What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:
*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*
TV
Lovestruck in the City (2020) – Ep 9-12
I think the past couple of weeks helped to solidify the emotional threads of the show for me. I felt like the show was meandering a bit in the first few episodes, but now that it’s mostly focused on the present day, I’m finding it a little easier to connect with the characters.
That’s not to say that I actually understand why Jae-won (Ji Chang-wook) and Eun-oh (Kim Ji-won) were together or how she could go from one extreme to another like that then just return to her old life like nothing ever happened. I think she might be a sociopath. I want to know how her mind works. Is this the sign of good writing, feeling such a level of frustration towards a character that you want to break them down to their bare components and see what makes them tick?
Jae-won seem just as bizarre, throwing himself one pity party after another. I’m honestly glad that the confrontation happened in the rooftop apartment and then he left, with the intent of not seeing her again, but then the closing of the last episode suggests that she found him. These two are really bad for each other, and I just want them to spend some time apart and resolve their problems in healthy ways.
The gang continues to be revealed in bite-size components too, from Rin-i’s (So Ju-yeon) reluctance to marry to Seon-young’s (Han Ji-eun) unsupportive father. This is the component of the show that feels the most planned out to me, but it’s still moving at a snail’s pace. I sound like a broken record, but I really do just want things to move faster.
One thing I haven’t really talked about yet is the visual style of the show. I like the little captions, and the interviewer suggesting a theme for each week. The show does feel much more character-driven because of the style, and it also isn’t afraid of unconventional framing if it means getting the mental or emotional state of the characters across, whether it’s getting on the ground with them when they feel low, or giving them their space when they feel alone or isolated. And I think that’s what keeps bringing me back. I want to know what tricks the director is going to pull out of his hat to guide us along the journey with the characters even when it’s difficult to empathise with them.
Colourful Granny 