A raw and outstanding depiction of characters drenched in their pain

!! This review contains some spoilers (nothing too specific though) !!

Rating this drama with the highest mark and calling it a masterpiece would make me sound like I’m overreacting, wouldn’t it? I gave this drama the highest mark not because it’s perfect – other reviewers pointed out some of its flaws although what makes a drama perfect and worth the highest rating is something over which not everyone agrees – but because it was truly outstanding. I wish I could write a close reading on every character and the way each actor/actress portrayed them… That’s how strong and phenomenal the acting was. Each character shone in their own way which made them all relevant to the story, no matter how “minor” they were. Obviously, I was amazed by the two main actors’ acting but they weren’t the only ones who left a strong impression on me. Choi Dae Hoon’s acting was beautifully heart-breaking. I feel like the key element of his performance was his voice: the way it cracks, weakens, quivers… I’m glad he was nominated for best supporting actor at this year’s Baeksang Arts Award. Also, Choi Sung Eun, given how few acting experiences she has, was remarkable! I’m looking forward to seeing her in other dramas/movies.

Now allow me to praise Shin Ha Kyun and Yeo Jin Goo’s acting. I wasn’t familiar with any of them. I had heard of the latter but I had never watched any of their dramas (if anyone wants to recommend me their favourite dramas/movies featuring either of them, please feel free to do so ^^). As a consequence, I can’t compare their performances with any of their previous works’ but I don’t think it really matters… They were simply amazing.
Dong Shik and Joo Won’s dynamic, the way their relationship develops as the story progresses, it was so well-written! As I see it, what makes this drama worth watching is – among other things – the complexity of the characters and their developments. Kim Soo Jin, the screenwriter, did a tremendous job with the screenplay. The plot got me hooked as early as the first episode and not a single one that followed bored me. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next although I did not binge watch this drama since I didn’t want to finish it too quickly. This is the kind of drama that should be savoured.

Anyway, back to Shin Ha Kyun and Yeo Jin Goo’s acting.
What moved me the most about Yeo Jin Goo’s character, Han Joo Won, is how his composure is gradually shaken up and how it eventually breaks – the result of which is the breath-taking scene which happened in episode 16. I loved how expressive his eyes – and frowns – were, how Yeo Jin Goo uses his hands to convey whatever his character feels, how his lips trembled as anger, sadness and/or frustration descended on him, the way he conveyed his frustration whenever Lee Dong Shik saw right through him and outsmart him etc...
Shin Ha Kyun is… something else really… It’s hard to put into words what I felt while watching his portrayal of Lee Dong Shik. His micro expressions are everything; I’ll develop this point a little further on alongside with my thoughts on the OST. The way Lee Dong Shik lets his arms dangle along his body, his hunched back, the way he folds in on himself as if the weight he has been carrying on his own for 21 years is physically crushing him, his controlled, watchful and careful gaze… His eyes but also his whole body speak VOLUMES! To be honest I could write on and on about Lee Dong Shik but I’ll just end this review with a specific point I’d like to address.

Although I didn’t fall in love with the OST right away, I was certainly in love with it by the end of the drama. Every song just fits so well each scene in which it is played… Aww it will move you to the verge of tears.
I was not a fan of the song “10 fingers memory” at first – because it seemed to me that whenever it was played it broke the dramatic tension and the seriousness of the scene – however I learnt to appreciate and acknowledge its importance as the story progressed. This song is just so well-thought. It succeeded at capturing Lee Dong Shik’s raw and complex emotions in only 1:14 minutes. As I see it, this song is the very embodiment of Lee Dong Shik’s smile and laugh and, more precisely, the emotions they hold in. It’s stunningly painful to listen to. It’s as if you could hear his laugh, as if every note mimicked and echoed his every peal of laughter. Truly outstanding.

I think I can safely say that Lee Dong Shik’s smile has left a strong impression not only on the characters – such as Han Joo Won – but on the viewers themselves. Lee Dong Shik is used to being referred to as the “nut case” of the town and so he knows very well that his smile is perceived as yet another mark of his so-called craziness. But his craziness isn’t sheer craziness if not the consequence of everything he had to bear alone for the past 21 years. The song “10 fingers memory” is usually played whenever a twist occurs. It really emphasises the hopelessness that Lee Dong Shik may have felt whenever the situation got even more ridiculous than it already was because of how never-ending and unsolvable it appeared to be.
I never saw him as someone crazy. His smile was heart-wrenching to watch because it never missed to reveal what he truly felt – that’s why the smile he gave Han Joo Won at the end was so beautiful and heart-warming because it was a smile that expressed a state of peacefulness. His smile displays his distress in such a genuine and raw way, showing us that he is a character shattered by pain, anger and helplessness… It’s one of the saddest smiles I’ve ever seen. Those emotions and the way they mingle together are what prevents him for being rational and careful at all times (hence people thinking he is crazy). This song highlights all of those emotions. “10 fingers memory” is the song of Lee Dong Shik’s pain and, paradoxically, the somewhat “comical” feels you may get from it makes you ache for Shin Ha Kyun’s character even more than you already were.
This song gives me mixed feelings and I think it’s in keeping with Lee Dong Shik’s complex personality.

