What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

TV

Dream High (2011)

Dream High has been on my watchlist for ages, at my friend’s suggestion, but for some reason, I kept putting it off. Which was really odd, because it blends all of my favourite components into a single show. Music, check. High school setting, check. Drama, check. What finally pushed me into watching it is my newfound appreciation for Kim Soo-hyun, and wanting to see the project that started it all. And man! am I glad I did, because it has quickly become one of my favourite shows.

While the first episode doesn’t really give you much to go on, by the second episode the show hits the ground running, moving all the characters into the right places for the drama to truly begin. The characters still took a bit of time to find their footing, the most hilarious of which was turning Hye-mi’s character into the gifted-yet-emotionless brat to account for Bae Suzy’s (lack of) acting ability. The producers were really good about developing the show around their performers’ strengths, adapting as they found the things that resonated with their audience.

Although the story itself was usually quite typical, the way that it was executed felt fresh, even for something that I’m watching nearly a decade after it was first released. Song Sam-dong (Kim Soo-hyun) is the prime example of this, as the country boy who follows a pretty girl to the city, and ends up finding himself while he’s there. This was probably the most Dramatic part of the story, but it was also the most satisfying to watch him grow by overcoming the hardships life threw at him. Not to mention it was mesmerising to see Kim really get to stretch his acting muscles to their full potential. The other dynamic that I loved was the relationships between the teachers. Mr. Yang (Eom Ki-joon) was the perfect mentor, Mr. Kang (Park Jin Young) the hilarious trainer, and Ms Si’s (Lee Yoon-ji) tough love approach rounded out the group.

The musical elements of the show resonated with the emotions that the writers were trying to elicit, and the big group numbers were usually the ones that I enjoyed the most. But seeing the training montages and the amount of effort that the kids put into their performances were sometimes more inspiring than the songs themselves. Watching them stumble and then pick themselves back up is what showcases their strength more than any elaborate and highly curated performance might.

Dream High may have had its flaws, but it’s a solid piece of entertainment and it was well written and well developed. Park Jin Young’s vision was executed beautifully, and save a few pretentious moments and acting that left something to be desired from a lot of the younger stars, the show was very comfortable poking fun at itself and being heartfelt when the story called for it. It leaves a warm fuzzy feeling when you finish watching it, and I’m so glad that my friend recommended the show to me. Thanks, Norlisa!