luckz
As a Reply hater: this is the Reply I hate the least
For people that loathe Reply-likes (including Prison Playbook and Hospital Playlist), Noh Hee Kyung's attempt at writing one could be the least offensive of all – simply because there's more of an actual plot, episodic crimes, and sort of normal character arcs. There are no supposedly-funny animal noises, and you don't see the same scenes repeated with more detail except to resolve episode cliffhangers. However, not all is rosy here either. 'Live' cannot fully commit to being a serious show with believable or even real characters, ultimately for two reasons: there is a degree of paid product placement that is at odds with these goals, and, occasionally, outlandish makjang scenarios are sprinkled all over the place.
It's a pity that it cannot "keep it real" because it comes pretty close. Characters seem human, and only the parents of the leads have at times inconsistent personalities with a crazy switch that is flipped when the writer feels like it. I didn't find it too jarring that, frequently, four or more of the cast turn into something like public service announcement drones to let you know about problems plaguing police officers (like the evergreen of how the police should have the 'power to indict' and their struggle against the prosecution, or spouting out statistics about recent stabbings, or the suicide rate among the police force). From cleaning up after drunks to crimes committed by children, happy slapping and serial crimes, you see all aspects of police work, and it's clear a lot of thought (and research) went into the show. You're frequently reminded that patrol officers will also have to keep the bathrooms clean and pay for all sorts of work-related expenses out of their own pockets, despite performing a hazardous job with poor pay and questionable job security.
Compared to your average drama, some very serious topics are touched upon, notably a lot of sexual crimes, often against teenagers. I feel these were handled tactfully, but a trigger warning is nonetheless appropriate.
Especially around a quarter into the show, there is so much bickering and mostly pointless fighting between the various characters, including the elderly ones, that at its worst, 'Live' has you observe children in adult bodies swimming (or just flailing about) in the vast product placement ocean. Not only is there the mandatory sponsored plastic water bottle, the sponsored canned cold coffee, but also the sponsored sometimes-talkative rice cooker (owned by every household, identical colour scheme), and the occasional appearance of a wireless vacuum, but it even reaches the deepest depravities of intellectual bankruptcy: sucking what there is to suck out of red ginseng plastic satchels (guaranteed to extend your lifespan). Needless to say, much like in The K2, any serious conversation about your relationship must be had at Subway – sandwich in hand.
OST-wise, you find memorable songs (and characters singing) in the first few episodes, but later on, the music supply gets a bit thin considering the drama's length. The romance scenes have very generic K-drama love songs. The episode outro montages often have absurdly unfitting songs playing, and they're cut short by preview spoilers anyway.
Speaking about romance: besides for one pre-established relationship, I don't think the romance-related plotlines added very much.
In episodes 14 and 15, it's like the filmmakers realised they are paying Sung Dong Il and Lee Joo Young for very little plot relevance, so some old material gets recycled to make them seem less superfluous. Fortunately, after that, the show is wrapped up in a tolerable way, instead of drowning in an onslaught of replays and flashbacks as so often happens. I don't like the ending given to one of the leads, but compared to the truly disrespectful way Prison Playbook treats its characters, that's a very, very minor complaint. Unlike that show, and Reply '97 and '88, 'Live' is the only Reply-like I've imbibed that I will be able to look back on somewhat fondly.
(On Netflix and other streamers like iQIYI, you don't get the complete unaltered show: https://mydramalist.com/24015-live#comment-12997047
That's also very Reply-like...)
It's a pity that it cannot "keep it real" because it comes pretty close. Characters seem human, and only the parents of the leads have at times inconsistent personalities with a crazy switch that is flipped when the writer feels like it. I didn't find it too jarring that, frequently, four or more of the cast turn into something like public service announcement drones to let you know about problems plaguing police officers (like the evergreen of how the police should have the 'power to indict' and their struggle against the prosecution, or spouting out statistics about recent stabbings, or the suicide rate among the police force). From cleaning up after drunks to crimes committed by children, happy slapping and serial crimes, you see all aspects of police work, and it's clear a lot of thought (and research) went into the show. You're frequently reminded that patrol officers will also have to keep the bathrooms clean and pay for all sorts of work-related expenses out of their own pockets, despite performing a hazardous job with poor pay and questionable job security.
Compared to your average drama, some very serious topics are touched upon, notably a lot of sexual crimes, often against teenagers. I feel these were handled tactfully, but a trigger warning is nonetheless appropriate.
Especially around a quarter into the show, there is so much bickering and mostly pointless fighting between the various characters, including the elderly ones, that at its worst, 'Live' has you observe children in adult bodies swimming (or just flailing about) in the vast product placement ocean. Not only is there the mandatory sponsored plastic water bottle, the sponsored canned cold coffee, but also the sponsored sometimes-talkative rice cooker (owned by every household, identical colour scheme), and the occasional appearance of a wireless vacuum, but it even reaches the deepest depravities of intellectual bankruptcy: sucking what there is to suck out of red ginseng plastic satchels (guaranteed to extend your lifespan). Needless to say, much like in The K2, any serious conversation about your relationship must be had at Subway – sandwich in hand.
OST-wise, you find memorable songs (and characters singing) in the first few episodes, but later on, the music supply gets a bit thin considering the drama's length. The romance scenes have very generic K-drama love songs. The episode outro montages often have absurdly unfitting songs playing, and they're cut short by preview spoilers anyway.
Speaking about romance: besides for one pre-established relationship, I don't think the romance-related plotlines added very much.
In episodes 14 and 15, it's like the filmmakers realised they are paying Sung Dong Il and Lee Joo Young for very little plot relevance, so some old material gets recycled to make them seem less superfluous. Fortunately, after that, the show is wrapped up in a tolerable way, instead of drowning in an onslaught of replays and flashbacks as so often happens. I don't like the ending given to one of the leads, but compared to the truly disrespectful way Prison Playbook treats its characters, that's a very, very minor complaint. Unlike that show, and Reply '97 and '88, 'Live' is the only Reply-like I've imbibed that I will be able to look back on somewhat fondly.
(On Netflix and other streamers like iQIYI, you don't get the complete unaltered show: https://mydramalist.com/24015-live#comment-12997047
That's also very Reply-like...)
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