I’ll end this review here. This review was more about me wanting to express the feelings I have for this beautiful drama than a proper review but I hope that, after reading it, you might consider watching it if you haven’t yet.

Thank you for taking the time to read this review till the end!

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The characterisation alone makes this drama worth watching

This drama is not a light watch and requires great concentration especially in the first few episodes, otherwise you will get confused. Choosing to present the main plot in such a scattered fashion was something of a gamble on the part of the directing team as it inevitably cost them casual viewers. However, if you carry on watching this drama, you will come to realise that everything falls into place fairly quickly as the story progresses. (Worry not, the feeling of confusion shall pass rapidly. You might not even feel it at all!) Having such an intricate plot allowed each character to have their own subplot which made them all relevant to the story. Some subplots were more thought-out than others but, overall, they were all significant and added depth to each character.

What makes this drama stand out in the crime genre is the fact that it wasn’t so much about finding who the real killer was — at first —, but more about proving that those wrongfully accused were innocent. Therefore the emphasis was put on the trial process which I found really informative for someone who doesn’t know much about law. (The drama title takes on its full meaning, doesn’ it?).

I won’t dwell on the plot as I want this review to be spoiler-free.

Now let’s get onto the characters which are, by far, my favourite part of this drama. It’s been so long since I’ve watched a drama with such a brilliant and accurate characterisation. Every character in “Law School” is fleshed-out, humanely flawed, and relatable. The fulfilling friendship between the Law School gang enables them to feel confident in what they’re doing and also acts as a constant reminder of their own flaws (and qualities). Indeed they won’t hesitate to call people out if need be — including themselves — and they will always find a way to talk (and think) things through.
They have a true spirit of friendship and so instead of bearing everything on their own, they all come together so as to help each other and whoever is in need. It doesn’t come easily nor naturally to all of them — seeking and offering help I mean — but it comes nonetheless.
Their warm and close friendship is definitely one of the reasons as to why I’d recommend this drama.
Special mention to Yang Jong Yoon who didn’t fall into the trap of being yet another archetype of the cold-hearted and stone-faced male lead. His relationship with his students was very wholesome and I loved the dynamic he had with Kim Eun Sook — you could see a whole other side of him when he was with her.

I can’t write a review about “Law School” without mentioning the relationship Kang Sol A and Han Joon Hwi have. I was thankful for this drama for not being romance-centric, however, I still think there were some romantic elements, but those were subtly incorporated to the story which I greatly appreciated. It followed, in a way, the “show, don’t tell” maxim in literature.
Kang Sol A and Han Joon Hwi are undeniably close, but they don’t seem to realise that they know each other on a much deeper level than the others. They never once questioned their feelings and so they’re not fully aware of what they mean. Joon Hwi’s love for Kang Sol A is genuine and selfless: he is always there for her and, when he can, he tries to cut short her self-doubt which helps her build self-assurance (Don’t worry, she does so on her own as well but Joon Hwi is of great help). Out of the two, Kang Sol A is the most oblivious of their feelings. Her trust in him is complete and she is most vulnerable when she is with him — he is the only one she confides in. Kang Sol B seems to have understood that — the innermost feelings they have for each other — since the way she sometimes looks at them is quite telling.
If you’re not convinced of the implied feelings these two harbour, then just pay attention to the way Joon Hwi looks at Kang Sol A and the way he looks at other people: his gaze never fails to soften when he speaks to her (so does his voice).

As for the OST, I believe it successfully captured the overall mood of the drama and was very fitting. I liked how the lyrics were in keeping with the whole story.

Now on to my closing statement (see what I did there ?). The first episodes aren’t the best ones as I felt the drama was trying too hard to enthral and impress the viewers. The timeline was overly confusing and some comparisons initially felt forced or were clumsily introduced — i.e Yang Jong Yoon’s obsession with puzzles. The whole puzzle metaphor left me a bit skeptical at first because of how emphasised it was, but Yoon Hoon himself convinced me. (You’ll see what I mean once you’ve watched the drama). However the characters make up for that given how engaging they were. The plot is pretty well-crafted and strengthens as the story progresses. Each character was able to play a part, which some people might have thought was too much of a coincidence — every character was somehow connected to the events which were unfolding — , but I, for one, appreciated the fact that the side characters weren’t just there to help the main ones: they were equally as important.
The beautiful friendship the Law School gang develops throughout the drama makes it even more enjoyable, and I can safely say that they will definitely grow on you. I also loved how professors and students helped one another in their own specific ways. It was refreshing to see! This drama’s characters are truly gems!

On that note, I rest my case.

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Heartfelt, gentle and genuine

Love doesn’t change anything and yet the whole world is transformed when the love you give is returned.

Beauty lies in the simplest things. It’s usually overlooked or worse ignored. But when you start seeing it, really see it, it won’t be because the world has changed, it will be because the person you cherish will have opened your eyes to it. The world is unchanging in its essence, it’s our heart that learns and starts to see things differently.

