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
Youth of May (2021)
Youth of May explores an era of Korean history that I’m unfamiliar with, The Gwangju Uprising of 1980. My love for historical dramas is no surprise, neither is my love for the acting chops of Lee Do-hyun and Lee Sang-yi. So of course I was going to watch this show. I was just a bit apprehensive about starting it knowing that the material would be heavy, and that I would be in for an emotional ride.
The show definitely maintains a strong focus on character development, and the setting of the show is really just that: a backdrop that provides conflict for our characters, but not something they ever directly involve themselves in. Our heroine, Kim Myung-hee (Go Min-si), could not be more run of the mill. She’s quite plain on first glance, dressed in muted colors and seemingly a pushover. But the more time we get to spend with her, the more we’re charmed by her boldness. It comes out in burst when she sees those in a weaker position mistreated by those in power. Lee Do-hyun’s Hwang Hee-tae in contrast is uninterested in the conflicts and protests going on around him, despite having had a hand in helping the people on the front-lines. We get the impression that he wants to blend into the wall. Their paths cross in a very cliché way, and if not for the setting, this show could easily have been a rom-com drama. A case of mistaken identity, love-at-first-sight, arranged marriage and love squares, it’s all there.
But what makes this show different is exactly that setting, and the raised stakes because of it. Hee-tae’s father (played by the incredible Oh Man-seok) is the absolute scum of the earth, bringing a real sense of danger for our four leads. Add to that the individual hurdles that Myung-hee and the Lee siblings have to tackle within their respective families, and we have rife territory to explore.
There’s nothing quite like opposing parents to bring a couple closer, and that’s exactly what happens with Myung-hee and Hee-tae. Go and Lee have worked together before, and that prior relationship definitely seems to influence their performance here. They seem comfortable with each other from the first encounter, and I was invested in their journey from the very beginning, despite knowing it may not end well for them. What I found particularly interesting, is that despite having Soo-chan and Soo-ryun (Keum Sae-rok) set up as potential romantic rivals for our leads, they never felt like actual threats to their relationship.
Despite all the blood and gore that the show portrayed there was one bright ray of sunshine in the show: the friendship between the little brothers, Jung-tae (Choi Seung-hoon) and Myung-soo (Jo Yi-hyun). These two boys were the embodiment of adorable, and despite their rocky start, they ultimately became inseparable.
While the show does end on a bittersweet note, it leaves a lasting effect and a message of hope. To not give up, to not forget the difficulties of the past, and to stand against injustices despite your fears. Youth of May wasn’t perfect by any means, and it definitely had its fair share of issues, but the final impression it leaves you with is a good one, of having been glad to be along for the journey with these characters.
Hospital Playlist 2 (2021) – Ep 3-4
The highlight of the past two weeks has definitely been the PICU moms. Eun-ji’s mother (Lee Eun-joo) in particular stole the show. I loved how she managed to show the duality of being supportive of the parents who got their miracles while also desperately hoping for one for her own child. To see her finally admit that it was difficult to keep going, and that she was on the verge of giving up on her child was heartbreaking. However, the moment when she finally got good news was equally joyous.
Being with the moms meant we also got to see more of their doctor. Jun-wan (Jung Kyoung-Ho) has been visibly struggling in his long-distance relationship and things finally came to a head this week. Ik-soon (Kwak Sun-young) was becoming more and more withdrawn from him, and even the medical staff around the hospital felt the need to comment on how haggard Jun-wan seems, throwing himself into his work. While I’ve never been particularly invested in their relationship, I do feel badly for him and how Ik-soon doesn’t seem to be very considerate of him. Ik-joon’s (Jo Jeong-seok) indirect talk with her about how his girlfriend isn’t being good to him seemed to have the opposite effect of what he intended, and she broke up with Jun-wan with what I suspect was a lie, rather than trying to be a better partner to him.
I was a bit disappointed at the lack of Seok-hyung (Kim Dae-myung) recently. It seems like the writers are setting him and Min-ha (Ahn Eun-jin) up as the next targets of Ik-joon’s matchmaking, but I really just want to see him interacting with his patients and medical team. That has been the one weak point of this season so far. I’m uninterested in any of the lovelines that the show is trying to push on us, despite the hammer-to-the-face approach they took with Lee Kyu-hyung’s cameo. Rather than wondering whether Song-hwa (Jeon Mi-do) will end up with Ik-joon or if Jeong-won’s (Yoo Yeon-seok) relationship will be exposed, I’d like the show to be more about the friendships and the hospital.
Colourful Granny 