Happiness

Frustrating characters...

For six weeks - six whole weeks - I was waiting for Sae Bom to finally do something about those frustrating residents and that last one hit to the balls was surprisingly disappointing. Although I understand people can turn into monsters in inhumane circumstances, the fights between the residents frustrated me week after week. For me personally, the show was too much centered on the residents and some annoyances could've been solved if only the reasonable residents and the main leads would've spoken up. In what world does one stuck-up lady has so much power over so many people? And can someone just put that doctor in his place for once? And how come the government and the military weren't more involved? If the rest of the country wasn't in lockdown anymore why didn't they try to contain the situation on the inside? At least provide them with water and food?! It was simply too unrealistic for me. That combined with the annoying characters just ruined the show for me, unfortunately.

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Tolerable

Story: I like the idea but poorly executed. You would think it’s a zombie apocalypse kind of drama but not really. More like a worse version of covid but here, they were able to find the cure way faster than covid vaccines. But that’s not really the issue, the way how they came up with scenes or different reactions of different type of people with their own motives were pretty annoying. It’s not because they acted poorly but because that’s how they were written. It’s like watching ‘sweet home’ but this is more tolerable. This first few episodes were just okay, middle ones were more thrilling but a major smh and last few episodes were just flat that all I did was fast forward just so I could finish this drama. If I were living in that building, I would definitely not come out of my apartment after getting my groceries. I mean, duh, staying at home is more safe than being exposed outside. But I guess, a drama is more interesting if it’s full of people with complex issues then you add a kid and a kind wife to make it more bearable.

Acting: I think they all did pretty good. I was pretty much annoyed with every character, even the kid. Not always, but somehow they did some things that were obviously shouldn’t be done no matter how many warnings they received. Their selfish reactions weren’t justified well that would make you pity them or at least give them another chance. The main female lead was always reckless that made me almost dropped this. I mean, isn’t she supposed to be more logical because of her job?

Music: Nothing worth remembering but still not bad.

Rewatch value: Definitely wouldn’t rewatch. This gave me headache for a while.

Overall: 6-6.5. It wasn’t bad but it was not THAT good either. Overhyped, honestly. I have more bad memories than good ones with this drama. You would appreciate the villains’ acting here and some cliche moves were prevented in some scenes however, the bad still outweighs the good. Too many plot holes, unanswered questions and lack of chemistry of the two. I honestly don’t get that special chemistry that others were talking about. The supposed additional twist/murderer towards the last 2 episodes was just poor idea from the writer. I wish they could have done better with his character because he seemed mysterious at first. Same with the guy on the 15th floor. The plot was rushed and it didn’t end well but provided us a HEA.

The gist(for me): Self-control/self discipline is definitely important in life, especially when there’s a crisis. Secondly, family will always be there for you. To help you heal and be your cure. Happiness will start with yourself then with others close to you. No matter how you love your family if you can’t control yourself then you’ll bring them down too.

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A decent zombie Kdrama but plot action seems forced

Overall: I enjoyed it, I liked the two main actors their screen chemistry was definitely there. I liked about 90% of the plot but some things could have been written better.

The issues: A lot of the side characters made decisions that made 0 sense. Which makes the plot seemed forced for action.

The girl uncuffing the gym guy when clearly he’s infected (and they’ve seen the video) and she’s already running from another infected person. How is an infected person going to help you run from another infected person?

I also dislike how they let the doctor get away with a lot of stuff like trying to poison everyone else and murdering his wife. Wouldn’t you tell the rest of the group this guy tried to poison and infect them? They just completely let it slide and kept him until the end. Also the fact he tried to trap them outside and get others infected on purpose. The level of shit this man did he deserved the death penalty on the spot. He didn’t have the group’s interest anywhere in mind and that is not someone who lasts very long.

I also hate how they threw in the serial killer randomly in the last two episodes. Like what made him suddenly just “snap”. Everyone knew he had something to hide.

Also why didn’t the main characters ever defend themselves from being accused of killing the pastor? They just let the wife (wannabe building rep) build resentment towards them.

There’s quite a few issues with the show and could’ve been written better. If they redid some things to make it seem more natural I think I would’ve given it a 9-9.5. Just some glaring issues in the characters.

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Infuriating characters & plot holes, but entertaining all the same

Likes: Park Hyung Sik and Han Hyo Joo. I'm fans of both. I think they did a great job with the acting and convinced me that they are both tough characters that could take down zombies and criminals. Doesn't hurt that they are both pretty to look at. I thought they had a very cute chemistry. The doctor was also pretty standout in making his character so despicable. I thought the zombie production and actions scenes were also nicely done.

