Miserable lives. Amazing people.

Hwangkidong

I was fooled by the poster of this series with the goofy-looking characters having a good time, thinking it is a feel-good comedy. How wrong I was. Without giving away the storyline, the male and female leads are ordinary people who live their miserable lives one day after another. What is not ordinary is their humanity as they cross paths with each other, the decisions they make and the actions they take that impact the other, for better or for worse.

The tone of the show is dark and at the same time we are intermittently sprinkled with rays of hope and joy till the very end. How much can you love another person, be that person your brother, son, spouse, childhood friend or... someone who was a perfect stranger until recently? How strong is your love or friendship without asking anything in return? Characters we would uncharitably reject as losers at first gradually but unequivocally become endearing to us as their life stories unfold. We feel their pain deeply. We want them to prevail and have a happier life. At the same time we understand how difficult it must be for them to break free from their past or simply from the constraints that society or the characters impose upon themselves. Despite their character flaws and their burden, none of our beloved characters demand our pity. Instead they want us to see them for who they are, to recognize their integrity and be proud of the love and friendship that binds them to each other in their neighborhood community.

And what a fabulous ending that is totally in character, even if I usually dislike ambiguous endings and I do long for more between our hero and heroine. It's several days after I finished the show and yet I still wonder how they relationship will develop in their next meeting...

If you rate a show based on your enjoyment after it ended and the lingering questions and thoughts it continues to provoke in you, this will have a perfect 10/10. In that respect, this is the best character-driven kdrama I have seen so far. As a matter of fact, it is among the very best shows I have seen, simply. Kudos to the directer, writer and fabulous actors.

score 10/10

Hwangkidong 20 May 2020

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5755245/