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

School 2013 (2012)

I’d been hearing about the School series, almost as much as I had heard about the Reply series in having a unique concept and a consistent style with a clear focus on what message it wants to convey.

The message in School 2013 seems to be that of the hardships of youth, how things that seem inconsequential to adults are world-shattering in the eyes of high-school kids. At times, the show takes itself so seriously that I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it was. But for the most part, there is a sincerity to the show that goes unmatched, in the way that it portrays that turbulent time in a teen’s life.

The strength of the show lies in its relationships. The boys getting into fights because it’s easier to use their fists than their words. The girls falling out over misunderstandings, but then finding their way back to one another. And of course, the teachers, trying to navigate the scary water of the school administration, looking for the right balance between discipling their students and defending them.

In that sense, Ms. Jung (Jang Na-ra) and Mr. Kang (Daniel Choi) form the two ends of the disciplinary spectrum, Ms. Jung being the idealist to Mr. Kang’s cynic. Over the course of the show, they both end up somewhere in the middle, each learning from the other and growing together until their approaches eventually overlap. However, every step they take toward each other in wrought with emotional turmoil. When Ms. Jung eventually has had enough, you really understand the monumental effort it must have taken to crack her facade. Similarly, when Mr. Kang shares his previous hardships, you feel a sense of invasion, like you aren’t supposed to see this stoic, aloof man break down.

The show also explores the wide range and styles of friendship that this microcosm of Class 2-2 encompasses. There’s the loyalty of the bully trio that gets tested, the carefree dynamic between the boys, the caring-yet-competitive nature of the overachieving girl trio and the sweet devotion of Young-woo. The show took its time exploring all the different shapes and sizes friends come in, and even if they might have their disagreements, eventually these kids find their back to each other, because it’s with each other that they flourish.

But there are two friendships that stood out to me over the course of the show. The first is that between Ha-kyung (Park Se-young) and Gang-joo (Ryu Hyo-young). The show starts off by show these two merely as girls that sit next to each other and occasionally share some notes, but by the end they are so fiercely protective of one another that heaven help anyone that try to come between them.

The second, and obviously the central relationship of the show, is that between Nam-soom (Lee Jong-suk) and Heung-soo (Kim Woo-bin). I like that the show teased out the mystery of how these two knew each other and it pays off by the end of the show to know their history, because you understand what these boys have gone through before being able to make their peace with one another and re-forge their friendship. I like that Lee and Kim took the effort to really embody their characters, and they really do manage to capture the beauty to be had in an intimate friendship.

While the tone of the show could be overly melodramatic at times, I think that in some ways it suits the universe it lives in, that of a high school, because to these kids, everything is life-or-death. That said, the actors performances were usually understated, having a matter-of-factness to them that makes them feel lived in. Like if I was to visit Seungri High, I would find the students and teachers going about their day, dealing with the ups and downs like always.

Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020) – Ep 12-14

What. Is. Happening! I’m not sure why, but the show has taken a sharp left into melodrama-land, and it doesn’t look ready to leave any time soon. DDSSLLS started off as such a light, funny and endearing show, so it upsets me to see it take such a sharp dip. The writer seems intent on throwing us one curveball after another.

Episode 12 ended with Joon (Lee Jae.wook) crashing Dr. Cha (Kim Joo-hun) and Ra-ra’s (Go Ara) wedding. Of course, we found out this week that the whole thing was just an elaborate set-up for Ha-young (Shin Eun-soo) and Seung-ki’s (Yoon Jong-bin) new business. Colour me unsurprised, because there’s was no way that those two would get married after their conversation last week. I did find the kids coaching them on how to pose for the photoshoot funny, though.

It’s also nice that we get to see these two kids find a passion and a career that doesn’t follow the conventional ‘graduate-from-high-school’, ‘graduate-from-college’, ‘get-a-job’ life path. Ha-young has had a rather lovely journey in the show so far, and it was heart-warming to see the TWD ajummas tell Sook-kyeong (Ye Ji-won) how much they wish they had daughters like her because of how fiercely she defends her mother.

The less appealing parts of the show this week were the flip-flopping in the Ra-ra/Joon relationship. The late-entry girlfriend seems like one more unnecessary obstacle in the what was already a mess of unnecessary obstacles. Quite frankly, at this point, I think Joon should just go to Stanford, and Ra-ra should ride off into the sunset with Mimi and Juju, as happy as when she first arrived in Eunpo.