1
SKITC
Probably within reach of a coffee
This review may contain spoilers
Observations and notes rather than the standard form
Lots of reviews already thoroughly giving “Happiness” the attention it duly deserves. So rather than rehash the same, simply going to offer a few observations in note form:
-Lee Kyu Hyung has guest or support roles in “Hospital Playlist 2”, “Happiness” and “Racket Boys” which is a phenomenal trio of shows to be part of in a single year.
-”Happiness” begins with Yi Hyun inconsolable over the end of his baseball future because of a serious leg injury that meant he couldn’t run. In later episodes, however, we see him sprinting across the complex yard followed by a leap on top of Tae Seok’s SUV. In another episode, he and Sae Bom are running through the parking garage. It’s a decent-sized plot hole. Hypothetically, however, Yi Hyun recovered enough to play again but had already decided to follow Sae Bom into police work.
-Ahn Gil Ho was quietly very clever in his direction. In episode one, the world is totally wide open. The show bounces from one setting to another across what appears to be significant distances. As things start to go wrong, first the setting gets constricted down to the apartment complex. Then our main characters can only barely leave their building. Then quietly, as the episodes tick off, the show features fewer shots outside the building. In almost every episode, there is a scene where the two leads are on the patio or the roof, but with each episode until the conclusion, it gets shorter and shorter. Along with the deaths among the residents and the multiple episode absence of characters like Ji Seong Sil and Kim Hak Je, this ratchets up the claustrophobic vibe slowly but steadily.
-Chemistry is oft-discussed but is really such a difficult and subjective element to evaluate. In theory, two competent actors should simply be able to do their job well without the need for some special personal harmony between them to convince the audience that they have strong feelings for each other. Despite the likelihood that chemistry as commonly used is an illusion convincingly created by very skilled professionals, Park Hyung Sik is inconceivably natural in his on-screen pairings.
-The most challenging role and the best performance, however, was Bae Hae Seon’s building representative. Was she a likable character? That’s a big NO. But that doesn’t mean the actor wasn’t crushing it.
-Tremendous OST work by Joe Layne.
-The last minute fakeout reveal that has been featured way too often this fall (big culprits - they didn’t break up in “Dali and the Cocky Prince”, Hyun Jo didn’t die in “Jirisan” and same with Yi Hyun here) can stop. Immediately. Please give viewers a proper closure by expositing how these things came to be rather than just a cheap “FOOLED YOU! HAHA” gimmick.
-On that note, in general, the second half of the last episode felt rushed. The resolution to the discovery of a serial killer in their midst could have had a longer, slower, bigger buildup and bigger confrontation. Sixteen episodes would have been too much, but “Happiness” could have been easily stretched to fourteen. The bitcoin subplot could have been resolved more clearly. What exactly went down with Tae Seok’s plan? Lots of other fertile ground was there with supporting characters for extended content.
-Baek Hyun Jin played a series of bad guys this year: Chairman Park Yang Jin in “Taxi Driver”, President Heo Jung Se in “The Devil Judge” and Oh Joo Young in “Happiness”. He’s a fabulous creep and it’s difficult to choose which of these characters was the most loathsome. All of them are so colorfully horrible. But it’s Chairman Park by a hair over Dr. Oh.
-The summation: ”Happiness” is an incredible show and should be on every short list of candidates for best drama of 2021. It’s not this reviewer’s top choice, but only by the narrowest of margins.
-Lee Kyu Hyung has guest or support roles in “Hospital Playlist 2”, “Happiness” and “Racket Boys” which is a phenomenal trio of shows to be part of in a single year.
-”Happiness” begins with Yi Hyun inconsolable over the end of his baseball future because of a serious leg injury that meant he couldn’t run. In later episodes, however, we see him sprinting across the complex yard followed by a leap on top of Tae Seok’s SUV. In another episode, he and Sae Bom are running through the parking garage. It’s a decent-sized plot hole. Hypothetically, however, Yi Hyun recovered enough to play again but had already decided to follow Sae Bom into police work.
-Ahn Gil Ho was quietly very clever in his direction. In episode one, the world is totally wide open. The show bounces from one setting to another across what appears to be significant distances. As things start to go wrong, first the setting gets constricted down to the apartment complex. Then our main characters can only barely leave their building. Then quietly, as the episodes tick off, the show features fewer shots outside the building. In almost every episode, there is a scene where the two leads are on the patio or the roof, but with each episode until the conclusion, it gets shorter and shorter. Along with the deaths among the residents and the multiple episode absence of characters like Ji Seong Sil and Kim Hak Je, this ratchets up the claustrophobic vibe slowly but steadily.
-Chemistry is oft-discussed but is really such a difficult and subjective element to evaluate. In theory, two competent actors should simply be able to do their job well without the need for some special personal harmony between them to convince the audience that they have strong feelings for each other. Despite the likelihood that chemistry as commonly used is an illusion convincingly created by very skilled professionals, Park Hyung Sik is inconceivably natural in his on-screen pairings.
-The most challenging role and the best performance, however, was Bae Hae Seon’s building representative. Was she a likable character? That’s a big NO. But that doesn’t mean the actor wasn’t crushing it.
-Tremendous OST work by Joe Layne.
-The last minute fakeout reveal that has been featured way too often this fall (big culprits - they didn’t break up in “Dali and the Cocky Prince”, Hyun Jo didn’t die in “Jirisan” and same with Yi Hyun here) can stop. Immediately. Please give viewers a proper closure by expositing how these things came to be rather than just a cheap “FOOLED YOU! HAHA” gimmick.
-On that note, in general, the second half of the last episode felt rushed. The resolution to the discovery of a serial killer in their midst could have had a longer, slower, bigger buildup and bigger confrontation. Sixteen episodes would have been too much, but “Happiness” could have been easily stretched to fourteen. The bitcoin subplot could have been resolved more clearly. What exactly went down with Tae Seok’s plan? Lots of other fertile ground was there with supporting characters for extended content.
-Baek Hyun Jin played a series of bad guys this year: Chairman Park Yang Jin in “Taxi Driver”, President Heo Jung Se in “The Devil Judge” and Oh Joo Young in “Happiness”. He’s a fabulous creep and it’s difficult to choose which of these characters was the most loathsome. All of them are so colorfully horrible. But it’s Chairman Park by a hair over Dr. Oh.
-The summation: ”Happiness” is an incredible show and should be on every short list of candidates for best drama of 2021. It’s not this reviewer’s top choice, but only by the narrowest of margins.
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