Platinum Fox

What you have pointed out is exactly the point of the drama. Nothing or very little is being done about these situations in the Korean educational system. Students and teachers are losing their lives over these issues. Something needs to done. This drama is reminiscent of Jonathan Swift's short story "A Modest Proposal". It gives the problem and then gives an over-the-top solution to that problem. This drama is a social satire. It is not meant to be realistic even though it is dealing with very real issues.

The main theme of this drama is actions have consequences. First episode, the boy and his father lost their standing or privilege in the community. This was what the boy had done to the boy who had committed suicide. Both father and son went to jail over the things they did. Episode 2: this is the only one where none of the students went to jail over their actions because the lesson was, "if you don't want to learn, that's your own business, but don't impede others learning." After the bureau stepped in, the boys didn't change but they left that other boy alone so he could learn what he wanted to learn. Also, the bureau took away their reason for fighting when they broke up the extortion ring and got the high school ring leader back on track. Even though they still fought, they could make that a career in the military or sports. I could go on, but I think you get the point.

Also, they did offer some real genuine solutions. Change the laws about what constitutes defamation (making false allegations) and slander. Punish those who make these accusations. Not just say, "my bad," when the allegations proved to be false. Also, the crimes of child abuse and sexual assault need to be investigated immediately, not take up to one year after they happen. Laws need to change when dealing with juvenile offenders including the one who stabbed the teacher.

Also, the story is not about our bureau investigators it is about the issues. The bureau people were just the catalyst to show that change needs to happen. I learned all I needed to know about why the bureau was created in the first place, and there is character development on the part of main male lead. He wanted to kill that boy outright. If it hadn't been for the father-in-law smashing his car, that boy would have been dead but nothing would have changed. By the end of the drama, we have a host of problems revealed, some genuine and some not genuine solutions suggested. It is exactly what the drama set out to do. Our main character does not wish to harm the main perpetrator anymore and something good came from his wife's death.

Happy drama watching.

Loved the drama, but had to fast forward through much of high school hi jinx as that style of comedy is not for me.

Thank you for explaining. First, since we really don't know what happened to the prince during his exile or that the prince even knew and participated in a coup of his own or even how he died, the writers used the information they had to create their own version of his life with the information they wanted to use. This is not rewriting history. This is weaving a fictional narrative to fit the given historical information. Secondly, you seem to believe that in real life the prince knew and participated in the coup that his six followers did. No where in the records does it confirm your belief. So I really do not understand why you feel the writing lost its honesty or that the drama rewrote history.

To me, it sounds like you just didn't like the writer's interpretation or version of events of the prince's life and that's okay, but it doesn't make it a bad story.

Now, I will agree and disagree with you on the deposed king portrayed in the movie (Prince Nosan). I will agree he was powerless. However, in the beginning , he was also a coward who only thought about himself. Instead of staying alive and planning a coup of his own, he chose the easy way out, suicide. If he had succeeded, the whole village would have been slaughtered. Does this not display selfishness?

Through the warden, the king learned to stand up for his rights and to die on his own terms, but the king also understood that the warden had to tell the magistrate what the deposed king was planning in order to save the village. The king even told the warden to go ahead and tell. That's why when they were caught he acted surprised that they were caught and said something to the effect you betrayed me.... The king did that to save the village. In the end, the death of the king now holds purpose and meaning and brings into question the legitimacy of the uncle's right to the throne. It would also go a long way in explaining why 241 years later another king would reinstate him as the rightful heir to the throne. He died through the hands of his uncle.

Also, how do you know that the saving of the village is a plot device? It makes total sense to me, that if anything happened to a deposed king that it would create issues in the palace (legitimacy for the present ruler), which is why the uncle staged his coup in the first place. He believed he was the rightful heir to the throne and got ministers to justify his legitimacy. I have watched other movies and dramas where legitimacy to the throne has been the central part of the story. If the person who stages the coup kills the person in power to take over the throne, it is not a legitimate transfer of power. This is why they have to make the death of any king look natural or an accident. Because the uncle did not kill the king, but forced him through a bloody coup to abdicate, the uncle could claim, he was the legitimate ruler.

