Happiness

"Hell is other people." -Jean-Paul Sartre, No Exit

The title Happiness is an ironic one: the series is set a little after COVID-19 has become controlled, but with a new rabies-like syndrome spreading. How Patient Zero was created was never identified, but it was identified that a virus that functions largely like the rabies virus slowly transforms people into feral zombies that thirst for human blood. One novelty of the series is that instead of hydrophobia (or fear of water), people afflicted with the virus suffer from excessive thirst. Once they turn and taste blood, however, it becomes only a matter of time before they are overrun by the virus; if the virus reaches the brainstem, the patient becomes terminal as there's no cure discovered yet with the onset of the series.

I think that the series as a high-concept thriller performed reasonably well, except that its early episodes had struggles with characterization: for instance, Yoon Sae-bom, despite being a member of the Special Operations Unit, was being careless and even put people in danger despite her training. Her impulsiveness had brought quite a few people at risk, and her gung-ho attitude would have resulted to her demise had she not been counterbalanced by the cerebral yet placid Yi-hyun.

I do admire how the CDC chief, Han Tae-seok, was written. His efficient and highly rational actions saved a lot of people's lives because he was quick with lockdown procedures and even killing those who had become terminal in order to limit the spread of the virus. In fact, the lockdown that occurred within Seyang Forest was because of him: after he had established that one of the side effects of the medicine they had been selling before was the rabies-like syndrome, and that it had been sold in the apartment, he immediately locked it down.

Because of the lack of supplies, however, the apartment tenants have to fend for themselves, and this is where their personalities are laid-bare. Most tenants are selfish, but there are a few like the lead couple who show their grit and kindness consistently. In fact, one of the series's high points is how it has seamlessly written into a thriller one of the healthiest romances in K-drama.

Because both have been trained in high-pressure situations, Yi-hyun and Sae-bom never lose their humanity, even with those infected within. They try to maintain order, provide equitable distribution of food and water, and try their best to protect the other tenants from the infected without. However, because "hell is other people," selfish tenants willingly put other people at risk, and even lead a few to be infected or killed.

As a viewer I approve how they wrote the disease. Even their treatment modalities toward the novel disease were sensible. One major plot hole that I think wasn't adequately resolved were the children playing outside despite the lockdown in their apartments. I thought that was inconsistent with the accuracy with how Han Tae-seok implemented pandemic control principles, as social congregation should be minimized in these events, especially without a certain cure.

The final episode was also a bit underwhelming, although I loved how it magnified the toughness of the relationship between the married couple. As a fan of romance, I also enjoyed the culmination of the love that percolated for years. Outside these minor nitpicks, however, Happiness is a great and enjoyable thriller anchored by one of the healthiest romances this year. Recommended.

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Questionable, but Justified

Happiness, when I heard the name, I thought it would be a rom-com, specially with Hyung Sik and Han Hyo Joo on board.. Totally unexpected setting, a very interesting start, questionable actions by a lot of characters, you find them dumb and stupid until you finish and really think about the situation they were in.

To be honest, until we are dropped into a hellish situation where there is no food, no water, no protection, no electricity, being completely oblivious from the outside world.. Leaving them completely clueless about when they can get out, and where each and everyone starts doubts the person next to them..

We cannot really judge them for doing stupid things, because in such a scenario nobody would be sane.

It's easy to think that why did he do that, he could have done that, because we are watching from a third person perspective, but in a similar situation most of us would probably end up doing similar things..

So in the end, I think the 'stupid' 'dumb' things the characters did, were not non-sense or not logical, because many of them already were 'lacking' many things in life or some of them were already devilish in nature. Their actions were based on what they had gone through in their life..

Might be a stretch, but some of the characters fit into the list of sins really well.. Some had multiple traits even..