The absurdity of life doesn’t seem too insuperable when that life is lived while having the well-beings of others in mind.

This series embodies those little truths. It shows how genuine love is, how beautiful and simple it is. It tells you to live truly and to listen to your feelings. It highlights how caring is the most beautiful love language.

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A heart-wrenching and brutal depiction of the cycle of violence

When Meego and Primary are credited on the OST, that can only mean one thing : the drama you’re about to watch will shatter your heart in pieces (Yes, I’m talking about you D.P.).

“Weak Hero Class 1” is extremely violent and brutal. The emotions portrayed are so raw that it is sometimes unbearable to watch. This drama is infused with a despair so complete that you wonder how the characters found the inner strength to open their eyes every morning and get on with their lives.

Collecting my thoughts after watching such a heart-wrenching drama is harder than expected : I have so many things to say but, paradoxically, I am at a loss for words. I was truly shocked by how violent this drama was and how it accurately portrayed what bullying is like in South Korea.
The fight scenes are extremely well-choreographed and kudos to the persons in charge of creating them and extra kudos to all the actors who did their own stunts. Such well-choreographed fight scenes seem to hint at the fact that bullies are used to fighting : fighting has become nothing more than a morbid dance in which the one who is fast enough to lead the dance will win.

This series depicts the tragedy of bullying no matter the environment and emphasises how violence is always the answer for bullies. If some people felt that the violence was too much in this drama and even pointless, that means the director successfully conveyed the message this show carries : the cycle of violence is never-ending however absurd and destructive it gets.
Although the action scenes may look “cool” given how well-thought-out and well-filmed they are, they’re unbearable to watch. Teenagers these days — and even before — are beating people with a bat, a monkey wrench or a metal bar… I cannot fathom how teenagers can be so utterly violent and cruel to one another. We live in the sickest world. Bullies have their senses numb by their desire for revenge and only the lingering presence of death can make them scurry away.

The cycle of violence is nothing but a vicious circle which, by definition, has no end. Such a cycle is especially devious in bullying cases because bullying is never as simple as people think it is. It must not have escaped you that there are almost no adults in the drama, let alone adults who embody any kind of neutral authority. Victims of bullying have no one to talk to. Even when they do, the people they talk to cannot begin to imagine how absolutely wild the revenge gets once someone’s ego is bruised. Beyond the desire for revenge, toxic masculinity is at the core of this drama. Bullying is only seen as a means to “fulfil [one’s] ego” and revenge is shown as nothing else but the correct response to a bruised ego. Toxic masculinity makes men entitled to the use of violence once they’ve been humiliated especially by people they deemed inferior. Shi Eun strives to stand at the opposite of such a dynamic but he is forced to respond with violence because his life and those of his friends are at risk.

To make my point absolutely clear : I do not hate Beom Seok. You hate someone once you have made a judgement on them. However, I don’t have it in me to judge Beom Seok. I simply cannot. Beom Seok is an incredibly complex character and people putting all the blame on him like he is nothing but a coward misses how fleshed-out he is. Hong Kyung’s acting showed a profound level of understanding of his character and he did amazing as Beom Seok. Beom Seok is the tragic embodiment of the human condition, with all its sickening flaws.

Beom Seok desperately longs to belong somewhere, anywhere. He was adopted by a father who only did it to better his political image. His father never showed him anything but pure hatred and the beating he receives is absolutely horrid both because of how violent it is but also because it hammers home the point that he is not a part of their family. He is nothing and his father never misses a chance to brutally remind him of that fact.
He was harshly bullied in his previous school making him an outcast. When he arrives in his new class, more than blending in, he wants to belong to a group — no matter which one. Soo Ho and Shi Eun make the perfect group for him except for the fact that Soo Ho is only seen as a carefree antihero to Beom Seok. Beom Seok feels like he owes Soo Ho and he hates it. Soo Ho doesn’t make him feel like he belongs although Shi Eun does because of how attentive and careful he is towards him.

Soo Ho is also a complex character with whom friendships are complicated because of how above everyone else he feels. Although Shi Eun successfully communicated with him, Beom Seok never did and neither did Soo Ho (with Beom Seok). A friendship with Soo Ho implies an imbalance which has to be corrected somewhere along the way. Shi Eun is acutely aware of that and from the get-go, he tells Soo Ho that he shouldn’t tell him what to do. Their confrontation in the classroom is actually quite meaningful because both of them get a pretty solid understanding of each other afterwards.
Given how skilled Soo Ho is when it comes to fighting and fighting bullies in particular, people are humbled by his mere presence. Soo Ho is aware of that and so he seldom comes to the rescue — only when it is absolutely necessary — because he knows people are going to feel indebted to him. However, people deal with debt in different ways. Beom Seok feels as if he owes Soo Ho and that feeling runs so deep that it eventually destroys his friendship with Soo Ho.
Soo Ho doesn’t know how to communicate with Beom Seok but he knows how to talk to Shi Eun. For instance, when Soo Ho makes Shi Eun work to help him during his part time job, he’s actually being thoughtful in his own way. He doesn’t want to give Shi Eun the feeling that he was rescued. Making him work is a way to tell him that Shi Eun doesn’t owe him anything. Beom Seok also did work in the restaurant Soo Ho works in but he missed the point of the whole “help me with my work now that you’ve wasted my time”.

