Spoilery thoughts on episodes 1 & 2 of Padam Padam: I?m warning now I will be talking about plot and character elements from the 1st two episodes. This is going to be LONG!
I wasn?t exactly sure what to make of Padam Padam when I first heard of the drama. I knew it was going to be a cable melodrama/love story and that it starred Jung Woo Sung, Kim Bum and Han Ji Min. That was enough to make me want to watch. When I saw the trailer I became even more interested. But now that I?ve watched the first two episodes, I?m hooked. My only debate now is whether or not to shelve this until more episodes have aired and subbed because I?m already watching some shows currently airing and it?s driving me crazy having to wait for those enough as it is!
Padam Padam isn?t your typical drama. I felt that way about 5 minutes into watching. There was only one thing I had a problem with while watching this show and I?ll cover that at the end of my comments. But there are a few things I absolutely loved about the first two episodes and I?m going to talk about them here. I?m sorta jazzed up about this show and anxious to see where it might take me. I really hope it keeps up the quality of storytelling set during this beginning. It would be a shame if this amazing idea and the excellent writing fell into familiar territory and ran out of steam as the drama gets going. It?s going to be a 20 episode ride. And the writer, director and actors have done their job of hooking me right out of the gate. Okay, so things I loved?
The Character of Kang Chul: He is a man who has spent the last 16 years in prison for a crime, the audience will come to see, he did not commit. Obviously he comes out of prison a man in his late 30?s so he has spent his formidable years behind bars. And it shows! The very first thing I noticed and loved was Jung Woo Sung?s acting. Kang Chul doesn?t know how to behave around people. His knee jerk reactions are self defense and anger. 16 years have changed society, how people relate to each other, technology and even the landscape. Everything is unfamiliar and he has certainly had no chance to develop the social skills to handle those changes. He has had very little kindness to help temper or balance out his frustrations or embarrassments. He is almost like a human raised by wolves. Jung Woo Sung plays this wildness, confusion and desperation very well. By the end of the second episode I was rooting for him and really hooked to see how his character will change, fight and grow. **edited to say 16 years. I thought it was 19 but they say 16 in the show..so I corrected it here**
The Beginnings of Plot: There are a few things happening here. The main plot being; who set him up, what were the circumstances, and why Kang Chul was framed for murder. Why he was put in jail and we come to find out, kept there for a long time. The first two episodes also set up, but don?t completely explain, the connections of the people from Kang Chul?s past that were important in his life either as family, friends or foe. It?s part of the mystery as we set out on this journey. As a viewer, it is too soon tell whether this journey will be fueled by revenge, the need for justice/clearing his name or simply the will to live on and in peace, in spite of what was done to him. Again, I?m hopping on the train to see where the journey takes me.
The Question of Angels: There is a supernatural element in play with this drama; namely with the character of Gook Soo. Gook Soo is Kang Chul?s friend in prison. We don?t know exactly how long they?ve known each other or how they became so close but Gook Soo has declared himself Kang Chul?s self proclaimed and self appointed guardian angel. (He even wears a t-shirt with wings on the back..Ha!) Personality wise he seems almost the complete opposite of Kang Chul. Where Kang Chul is cynical and sees no reason to hope for the best in people or from life, Gook Soo is joyful and has all the hope in the world. There are moments you almost feel he is a little ?simple? in the head. Maybe he doesn?t know better than to be more wary or smarter about the world. But as the first two episodes unfold you begin to wonder about him. Is he for real? There are some very significant things that happen, particularly at the end, into the beginning of the second episode which point to the answer being yes. He is for real. But almost like Kang Chul, I am still not 100% sure his isn?t speaking out of his arse. As the viewer, are these supernatural elements to be taken as literal things that happened or are they only a trick of Kang Chul?s confused mind? I am going to dive down the rabbit hole to find out!
So what didn?t I like? The one thing I found unnecessary is the typical ?fate? makjang of Korean dramas. I am still baffled by the need for everyone?s fates to be intertwined. Let me say that I loved the first ?few? meetings between Kang Chul and Ji Na. They are both humorous and tense. I can feel the chemistry already. And the encounters between them seemed fateful enough on their own without having them additionally connected by an intertwining past. I?m not going to say more on this. Any one of us who love Kdramas and have watched numerous shows knows what I?m talking about. So far this show is very well done so this is a minor gripe; mostly because I?m used to this kind of fateful meeting thing being pretty standard fare. I will live with it and suppress my eye rolling if this drama keeps up its gripping storytelling, acting and plot.
