18 Again is giving me faith in humanities again. I suspect that this director and these writers have a deep understanding of how human relationships work, and infinite empathy towards both parents and children, no matter how old or yound they are. Best of all, they know how to convey all of this on screen. Before you read this – just know that this show still has hilarious, laugh-out-loud moments in every episode. I looked like a lunatic to my husband, laughing then crying just the next second. This show is that good.
[FROM HERE ON IS SPOILER! Read at your own risk…or watch the show first then come back and gush with me!]
Crying moment 1: when Da-jung found out that Dae-young tried again to achieve his dream, but had to give up again once he found out he needed to work more to help cure his child’s sickness. I had an “aha” moment when I saw Dae-young trying to get back into basketball again. For someone as passionate about the sport as he was, it made so much sense that he didn’t give up, even if he had to wait 10 years to set aside some time to try again. Basketball was not just his passion, but his point of pride, “the only thing he’s good at” as he was often told by people. To give up this potential career, he’s giving up his dream, his pride, his identity. This is not to say his life would have been perfect if he got to play basketball, but it broke my heart- and probably Da-jung’s as well, how life itself put him in a situation where he couldn’t even afford to at least try it out. It’s an all too common story of people we know who had to give up on their dreams because of unfair disadvantages in life (most often money), and it’s even more heartbreaking because of how relateable it is. This part of the episode also illustrated why their marriage fell apart, even though Da-jung and Dae-young were a loving and supportive couple. Life wore him down, and he bottled it up, not communicating, drowning himself in drinks. Again, it’s so realistic, and so heartbreaking.
Crying moment 2: this is the moment that everyone is talking about. I feel like saying anything about it will take away its magic. Let’s just say, Lee Do Hyun is an acting revelation, and these episodes were an ode to dads around the world. I cried when I saw how happy he was when Siwoo (his son) was hugging him out of joy, and him remembering the last time Siwoo did that (when he was a kid). And then I cried again when he got to hug his own dad, and said what he needed-wanted to say. My own dad had passed away a while ago, and our relationship was both complicated and distant, but somehow this episode made me understand and empathize with him more. If that’s not the power of fiction, I don’t know what is.
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dokutokunaneko
October 14, 2020 at 9:25 PM
18 Again is giving me faith in humanities again. I suspect that this director and these writers have a deep understanding of how human relationships work, and infinite empathy towards both parents and children, no matter how old or yound they are. Best of all, they know how to convey all of this on screen. Before you read this – just know that this show still has hilarious, laugh-out-loud moments in every episode. I looked like a lunatic to my husband, laughing then crying just the next second. This show is that good.
[FROM HERE ON IS SPOILER! Read at your own risk…or watch the show first then come back and gush with me!]
Crying moment 1: when Da-jung found out that Dae-young tried again to achieve his dream, but had to give up again once he found out he needed to work more to help cure his child’s sickness. I had an “aha” moment when I saw Dae-young trying to get back into basketball again. For someone as passionate about the sport as he was, it made so much sense that he didn’t give up, even if he had to wait 10 years to set aside some time to try again. Basketball was not just his passion, but his point of pride, “the only thing he’s good at” as he was often told by people. To give up this potential career, he’s giving up his dream, his pride, his identity. This is not to say his life would have been perfect if he got to play basketball, but it broke my heart- and probably Da-jung’s as well, how life itself put him in a situation where he couldn’t even afford to at least try it out. It’s an all too common story of people we know who had to give up on their dreams because of unfair disadvantages in life (most often money), and it’s even more heartbreaking because of how relateable it is. This part of the episode also illustrated why their marriage fell apart, even though Da-jung and Dae-young were a loving and supportive couple. Life wore him down, and he bottled it up, not communicating, drowning himself in drinks. Again, it’s so realistic, and so heartbreaking.
Crying moment 2: this is the moment that everyone is talking about. I feel like saying anything about it will take away its magic. Let’s just say, Lee Do Hyun is an acting revelation, and these episodes were an ode to dads around the world. I cried when I saw how happy he was when Siwoo (his son) was hugging him out of joy, and him remembering the last time Siwoo did that (when he was a kid). And then I cried again when he got to hug his own dad, and said what he needed-wanted to say. My own dad had passed away a while ago, and our relationship was both complicated and distant, but somehow this episode made me understand and empathize with him more. If that’s not the power of fiction, I don’t know what is.