My Week in Dramas 15 January 2024

On paper Gyeongseong Creature should be a surefire hit. Based on the premise alone it has all the elements of a classic monster story with the added advantage of being underpinned by historical heft. Furthermore at its core is a story worth telling to the world. Of course it could potentially open old wounds but facts are facts. Korea was occupied by the imperial Japanese army prior to and during the second world war. To add insult to injury, they not only oppressed the locals but also conducted experiments on them. While that was all happening, there was a fledgling independence movement waiting in the wings to have their day. All perfectly placed ingredients for a truly memorable horror show that tug at the heartstrings. Afterall, South Koreans have developed a reputation of making memorable monster shows.

Sadly this isn’t one of those. In more confident hands it might have been. Unfortunately the show never really hits the heights of what could be achieved with the subject matter. Clearly it begins with the unpolished script. But the buck surely has to stop with the direction. The minds in charge of this, it seems to me, don’t quite know how to integrate the monster story and the human stories in ways to create a convincing narrative about people overcoming impossible odds in light of insurmountable obstacles. While it isn’t the first to do so, the drama cheats with hand waving and glaring plot armour that devolves into silliness.

Clearly the entire plot and its characters are completely beholden to the messaging in artificial ways. There’s a monster on the loose. The monster has retractable tentacles and stabs indiscriminately at its targets. It is no respecter of persons except those with designated plot armour. It leaves behind a bloody trail wherever it goes and yet the Japanese who have control over the facility have their priorities entirely disordered. This has the effect of diminishing the threat posed by the creature and the human invaders which defeats the purpose of the message — that humans are more insidious than monsters. When the Japanese soldiers capture Tae-sang and Chae-ok after an encounter with the creature, the leads are taken to separate locations to be “interrogated”. One of the high ranking officers tries to negotiate a deal with Tae-sang. The other takes Chae-ok to a large holding cell until he takes her out of it for questioning. He questions her and she responds in Korean. He repeatedly insists that she speak Japanese. She adamantly refuses to. He beats her up. Then he starts unbuttoning her top in menacing fashion. But why? What’s the point? Isn’t there a dangerous creature running around that demands their undivided attention? Obviously the writer is trying to make the not too subtle point that the Japanese invaders are complete scum on the level of a mindless monster. But why here? Why now? Who cares? We’re all going to die anyway right? Everyone seems to have conveniently forgotten that there’s a monster at large that could attack without warning. Except that it happily chooses not to when people are having extended conversations and making backroom deals. Apart from diminishing the threat, it undercuts any sense of urgency. So the enemy as depicted here are not just scum but idiots as well.

The way these conversations take place is a problem because they also go to characterization. But there’s not a lot of that going on in that department either. Tae-sang probably has the lion share of something resembling “development” because he’s supposed to be some kind of antihero that has a strong will to live because of his promise to Mother. For some reason the show has to have a romance to make him see the error of his ways, so he is immediately attracted to Chae-ok. Fine. He’s not the first man to be smitten on first sight but she, on the other hand, is quick to pass judgment about him. Until he’s doing heroic things because of her. Hooray. She’s his moral centre now and gives a selfish man a reason to keep fighting and save lives. It’s instant development using romance and it falls flat like soggy ramyeon.

Generally speaking I think the general approach taken is wrongheaded. Especially when everything of any importance is revealed by the 5th episode. Why reveal everything so early on? The creature. It’s origin story. What the Japanese were really up to. To focus more on the relationships later? It feels like a case of putting the cart before the horse.

I don’t think too few episodes is the problem here — the order in which events take place is. It is a problem with “plot” or plotting. The sequence of events just don’t line up well so the characters come across as cartoony or caricatures. At best they’re one note.

It’s not a show that I would designate as a “must watch”. There’s no wow factor here to warrant that. It probably helps if you’re a fan of the leads, which I’m not. Still they shouldn’t be blamed for the end product as the missteps occur at a far more rudimentary level. In fact there are a number of well-known faces here that are wasted here. In fact I see this show largely as a pile of wasted opportunities because the storytelling seldom rises above mediocrity.