Pride - Oh Ju Hyung / Doctor (Who thinks everyone is beneath them)
Lust - Koo Hae Song / Attorney (Who craved into lust)
Gluttony - Kim Dong Hyun / Vlogger (His hunger for content was unbelievable)
Greed - Woo Sang Hee (Her desire for crypto never ended till last minute)
Envy - Cleaner Couple (They risked everything to get what others had)
Wrath - Andrew / Murder (No need to even explain.. )
Sloth - Kim Jeong Gook / Police Detective (He didn't want to be involved with anything.. )

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BEST REALISTIC HORROR DRAMA!!1

Finally, i have finished this drama!! Before i start, i just wanna say don't listen to all the negative views on this drama--it is really not worth ur precious time (just cover ears and start it), i 100& promise you, u won't ever regret it...this drama has every elements, starting from action, to thriller, to mystery, to crime and to top it all there is now romance with it, along with outstanding chemistry coming from the actors and actresses, especially our leads Park HyungSik and Han Hyo Joo.
Firstly, this drama begins in a high-rise apartment complex during a deadly viral outbreak. As the virus spreads, turning people into aggressive, infected individuals, residents are trapped inside the building. The story follows a police officer, a former soldier, and a public relations officer as they navigate the challenges of survival, facing both the infected and the darker side of human nature. The drama explores themes of fear, trust, and the lengths people will go to in order to protect themselves and their loved ones. What makes this drama stand out to me is that it isn't a zombie drama at all, it a story where they make it realistic when an INHUMANES bit u or the drug taken that turn people INFECTOR ( what we call the inhumane ones in the drama) and how long and how far it takes, and even if u can recover from a bite of them...it is surely a really thrilling ride of a drama as it takes u on a exciting but adventurous journey of the characters.. Our leads chemistry sure took an unexpected turn as Han Hyo-joo (as Yoon Sae-bom) and Park Hyung-sik (as Jung Yi-hyun) have a natural and effortless bond. Their characters are longtime friends who pretend to be married, but their deep trust and subtle romantic tension make their interactions feel real. Han Hyo-joo brings a strong yet warm energy, while Park Hyung-sik balances her with his calm and caring personality.
Their chemistry shines in both action-packed and emotional moments, making their relationship one of the highlights of the drama, i really loved how their connection felt both protective and romantic, adding depth to the survival thriller storyline. The next lead is our leveheaded, collheaded, justiceseeker, Han Tae Seok, his character may seem out of place for u all, but just so u know as u all start to watch more of him, u will realise his reasons for such behaviours that he displayed and spoiler alert there's a particular episode that will leave u STARSTRUCK)..just watch him and u will know and can evaluately judge him properly...to the other supporting casts especially the tenants living in the apartments, u all did so amazingly well and ur credition to the drama definetly uplifted it too...The old guy detective, than commander doctor, our little gurl Seoyoon, they all did so perfectly well and excecuted their characters well...Thank u to all the production staff, the stylists, the writer, director, editor, every single one, i say THANK U so much....
Lastly, the main point of HAPPINESS is "Even in a world falling apart, love, trust, and resilience can still survive. As Yi-hyun and Sae-bom , and the other tenants INFECTORS fight for their future, they prove that true happiness isn’t about survival—it’s about who you choose to survive with."

THANK U ALL FOR READING THIS....

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Great suspense and an endearing friends to lovers romance ....

Will this end on a cynical, happy or tragic note? Finding out the answer kept me on the edge of my seat for all 12 episodes. More thriller than horror, Happiness reminded me of the old X-files series in the US. The main couple treat each other as equals, long time friends who can communicate without speaking a word. They both are bad*ss and excel at their jobs.

Similar to his role in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Hyungsik is excellent at portraying someone who is head over heels for the woman next to him - in all her strengths and weaknesses. Han Hyo-joo does an excellent job of portraying very grounded, protective qualities with no patience for the strong hurting the week.

The ~12-16 side characters are distinctive with GOOD and BAD qualities that are played as archetypes/caricatures. Overwhelmingly, the bad qualities are delusion, greed, and narcissism. Despite exaggerated portrayals, I thought the personalities represented were accurate and rare to see. I was as invested in side plots as I was the main plot, and didn't feel any urge to skip the side character scenes.

(*SPOILER* big minus points for interjecting a needless serial killer storyline, and also using the sociopathic doctor one too many times)

The music was really well done with two very distinctive styles: amped up/industrial and mournful, nostalgic guitar. The two different music styles kept you guessing as to whether the show would end happily or sadly.

Rewatch - I'm not sure about rewatch, but definitely a lot of the visuals are going to stick in my head, I felt like I was stuck in the apartment building with them and that I knew these characters and cheered them (well some of them) on.