Beom Seok never found a way to shift the balance of power in his friendship with Soo Ho. Thus, he was always on the defensive and whenever Soo Ho tried to help him, he only interpreted his actions as another means to humiliate him to make him remember that he is the “weakest” member of the group. Neither do Soo Ho nor Shi Eun consider him inferior or weak but Beom Seok has convinced himself otherwise, especially when it comes to Soo Ho’s perception of him. Shi Eun tried to point that out to Soo Ho but Soo Ho isn’t as thoughtful as Shi Eun. He felt deeply pained by Beom Seok’s words and reactions to whatever he did or said and his growing frustration towards him did not allow him to analyse things in a rational way.

I am deeply heartbroken by how Shi Eun, Beom Seok and Soo Ho’s friendship ended. Nevertheless, the drama gave us one of the most genuine male friendships I have ever seen and this is the thing I liked most about “Weak Hero Class 1”.
Before I dive further into Shi Eun and Soo Ho’s friendship, I would like to remind everyone that Shi Eun understood Beom Seok till the very end. The scene in which he cannot punch him, despite all the anger and despair he feels, is highly symbolic and should encourage the viewers to be as understanding as Shi Eun. What Beom Seok did is wrong and unforgivable. But his suffering should not go unnoticed. If Shi Eun could notice it even when Beom Seok started his descent into hell then so should the viewers. I wish people were more nuanced when they talked about him. He is a tragic character in all its splendour.

Now on to Shi Eun and Soo Ho’s friendship. Even before everything that happened with Beom Seok, their trio — now turned into a duo — was genuine and beautiful and I have seldom seen such an accurate and subtle portrait of genuine male friendships. Both of them communicate rather well and deeply care for each other. Although the two of them might be new to the feeling, they both react in different ways and it was truly heartwarming to see how moved they were to each other’s affection — the hospital scene in which Soo Ho is speechless because of Shi Eun’s thoughtfulness and warmth was a superb scene.

Soo Ho brought such comfort and a sense of safety to Shi Eun that Shi Eun felt overwhelmed by such warmth. The way he sometimes only looks at him, without saying a word, and his gaze is so vulnerable and obvious. He is finally understood and he feels deeply relieved.

Soo Ho is quite a misleading character who is more complex than the happy-go-lucky type he uses to present himself. He sure is spontaneous and straight-forward but those traits of his character are in keeping with the fact that he has no time nor does he have the means necessary to dwell on his thoughts. He has to work a lot to get by and he barely has time to sleep so taking the necessary time to take care of himself is not something he can afford. I don’t believe he would find much use in that either. He seems used to muffling his emotions.
I wouldn’t say Soo Ho embodies a kind of toxic masculinity but some of his actions are not far from it. Shi Eun’s company invites him to be a bit more vulnerable although he seldom explicitly voices out his worries but his “Are you okay?” and his questioning gaze is enough for Shi Eun to understand his friend’s concern. In the same vein, the way his “See you tomorrow” addressed to Shi Eun always sounded like a promise never missed to squeeze my heart just as it must have squeezed Shi Eun’s heart in his chest.
However, he doesn’t know how to control his frustration and that’s why he could never talk things through with Beom Seok. The two of them were always engaged in a power struggle that none of them clearly understood. Shi Eun tried to act as a mediator between them but even when he talked to Soo Ho about Beom Seok, Soo Ho didn’t know how to react when faced with Beom Seok’s loneliness and angst. I’m not solemnly blaming Soo Ho for Beom Seok’s descent into hell. Beom Seok should have voiced his worries to Soo Ho without putting on a defying front whenever they talked to each other. But Beom Seok’s inferiority complex didn't allow him to do that and only Shi Eun saw right through him till the very end. Soo Ho also wished for Beom Seok to stop his nonsense but he hadn’t realised that his mere presence had become a burden to him. Their failed friendship is tragic because the two of them never succeeded in talking with each other on a neutral ground. They could never stand on equal footing however hard they tried.
Choi Hyun Wook did a wonderful job at balancing his character’s seemingly casualness to show, at times, a more emotionally vulnerable part of Soo Ho.

Although Shi Eun fights a lot and analyses things through in a way that might appear quite scary, he is the only soft-spoken character in the drama who always strived to talk things through first. He is a profoundly lonely character who lives his life like a programmed robot who should do what he is told to do just because he doesn’t know what he would do otherwise. His feelings are stifled deep within him and the way he fights so desperately gives the viewers a hint as to how long he has kept bottling up his thoughts and worries.
Park Ji Hoon’s eyes speak volume and thus everything Shi Eun felt found echoes in the viewers’ heart. Park Jihoon did a stellar job at portraying Shi Eun, from how devoid of colours his gaze could be to how soft and raw his voice sounded.