Dislikes: (SPOILERS AHEAD): The HUGE and obvious plot holes that took a lot away from the story because it made the characters look a bit stupid. For instance, the huge one...Why go through all this manipulation and trouble when you could have just asked Saebom for her blood. Everything about her character would have suggested she would do this freely with no objection. That's just lazy writing imo. The writer should have found some reason why they thought Saebom would be resistant to giving her blood. Then the story would have made more sense. Next problem were the infuriating side characters. They were incredibly frustrating mostly because I couldn't understand their actions. I don't have to agree with it, but I should understand why a character is driven to their point in stupidity. There should be a tiny basis of realism in their motivation. Too many actions were just too inconsistent. For instance, the fear level. One minute they are scared to death because they see a zombie turn, then the next they are walking around like nothing is amiss, I mean wouldn't they try to carry something for a weapon or wear some sort of makeshift protection, esp since they don't know who is infected? That goes for the leads as well. They walk around too cavaliery like they are invincible. Sometimes they carry a weapon, sometimes they don't That's just poor direction, The director should have maintained a certain level of fear and caution throughout.

There were so many plot holes that I can't even count, but yet, I still found myself entertained and waiting in anticipation for the next episode. A large part of that has to do with me being fans of PHS and HHJ. I really looked forward to their interaction with each other. It carried a lot of the drama for me. I enjoyed seeing them be all tough. I also have a love for zombies or disaster type stories too so that also played a part. There was also enough tension to keep me tuned in to see how this would all end. If you're like me, then I would suggest checking this drama out. But if you need a well executed story that makes complete sense, then you may not enjoy this one,

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Amazing acting and story, but fell short for plot holes.

At the beginning, the drama centers around the leads Yi Hyun, a baseball player who is forced to quit due to knee injury and Sae Bong who comes at rescue for the depressed Yi Hyun back at school. 12 years later, both of them are talented in their professions, SB as a SOU officer and YH as a detective. It was a dream of SB to have her own home. In order to get her dreams come true, she makes a deal with YH - to get married with each other in exchange of living together in the newly built apartment, and getting 40% ownership of the apartment in 10 years. YH agrees and they move in together, living their lives happily and comfortably...but the crisis begins when the women above their unit gets affected with the Mad Person Disease, and the building is put under lock down when the number of infected rises in their neighborhood.
Afterwards, story mainly focuses on the behavior of the people living inside the building. Despite an alarming situation, almost everyone acted according to fulfill their selfish desires, without using much logic. Even though the leads did their level best to prevent the the number of infected people to rise, what they received in return was betrayal. The neighbors, especially the dermatologist of 601, and Young ok, the lady who was desperate to become the apartment representative by all means. I barely saved myself from hitting the laptop screen due to their trashy personalities.
As the number of episode was limited to 12, I'm sure the directors had to edit out a lot of scenes. It would have been much better if they made it a 16 episode series. If the details how they developed the drug, distributed them and cured the infected were added, it would have been enough to eliminate the plot holes.
The overall plot and acting was very realistic. Also, I LIVED FOR THE LEADS CHEMISTRY. They were soooo good together..TT

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Well, by God, couldn't they have filmed a whole episode for the ending as usual? How is it that in doramas about sissy pussy, they devote a whole episode, practically nothing to the ending, and here there are so many omissions, and they spoiled my entire impression of the dorama with such an ending. At the end I was just like "what? What do you mean everything? What about that one, and that one, and what about them? "But that one and that one didn't show symptoms either, do they also have antibodies?" It feels like they just pulled the plug and told them to get off this drama as soon as possible. Sorry, I'm indignant because overall I really liked the drama. It was really gripping from the first episode. I rarely watch zombie movies, but this one had such a scary but pleasant tension that I just wanted to keep watching. However, these infected are like vampires, because they drink blood, and when their thirst is quenched, they calm down. It's strange that the director didn't immediately call them "vampires" (I'm kidding, if that were the case, the atmosphere would have been different). The acting is certainly top-notch. The plot is also just a bomb, it made my stomach twist. Eh... but the ending... it really let me down. It's a shame...

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Don’t Analyze It, Just Watch It

Residents of an apartment building must band together to survive a deadly virus that is spreading throughout the city.

The ML fell in love with the FL in a very memorable moment in high school (iykyk). They remained close friends into adulthood, where he’s now a smart and honest detective and she’s a special agent with quick wits and reflexes…and another special quality as well - she’s immune to the virus!