(*SPOILER* minus points for making the end scenes not at all reflect the depth of the show - it was like all the trauma etc. was all magically erased)

I grade on other criteria as well:

Themes: 8.5
Greed and never-ending desires are the downfall of human beings. Continuing to be narcissistic, self-centered, and fantasizing about triumphing over others in crisis are unfortunate traits in many. Trauma and tragedy often magnify the character traits that already existed. Keeping grounded in reality, surrounded by family and friends can keep hope alive and the ability to continue to be a community minded human being. Home, family (blood or found) are the keys to happiness. Overcoming disappointment early in life and finding reasons to live can provide resilience in tough circumstances down the road.

(*Spoiler* if the show had ended differently, I would have given the themes a higher score, but in the last 15 minutes it's like the whole disease never happened.)

Complex characters/Character Growth: 7
The general was an excellent complex character, with a mix of opportunism and a moral center. The rest didn't so much grow as illustrate how different types of people respond to crisis. It was realistic that people would still obsess over real estate portfolios, wealth and how to take advantage of a crisis for their own benefit. I also thought it was realistic that people would take silly risks on the optimism that they were special/unique or wouldn't trust others evaluation of the dangers until they had experience it themselves.

Complex women characters/Relationships between Women: 7.5
Yoon Sae-Boom is a really wonderful mix of caring, nurturing and can't stand societal niceties. Despite her slight figure, you never feel like she couldn't kick *ss and take names. It was a realistic blend too, not whiplash between two different selves. I liked the range of women presented and also a minor theme about how women handle crisis vs men. The show, however, had a ratio of 1:1 women to men characters, and the women didn't have rich relationships with each other.

Production Values/Cinematography: 9
There were some really striking visual scenes, great use of music and realistic fight scenes with lots of grappling and use of the human body. In this era of CGI, the real zombies and physical fighting were very much welcome. 1 point off as it was completely unbelievable (esp. given the number of cars in the parking lot) how few residents were in the building when it was locked down - the lack of people just felt odd.

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Is a microbe more dangerous than a man?

I have just finished watching this drama after having it for almost 2+ months on my watch list. I expected this to be a hard core zombie series where zombies come out and keep on biting on other people and so on and on. But turns out that's not the case. It is pretty different than most of the dramas and movies that featured a virus outbreak. So it definitely is a new experiment which I loved a lot. As the series progresses we understand that in the society there are terrifying beings called humans that are far more dangerous than a mere microbe. The class difference, ill treatment towards inferiors, con-artists, overly - selfish mindsets, all these are subtly shown all along the series with a minimum number of characters and that's on the writer.

And coming to the acting, the leads did a very good job. Unlike many dramas where leads date a lot and get a happily ever after married card towards the end, our leads here join the marriage gang first and then start opening up to each other. NGL Park Hyung Sik gives out amazing ahjussi vibes. And all the supporting characters in the series keep on annoying you at some point or the other. And I believe if an actor is able to annoy you via their character that means they did a good job. So, over all the acting is really good.

I certainly did not find any unique characteristics that I can mention about the technicality behind the drama and I have no complaints too. So I can say that all the off-screen action was just as it should be.

Would I re-watch it? Maybe to watch the leads' chemistry but not in terms of the story. But this series is definitely a reminder that homo sapiens are to be dreaded more than any virus. Period.

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"Happiness" is a drama about a group of people trapped inside an apartment complex, trying to survive an outbreak of an unknown virus.

Sae Bom and Yi Hyun have been best friends since they were teenagers and this friendship has continued even after they became adults. In order to get an apartment in the most famous place in the city, the two get married only on paper to have priority access. It all seems like a dream come true and Yi Hyun plans to confess his feelings for Sae Bom, taking advantage of the opportunity of now being married, but everything changes completely when a psychotic outbreak causes people to attack each other for no apparent reason. An infected person is released in the condominium and begins to infect others. Sae Bom and Yi Hyun, along with other residents, enter a battle for survival... the problem is that the infected are not the only danger.

Do you know what message this drama conveys?! Human beings are the real monsters.
When watching this drama, it was impossible not to make comparisons with the movie "The Mist", because both have a very similar setting and narrative. They are about people who are trapped together during a situation that is out of control, in the case of the drama, an outbreak of a virus that turns people into a mix of vampires and zombies. But the biggest problem they have to overcome in reality is not the infected, but the people who are by their side.

