"Please get rid of all my bad memories,
so that I won't have a nightmare again.
Then I will do whatever you ask."
From the first episode,
it is evident why everyone is talking about this remarkable #kdrama.
It's Okay not to be Okay is great storytelling from the get go. I forgot the actors were acting. I still believe this is who they are. This drama doesn't drag, there is momentum in every episode. It's dark, sad and unapologetic right from the start.....
A children's author dressed in black eating an extremely-rare-blood-oozing steak in a restaurant,
A father and daughter admitted to a mental hospital because, the father
tried and failed to kill himself and his child with a drug overdose,
A hospital carer beginning his day shift with old and recent scratches and small wounds on his back.
The same carer prevents the author from killing a patient by holding a knife from the very very very very sharp end...
Definitely not what I was expecting when I saw the title; it cleverly includes some murder mystery with some thriller elements as well. Staring Seo Yea Ji, Kim Soo Hyun, Park Gyu Young, Kim Joo Hun and Oh Jung Se, this #kdrama speaks to the most misunderstood in in our society, the people who don't beat to the everyday drum. These people teach us the most in the drama. Cue tears.....its beautiful...jolting sometimes but beautiful!
"It's funny how people who should be wearing a patient gown aren't wearing one."
Here's what I liked ...
WARNING TINY SPOILERS AHEAD
Our Problematic Heroine
"Obsession is noble and beautiful"
Our heroine is weird, impulsive, and stunning with an insane great sense of fashion. (side note: I want to have this kind of fashion sense now. )
We don't like her. She is rude, manipulative, entitled the list goes one....if this was a western drama she would be the killer but it is not, it is a Korean drama.
Fortunately, she really triggers the whole motion of the story by returning to her childhood home(a haunted castle in the middle of nowhere). She is running from a scandal and chasing the male lead; of course she ends up being forced to deal with her past.
The Story of Family Caregivers
"But you are are more of a kid than I am
why am I like a kid?
Because you want to be loved."
Our hero has suffered. He has been neglected since the day he was born always swallowing or eating his feelings as demonstrated in episode 7. He must take care of his big brother. This is his sole purpose in life, making him forgo any other areas (friendships, romance etc....)
He is also a carer specializing in working in mental hospitals, so it really is a 24/7 commitment for him; taking care of others and his brother. No break unless his loyal best friend Jo Jae Soo( Kang Ki Doong) steps in. No wonder he begins to have angry outbursts
During their childhood, Ko Moon Young observes the worst in him and doesn't judge him maybe
that's why they belong together. Such an emotional moment watching Moon Gang Tae forgive himself for wanting his brother to die.
I love the depiction of Sang Tae's animated mind in Episode 2 . Very creative...showing without telling...
I appreciate how their relationship is not perfect. Sibling relationships are not perfect but they are the heart of who we are. There's a scene where Gang Tae finally expresses his frustration and feelings with his brother's selfishness, they fight and Gang Tae with his nose bleeding feels relieved that he was finally been honest about his emotions. In episode 11 when Sang Tae takes him out for lunch and does all the things a big brother should do....woosh...my heart....tears...just tears.
Chosen Family and Redemption
" You eat like a bird,
that's why you are so skinny."
Ko Moon Young is all the red flags. Her mother is a killer...a real one, and her Dad tried to kill her as a result. In my head this couple does not make sense for many reasons yet Moon Gang Tae gives Ko Moon Young , what she needs, a family. A real one with breakfast round the table in the morning and they care....they take care of her.
The fantastic thing is Ko Moon Young must also form her own relationship with Sang Tae. I like this element so much; watching them learn how to communicate with each other because they both love Gang Tae, made for heart warming and hilarious moments.
OK psychiatric hospital accepts Sang Tae and they tap into his gifts. He is his own person with his own character arc; starting as a misfit and a burden to finding his purpose and earning an income in the end. The hospital staff become family to Gang Tae and Sang Tae.... there are mother, sister, brother and father figures teaching them and us something every episode.
P.S: But why does Lee Sang In sit on a throne during the publishing house meeting?
Also let's talk about how 80% of the shots are just classic. How do they do this in Korean dramas? Does that mean every director or location scout is a perfectionist? Because like how?
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My first #kdrama crush.
I was in denial when I first watched this.
The second time around I realized this was my first #kdrama crush...
My oh my when he slicks that hair back and wears a suit....
Lastly a big round of applause to the child actors. They were exceptional!
Watch it! Watch it ! Watch it!
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