Grab onto your squishy places because we are triumphing in hard work and counters with Itaewon Class this week.

Stats

Released: January 2020
Network: Netflix
Based on: Itaewon Class by Gwang Jin
Developed by: Kim Do-soo for Showbox
Director: Kim Sung-yoon
Writer: Gwang Jin
Cast: Park Seo‑joon, Kim Da-mi, ‎Yoo Jae-myung, ‎Kwon Nara, ‎Ahn Bo-hyun, Chris Lyon

Breakdown and Analysis

• Splooshes to Netflix for making international shows more accessible. We will offer our first born to you.
• The first episode of Itaewon can be a stand alone film. There is a certain finesse to establishing characters and making us care about them. Making us buy into the characters is crucial and this show completely fulfills this. This will be the benchmark for movies. If there are more movies that have less story arcs, character development answer to KT. Also cannot think of a better pilot.
• There is a connotation around K Dramas but this show is different. It was salty, sweet, acidic and full of heat. Social commentary was interwoven into this series effortlessly. It did not come off as preachy. It ventured to go furthe than other dramas. There are a lot of tasty morsels to delight yourslf in Itaewon Class.
• Reminded KT of the Anime Monster. Yes you know what an anime is. But it challenges what you expect and any limitations you might have. Itaewon Class follows this too.
• Sometimes there are shows that have protagonists that are hard to latch onto. Whether it be cheering or scorning them. Sae Ro Yi first presents himself as simple but it becomes very clear that his values succeed any modern day corruption. And even those values derive from his dad. It is a very insular story about Sae Ro Yi and his father. His dad created Jangga’s signature dish and has been working for them for decades. There are many tangible themes in Itaewon Class and a lot of them have foundations in their relationship. All of the triumps, ebbs and flows we are along in the journey.
• Gweon Won is classic rich kid syndrome. If you live a life of complacency, you become numb to the luxuries.
• Everything that the dad tried to embed into Sae Ro Yi was clear. He was living it. The success was in laying the groundwork so that when we encountered the death of the dad there was immense emotional pay off. They showed us a son that most parents wouldn’t understand and the way the father just knew him, is something we all hope for. The way people behaved surrounding the death not only shows to the valour in the dad and Sae Ro Yi but also propelling us in our investment of the characters.
• What was Soo Ah thinking when she recalled  the 777 license plate. There is one thing to give the opportunity for vigilante justice but to call the cops on him? Sae Ro Yi does thank her later on in the series but in that moment the regret in not gaining revenge is tangible.
• Is there redemption for characters? Gweon Won for example. There is a disparity in privelege. Anyone can unfortunately hit someone with their car but not everyone can pay people off and make that go away. KT enjoyed Gweon Won’s prison final form. He went back to being a bitch but still noteworthy.
• They fleshed out Sae Ro Yi as a character. His code of ethics and what he will not stand for. If shit happens, you pivot. His eagerness and motivation to gain revenge was delicious to watch.
• The concsious decision to distribute back story was executed perfectly. It fed us when we needed nourishment, nothing more.
• There are different types of love. The love when you are young and love once you’ve been through shit.
• Soo Ah never visited Sae Ro Yi in prison. She had 100 steps before she would allow him in. Worthy of her love. Yi Seo was willing to and built Dan Bam right beside Sae Ro Yi.

Unrelated but vital points

• Please let us know if you would like for us to cover Queen Sono.
• Pour some sip on the concrete for Drama Fever.
• Oti pretends he isn’t watching what KT is watching but he secretly loves it.
• Jokes on you if you didn’t think KT would bring up BTS in a Korean episode.
• Park Seo Joon is amongst KT’s trophy case of stans. On behalf of the podcast account, KT likes all of his photos.
• Looking to rename our dog to Theo Sae Ro Yi.
• Pinning each other down and forcing each other to watch things is our love language.
• K-Pop and K Drama stands for KT.
• Love is long suffering and you will come to find that out through this podcast.
• You’re welcome for The Cleveland Show reference.