hit me with that good good

here's my shitty review; the background is pretty important

- it is film-like which makes sense and it makes  the show elevated
- the goal is not the answers to questions although i desperately want a s2

1. the interpersonal relationships
2. dealing with life; living it out; nothing is set in stone
3. taking responsibility of life, knowing that we are not alone on this earth and we must take care of each other; this is key
4. power of the oppressed
5. slamming repeatedly against the status quo

- queer cinema/tv for sure not even from a literal standpoint (but also yes) but from the vast possibilities this has given us
- sociopolitically charged in the best funnest way
- it's weird and metophorical. no seriously it is weird. like very weird. you have been warned.

i can't say any art is perfect but this is what i strive to do and be and it is one of the best and original dramas and pieces of art from this year. 

some background: 

 by an amazing south korean female filmmaker who has explored gender, sexuality, patriarchy, wealth. her husband is an irish labor professor, she worked and was park chan wook's protege, she's definitely a s*cialist (PCW is and BJH.) before she got this project she was thinking of quitting because her confidence had been whittled down and being a female filmmaker who isn't mainstream, especially in SK, is hard.  the freedom that netflix gave her is the only reason she did it and she found her love again. the original author of this series shows dedication and care to the women and adolescents in the show and to their differences and they co-wrote the script for the show. 

another one of my shitty reviews on it

it's not perfect but i have next to no complaints about this show because it's a superhero tale and he is a superhero. capitalism tends to be looked at as singular individuals and though this show does perpetuate this in a way there's a world where people are dedicated to others. 

since labor is an important issue in SK—labor encapsulates all issues—but there's constantly an attack on the workforce and labor, treating people right, the oppressed and the poor. in this show richness isn't the end goal for happiness but caring and stupidity even in trauma. it's funny and says a lot more than shows who try their hardest to make a particular point. 

shows that know they're serious but don't let that seriousness interfere with their work or make them bite off more than they can chew.  or if they bite off too much they deliver it in a way where you still enjoy and watch. 

they have no power because capitalism and this is about taking things into their own hands; this is what we're forced to do but that's community care. without saying it this is a fantasy about what could be if mutual aid could be further realized (without the cops but also his cop wife is into espionage and justicé) 

review

it's better than the first imo though they're two different stories. a lot of people said they don't know why they named it 'save me 2' but i don't see why not. you could look at it like an anthology series or sort of a mirror world. s1 was about the entrapment of a very forceful cult and this season is about the community and the draw of conmen and how people can get into this position. it's about relocation, destruction, gentrification, the inconsistency of "good" as perceived and bad as perceived (an ex "convict") it has a lot deeper of themes imo and a much more emotional draw since he's not fighting alone. 

not much more i can say that isnt in my review i guess....uhm tae gu > 

he's a religious dude with a crazy hoarse voice and amazing acting prowess so the way he slips into roles is a great thing. but everyone in the show does a good job (ok not esom imo but shes fine there) and i genuinely loved the couple and their circumstances. this is a show where it shows you ups and downs of humanity but honest to god....it's heart wrenching but in the despair you still have hope. it's worth it to feel this.

review

this show is absurd in every way and beautiful.  there's a pattern in what i love and that's care, family, and taking care of each other even in the worst or silliest of circumstances. it's fucking enjoyable and messy and it feels good even with all the mistakes.  ensemble is fucking impeccable and all the care to the relationships in general. this story really tugs at you in every way and the love and care all of them extend is absurd. it's fucking sweet and good and stupid 

there's a sizeable strange age difference that matters at their ages  though and 

spoiler if you wanna know more bc i generally do not tolerate this shit: 

sig's char has a brother—whose basically his twin—but his bro is 10 years older; 18 and 28 respectively (both played by sig.) through a series of dumb events, he impersonates him at work. he's way less book smart or traditionally intelligent but incredibly charming and sweet and a hockey star with a charming and silly life. he falls in love with his "secretary" who is the same age as his older brother. 