However, something needed to be done with the deposed king, and he needs to stay alive in order for the present ruler to claim legitimate power. Now go back to the village. If the villagers allow the deposed king to die, it would be on their heads as the question would be raised did the present king have something to do with the death. This is why the other village gave presents to the village and thanked them for taking this particular exiled person. So, for me, it is not a plot device. It is used by the present king to justify his legitimacy.

If the village had taken an exiled non-royal minister, it would have been a totally different story and that story arc would not have carried much weight as nobody cares that an ex-minister dies in exile, only people of royal descent.

Thank you again for explaining and hope this helps you understand where Korean viewers are coming from. I loved the movie. The story gave this tragic death meaning.

kisskh

I just finished the movie. I'm curious where did the film lose its honesty?From the very beginning it shows Prince Nosan as a weak crown prince who couldn't become king or help his people. The prince wanted to die and even tried to commit suicide. He felt worthless. He didn't care about anyone but himself. If he had succeeded, the entire village would have been wiped out. By the end, he goes out in a blaze of glory, not the whimpering coward he was in the beginning, and this was all because of the warden.

Also, why is the warden a coward? You do realize that if he hadn't told about the rebellion the entire village would have been slaughtered, not just him? Would you want the death of your entire village on your head? This is why that other guy said, "Thank you, you saved us from this terrible situation." The warden's and the prince's actions at the end save an entire village and probably a number of soldiers lives as well. Both the warden and the prince turned a terrible situation into something beautiful. Now, the prince's life has meaning.

In addition, you're right. The writers could have given us a "just the facts" ending, but it would have completely ruined the narrative that they set up in the beginning. It seems to me that the writers gave us a dramatic narrative around the facts in the epilogue at the end of the film.

Happy movie watching!

Yes, I totally agree. There needs to be a change in mindset about abuse in all aspects of life in Korea, especially when it is true. Have you ever watched the movie Silenced? It is about the very thing you are talking about. How to get people to recognize that abuse in all forms needs to be dealt with and the abusers should pay for what they have done with more than just a slap on the wrist.

If what I see in dramas is true about Korean life, why would a sexual assault victim even come forward? The perpetrator will hardly be punished, if punished at all. That's why the mindset of the people about abuse has to change. It all begins with children and adults learning that actions have consequences whether it destroys a reputation or not. Episode 9 really pointed this out. The bully said that his reputation had been ruined by the true victim and the bureau. The committee believed him over the accused.

In Korea your reputation is everything. This is why defamation and the slandering of someone is more powerful than actually putting someone in jail for something (episodes 3,4, 5, and 9). The girl who made these allegations was someone whose family had been ruined by the teacher spreading lies about her family (e.3). The teacher did the same thing to the male student (e.5). It is why both students did what they did. The teacher had power and abused it for his own personal gain. What did the girl learn from what the teacher did? The only way to have power is to lie and to abuse it for personal gain. Look at the power her words had, so much power that two men committed suicide because of them. Their reputations had been ruined. That's why episodes 3, 4, 5, and 9 are so important. A person making false allegations should be held accountable for their accusations. That way people just don't make them on a whim like that girl did.

Changing the law so that making false allegations becomes a form of defamation and slander, things punishable by law, allows for false allegations to loose their power as people will be held accountable for making them. This allows the student who has experienced sexual assault by a teacher to be taken more seriously as they know there will be consequences for making false ones. Fear can be used for good or bad.

The whole drama was about taking responsibility for one's actions, and that actions have consequences (both good and bad). Something that seems to be lacking in the Korean educational setting, especially among the rich, powerful, and influential people.

I hope this makes sense.
Thank you for the discussion and happy drama watching.