She shocks him when she requests he marry her to help her win a spot in the newly constructed apartment buildings - thus begins their cohabitation. Smack dab in the middle of a horrible outbreak with deadly consequences.

As they work together to protect one another and their fellow residents, they also must uncover who the murderer is hiding amongst them. Can they keep each other safe amidst the chaos and mayhem surrounding them? Or will an ultimate sacrifice have to be made to protect the “greater good”?

I loved this. Not my normal genre, but I’m a fan of the ML so I gave it a shot and boy, am I glad I did! The leads have amazing chemistry and the story/pacing are done really well. So many great support characters and enough humor and cute/sweet moments for a romance junkie like me 😉 So even though it’s not about a love story, it’s still totally about a love story. Watch it and you’ll know what I mean!

** Side Note: I do NOT like scary shows, but this didn’t at all bother me. If you’re leery, though, maybe just keep a light on 😁**

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Do Not be Afraid to take the Plunge

Jung Yi-hyun experienced the worst part of his life when he busted his knee during a baseball match that prevented him to ever go pro. As the police were scurrying around trying to get him off the edge of the school building rooftop, fellow student Yoon Sae-bom appeared and pushed him off the roof onto the drop balloon that the police has set-up on the ground to catch him. That was when he found life again. Fast forward to current timeline, both are now police officers, Jung as a police detective while Yoon in the anti-terrorist unit. Yoon is obsessed with finding happiness by trying to own things by herself, never believing in marriage and stuff when a virus outbreak happened where she found the perfect way to own her first apartment - secure the public official government housing quota by collecting enough merit for helping to apprehend her infected trainee, and proposing to Jung into a fake marriage. As they are about to enjoy the life in their first property, the virus outbreak spread to the apartment complex, leading to a complete lockdown of the complex by the Korean CDC agency led by Lt Col Han Tae-sok. Thus began their journey of navigating through the treacherous waves of human nature at its lowest form.

I love the FL who is depicted to be extremely bold and fearless, definitely borderline unhinged had not for the clear conscience that she possesses. I like it that both ML and FL are such badasses that theyre always trying to keep each other safe by instinct, constantly stepping in front of each other in the face of danger. Reminds me a lot of Pursuit of Jade’s badass couple Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng. And i totally love the chemistry they have on screen even without those lame ass slow-mo staring contests or the typical sexual tension situations as their relationship grows from friends to couple with benefits to a real couple finding love and solace in each other. Basically I am just in awe at how brilliant their relationship growth is without trying too hard, they definitely didnt need anything sexually suggestive that leads to romance, absolute kudos to the screenwriter for this brilliant write-up.

The action sequences are very satisfying even though there arent really any villains with matching physical prowess that the couple possess, well except for those deranged infected people, but i dont really categorize them as villains. The villains here are those selfish and self-absorbed entitled residents who turned into unrecognizable beings once their self interests are at risk, and these people are actually much more dangerous than the infected.

Watching this show also reminded me a lot of Sweet Home, although Happiness has a much lower level of violence and tensions. I am just amazed at how good the story writing is, especially when the the siblings who had been fighting over inheritance whom I thought would be the first to push each other into the infecteds turned out to be the one who stuck with each other to the very end. This is how real siblings should be though many in the world wouldnt act like what theyre supposed to.

The way the writer had woven in the human values are incredibly creative and smart. This is also one of the few zombie-like apocalypse show that didnt make me cringe. I can totally understand why they had high ratings here. They truly deserved it.

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Good start

This started out well, with a stylish opening sequence, a less common take on a monster theme, and a cool FL (Han Hyo Joo, who I almost didn't recognize - I didn't like her much in W, but she's great here), who continues to be cool all the way through! - and doesn't turn into a crying fainting jelly, as so many of them do. It is a fairly silly plot with many holes, but hey, it's a monster show, I can hand-wave that if the pace is good enough to glide me over them. Unfortunately, the storytelling in the middle fell rather flat. There are a lot of side-characters - naturally, as it's the story of the apartment block - but none of them felt compelling: no solid arcs, just randomness and dead ends, and too much time given to the least interesting and most annoying of them. (actually that was almost all of them! and they killed off 15th floor guy, who I kinda liked) The spurious melodrama with these unappealing goons messed with the momentum enough for me to get bored and abandon it on-hold for months before finally finishing it. It does pick up towards the end: the last two eps were better, and the finale tied up some of the essentials, including the romance arc, but that felt unsatisfying to me and I would have liked to have known what happened to other characters.

Still worth watching, but I'd keep the skip button handy.

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