This drama could not have been as gut-wrenching without the actors and actresses’ amazing performances. I have only praised the three main actors’ acting but it goes without saying that they delivered such honest and heartbreaking performances because of how stimulated they must have been by the way people acted out all around them.

I don’t particularly enjoy watching dramas about bullying but I still watch them because they usually never miss to draw a true and nuanced portrait of the human condition with all its /hubris/. This drama highlighted how brutal the cycle of violence is and how revenge has no end since people with bruised egos lose all sense of rationality.
“Weak Hero Class 1” is, in many ways, similar to a Greek tragedy from the way the story unfolds to the characters themselves. Every character is so caught up in this vicious circle that they all lose control of what they’re doing — just like the hero of a tragedy has no control over their fate — leading them to almost kill one another. The bitter irony of bullying is that bullies long to completely destroy their victim without killing them. The prospect of them dying sends a wave of panic into them which is beyond understanding. Cruelty implies a long-term suffering which aims at hurting and humiliating relentlessly the person bullied to make them turn into the shell of themselves.

Male friendships are the reason I would recommend this drama to everyone because it is truly refreshing to see genuine friendships brought to the screen. However, this drama may not be suitable for everyone because of how terribly violent it is. There is something in “Weak Hero Class 1” — from the way it is filmed to the way characters speak and act — that reinforces the violence shown which makes it all the more shocking even if you are used to watching brutal series/movies.

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"I'm trying, I'm just trying to be brave"

Starting this series was a challenge in itself. As soon as I noticed the age gap tag, I wanted out. I eventually watched the trailer because I was intrigued by the posters and the colour scheme of the extract I had come across. After watching it, I realised that the main character would fall for the one person his father genuinely loved. This made me uncomfortable. However, the intimate and almost out-of-time atmosphere that prevailed in each scene made me give in and so here I am, eight episodes later, writing a review for a series I didn't think I would watch.

Some people called this series “pretentious” and I can see why they would think that. This series did try too hard at times but, overall, it delivered much better than I had expected. It sometimes lacked nuances — the character of Sasiwimol especially — but the pure rawness of the characters' emotions, the thought-provoking dialogues and the detailed directing left me speechless. “180° longitude passes through us” strived to be realistic while still allowing the inner lyricism of emotions to soar. Its ending has served its purpose in the best way possible.

Given all the food for thought this series gave me, I decided to outline my review as follows: I’ll begin by giving my take on the main cast using the written sentences shown in the ending scene as a means to introduce each character. I’ll then end this review by bringing to your attention one particular piece of furniture in Inthawut’s bedroom — the decorative wooden screen— as well as the aerial view at the end of the series.

“To you who call yourself a parent, you can only give birth to them but you don’t own them.”
It will come as no surprise that I found Wang’s mother to be insufferable. However, I regret that the screenwriter chose to make her behave in such a cartoonish fashion, thus giving up on adding any layers to her character. She was so over the top, so ridiculous, and so blatantly dismissive, that all the problematic things she did were hardly commented on. Which is a shame given how manipulative she was and how she kept on guilt-tripping her own son and her so-called most trusted friend.

It seems that, all her life, Mol was never mindful of others. She does not listen nor does she compromise: “she always gets what she wants” and it doesn’t matter how many people she hurts along the way.
For instance, she easily acknowledges the fact that she got closer to Inthawut in order to approach Siam — she does not feel ashamed in the slightest for using him. She then married Siam despite him not being able to open up to her. She never bothered trying to wait for the people around her to be — and feel — ready. She sent her little boy, Wang, to a boarding school right after his father died. Wang had to mourn for his father’s passing all alone in an unknown place. I cannot even begin to imagine the utter loneliness and agonising pain Wang must have felt once he knew he was being sent away. By doing so, Mol, whether or not she was aware of it, put the blame for Siam’s passing on Wang’s innocent shoulders.

Wang’s razor sharp mind and his emotional and intellectual maturity are all proof that he had to grow up faster than he should have. Wang, most of the time, accommodates his mother’s wishes without taking into account his own feelings. He obliges, aware that every time they argue, his mother makes him feel terrible about himself, leaving the void inside his heart all the more gaping.
Mol’s manipulation and gaslighting has led Wang to live in the shadow of his father — sometimes becoming it entirely. When he dreams of his father and realises he has the same face, it acts as a confirmation that he has internalised what happened to his father thus making him lose track of who he is. His innocence died the moment Siam passed away. He had to bear the guilt of his father’s death because of his mother's immaturity, without understanding why he felt that way. Him being sent away and Mol’s refusal to talk about Siam must have felt like an earthquake had shaken everything Wang took for real. Why would his mother reject him when he needed her the most? Why was he not allowed to express how much he missed his father? Why did her mother tell him he should never leave her although she was the one who left him all alone in a place he couldn’t call home? Why does he feel his father was a stranger to him in the end?