I totally agree with you, and others have commented on this as well. However, that was not the point of the use of these false allegations. Viewers seem to forget that two male teachers committed suicide because of these false allegations. The power these allegations have, drive teachers to not discipline their students. For example, when the girl puts these allegations online, the comments explode with one commenter wanting to go after the man's family. The man was innocent, but he was dead before the end of the day.

This is why the educational board spoke out about changing the laws when it comes to defamation or slander. If people understand that making false accusations is the same as defamation, then they will hopefully think twice about doing it. Actions have consequences. To me what was insane was the amount of time (up to a year) for these allegations to even be investigated. Now that is insane. jmo

Happy drama watching.

Finally was able to finish this. Loved it and now I have three more extraordinary women to learn about. This was by far Michelle Yeoh's calmest role (that I have seen). This was my first Maggie Cheung role and will be checking out more of her work. Will also check out more of Vivian Wu's work as well.

It depends on what you mean by romance. Is this a story about a boy and girl falling in love, no. It is about a man who loved his wife very much and shows that love. It also has a quirky romance between two of the bureau inspectors. So yes there is romance, but it is not the main focus of the drama.

Loved the main couple's story. Did not care for the second couple. The two did not have anything in common (except the cat), and I don't see their relationship lasting long. I skipped episode 13 that was about them. jmo

Did anyone else notice the homage to Squid Games with the TV broadcasts in the classroom?

I believe it is in the first season, but there is a scene where YS is playing the zither and he breaks the shao shang string. This is symbolic of them never being together. The empress make a big deal of wanting to see SS married to someone before she dies. In order to put the empress's mind at ease, YS says he is willing to make it appear as if they are engaged, so SS and YS viist his parents. Notice they don't even say anything to her family. The visit was just for show to help the empress get well.

Yes, people are suppose to follow these rules, but rich people, people with influence, and people with status and power don't have to. Only people who are poor and have no influence are the ones who have to follow the rules. The inequalities of the Korean educational system favors the students who have power, status, and money. The rich never have to be held accountable for their actions. Now with this new system what if the rich are held accountable the same way poor people are? What if the poor people could fight back without any repercussions? The opposition didn't like it because it trampled on their power, status, and influence. You didn't like it because you think it is just one group replacing another group. What is the answer? How can you create equality within the school system between rich and poor students? Sometimes you have to level the playing field by fighting fire with fire.

Also, you stated something about him fighting minors. Again, when the male lead fights the minors you are forgetting one thing, the people he beats up are people who start the fights. He only strikes minors when they strike him first. He doesn't go out of his way to pick a fight with the minors. Plus, when he does fight minors, he doesn't go all out as he doesn't want to hurt them. The only time he really and truly fights is in episode 2 when he takes on the adults who are under the leadership of the high school boy. Notice he doesn't beat up the leader too badly as he is a minor, and he only fights that boy after the boy strikes him. If the main lead can teach the boys lessons without fighting he would do it, but it has been ingrained in these boys that only the best fighter has respect, power, and influence. Tell me one episode where he went in and just started pounding on a kid without that kid pounding on him first.

You give episode 4 as example of how this team unjustly accused an innocent boy of attacking a teacher. Okay, let's look at that episode. At the very beginning of it, the drama portrays the boy as the offender. When the team starts investigating, notice the male lead doesn't start with the student (the offender), the male lead starts with the teacher. Why? He sends the female inspector to talk with the boy. The female lead is the one who thinks the boy is guilty until she talks with him. In previous episodes the team has always started with the guilty party until this one, what makes this episode different? The boy is the red herring. The guilty party is the teacher who the male lead goes after through fanboying from the very beginning. We later learn that the male lead went and asked the previous offender why she did what she did, and we learn that this teacher has favored rich kids since middle school. The fraud started in middle school.

The only time the male lead does something unjustified is at the beginning when he tries to kill the student who killed his wife to be. If he had completed his mission, he wouldn't have been any different than the boy who killed his wife to be. He would have gone to jail, and nothing would change, except another student would be dead.

