Beanie level: Wrongly accused fugitive

Thanks K-drama clubhouse for this reference

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In HUSH at the funeral, when streams of young people turn up to pay their respects, we see first- hand the current generation who have little to hope for in spite of their dreams and hard work. Then at the end of the last episode, the walls of the newspaper building are covered with post-it notes expressing lack of respect for the newspapers. Both instances gesture at a shared experience of disillusionment in the institutions that should empower the future generations and serve the people. This isn’t only about individuals who work to expose the truth and the abuse of power by the privileged, it’s also about people power, the power of the masses. It reminds us that ultimately institutions are legitimised by the consent of the people.
Fly Dragon/Delayed Justice is also about the powerless who have been betrayed by the institutions whose work it is to ensure justice but are in reality at the service of the rich and powerful. The police, the prosecutors, and the judges have let the little people down. A few altruistic naïve individuals are left to do battle in David and Goliath contests against the machinery of the justice institutions. Separation of the powers is a problem. As in HUSH, the media is also implicated in this self-serving social landscape. In this drama, the prison is full of people who as children and adolescents were without any protection or privilege.
In Awaken, it’s more complicated and more lurid. Orphaned children are being used in chemical experiments in an ongoing search for longevity. The most successful child of these experiments, who has already arrived at the solution to the search, is on his own quest for revenge in order to redress the cruelty and injustice being perpetrated by powerful people who discard the bodies of their failed experiments without any remorse. Police and politicians once again offer support to the powerful and are blatantly unaware of the victims. The media’s role in all of this is sensationalist and self-serving.
In all three, the villains are convincingly and unqualifiedly villainous. Where would the tension in the drama be without them? They are greedy and unconscionable. In HUSH, there may be some room for remorse. In Fly Dragon, the bad guys are unequivocally scheming and evil, especially the mayor. In Awaken, they are monsters, although a father will have to answer to his daughter. The wronged grown-up children who are all pulling in different directions to each other are represented, initially at least, as ambivalent. The victims are also unqualifiedly victimised. The woman who was never going to get a job because she went to the wrong University; the reporter and lawyer without the SKY qualifications, the young men who were disabled, the old women, the poor people on the hill who cannot afford to buy fruit, the “criminals” in the prison system, the orphaned children. These are people with no punch. They evoke compassion and the injustices they suffer provoke automatic outrage.
Having said this, it all sounds very melodramatic and inevitable. And yet it makes real statements about a world in which striving seems pointless. Echoes of Parasite. The hope is in warmth and truth of the relationships, in the flawed heroes, who in spite of every setback, including their own shortcomings, their own vanity and self-delusion, as well as their vulnerability to bribery and power, win against all odds.









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    This is written so well. I’m glad I didn’t any of these shows, your depiction tells me they mimick reality very closely. However, this is also an issue because eventually most kdramas get a happy ending but many people in real life just have to move on with no chance for justice. Also it makes me sick to the stomach how institutions are no longer protecting people in many countries (mine included), because they no longer care about what their job requirements are, but care more about serving the people and ideas that will make them more

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      Thank you. I haven’t finished them yet, so I’m not sure how easily they’ll be resolved. Will they give us unrealistic closure or something more constructive or just leave us hanging? Or will they leave us with the warmth and support that comes from people who care about each other in the face of injustice and hardship? One thing that always surprises me with k-dramas – they are always more complicated and creative than I expect.

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    Thanks so much for sharing this.
    I’m only watching Awaken, but it gave the vibes you are describing so well. The helplessness of those who would always be left aside by the system.

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    Thank you for sharing such a detailed note! I really wanted to like HUSH, but I couldn’t stick with it beyond three episodes. Despite all the melodrama, I agree that there’s definitely a tinge of realism in the stories underlying the dramatizations themselves. And while we watch to be entertained, subconsciously we also imbibe the truths that are around us, and hopefully emerge more aware of where the gaps lie, and try, in our own ways, to restore balance.

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      I’ve stuck with it because I admire Hwang Jung-min so much and have loved him in everything I’ve seen. There have been moments in HUSH that have made me think that it’s doing something really profound on the situation that young people find themselves in in Hell Joseon. It’s intergenerational too. The older reporters have lost their ideals but are having to account for themselves in the face of the younger generation. I’m still interested to see where it goes.

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        Oh that’s good to know. I haven’t watched either of the actors before. Somehow I felt it lacked the punch I thought a newsroom drama ought to have. I’ll wait for your final review, if you put one out, before maybe trying to pick it up again

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#2020roundup: Day 16: Best quote/one liner (see below)

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    “Turn to dust” (TONT)
    “We can kill him in both timelines” (Kairos)
    “I tried everything. I listened to ballad songs, binge watched dramas, and tried eating spicy food. Maybe I should change my hair colour?”
    (with apologies to the actual Korean script)

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      I’m feeling like I should add, “Turn to dust” to my own cursing repertoire now….