Inthawut — although he was, for the longest time, just a face in some pictures — soon became Wang’s only hope to remember his father as someone who deserved to be loved and not forgotten.
When the two of them finally meet, In — who was stuck in an eternal winter— welcomed the warmth of Wang’s spring, who shone ever so brightly with his idealism and thoughtfulness. Mol was not fooled although she refused to acknowledge the fact that meeting In gave Wang a reason to believe in his dream again. Notice how Mol always found a way to interrupt the spring blooming between them even when she was not physically there (cf. her phone calls which interrupted two very emotional and intimate moments between In and Wang).

When Wang confesses to his mother that he loves In, Mol reacts in the most cruel and coldest way she could have. How precious Wang’s trust in her was and how easily she crushed it, making him doubt himself although saying it out loud had felt so right.
Mol dismisses Wang’s love completely and the conversation she has with In about it shattered my heart. When she asks In to make Wang normal again, you can see how devastated In is and how quick he is to stand for Wang.
Mol disregards Wang’s love by saying that him liking In is like a child loving their role model. But she is wrong; she is so obviously wrong that I wonder how she could have hidden the truth from herself so fiercely. Wang has no wish to become like In: he doesn’t want to be like him, he wants to be /with/ him.

Being a parent is a hard and scary thing. It cannot be taught and can only be learnt in the moment. Parents make mistakes, they can be insensitive but they should always strive to understand and listen to their children. Not only did Mol never listen to Siam and to Wang, but she never cared enough about them to see how much she was hurting the both of them. She imposed her will and whims on her family without once questioning herself.
The epitome of her ungratefulness and selfishness was when she said that her life had been nothing but endless disappointments although she had won two awards two days before. Wang was never the one with an obsession, she was. His eagerness had nothing to do with being obsessed — Wang feels too much and so he lives intensely. He knew that meeting Inthawut would heal him and so he rightfully listened to his instincts. On the other hand, Mol is obsessed with her son. She is obsessed with the idea that she owns him and so when she feels he is slipping away from her, she guilt-trips him into thinking that he has a debt towards her. That him turning twenty — thus becoming an adult in the eyes of the law — means nothing to her and that he should always stay by her side. She cannot bear the thought of losing her grip on him. As a director, she wanted her son to be the perfect actor: the one who would know her every query without ever needing to ask, the one who would feel such a deep respect towards her that he would always strive to please her. However, she failed to realise that a great director is someone who will give the actors they work with enough creative freedom for them to unveil their talents.

“To you who are still young, you have to bleed first before you learn.”
My dear dear Wang. I hate how cruel the world can be to the kindest of souls.

I now need to lavish Punnasak Sukee and Pond Ponlawit with praise for creating and bringing to life such a mature, lovable and profoundly humane character. His sensitivity and courage brought an ache to my heart that I will never forget.

When I look at how things ended, I can’t help but feel heartbroken for Wang who only ever wanted to make memories he could look back upon fondly. He will definitely cherish the moments he shared with In but those are bittersweet moments.

If Wang’s character could be described as a colour palette, I’d say his would be made of high contrast colours for his spontaneity, wit and gentleness slowly helped In to step out of his desaturated world (even though it was only for a bit).

Wang has left a mark on me that I wish time will never erase. His lucidity stirred me greatly as I found echoes of my own thoughts in his words.
His words inspired respect in In who was mesmerised in his presence. The way he looks at him when they first meet is quite telling. In was humbled by Wang’s courage and grace. Although he couldn’t follow in Wang’s footsteps, he still encouraged him to stay true to himself even when things felt too painful to even continue moving forward. His last words to Wang were a selfless act of love and something Wang desperately needed to hear.

I find it difficult to collect my thoughts and talk about Wang in an organised way because he made me feel too many things at once. Something that needs to be highlighted though is the way he always tries to smile when he is in pain. This made my heart squeeze in my chest. It was as if he told himself that he should not bring sadness to others and so he should always smile through his tears. It was as if he wanted to muffle his pain so as to always bring comfort to others and never be the one who asks for it.
Although he feels utterly alone, he seldom verbalises his pain. When his whole world came crashing down after his terrible fight with In, it killed me to see him fall into his mother’s arms. He knew she would be of no real comfort but he had no one else to turn to.

Wang’s sharpness, just like his “saturated” personality, made him experience the world with all the despair and intensity that youth could provide. It is no wonder he felt that philosophy would be a good match for him given how he likes to think about the world and understand its inner workings. Although he has a good understanding of his surroundings, it broke his heart to realise he would never be able to completely understand In and the depth of his suffering.
If Wang is a rather inward-looking character who likes to think things through, he also knows how and when to take a leap of faith and be spontaneous. When he falls in love, the feeling doesn’t scare him. On the contrary, it makes him eager and relentless. He loved In wholeheartedly. He was convinced of how good a man In was even when In himself couldn’t see it.