if you don't like that which i didn't, obviously,  but it doesn't show a power imbalance. she falls in love before she even knows because, again, his older brother is his twin essentially. but she's a very different woman and character. she has life experience but is also emotionally and presents as very strange. it's hard to get used to but it's great and you don't get the sense that she's so much more mature because she cannot be. i appreciate this because it shoves a very clear line inside them and even tho they deal with the age difference all their decisions together and apart are impulsive and immature and that's what makes it something we want to see without being told it's ok with someone drastically more mature and well-established. 

crazy people in strange love and mess. this show totally subverted my expectations by ep 4 and that's how i continued and got attached to them and their love and lives. 

no review for this one lmao uhhhh all in all there's issues they could have fixed with stronger actors in the second lead but in general the atmosphere and chemistry between them is real (even with less skill) can't think of anything too glaring technically wise. story is silly but i love it lmao

i know why i like this show but i can't totally explain why. it's different (another thing im obsesed with obvs) and quirky and melancholy. imo this waas sort of tvn's golden age when they were first taking off and took more chances with less money. unfortunately around 2014-2015 a lot of their shows weren't getting as good of ratings as they should have or they had to chop the episodes or it got canceled so had to end (other examples in this list) 

this is why i will watch 'mad for  you' and i guarantee itll be on this list lmao

one of the shows that got canceled so their episodes shortened from 16 to 12. 

another different and quirky show but the ensemble even more just works they mesh so well together even thought they're all fucking messy and jerk her around. in a way song ji hyo is the center but probably the weakest char but it's fine because she serves as a much calmer one though she could have pushed herself further and the writing for her should have been more solid but that doesn't detract for me she's just....strange and passive sometimes

it's hilarious and modern and it's heavily a female cast. the director is a man who has directed a lot of good or terrible (pasta) dramas but i notice every one is very female focused with female screenwriters. he did avengers social club, which makes sense. you can tell when there's heavy female influence and respect to them. thanks

oh also because it was ending early they go crazy at the ending episodes and it's hilarious bc it's tons of laughter and ad libs. also it gives a bit insight into production and it's pretty accurate! slow burn my otp etc etc

iont give a fuck i could watch this shit all day and i have repeatedly. my otp from jump, human characters, and seen from the pov of na jung. a lot of people's complaints are with her being "sidelined" but i think that was from people who wanted so desperately to have her with one man or the other with no regard to her. her life is full. there's flaws in not being able to see her totally but there's two halves of this story and it's literally indicated by her hair which i love (growth and change) 

they def queerbaited but i think they indicated both having a capacity to like men or have a special relationship which they did and continued. also they kissed cos they're champs and i love it like that was an actual kiss on the lips and puckered and even bls cant do that properly lol.  jungwoo is ready to take chances and the writers and producers are too as indicated by s1

 i love jung woo  clearly and hes a thespian who does what he wants—love that for her. this is the best ara has been and it made me see her charm when she's not necessarily the best. she needs other people to bring out the best in her and with a weak partner (like in miss hammurabi with sung dong il) it gets worse. thank god it's not the case here for anyone. looking back, do hee's character and her arc and relationship with KSk's character is a lot deeper than i remember.  the family is there.

i will also say that the romance and understanding why they're together here far exceeds r97 and it focuses on that here a lot more because she's in college as well and that's when a lot of stuff in our lives happen and continues. again, growth and change. 

also: women. the bar is in hell for me to be excited over us being treated well but it was casual in a way i appreciate. and there are consequences to stupidly rash decisions. 

oh considerin this is 2013 it's even more progressive than i realized lmao the bar...hell

i watched it for kim sun ah because i'm a #fan but it was better than i expected. the story is constant breaking psychologically, confusing, sadness and it can seem like too much trauma-filled but there isn't—it shhows us how sequences of events come to be and how fragile the adult-child relationship.

there's a lot to be said about this show but the deepest part is that it respect children and wants to protect them. 

the cops are trash and i hate them always but i can watch them here. nam gyu ri and n are the weakest but not in a terrible way.   in fact, their characters are effective because of the nature of the story. this made me love lee ki yung so i looked him up and i watched a movie where i saw his ass fucking a guy so wow a thespian lmao

there is simply nothing i can say about this show and how i feel about it. i've watched it so many times and every time i'm in awe at there being one flaw in the storytelling but everything else is a blow to the gut. female duo who made it and you can miss it the first time but it is extremely about the treatment of women.

