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Phew ! I have just been whacked over the head with an emotional sledgehammer. Not once but twice !
And in terms of quality, think "Breaking Bad" followed by "The Sopranos".
Oh, the tears. So many tears, yet I love them. Think "Tears Of Joy".
Specifics ? Of course ! Having recently finished watching "30 But 17" and swooning over its brilliance, I decided to then watch "While You Were Sleeping" and entered the realm of ECSTASY once again.
Déjà vu rears its beautiful head as the same factors appear : great script, top acting and superb directing/visuals, plus the crying. I feel like a wrung-out dish rag !
The WYWS concept of people dreaming events and trying to change them in real life isn't original, yet the "Back To The Future" movies showed the value in putting a distinctive spin on a familiar idea.
Set in a Prosecutor's office where our hero works, the script deftly juggles the cases they tackle with the dream sharing between the 3 leads : hero, a former reporter and a cop. A romance, of course, is an important plot thread and I have to say the crime angle kept me rivetted, and I usually avoid shows in that category. There are twin tragedies which launch the story and also provide plenty of tears for the cast and me, and the general blending of these various plot strands is done really well. It all builds to a really satisfying climax so the writers should take a very long bow. And they also tackle domestic violence, so bravo for that too.
I really do need to single out Lee Jong Suk as the standout performer here and the pivot around which everything revolves. I've only seen him in W before this and thought him too passive. Yes, a pretty face but too reserved, so the intensity and the versatility here just blew me away. The serious stuff is handled with assurance, and he's also hilarious and playful in various comic scenes too. Even the final confrontation with his former mentor is enhanced by a tone of almost analytical restraint.
The Prosecutor's Office he works in is home to some other interesting characters, all nicely played. Kim Won Hae as the older investigator in LJS's office seems to be in every second K Drama and is in fine form. He has that interesting, lived-in face and the role escalates in importance towards the end. Jung Hae In is good as the dreamer cop, Min Sung Wook is terrific as an excitable prosecutor, Go Sung Hee is great as his ambitious colleague ( & has a brilliant comic scene when the reporter is embedded with her at work ), Bae Hae Sun as an older prosecutor makes a unique impression ( & has an interesting back-story ), Park Jin Joo is an adorable little bundle of charisma as a secretary ( & steals most of the scenes she's in ) and Lee Sang Yeob is effectively slimy as the smirking defence lawyer you really want to punch in the face every time he slithers onto the screen.
Ah, but what of Suzy, the actress playing the female lead ? Well, she's very interesting. Formerly a K Popper ( check out her group Miss A on Youtube ), her pairing with LJS constitutes arguably the most beautiful lead couple in K Drama ( and the chem is good ). Suzy is definitely gorgeous, and the big eyes plus cute little overbite make her stand out from the crowd. I'm not saying she's in the "Goddess" category inhabited by Secretary Kim's Park Min Young, but she's close. Oh, and the acting ? Yes, she has talent and that crucial X factor. She manages the dramatic scenes well and ditto the lighter side, though I suspect she is naturally understated in real life. I can't recall a full-on laugh, for example, though perhaps the director decided that her character shouldn't be too jolly.
And speaking of directors, this is a perfectly paced series and obviously a great script helps too. Similar to 30 But 17, which also manages the tricky feat of combining the comic and the dramatic in the same episode. Special mention also to the DP, as the high-contrast lighting in some scenes is a treat for the eye. The editing is top notch too, with many shot transitions quite beautiful.
The perfect K Drama ? Hmm, well, despite the effective finale for the awful defence guy ( with both LJS and the director wisely opting for low-key ), it would've been fun to have LJS fantasising about punching his enemy repeatedly in the face, then doing a wrestling-style tag with Suzy; he then rests a bit while she take over & slaps him five or ten times ( & maybe jazz the fantasy up visually with some slo-mo, dutch angles and ECU's ). I'd also like the Slime to have more of a back story. We do get a little bit of guilt, but what about having him love beautiful/expensive things which his fees for defending monsters pay for ? And all because he grew up in a poor family so now he's obsessed with money ?
True, these are very minor quibbles which do not detract from an extremely formidable achievement. As with the best of any genre, there's a special joy which is created when you watch a high quality work of art; so in amongst the plentiful tears, there are many smiles too. Do try it !
score 10/10
lyntonadam 5 May 2019
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw4828206/ |
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25-10-2020 15:33:07