The father of the teacher wanted to know the truth behind his daughter's death. This was the way to get it done as the police weren't doing anything. In the process the corruption within the Korean educational system is exposed and dealt with in a over the top way (entertainment).

Each episode unravels a little more of the reasons why the Korean school system is so corrupt.

Happy drama watching and thank you for the discussion.

I disagree with you. This drama is modeled on Jonathan Swift's short story "A Modest Proposal". The drama targets the inequalities found in the Korean educational system and says something needs to be done. The drama deals with the issues that plague the Korean educational system: bullying of student on student, student on teacher, parent on teacher; favoritism of rich over poor students leading to teachers bullying poor students; parental pressure on students; drugs; gangs; etc. The over-the-top manner that they use to deal with situations is the entertainment and satire. Is the drama saying we need to return to corporal punishment, no, just that something needs to be done. Everyone, from students to politicians, needs to be held accountable for the Korean educational system.

Also, throughout the drama, the director says, "This may seem like a harsh way of doing things, but until something better comes along this is how we will be handling the situation." In other words, if you don't like how I am handling it come up with a better solution." How many students and teachers have to die before something changes? In addition, the main lead says on numerous occasions, "I will take responsibility for my actions." He is not above the law. If he kills someone, he will be held accountable.

Plus, before going into any school, the team does reconnaissance work to make sure there are no mistakes about who is the culprit. In episode 10, the male lead would rather die than allow his friend to be hurt. So the team makes extra sure that innocent people are not harmed.

Viewers are taking this drama way too serious. The over-the-top solutions the team takes are there to make people aware of the issues that plague the Korean educational system. The drama is not saying they are the only way these situations should be handled.

Happy drama watching.

Yes, the verified rating is for account holders who have committed to MDL. They are "real"accounts. I have an account, but mine is not verified as I have not put in a phone number. Because of this my rating does not go into the verified rating. It only goes into the completed account.

The completed rating allows every account that marks the drama as completed and rated in the tally. This includes people who have multiple accounts, many peoples unverified accounts, and fake accounts. For example, I could create five unverified accounts and mark them all completed and rate the drama a 9 five times if I wanted to. This skews the overall rating. So the verified rating is the more accurate as it only counts those accounts that have been attached to a phone number.

Hope this helps. Happy drama watching.

For me, the drama explores the reasons as to why the educational system has come to where it is now and the over-the-top solutions to show that it must be changed. It doesn't necessarily have to be in that fashion, but something needs to be done. This drama reads Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" which is a satirical look at the effects of the potato famine in Ireland.

What does all of this have to do with episode 3 where the female student accuses her teacher of SA? It shows the inequality that the system has created. This "exemplary" high school teacher catered to the rich kids because he wanted power and status. This all started in middle school with him denying the girl of her rightful spot in the fast track program because she held no status. Whereas the girl who didn't deserve it had rich parents. What did this teach the girl? That in order to get anywhere in life you need power, status, and influence.

Jump ahead to high school, she reached that status, power, and influence. Everyone in the school catered to her. Feared her. She had power, status, and influence. She had it all until the organization came in and took it all away. When the teachers started asking students to put away their phones, she refused and was disciplined for it. Because she was disciplined, she started harassing the teachers who disciplined her. Episode three was not about teachers who comment sexual assault against their students. It was about the fact that teachers are afraid to discipline students because of retaliation from parents and students. Look at what the girl did. She accused teachers who disciplined her of child abuse and sexual assault. None of which was true, but the teacher who was accused of sexual assault killed himself.