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      Turn to earth was also translated and it was great!!!

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      “We can kill him in both timelines” is a good quote.

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      Which drama is the last one from?

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        Tale of the Nine Tails, it’s Rang talking about trying to get over losing Yeon. It’s poignant, but it summed up what we’ve all been trying to do to get through the year. It was a LOL moment of recognition for me.

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#2020roundup: Day 15: Secondary characters I will never forget
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The Freedom Fighters of Nokdu Flower. The beginnings of the righteous army.

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    Am watching this now, the song is so good! The whole OST is amazing, love the mix of modern sound with a historical setting💚💚💚

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    The best

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Hush, episode 2 😱😱😱😱😱 I\’m seriously traumatised. I did not see that coming.

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    During episode 1, I was like “I don’t remember Kyung Soo-jin being promoted as a cast”. Now we know why, and why she kept saying this was her last chance ㅠㅠㅠㅠ. I’m really looking forward to how Hwang Jung-min will portray his character arc.

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    I was so happy to actually get 2 female characters being somewhat rivals but also bestfriend and that just had to happen…….. And can’t imagine how would both HJM’s and Yoona’s character felt….

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Just watched the first episode of Hush. Hwang Jung-min is to die for. His range of emotions in just this. I\’m already hooked. Why is he so good?

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And a special mention to a very young and beautiful Ju Ji-hoon in Mask (2015)
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Finale #2020roundup: Day 12: Oldie I loved the most out of them all, When the Devil Calls your Name. Jung Kyung-ho and Park Sung-woong were on fire and the music was to die for.
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Part 2 of Day 12: Oldies I loved (had to add Gwi in)
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#2020roundup: Day 12: Oldie I loved. I watched 16 oldies, including my Lee Joon-gi retrospective, and the following get an honourable mention. Part 1
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#2020roundup Day 11: Lee Sun-kyun – his fabulous voice, the roles he plays, the colour palette of his characters, his humanity in all its complexity.












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Day 10: Drama Beanies convinced me to watch and I can’t be grateful enough. Suspenseful. Intriguing. A demanding viewing experience.



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Day 9: Drama I watched just because, and ended up loving. Torn between The Good Detective and Graceful Friends.






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    Big TGD fan here. One of my favorites of 2020.
    The way the drama concluded there easily can be a THE GOOD DETECTIVE 2. That would be nice.

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      I would gladly watch a S2.
      The police team was fantastic. I loved every single thing about it.

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Day 8: OTP you didn’t think you’ll adore (although I had an inkling)
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Day 7: OST I’m obsessed with. I’ve posted it before and I’m cheating because it’s not from this year.

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Day 6: Drama I know I\’ll rewatch… Only two (and nothing this year): My Ajussi and Secret Affair.

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31 days, 22:32, 30 days apart…

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Yeongshil, it’s so good to see you. You’ve grown up well. (One of the best and most poignant touches in the final episode.)
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    The best!

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    Just give us a spin-off with Mr. Dimples, Jin-goo, and Yeong-shil already! It can’t be any worse than the drama it’s being spun-off (🙄🙄🙄).

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      I loved Start-up, but to get more Good Boy (because he will always be good boy for me from now on), I’m watching Strongest Deliveryman. Jin-goo/Yeong-shil/orphan start-up boy is too precious for words. I’d love to see them in character in something else.

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    Hours before the episode there were rumors of having an IU cameo and I was looking forward to it thinking she might be some hopeful love line for our beloved JP but when it was actually Yeong Shil that showed up….. man, I’m down with how his cameo gave homage to JP’s own internal struggle in the show. Nevermind a love line, Yeong Shil came to life and I’m okay with that.

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      i loved Yeong Shil from the beginning. He made me laugh. But what a great twist, and you are so right. It gave homage to JP’s own internal struggle. I had not appreciated that. Yeong-Shil now means so many different things.

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      I like that episode 16 finally cleaned up the connection between his roots and his career as venture capitalist. I didn’t see it clearly until the end, but it makes sense to view a VC as a person who rears children (in this case, baby companies and their green founders) who need guidance.

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        Perfect. How insightful of you.

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        This why this drama has been so good. Details that are followed through and layers of significance.

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          Through YeongShil’s personification in the finale, JP gets to be the ‘halmeoni’ for every other orphan who ends up like him after the orphanage and be their ‘Sandbox’ in life. And I can honestly accept that ending for JP and I can only wish he becomes less lonely with his newfound purpose as he lives on in kdramaland.

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To remember last episode of 9Tails

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    My sweet distracting psycho fox 😭

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      He had all the good COVID-19 pertinent lines. I was delighted to see him in his new incarnation. It was a touching moment.

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