rewatching happiness (tvN, 2021) since it's on netflix now and i forgot how wild this show is
on the one hand, you have an almost too-realistic depiction of a zombie outbreak in a post-covid world with some of the most evil and selfish characters i've seen in a kdrama - the wife-killing doctor who would rather let everyone in the apartment get infected than risk going to jail for his crimes, the obnoxious woman gunning for the building rep position so she can embezzle the funds who is willing to be an accessory to murder to get what she wants, the cheating lawyer who constantly belittles his poor wife, the doctor's ex-mistress who becomes the lawyer's new mistress basically as soon as the lockdown starts, the cleaners who use the lockdown to make money by charging exorbitant prices for food and just become more and more greedy as the show progresses, the rich executive who knowingly put the drug on the market in the hopes that mass infection would lead to a quicker cure and then tried to use his wealth and power to cut the line to be first in line for the cure, and let's not forget the whole ass serial killer who uses the lockdown to commit more murders
the first time i watched this show i almost dropped it because everyone is SO stupid and selfish and horrible, especially in the last few episodes, but there are also moments in the show where it presents a genuinely compelling argument for the value of community and helping each other in times of crisis and how human connection is the solution, not the problem, even during lockdowns and quarantine - many of the infected who never end up biting other people are able to hold onto their humanity because of their connections to family and friends and thanks to the support from others around them, and the show makes an effort to remind us again and again that the infected are not monsters, that they're still human, and in fact, they often display more humanity than some of the people who haven't been infected
and then in the midst of this bonkers almost zombie apocalypse, you also somehow have, in my opinion, one of THE best romances in kdrama history featuring some truly iconic tropes - friends to lovers, he falls first, marriage of convenience, forced cohabitation, badass battle couple, he's calm and level-headed while she's brash and impulsive but they both go absolutely feral whenever the other one is in danger
yoon sae beom the woman that you are!!!!!! han hyo joo has played some very memorable characters over the years (most recently in both moving and blood free) and she is so so SO good here as sae beom, who runs headfirst into danger, who never hesitates to put bullies in their place, who is quick to anger but also quick to forgive, who is kind but not naive, who is realistic but never cynical and always tries to do the right thing and help people, even (and perhaps especially) if they wouldn't do the same for her
jung yi hyun, the man that you are!!!! truly one of the best male leads of all time and easily my favorite role of park hyung sik's, this competent law-abiding citizen and detective is just trying his best to maintain order and uphold justice in the midst of chaos, and though he is perhaps jaded from his day job, he is still empathetic and understanding of the infected - yi hyun, whose desire to protect the people he cares about is stronger than his thirst and hunger, who only lets himself succumb to the hunger when he's sure that his loved ones are safe, you will always be famous!!!!
the chemistry between han hyo joo and park hyung sik is INSANE and their relationship is just *chef's kiss* - the mutual trust and devotion, the way he calms her down when she gets worked up, the way she reminds him not to always assume the worst in people, THE ELEVATOR SCENE where he tries to be noble and sacrifice himself to save her while she says fuck that and refuses to let go of his hand, the fact that he is terrified of hurting her just as she is absolutely certain that he never will, the video he recorded for her!!!!!!!, the way she refuses to give up on him after she gets out, the fact that it's her voice that brings him back in the end, the way they are each other's happiness!!!
i will be chasing the high of this romance for the rest of my kdrama-watching days, i fear
and special shoutout to han tae seok - the man said i am here to serve cunt, save my wife and unborn child, find a cure for this disease, and be a menace to my superiors, in that order, and then proceeded to do all that and then some while also lying left and right for 12 episodes straight
this drama really has it all: a new twist on zombies, a compelling romance with insane chemistry, genuinely high stakes and tension, a cunty army colonel, and the unnecessary addition of a serial killer plotline before it was cool
