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

TV

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) – Ep 6-13

Wow, did this show take a turn. While it is still maintaining the same gritty dark look, I’ve definitely started noticing the more beautiful aspects of this show. After having watched Director Park’s Encounter, I can understand where that style comes from, allowing his actors to settle into the scene and play out the arcs set to them. While it was a little bit tedious in Encounter at times – due to that show’s hyper-realistic style and slice-of-life storytelling – it works well here. Writer Jo has a much richer story to tell with her characters, and Kim Soo-hyun, Seo Yea-ji and Oh Jung-se are so dynamic in the way they embody their characters.

In terms of the story, it seems to have developed in an organic and realistic manner. All through the show, there has been a significant push for each character to grow and evolve, not because the story required it, but because it felt right for those characters’ journey. I’m still intrigued by how Nurse Park is Ko Moon-yeong’s mother and how she survived her supposed murder. Her plan has clearly been years in the making, and I hope the payoff of finding out what she’s up to lives up to my expectations. But more importantly, it’s dropped a massive bomb in out trio’s midst and I’m sure it’s going to send shock waves through the whole gang, including the publisher and the hospital crew.

Speaking of the extended crew, I’ve really enjoyed watching Sang-in (Kim Joo-hyun) navigate his way around Joo-ri (Park Gyu-young) and her slowly growing accustomed to his antics. And learning about the other patients at OK Psychiatric Hospital has been an eye-opening experience. Sun-hae’s story really got to me, and I was so glad that she was able to stand up to her father, something she had never felt safe enough to do before.

I’m looking forward to seeing what these last few episodes have in stock. They still have some hurdles to overcome, and I’m hoping it doesn’t sucker punch our leads too hard. Here’s hoping that things get resolved soon, so that they can ride off into the sunset together in their camping car.

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

TV

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) – Ep 1-5

I’m really liking the dark look of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. But at the same time it’s so beautiful. The directing and the styling of this show is blowing me away, and it is only being enhanced by the incredible performances by the three lead actors. 

The Moon brothers relationship is so co-dependent, and Ko Moon-yeong is the perfect wrench to throw into their carefully curated lives. She mixes things up just by being around them, and when she actively pursues Gang-tae, it forces him to think about what he wants out of life too, outside of his job or caring for his brother.

I’m looking forward to seeing where the drama goes now that Moon-yeong has lured Sang-tae into her web (not that it took much to convince him). I hope they keep up the pace of the show, and that the characters continue on the trajectory Writer Jo Yong has set up so far.