There are so many horrible things that happen, that it makes you rethink before trusting anyone, because in the beginning everyone was nice, but as soon as things started to get worse, their true faces began to appear. The killer doctor and the so-called "representative" of the building, it is easy to identify that they are sociopaths, so everything they did during the drama was no surprise, but some characters surprised me. The son of that older couple telling everyone that his mother was infected and then stealing all the food?! Bastard. The worst of all was when they all joined up with the killer to force Yi Hyun and Sae Bom to turn the power back on. People are really the worst.

Yi Hyun and Sae Bom are absolutely adorable. I wasn't expecting romance, but the drama is full of moments between them, the couple is the central basis of the story and everything else is secondary. Every time Yi Hyun saved Sae Bom, it was a confession of his love. The scene where Sae Bom finds out that Yi Hyun is infected is amazing, her expression when she sees him holding the door and seeing that none of the infected wanted him, not even at that moment did she give up on him.
And when she returns to the apartment looking for Yi Hyun, that kiss was incredible, a scene that showed both the love between them, as well as the way Sae Bom trusts Yi Hyun, since he was infected at that moment.

This was one of the best dramas I've ever watched, it has everything. Great characters, a very well constructed narrative and impeccable development.

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Good thriller where the real monster is the human nature of some people

This action drama is centred on an outbreak of a new virus, making people mad and almost "zombie"-like. The story has some investigation and action sides, but is also foremost exploring the consequences and psychological impact that has the outbreak on the people living a new lockdown in a building. The show feels honestly pretty realistic after the last couple of years and the COVID pandemic. It has also a creepy but real take on the collective life in apartments and the relationships with the neighbours within a building.

I like a lot the the female and the male leads from some of their previous dramas: they did not disappointed me here!!! They had a great chemistry together and were both credible in the action scenes and more emotional ones. The secondary cast was also pretty convincing playing some revolting parts...I was utterly disgusted by the incredibly selfish behaviours and horrible acts done by some of the characters...

The OST was good, not overwhelming with some soothing songs with a lot of soul and some dramatic tunes really fitting the series. I found the making pretty good though quite classic: it was efficiently delivering in terms of thrills but maybe lacked a bit in terms of suspense and horror elements.

I would recommend this to people looking for an action drama with an interesting psychological side. Despite the concept of the show, the horror vibe is pretty mild. There are of course a lot of blood, some jump scares and thrilling action sequences, but the horrific side is quite subdue and more relating to the human nature of some people. Frightening truth: most of the time human beings are indeed scarier than monsters...

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Different and Enjoyable

I don't normally go for zombie content because I generally think it gets too repetitive and doesn't reflect well on what the horror genre can truly offer BUT I enjoyed Happiness particularly because the zombies aren't what we usually see. You've got your standard virus outbreak causing people to turn into mindless flesh-eating savages but this is only for a limited time, after which they become lucid and can speak, think, and behave like a regular person before their next 'episode'. With each episode you have, the less likely you are to come out of the zombie-like state.

The stakes might seem lower than the usual zombie infections we're used to from other zombie content but I enjoyed this twist because it raises the moral and ethical considerations of killing someone who is infected, which we do see in the show. In a series like The Walking Dead, there's no question about putting down a zombie; it's not a person, they're already dead. But in Happiness, wait out the episode and you'll be able to have a conversation with the person who attacked you. Maybe this isn't what some zombie enthusiasts would enjoy, but I thought it made the scenario quite interesting. One line I absolutely loved was in a scene where the main leads were forced to do something that might attract the zombies toward them so they asked for a weapon but they were told instead, "You said the infected are people too. Sort it out through conversation."

Classism rears its ugly head here as well, with the richer residents continuously insisting they deserve more than the renters on the lower floors simply because they have more wealth. I quite liked this aspect of the story as well. It baffles me personally how someone would think money holds any value in the middle of an apocalypse, especially because they don't truly know when or if life will go back to normal. I just think it made for an interesting commentary on society. At a time when people should be coming together to help each other survive, instead we see humanity crumbling away.

I also loved the OST. It felt quite different from the usual soundtracks we hear and added a lot to the tone of the show.

