the trailers that I saw was a strong Great Expectations vibe. And even after two episodes, the feeling remains. It's not a deal breaker just an observation largely of the lead female character and the glimpses we have to her backstory.
There's a lot to like in this but it's the characterization of both the leads that's really at the heart of things. It's always gratifying to see shows break the mould in fascinating ways especially with regards to the female stereotypes. My suspicion about the female lead here, Mun-yeong is that she's more a monster made than hardwired that way. She seems to me a lonely soul with a larger than life persona to shoulder in search of someone who can cope with her idiosyncrasies. I think Gang-tae intrigues her because he doesn't play her game or dance to her tune. It's both a challenge... to see if she can break him most probably and a need for meaningful companionship. I believe that she does want him to succeed on some level... for him to be found "worthy" after all the testing because she needs to know that there's someone in this bleak world that can cope with her claws and thorns. This is particularly important for someone like her who has no profound connections in her life. To know that there's someone who don't mind taking hits for her is likely her holy grail. More than that, she is aware that there's no one who really cares about her. It's merely transactional. She does what she wants to and gets away with it not only because she has a "disorder" but she commands the loyalty of people who want something from her. Maybe Manager Lee does care about her because he does put up with a lot but maybe he's just in it for material benefits.
I can't help speculating that she's been the subject of a rigorous behaviourist experiment. That's where the Great Expectations angle comes in. It feels like there is/was a Miss Havisham controlling her from a scene of her standing on a balcony in a location surrounded by torn drapes. That reminds me of Satis House. And then there's the gorgeous wardrobe... which also shouts "look at me I'm outrageous". There's also something about her behaviour that leads me to conclude that she's a deliberate caricature. She scares kids who are her bread and butter. She plays with knives. She lashes out. But then there's this vigilante streak: She stabs bad men because they deserve it. Where does this sense of justice come from? I'm not entire convinced her ASPD is a case of "born like this". She's comes across as someone who is trying to play a witch because she's read all the right books when she's probably not really one. On some level she's probably having fun being unconventional. Although I sense fatigue as well.
The contradictions in her character are curious. I imagine that's what the attraction for Gang-tae might be. In a medical drama he is the archetypal Caregiver but with battle scars. He is drawn to the weird, needy and dangerous people. He jumps into a fray without hesitation. The operative word here being "giver". Maybe it's innate. Maybe it has become a force of habit from looking after his brother. Whatever it is, it has become an all-consuming occupation for him. Whether or not he is gainfully employed as a caregiver, it is what he defaults to.
So it's deeply moving and really sweet when Sang-tae, his autistic older brother, tells him that they should go home and that he'll be the one looking after him. For the longest time he has been giving giving giving and running running running. It must be exhausting. Despite being such an obvious archetype, his energy fascinates me. I keep wondering how he manages to keep it all under control, what is it that he wakes up to every morning. Is it just his brother that he's living for?
But surprisingly I think, underneath all that niceness, lurks a renegade. On some level he isn't that different from her. His life can't be said to be conventional by any stretch of the imagination. He definitely doesn't do safe. He lives life like he has nothing to lose. Just like her. I don't believe he's a coward as he thinks he is but he's so used to running that he doesn't know what else to do.
As I've mentioned elsewhere I find the literary references noteworthy. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was certainly highlighted literally in blazing lights. Heh. Hans Christian Andersen's The Red Shoes. The red shoes also made me think of Dorothy's ruby slippers from Wizard of Oz, her ticket to going home. The Boy Who Fed on Nightmares which is the in-house literary resource seems to be based on the Faustian pact. The boy who makes a deal with a witch to be free from his nightmares only to find that he's not happier for it. When the time comes, she takes his soul away. I'd also certainly be very keen to see if the Great Expectations vibe continues throughout the drama.
Because we're told that this is a healing drama, I find The Boy Who Fed On Nightmares a pivotal key to unlocking the philosophical underpinnings of the show. It's not just about facing traumas head on but about incorporating pain and suffering in one's toolkit to dealing with everything that life throws at you. In short, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. In order to mature, one has to first experience suffering. It's not a deeply original idea. But it is an idea that does have currency especially in such times that we live. However, just from a cursory of observation of people, it's clear that pain and suffering by themselves don't make anyone happier. It can but it can also destroy lives and minds. It's an existentialist proposition. The book doesn't address a cure or the element of hope. It seems to be all about memory. "Remember it all and overcome it" The implication is that memory is the cure rather than the problem.
The premise of the show seems to be centered around an almighty clash between a nursing aide who is also caring for his autistic brother and a children's book author with ASPD. From the Burtonesque preamble we are led to assume that the two had a childhood encounter. A well-worn Kdrama track. However, what's different here is that the memory is not a pleasant one.