Claims of child abuse and sexual assault are taken very seriously, so seriously that when teachers are accused of either (whether they are guilty or not), they kill themselves as their reputations are now ruined. When she posted that, notice how many and what people were saying without even hearing the full story. That is way too much power to be given to a statement. The drama wasn't saying that students should not report sexual assault by teachers. The drama was saying that just the very accusation is enough to lead a teacher to commit suicide. That is the problem. The power that is given to that statement needs to be examined, so that innocent teachers do not have to commit suicide if these accusations occur. Teachers should not have to be afraid of their students when they discipline them. Students should be taught that when they make false accusations like that it makes it harder for the students who have truly been sexually assaulted to come forward. Protecting both students and teachers should be the primary goal of any educational setting (episode 5).

This all started when that "exemplary" teacher asked her to give up her spot that she had rightfully earned to some rich girl who didn't deserve it all because he wanted power and status. In the end, it helped the organization realize that this fraud case had started in middle school with this very teacher. The school system penalizes those students who come from poorer backgrounds and favors the rich kids.

To have the "exemplary" teacher ask for sexual favors from the girl to keep her spot would have made the case an individual sexual assault case by the teacher. Not shown the inequality of the educational system has become institutionalized against poor students.

I understand where you are coming from and what you want the drama to show, but that was not the message it was trying to send. We all know that teachers sexual assault students. No one doubts that.

Thank you for the review. Happy drama watching.

The story arcs can be one episode or two. The main female lead's backstory lasts four episodes.

I take no offense. Teachers do home visits in Colorado, California, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, and Massachusetts. I am sure there are others, but these I know for sure. It really depends on your school district or charter school. At the beginning of the school year, teachers visit their students at home just to get to know the parents and the home environment. This helps the teacher better understand where their students are coming from and build a relationship with the family. This is strongly encouraged in teacher preparation courses and in school districts. It's not mandatory but is strongly encouraged.

The teacher in this drama went one time and realized that his family needed financial help. This is why she gave him food and other things. Also, she understood that he may not have parental guidance at home, so she tried to step in. As I was writing to another poster. He didn't want to change because selling drugs and having money gave him power, so her efforts were in vain.

That's why I wrote that I have mixed feelings about her behavior. However, I did not see her as a teacher who wanted to have sex with her student despite all the touching. She loved the male lead and only had eyes for him. What I saw was a way for her to help him trust her and confide in her. She thought if she did all of this, he would change. We know that he didn't want to change as the money and power he had while selling drugs was the game changer for someone whose family had limited finances. The second episode brought up this issue very nicely. Selling drugs is easy money and one can live a life of luxury. This is why all the boys were fighting to get noticed by the leader.

The drama does two things. One, it challenges the values and beliefs of the Korean culture. All of the stories within the drama work together to show why the Korean society is the way it is. It starts with the parents (episode 8) wanting their children to be in occupations that will give the family money, power, and status. In order to do that, students need to be able to concentrate on their grades and extracurricular activities that will look good on their school resume. In order to concentrate and get the grades needed for this, the students take drugs or cheat on the exams. Where do the students or parents get the drugs or exams to help their students? Drugs from a young entrepreneur whose family needs the money, or a teacher who wants power. Now this parental pressure isn't just within the family, it has now reached the schools, and soon it will reach society in the kinds of jobs these students are able to get with the education they received.

The drama also pokes fun at dramas that are about Korean educational practices. For each episode, I can think of one kdrama or movie that has made that issue its main focal point. There are lots on just bullying alone.

Jonathan Swift's short story, "A Modest Proposal" is a satirical look at the effects of the Irish potato famine. I won't spoil the story for you. It's a great story. You will enjoy it.

Thank you for the discussion. I do get where you are coming from as I, too, had questions about her intentions, but it started to make sense for me when we learn he was the drug dealer in the school. When she found out, instead of going to the police, like she should have, she tried to get him to change, and he didn't want to. His life was easy and he had power within the school. jmo

This drama is a school drama, but it is not just about bullying like Weak Hero. I can't speak to Study Group as I have not watched it. Bullying is only one aspect of the issues dealt with in the drama. It is a satirical drama about the educational system in Korea, and its many issues that need to be addressed.