In and Wang’s love is the kind of love that lasts for more than a lifetime. It is the forever type — the real one. Their love was so devastatingly beautiful, so painfully genuine. Pure and yet so raw. It would have never worked out but it was worth a try — the most desperate of tries. It would have never worked out because In has drowned himself with guilt. Because Wang speaks his mind whereas In shields himself with silence. In doesn’t feel worthy of such a genuine and warm love. He would have done anything to protect Wang from harm although he realised in the end that he was the one hurting him most and that’s why he decided to let him go.

In’s resignation allowed Mol to have everything she wanted, as always. Although she did get her way in the end, Wang is the only one who’s triumphant. He realised that his mother never had his best interests at heart and that knowledge changed him. Knowing that, he has finally the means to break free from her grip and he has. Him not responding to her constant chatting in the car, holding on to the book that the one he loves has gifted him, aware that this book is nothing but proof that In’s love is persevering… Him looking at the window is him looking for a way to exist and be his own person.
Mol will forever live blinded by her strong convictions while In will live with an ever growing pain in his heart. A hole in his chest that the loneliness he has forced on himself will forever expand. As for Wang, he will fly on because he now knows things he didn’t before.

Before moving on to In’s character, I’d like to comment on a few key moments which happened around the last episodes. When Wang realises his love for In, he feels elated because he has finally found something to look forward to — studying philosophy and living with the one person that fills the void in his heart. However, no one is happy for him, no one thinks his happiness is the right happiness for him. No one thinks he has made the right decision. The world makes him doubt himself over and over again although he is in his most vulnerable state. Mol and In make him feel as if he has made a terrible mistake and that he should feel sorry. “I’m just in love” — the sentence he speaks to his mom — is the climax of his helplessness as he nearly drowns in sorrow. Nevertheless, he is faithful to his role; he has always been the most mature one out of the three. So he keeps his pain silent, a silence so deafening that the rain has to muffle it. (cf. episode 8 when he drives alone at night and chooses to come back)

After driving alone, I thought Wang wouldn’t greet Mol nor In but instead, he let his head rest in the hollow of In’s shoulder. He leans on him and in doing so, he shares the heaviness crushing his heart and asks him, ever so silently, to warm his heart with his sun-like presence.
In’s warmth comes from the intensity of his stifled feelings and Wang can see that even though In refuses to.

Wang knows he will never see In again. He says so explicitly at the end of the series but he is aware of that way before it. When his mother tells him to make sure he doesn’t forget anything while packing and he responds “I won’t. How could I?”, it brings to the fore his clear-headedness which heavily contrasts with his mom’s blindness. He knows it’s not goodbye but farewell.

“To you who call themselves wise, don’t let your cowardice get the better of you. Pick a side or throw away what you believe in.”
There is a veil of guilt and regrets in Inthawut’s eyes that is only lifted in the presence of Wang and it is truly heartbreaking to think that, with Wang’s departure, In will forever be stuck in a blurry vision of what his life could have been.

“Our minds form a cage. And in the end we reject freedom without knowing the taste of it.” How painfully accurate those words are when you think about how In has kept on punishing himself for having fled Siam’s feelings.

In feels as though he has disappointed the world thus making him unworthy of any love nor happiness. He feels guilty about what happened to Siam and Mol and so he accepts whatever stabs she made at him with her harsh words. He offered his apologies relentlessly although he knew he couldn’t have changed the way things went.
Mol wants In to help her force her views on his son but In would never let that happen. Why, you may wonder? Because Wang is the beacon of light he has aimlessly searched for all his life. The house he has built for himself is reminiscent of his inner self — a house so dark that it can only house shadows or broken reflections visible on the glass wall. In needs light but Wang's was so bright that it scared him, once again.

You’ve probably noticed by now that this review is a means for me to talk about how well-thought-out this series was, so let me stray from the point for a short while to talk about the settings. Obviously, In is an avid reader and so the books displayed in his room say a lot about his personality. Everything in In’s room is quite relevant in regards of his character and I loved that. I loved how detailed the directing of that series was.
There is a shot at one point when we see him holding a book called “Naked Philosophy” and its blurb is as follows: “Naked is not about being physically naked. It's about stripping to let someone see the inner you.” In is learning to do just that with Wang and that’s what I call genuine love. Wang acts as a gentle reminder that vulnerability is never a weakness but a necessary state that one should experience in order to truly be.

In has distanced himself from the world to protect himself: that's what the wooden screen in his room embodies. That is why it is highly symbolic whenever Wang goes around it. Wang who helped him built the bridge that connects him to the other side of the stream. Wang who is making him lay down his armour. Wang who has entered his heart. The one person that can see through him. The one person that /gets/ him. But In chose to stay hidden behind the wooden screen, inside his designer house, his eyes having lost the ability to adapt from complete darkness to bright sunlight (i.e Wang).

To end this review, I’d like to comment on one of the last shots of the series.
When Mol and Wang drive back to Bangkok, there is an aerial view of the road on which they’re driving and the element which caught my eye was the sight of a dead tree (timelapse is 50:35min). Its paleness contrasts with the luscious forest they’re crossing and I can’t help but feel this acts as a reminder that Wang has lost a part of himself along the way. Something died in him when In made him realise that people’s hearts cannot always be changed. That terrible truth is something Wang will have to live with all his life. Aware, alone and in pain.