hate cops but hey. also an irl piece of shit plays the (minor) villain but hey it's great to see his ass handed to hiim and he doesnt come back for s2 bc they rightfully got shit for it :)

and the main story is ...idk it blows me away and just how much you feel with the story and the characters. a lot of people find it too sterile and not emotional but i don't agree and see it differently but hey it's okay. one of the best clashes of all time and it's powerful

gr8 acting production chemistry story bla bla love it

gotta rewatch again but it was an amazing continuation of s1 and it shows us the gravitas of this crew. subverted expectations and it absolutely followed the history from s1 to here. again fuck cops but hey that's kinda the point too. they never forget the history and legacy in the show, it's about women and bs capital again, and the legacy of s1 and the people there lingers so heavily like a ghost.

the way they were able to weave the story in and the dialogue being so insanely important and layered along with the limited action is amazing. it needs a s3 and i think it set itself up for it though it may not come to fruition but absolutely it could and should. fuck man this is a feat! they all shined as htey come out individually and give us more of their lives and continuation of trauma in this world. i was shocked at how good it was when it went in another less adventure filled thing and fucking a man idk. you just gotta watch lmao

again, heavily about women and discrimination and there's a lot of law talk here but it's incredibly important to acknowledge and realize and also how much history they lobbed into here and highlighted the core issues which heavily have to do with america as well. anyway...

gr8 acting production chemistry story bla bla love it

it's no secret i hate cops and i don't want it to be but jung yumi number one. this show made me feel a lot for these pigs like so heavily and i loved them. ;-; so this did its job tbh

jung yumi has picked roles consistently that are different but the thing about her roles is they always center women and what others have gone through. this is also the first show i've ever seen where a rape victim is a main character. sexual assault of any kind is traumatic but it's almost like they're afraid of going too far or putting their assault in the past but they don't want the character to be spoiled.

now i don't love it's okay it's love and in this show the writer displays her sort of fondness for men being more forward which i hated in IOIL but isnt htere here. i also didn't like the handling of...well anything mostly but here she stands firm except for that (and kwang soo is again the weakest link) but the show is truly about their relationships and it shows you they got into this basically for a last option. 

there's no central plot but it's about not hiding shame and going forward and most importantly respecting the pain that people, particularly gender and sexual minorities and in this case it focuses on women, go through. how to continue and live it out. bae sung woo and jung yumi kill and sung woo and jung ok's rship in the show is really layered. this show is heavily about getting better and having to let go of revenge but not every decision is one that is "good" but it makes sense and doesn't shame the very real decisions that people, esp women, make. 

btw in the first like 5 minutes they say feminism and explain it and i have never seen that before in a kdrama and yumi jusst >>>>

look hear me out...

it rly is not a student/teacher rship and because there's some unclear stuff and spottiness it's a bit confusing how they know each other. oh well! 

this show clearly had very little budget, the story could be tighter, the sounds are fucking annoying, the subs aren't perfect and pretty rudimentary, the actual sound is hollow and behind and you can hear rustles and mics peaking. nothing is too glaring for editing, or, i don't remember besides the sound effects and voice recordings. there's probably some dumb double takes. 

and i love it lmao. i'll pick it up when i don't feel good and it's enjoyable even with all these issues. this shows us that very low productions can still be valuable because while the mistakes are there, it's still charming, and they at least marginally held up to the task of low budget but giving us something to enjoy. to me it's cringe in a way that is palatable because it's so absurd. 

the beats they hit aren't bad for the production value and the format of the show and its length plus the amount of characters (it isn't a lot but it's still a lot lol) it also has its own message that is a bit clunky but hey, it's there. 

there's some annoying offensive stuff regarding a trans character but i can't totally speak on that and it has me mulling it over. 

 when you think about it, they did more than i would have expected and that's exciting. there's plenty of examples of low production value but literally nothing worthwhile or being unbearable and you cant get over that hurdle. this isnt that thoo