Week in Review (Oct 31 – Nov 6, 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

Just Between Lovers (2017)

In anticipation of his newest series The Red Sleeve Cuff (which was pushed back a week to accommodate for baseball), I started a bit of a Lee Jun-ho binge. He’d caught my eye back when I watched Good Manager, and I was very curious about his other acting credits. Just Between Lovers kept showing up as the project to look out for in his repertoire, so that’s what I decided to begin with.

The plot of the show is very ripe for drama: a tragic accident at a mall leaves Kang-doo and Moon-soo (Won Jin-ah) as survivors where both lost family members. Kang-doo is left an orphan with a leg injury that prevents him from pursuing his dreams of becoming a football player, and is forced to work odd jobs to make ends meet and get his sister through school. Moon-soo lost her sister and her memories from the trauma, and her parents split up not long after, leaving her with her mother who drowns herself in drink rather than face her grief. 20 years later, the two meet again, on a construction project taking place at the site of the original accident, but only Kang-doo recognizes Moon-soo. The two are taken with each other, but both have scars that keep them from opening up to others.

While the story is very intense, the tone of the show is actually rather subdued. The colour palette mirrors the gloom of our pairs’ equally gloomy lives. The soundtrack is slow and thoughtful adding a fullness that lends hope to characters that desperately need it. And finally the cast deliver raw performances that make you empathize with their situations. I was blown away by Won, who has a quiet strength to the way she portrayed Moon-soo. The character is so weighed down by responsibilities, but she doesn’t feel like she has a right to speak up because she feels largely responsible for the situation their family is in.

Additionally, I also liked that the styling of both Won and Lee is very down-to-earth. There is an abundance of dramas that show people who live on the fringes of society but they always seem to have perfect hair, an inexplicably large wardrobe, and the latest phones for the sake of their sponsors. JBL doesn’t glamorize their lives in any way, showing characters with scruffy hair, reusing clothes, and in general living within their means.

While not perfect, the show is a strong contender for my Top 10 k-dramas. It wasn’t the easiest show to watch. but it was emotionally impactful and technically well-produced. The ending was a  little over-the-top and rushed, but it leaves you with a sense of happiness that these characters may finally get to live a better life than they have been allowed so far.

Succession (2018) – Season 3 Ep 1-2

The Roy family is back! And they’re just as dysfunctional as ever. I’ve only gotten to watch the first 2 episodes so far, but the season has gotten off to an incredible start and is just as good as I remember. The dialogue is whip-smart and the family dynamics are just as fun to watch.

The season premiere picks up where the last season left off, with Logan (Brian Cox) trying to do damage control after Kendall (Jeremy Strong) dropped a bomb in the middle of Waystar RoyCo. As everyone starts planning and choosing allegiances, the Roys deal with the shitshow that is slowly unfolding before them. As everyone try to throw their hat in the ring for the CEO position and vie for Logan’s favour, he plans strategy for how to protect himself and the company and uses all those around him to their maximum capacity.

The level of confidence that Kendall has is unparalleled, and I was shocked that he practically admitted to murder in the first episode with a smile on his face. However, we see that facade start to crack when faced with his siblings in the second episode. In a way that only siblings can, Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) get on his nerves with their snark and the final nail in the coffin was his ever-supportive brother Connor (Alan Ruck) not backing his cause.

The one relationship I wish I could see more of is that of Greg (Nicholas Braun) and Tom (Matthew Macfadyen). They are my favorite duo by far, but Greg has lost a lot of his credibility with the Roys, and will no doubt be shunned from here on out by them. He’s still clearly inept at navigating the family politics, but luckily he has his grandfather on his side, so he may survive this yet. Tom on the other hand has become Shiv’s eyes and ear to Logan, and has made himself very useful, even if he is still looked down on by the rest of the family.

I’m looking forward to see how things progress now that the Roy family has been divided into two factions and how loyalties will change as everyone starts looking out for themselves.