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A rather misleading drama whose potential wasn't fully explored

Disclaimer: I haven’t read the webtoon so I had no expectations whatsoever when I started watching this drama.

This drama was ambitious from the very start: its aim was to explore how one’s trauma shapes one’s behaviour as well as to show how one’s struggles become hindrance when it comes to building genuine relationships. Given the number of episodes (12) and their lengths (a little more than one hour), it was obvious that the handling of such topics wouldn’t be irreproachable and it ultimately wasn’t.
Considering that I was expecting it, I made allowances for the people involved in the making of this drama — at first — because I could see the potential of its characters. However, as the story progressed, even after putting my leniency to the test, I came to realise that this drama would simply not give its characters any proper nor consistent development and this is the result of poor directing and writing.

The characters in this drama are flawed — which is a good thing because flaws are the basic groundwork for an authentic story, aren’t they? — but they’re all genuine and they each had a story to tell. The first episodes actually foreshadow how the development of each character would have taken place if they had been any. Thus the viewers might have thought that this drama would be true-to-life (to some extent) and somewhat thought-provoking. Sadly the characters lacked proper, in-depth, and consistent development which ultimately impeded the way the drama wanted to convey its messages. Those developments were either cut short because of the small number of episodes or because the producers/directors/screenwriters opted for the easy way out which resulted in making the characters more or less stereotypical since only one trait of their personalities was brought to light. At first glance, I thought that the seeming genuineness of the characters would make up for the clumsy and incoherent writing and directing but it unfortunately didn’t.

The strong point of this drama should have undeniably been its characters since the plot isn’t original nor refreshing. It presents characters drenched in their fears and anxieties who are trying to do everything they can to get by. They all do so in their own specific ways and, as a viewer, watching them do so on screen should make your heart ache for them. There are some moments which make this drama worth watching, even so, I think I was able to watch it till the end solemnly because I was watching it as it aired. In other words, those rare moments weren’t really enough to counterbalance the disappointment I felt episode after episode when I realised that the story wouldn’t go the way it was foreshadowed.
Nevertheless let me tell you one thing in order to enjoy this drama the best way you can. I did see this drama through to the end so it wasn’t the most terrible I had ever watched, simply not the best. As a character-driven drama, the main focus is on the characters themselves and their relationships with one another (their interactions really). If you’ve been curious about this drama for a while, you might have already looked up some comments and saw how most people on this site were annoyed by the romance which they deemed boring and lacklustre. I didn’t care much about the romance at all but even I have to admit that Yeo Joon and So Bin’s dynamic as a couple is rather strange and shallow. However I think that, if you put your mind to it, you can easily turn a blind eye to it.
If there is a romance in this drama – and there is –, it shouldn’t make the viewers lose sight of what’s supposed to be at its core which is the characters. Thus the focus should be put on the particularities of a romantic relationship – instead of on the romance in itself – which involve being emotionally-naked in front of the person you love for instance. Nonetheless the most enjoyable moments were, without a doubt, the moments in which you could see the blossoming friendship develop between Yeo Joon, Soo Hyun and So Bin and Professor Park’s words of advice to his students.

I had initially written in-depth commentaries on the main three characters but I chose not to include them in the end because I don’t want to give anyone false hope. Yes the characters have potential and although it’s not fully explored, the characters are what keep you watching the drama but their wasted potential eventually leaves a rather bitter aftertaste.

Overall, this drama is clumsily humane and asks us to watch the characters grow and learn from their mistakes and to let them discover how fulfilling any kind of relationships — whether romantic or platonic — can be.

Regarding the drama’s OST, I was a bit disappointed. The songs are not bad per se but I felt that some songs – especially some instrumental pieces – didn’t quite fit the atmosphere in which they were played. Moreover, the transitions between the moments in which no music was played and the moments in which there was were not always smooth which might give the viewers a sense of abruptness — especially when the rhythm is as upbeat as that of the song “Talk to me” by Park Ji Hoon (see the bungee jump scene for example).
More generally, the editing of this drama — its transitions in particular — was odd at times: by way of example, the way they chose to end episode 10 was very anticlimactic and broke the spell in a way. Indeed when the action resumed in the beginning of episode 11, I couldn’t feel anything at all because there was no build-up whatsoever. (Note that we had to wait 5 days before being able to watch episode 11 since only two episodes were aired per week. I won’t spoil anything but I think you’ll get what I mean if you watch it for yourselves).

Although this drama is far from being flawless, the potential of its characters will make you want to keep on watching. (or not haha you tell me).
One thing is for sure, you’ll be rooting for So Bin, Yeo Joon and Soo Hyun to become the closest friends ever!
The best way to watch this drama is to focus on how the bonds develop between the different characters rather than on how strange the romance is elaborated or the fact that the characters’ developments aren’t well-thought-out.

Thank you for reading this review till the end!

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