Week in Review (Feb 14 – 20, 2021)

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

The Secret Life of My Secretary (2019)

The Secret Life of My Secretary gets off to an explosive start, throwing us into the middle of the action and introducing all the key players. Jung Gal-hui (Jin Ki-joo) is a typical dramaland secretary: subservient and selfless in a way that is almost harmful. Her boss, Do Min-ik (Kim Young-kwang), is similarly typical being overbearing and ruthlessly calculating in the workplace. Each is a product of their circumstances, as Gal-hui can’t afford to lose her job being the breadwinner of her family, and Min-ik can’t trust those around him.

When an attack on his life causes Min-ik to lose his ability to recognise anyone except Gal-hui, he comes to rely on her to navigate the shark-infested waters of the office. Except that it isn’t quite so cut and dried. A case of mistaken identity has Min-ik believing that Gal-hui is the woman that he’s been set up with, while the actual woman, Veronica Park (Kim Jae-kyung) gets closer to Min-ik’s childhood friend Gi Dae-joo (Koo Ja-sung). What ensues is a very twisted set of hijinks where Gal-hui digs herself deeper into the mess she’s created, Min-ik falls for the fake version of her, and the company is in more jeopardy than ever as a result.

The murder plot and office politics was a little too two-dimensional for my liking, and the resolution of Min-ik’s condition left something to be desired. But I also like that the show took time to show the fallout from Gal-hui’s deception. While the show had a predictable outcome, the ride was fun and the characters fresh.

While the show isn’t groundbreaking in any way (and had several inconsistencies in the writing), Min-ik and and Gal-hui do have more heart and nuance to their characters than others I’ve seen before. Kim really delivers in his role, adding layers to his character in a way that feels subtle yet powerful. I loved watching his interactions with his doctor, where he allows the childhood relationship to show through by behaving more immaturely, or the laidback attitude he has with Dae-joo, making me believe these two have known each other forever. It’s these little things that make the character feel lived in as much as the bigger arcs of the writing do.

Jin similarly embraces the physicality of her character, lending just enough shyness or confidence as needed in the moment, and allowing us to follow her train of thought even as she makes one poor decision after another. It’s easy to believe that she might have gotten carried away when you see the joy she gets just from small acts of acceptance and recognition from her boss, something she wasn’t granted as merely his secretary.

Ultimately, that’s what the show is really about, receiving acknowledgement from your loved ones. Whether it was Dae-joo and Min-ik finally finding equal footing in their friendship, or Min-ik and Gal-hui realising the errors in their handling of each other’s hearts and making amends, the message I took away was that you shouldn’t define your worth on the basis of someone else’s opinion of you, but accepting the warmth they give you can be one of strongest driving forces to help propel you forward.

Mr. Queen (2020) – Ep 17-20

While not the most satisfactory of conclusions, I am glad to have watched to the end of this show. I think my main disappointment is that the show ended in a way that was different from what I wanted, but there were plenty of things to love about Mr. Queen too.

The first of these is of course, Shin Hye-sun. I can not sing enough praises in her favour, since she delivered an amazing performance on all fronts, bringing humour to the character that could have been slapstick if handled poorly, but in her hands felt like a finely honed craft. The duality of Bong-hwan and So-yong was brilliantly balanced, to the point where I forgot where Choi Jin-hyuk ended and Shin began.

Kim Jung-hyun was also amazing, although there were definitely moments where it felt a bit overacted. While this can be attributed to the eccentricities of the character rather than the actor, it did take me out of the show at times. However, his scenes with Shin were some of the best, each feeling charged in a way that always left me wanting more, whether it was the humour, the romance or the drama.

The three characters that I had hopes for that never quite reached their potential were Byeong-in (Na In-woo), Hwa-jin (Seol In-a) and Yeongpyeong (Yoo Min-gyu). Sadly, none were ever more than caricatures, and each ended their story not with a bang but a whimper. I never fully bought into Byeong-in’s devotion to So-yong and his alternating from one side to another felt disingenuous, and both Hwa-jin and Yeongpyeong motivations seemed weak.

What I did enjoy was the ensemble cast. So-yong’s court ladies and the kitchen crew were a constant source of delight, and the veteran members of the cast delivered strong consistent performances. The politics of the court were also interesting, drawing me in and leaving me with a sense of anticipation.

As I mentioned in my previous review, I had been hoping that Bong-hwan’s identity crisis being trapped in So-yong’s body and the handling of the body-swapping were done in a respectful manner. However, it was never really adressed. The conclusion of the arc was a little too easy, with So-yong’s mind/soul being restored, Cheoljong continuing to cherish her despite her being a different person to the one he fell in love with, and Bong-hwan returning to a conveniently altered present day.

Overall, I can say I enjoyed Mr. Queen despite my complaints of it. It had an extremely satisfying run, and I thoroughly appreciated the performances and the writing on the show. I’m a sucker for historical fiction with modern twists and this one delivered on so many levels. I’m looking forward to seeing what Writer Park Kye-ok will deliver next.