Some Thoughts on What's Up 1-18
So I was going to post this on tumblr, but then the read more wasn't working (again gah), and I was not exactly happy about that. Unsuspecting people who don't care about kdramas or What's Up in particular shouldn't have to be attacked with a HUGE block of text of my feels on their dash. And then I remembered, hey, I have a livejournal. I should use that thing. And thus I did. This isn't comprehensive of all my feelings or thoughts because that would literally take forever, but I wanted to write about this drama all the same. And yeah this is largely a bullet list because it makes transitions easy and this was written for tumblr of all places, alright?
There will be spoilers below through episode 18, but I will warn you when I get to them.
- Let’s just make it abundantly clear that I am a sucker for all things school life, especially when they actually, you know, acknowledge the fact they’re in school and have assignments, etc. Imagine my joy then when there are musical assignments that are utilized to further develop the cast. Any kind of musical element in a narrative will always capture my interest as well. And let’s just say the soundtrack is gorgeous, and I really, really hope they release it officially. Too many songs have been interspersed with dialogue.
- I love the attention to the entirety of the cast (with ahaha the exception of Soo Bin, who I want more of! He’s so winningly aloof and single-minded about his music. And surprisingly kind while still being frank.) I love it because traditionally we will have a leading dude and lady with all the focus. And then, depending on the drama, the second leads get varying development. That may be because I’ve never watched a family drama, but I love the change of pace here. Jae Hun is supposedly the “main character” of this kdrama, and it does start out with a greater focus on him in episode 1. As things progress, however, he becomes just one strand of multiple weaving character plotlines. And if you really are paying attention, you’ll realize that it’s Park Tae Hee who becomes the unofficial center of the drama. She is integral to the most number of character storylines.
- The villainous female lead is, for once, handled well! Chae Young provides wonderful conflict and serves as a perfect foil to Park Tae Hee. The drama gives her the time to reveal her layers, to show her at her at her weakest and her worst. She acts horribly, but the drama makes her sympathetic, humanizing in her a way that kdramas rarely do!
- Going off of the previous two points, I pretty much love the entire cast! I am invested in all of them, and that is amazing and awesome, particularly because they are given the attention they deserve. I won’t pretend the attention is equal, but they are all distinct and you are given time to take to all of them. They are all my precious musical babies.
- There is a strong theme of confronting your past and mistakes and weaknesses, facing them and growing from them in order to move forward in the way you want to live your life. I love that even when they move on, however, they are still defined by their past. This process of growth is not taken alone. It’s above all a story of friendship and interdependence. And while there is an element of tragedy to this kdrama, ultimately the tone is one of positively moving forward.
- The editing in the beginning definitely shows the signs of having been cut down for a shorter time slot. Fortunately things smooth out further in, and you are treated to a drama with great production values, acting, and directing. I only wish we were seeing the fully extended version! I can’t even imagine what other great development and different character dynamics I have missed out on.
Now to change things up, some things I didn't like.
Spoilers through episode 18 below:
- If I never see another kdrama death via a car accident, IT WILL BE TOO SOON.
- Jae Hun should have apologized for his anger and borderline slut shaming. I do love how Tae Hee ultimately has ALL THE AGENCY in the end and resolves things on her own terms. But still dude! She apologized, and it wasn’t even remotely her fault.
- Jae Hun’s noble act later on. Boy is hurting and I do sympathize, but he still could have handled the whole situation better. Basically all my feels for Tae Hee forever. I take it personally when you hurt her aslkdjf I’m aware that it now seems like I just really dislike Jae Hun, and that isn’t even true! I do like him! I am just cognizant of his failings.
And now for random musings on the Jae Hun/Tae Hee pairing:
I was at first really, really unsettled by the romance being set up between Jae Hun and Tae Hee. But what can I say? I get invested in canon couples and they would unquestionably suit each other if they weren’t connected in the way they are. But I think the resolution that has been developed so far between them is well-handled based on how complicated their situation is. Jae Hun took responsibility for his actions, finally owning up to all the mistakes of his past, and he wants all the best for Tae Hee. She in turn demonstrated immense forgiveness and compassion towards him, allowing them both to move forward with their lives and not just dwell on the grief that has overwhelmed them both. (And just, damn girl, how are you literally this amazing? Haters to the left.) I am really interested to see where they go from the ending of episode 18. Unfortunately it looks like more drama, but I am kind of glad for it if only so that Jae Hun also has to face up to his past to the one person it has most affected. Namely, Tae Hee.