I give this an 8 because although there was a lot I liked about this, there were some decisions the characters made that seemed a bit out of place and the ending left me wondering about a couple of story threads (but nothing major). Some of the character stories could have been expanded on a little more as well and I also felt that, for a show about zombies, more could have been done with the element of suspense.

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Unique and enjoyable story despite a lot of unfulfilled potential

Likes:
-The premise of a zombie outbreak in a post-covid world was really interesting, especially with it being more of a rabies-like virus where people had violent episodes before going back to normal. It raised a lot of interesting questions about whether they were still human, whether it was a moral failing, whether they could resist their thirst, and whether they could go back to being a part of society after being cured.
- A lot of people have complained about the tone being inconsistent or unrealistic, but honestly, given what we now know about how people responded to COVID, it felt realistic to how a zombie apocalypse might actually play out. It wasn't all violence and gore, but instead it was filled with people trying to go about their lives as normal while an unsettling, suspenseful feeling pervaded everything. Those with power tried to maintain the status quo, many didn't want to believe the true horror of what was going on, and others tried to take advantage of the situation to their own benefit. It showed how you could remain hopeful and find happiness amid an apocalyptic event. The soundtrack was great in setting up that both suspenseful but hopeful tone.
-Lastly, of course, Han Hyojoo and Park Hyungshik's characters and chemistry were great and kept me interested even when the plot started to drag and get inconsistent. I'm a sucker for slow burn and friends to lovers romances, and I loved that they always cared for each other from the start. They were both equally badass, and they both saved each other in so many ways.

Dislikes:
-A lot of the questions posed in the first half were kind of abandoned in the end, and the moral/lesson was unclear (the power of love? Help your loved ones before others? Leaving the infected to die works? The rich and powerful will get away with it?)
-It was also ridden with plot holes, like if Saebom had the antibodies that would save everybody, how come they didn't get her out of the apartment sooner? How was everything outside back to normal that fast?
-The side character's motivations weren't really fleshed out super well, and Andrew, 1201 ajumma, and 601 ajusshi were basically just evil foils to our righteous ML and FL (copaganda much?)
-They really kissed while Yihyun was infected?? Insane behavior.

Conclusion: it didn't quite live up to it's potential, but boy, did I enjoy the ride. Objectively this should probably a 6.5/7, but it was a 9 in my heart, so we'll average it at 8.

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The leads make this show

More Zombie content, except now it's… also weirdly a love story. Contrary to other Korean Zombie stuff there isn't much action.

And it's just strange. These stories don't usually go like this. Basically, it's a kdrama with a Zombie backdrop. There, let's go with that.

I'm not surprised in the slightest that this was lovely. It was directed by Ahn Gil-ho who was also behind the camera for The Glory, another favorite of mine.

It's a show that keeps you guessing for most of its runtime, lots of twists and unpredictable turns, and although there are a few plot contrivances, and annoying characters, they were never too much for me. I enjoyed how varied and chaotic the characters were, and well, I really liked the leads, who make the show.

Han Hyo-joo in a military uniform… damn girl! What a looker. She's so on point in this. Great leads, in fact. They form a sort of power couple (with Park Hyung-sik playing the other half) and us following their story as they deal with all the bullshit happening around them in the middle of a virus apocalypse is why this show works.

Gonna have to watch Moving now because I need more Han Hyo-joo in my life. She's like a stoic but equally as intense variant of Jun Ji-hyun.

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My heart was so broken

This show starts off with a HUGE bang! Just thinking of that scene makes me want to go rewatch it! What an intro!

I really enjoyed this show overall. I loved that it had a small setting with a wide array of characters and personalities all meshing together. I loved routing for some building residents and wishing others would get cast out. I loved how the zombies worked! It was a more relaxed zombie show but it held a great impact.

I loved our lead Park Hyung Sik! He's amazing in this one!!

Okay so there was a little bad with all the good.
The storyline dragged a tad bit but not enough to put me off the show. I also had to suspend belief when it came to how they handled the outbreak. They had just gone through Covid and were aware of Covid in the show, that was minor compared to THIS type of outbreak yet they were not very quick to handle this one. I would think they'd be a bit more prepared and paranoid due to Covid!

Overall 100% worth the watch. It had a moment that totally wrecked my heart but the ending was VERY satisfying.

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