The more of Welcome to Samdal-ri I see, the more I like. It’s a pleasant surprise that there’s still fluff that I can enjoy. I particularly appreciate the character work in this. For me the writer's approach to characterization is what puts this a cut above the rest. I haven't really liked any seachange dramas since Racket Boys but this one seems to have found that feeling of genuine community that should be at the heart of this kind of story. Conflict and struggle that comes from the fact that people care about loved ones is not easy to do but the writer does it well.

Episodes 11 and 12 are particularly helpful in providing a window into the world of those who don’t see themselves as antagonists or obstacle even if the audience does. They have constructed powerful emotional narratives around themselves which prevent them from looking at the world beyond. The label “antagonists” can be properly applied due to the fact that they are roadblocks to the happiness of the leads.

Even though I think Sang-do is wasting his time especially after what he personally witnessed, it is telling that he doesn't see himself as a "second male lead" or a consolation prize but as someone given a second chance and he shouldn't let it go. He is a man driven by regrets about missed opportunities and believes that he missed out because of his own choices rather than the fact that he's not fated to be with Sam-dal. Why? Because he's always liked her and he's never liked anyone else. He's been steadfast. His feelings is the criteria here not the objective fact that both Sam-dal and Yong-pil love each other and he's the outsider. As far as he's concerned, he is the hero of his own story. Yong-pil is the obstacle. Despite the set-up of the fated love trope kick starting everything, the characters still see themselves as active moral agents. Yong-pil's dad certainly doesn't see himself as a villain of the story. As far as he's concerned, he's just a man who doesn't want to lose his son to the enemy. Fate doesn't matter to him because his grief sees him as a victim of circumstance giving him the right to demand that Sam-dal break up with Yong-pil. He is the tragic hero in his own story cutting his losses trying to hold on to what’s his.

The villain who gets the ball rolling, Bang Eun-ju, is essentially an imposter and a fraud. Unfortunately for the world, she doesn’t see herself that way. It’s more than just a lack of humility. She has no objective measurement to objectively evaluate her competence. When a person buys into the victim mindset hook, line and sinker the default position is to avoid responsibility and play the blame game. She paints herself the hero of her own story slaying the dragon of oppression by someone who can’t appreciate her talents. Perhaps as a child she was told she could do no wrong. Maybe she was told she could do anything she wanted and other people was the barrier to entry. That entitled demeanour is certain to have come from somewhere.

People being hung up on the past is a thread of this show. A lot of it stems from a tragedy but the tragedy itself can’t be blamed for how they respond. If indeed human beings are free moral agents and not entirely at the mercy of larger forces then to the degree to which they are capable, they are responsible for how they construct the vision of their lives. That was also the case with Death’s Game which really isn’t about death but about weighing up one’s life and finding the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives. At a time when the world is in a constant state of flux and there’s turmoil, it is easy to get bogged down (and depressed) by the insanity all around. People need a reason to live. To persevere despite the bleak outlook.

Why do we tell stories? It’s a big question and a subject worthy of many posts. But when I consider a show like Love Me, Love Myself, I pose the question as a conundrum. Even when I like the leads, their presence in a show like this can’t elevate the material for me. On the surface the show claims to be the story of two voice actors who fall in love. On closer examination there’s barely any semblance of a story. There are moments clearly of two people doing things they like and spending time together but is there a story? There’s virtually no character development. The leads are more or less perfect. The male lead played by Tan Jianci is good at everything. Are the leads even characters? The leads have no struggles. On top of that the romance peaks far too early. Where’s the conflict? Where’s the normal pushback that comes when two people pair up? Differences of opinons? So why am I watching this again? For the music? For the inside scoop on voice dubbers?

After 10 episodes, I don’t think I can do this anymore. It’s expensive fan fiction. And not even the kind I like reading. When Peter Parker is juggling life as a student, a freelance photographer and a crime fighter, it messes with his work life and his love life. But the inhuman Mo Qingcheng with no superpower hardly breaks a sweat.

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