What I took away from the trailers that I saw was a strong Great Expectations vibe. And even after two episodes, the feeling remains. It's not a deal breaker just an observation largely of the lead female character and the glimpses we have to her backstory.
There's a lot to like in this but it's the characterization of both the leads that's really at the heart of things. It's always gratifying to see shows break the mould in fascinating ways especially with regards to the female stereotypes. My suspicion about the female lead here, Mun-yeong is that she's more a monster made than hardwired that way. She seems to me a lonely soul with a larger than life persona to shoulder in search of someone who can cope with her idiosyncrasies. I think Gang-tae intrigues her because he doesn't play her game or dance to her tune. It's both a challenge... to see if she can break him most probably and a need for meaningful companionship. I believe that she does want him to succeed on some level... for him to be found "worthy" after all the testing because she needs to know that there's someone in this bleak world that can cope with her claws and thorns. This is particularly important for someone like her who has no profound connections in her life. To know that there's someone who don't mind taking hits for her is likely her holy grail. More than that, she is aware that there's no one who really cares about her. It's merely transactional. She does what she wants to and gets away with it not only because she has a "disorder" but she commands the loyalty of people who want something from her. Maybe Manager Lee does care about her because he does put up with a lot but maybe he's just in it for material benefits.
I can't help speculating that she's been the subject of a rigorous behaviourist experiment. That's where the Great Expectations angle comes in. It feels like there is/was a Miss Havisham controlling her from a scene of her standing on a balcony in a location surrounded by torn drapes. That reminds me of Satis House. And then there's the gorgeous wardrobe... which also shouts "look at me I'm outrageous". There's also something about her behaviour that leads me to conclude that she's a deliberate caricature. She scares kids who are her bread and butter. She plays with knives. She lashes out. But then there's this vigilante streak: She stabs bad men because they deserve it. Where does this sense of justice come from? I'm not entire convinced her ASPD is a case of "born like this". She's comes across as someone who is trying to play a witch because she's read all the right books when she's probably not really one. On some level she's probably having fun being unconventional. Although I sense fatigue as well.
The contradictions in her character are curious. I imagine that's what the attraction for Gang-tae might be. In a medical drama he is the archetypal Caregiver but with battle scars. He is drawn to the weird, needy and dangerous people. He jumps into a fray without hesitation. The operative word here being "giver". Maybe it's innate. Maybe it has become a force of habit from looking after his brother. Whatever it is, it has become an all-consuming occupation for him. Whether or not he is gainfully employed as a caregiver, it is what he defaults to.
So it's deeply moving and really sweet when Sang-tae, his autistic older brother, tells him that they should go home and that he'll be the one looking after him. For the longest time he has been giving giving giving and running running running. It must be exhausting. Despite being such an obvious archetype, his energy fascinates me. I keep wondering how he manages to keep it all under control, what is it that he wakes up to every morning. Is it just his brother that he's living for?
But surprisingly I think, underneath all that niceness, lurks a renegade. On some level he isn't that different from her. His life can't be said to be conventional by any stretch of the imagination. He definitely doesn't do safe. He lives life like he has nothing to lose. Just like her. I don't believe he's a coward as he thinks he is but he's so used to running that he doesn't know what else to do.
As I've mentioned elsewhere I find the literary references noteworthy. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was certainly highlighted literally in blazing lights. Heh. Hans Christian Andersen's The Red Shoes. The red shoes also made me think of Dorothy's ruby slippers from Wizard of Oz, her ticket to going home. The Boy Who Fed on Nightmares which is the in-house literary resource seems to be based on the Faustian pact. The boy who makes a deal with a witch to be free from his nightmares only to find that he's not happier for it. When the time comes, she takes his soul away. I'd also certainly be very keen to see if the Great Expectations vibe continues throughout the drama.
Because we're told that this is a healing drama, I find The Boy Who Fed On Nightmares a pivotal key to unlocking the philosophical underpinnings of the show. It's not just about facing traumas head on but about incorporating pain and suffering in one's toolkit to dealing with everything that life throws at you. In short, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. In order to mature, one has to first experience suffering. It's not a deeply original idea. But it is an idea that does have currency especially in such times that we live. However, just from a cursory of observation of people, it's clear that pain and suffering by themselves don't make anyone happier. It can but it can also destroy lives and minds. It's an existentialist proposition. The book doesn't address a cure or the element of hope. It seems to be all about memory. "Remember it all and overcome it" The implication is that memory is the cure rather than the problem.
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