With Eyes East

One of the great ironies in my life is that I spend so much time on media criticism but have never successfully recommended anything to anyone. Well, there was that time a friend asked if he should take a date to either Renfield or The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and later thanked me profusely for the latter choice – myself having seen neither. I’d say I’ve also become calcified against recommendations, but there was no “become,” truthfully. For me, the science of picking a movie is so delicate and mood-based, a fast-closing window that, nine times out of ten, results in no movie being selected. How is external opinion supposed to factor into that sort of non-thinking? And so, the concept of the recommendation has retreated to an abstract use: “Would I recommend this, theoretically?” as part of the critical evaluation. It’s a question that’s surprisingly complicated with Undercover Miss Hong, being a pitch-perfect television show start to finish. I loved it, I thought about it a lot, but I struggle to identify concrete terms for the basis of a recommendation, assuming phrases like “It’s really good” don’t suffice. I asked this question last time, basically “How can perfection not be enough?” and with the show’s conclusion, I’ll try to answer. And for the record, it’s not because I feel, emotionally, that the show deserves the indignity of my criticism, but because it might be an interesting exercise. Might. … More K-Drama Report: Undercover Miss Hong, Part IV

Previously on “K-Drama Report: Undercover Miss Hong,” I noted that Lee Yong-gi’s actor Jang Do-ha previously starred with Park Shin-hye in The Judge from Hell, but didn’t know which character. To my surprise, he was Judge Bit-na’s first victim, whom she beat and tortured for twenty minutes straight. Going from that domestic abuser guy – recalcitrant, to the last – to happy-go-lucky Jang Do-ha, fawning over Hong Keum-bo… actually has a twisted sort of logic. It’s like, you know, she trained him. I’d also suggested that the show was twelve episodes long, so the revelation of its true form – sixteen episodes! – was jaw-dropping. After episode nine, it appeared the story was preparing for a climactic finish, when in reality, it was only pivoting – hard. We’ll have to do a little rewind back to that point, since it’s been a few weeks, but in the meantime, and on this eve of the weekend’s finale (for real this time), I just have to say that it’s been a pleasure. Undercover Miss Hong is extremely entertaining, and while it started out good, it’s only gotten better. The characters disarm with over-the-top comedy before revealing deeper, sympathetic layers; enough to bruise, not eviscerate, like my last experience with a K-drama. I’ve come to the edge of tears, which I didn’t expect. All the while, I’m desperate to see what Hong and the girls will do next, standing as they are against the skyscraping Hanmin monolith (monolithic Hanmin skyscraper?). Which reminds me: this is the rare K-drama where I do not “skip intro.” I love that main theme. … More K-Drama Report: Undercover Miss Hong, Part III

In a surprisingly literal way, Undercover Miss Hong is like candy. Its 1990s Seoul is made up of brightly-lit night exteriors and pastel office sets which look positively set-like. I mean, utterly unconvincing, as if all the harshness or potential frictions of “reality” were duly sanded away. The entire cast is gorgeous – the computer nerd Lee Yong-gi has his hair frizzed up to obscure actor Jang Do-ha’s boyish good looks (shucks, apparently, he was in The Judge from Hell, but I don’t remember) – and every expository punchline is delivered loudly, underscored by upbeat, triumphant music or upbeat, suspenseful music. This is the manner of a cartoon. Facial expressions are big and made bigger by crash zooms, body language is gesticulation and flailing. Cliffhangers are earth-shattering until their immediate, pat resolution next episode, like an old Republic serial. There’s an ease to the viewing, and most certainly a comfort. None of this description should be taken as negative criticism. It’s candy, after all. I don’t believe that the fireworks nature of the show comes at the expense of anything, like complexity, for example. The financial technobabble is persuasive, even set against the unpersuasive backdrops (which I privately enjoy because I love sets, when environments feel fully designed), and the unraveling mystery is a weave of character and plot and social commentary, with aha moments only raising the stakes. … More K-Drama Report: Undercover Miss Hong, Part II