9/10: I was really impressed with the story arc of our main character, and how he earned the audience’s trust and admiration…we were all rooting for him!!
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I have to say that this was truly a masterpiece of a drama! Perhaps the advantage of having excellent source material to go off of really made a difference (it is based off a webtoon of the same name; I haven’t read it and knew nothing about it going into this), but either way, I was super impressed with the story and the strong characters and development!
[SPOILER WARNING!]
Itaewon Class tells the epic tale of a young strong-willed man name Park Saeroyi (played impeccably by Park Seo-Joon) and his motley crew of friends as he strives to become a successful pub owner in an upper class neighborhood in Seoul (Itaewon, obviously). On the surface, it seems like a classic rags-to-riches underdog story, but it is so much more complex than that! Right from the beginning, Saeroyi is portrayed as a person who is full of conviction and who will never compromise his values, and this steadfast characteristic is the main driving force that creates animosity between him and his arch nemesis, Jang Dae-Hee, the founder and CEO of Korea’s biggest food company and restaurant franchise Jangga Group. It was truly awe-inspiring to watch Saeroyi defy and overcome all the challenges that come between him and his dreams.
I absolutely love Park Seo-joon as an actor. He is so good at fully immersing himself into his character, so that when you watch him on screen, you don’t see Park Seo-joon, you don’t see his character in “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?” or “Hwarang”, you simply see and admire what he serves you in this drama. Perfection.
One thing that was surprising about this drama was the romance aspect. Right away we are introduced to Saeroyi’s long-time childhood friend Oh Soo-ah (played by Kwon Nara), and pretty early on it’s clear that they develop feelings for each other. But, as their paths diverge and their choices lead them onto opposing sides (Soo-ah begins to work for Jangga Group), it becomes less clear whether this OG romance will actually be endgame. Especially with the introduction of Jo Yi-seo (played by Kim Da-mi, who actually did such an amazing job!!). Ah, Yi-seo. She is the epitome of what it means to be an awesome strong female lead. She is a cold-blooded genius bad-ass essentially, haha, and was definitely one of the reasons for Saeroyi’s successes. As prickly and feisty as she is, however, she portrays such an innocent, pure love for Saeroyi. She falls in love with him quickly and is not ashamed or apologetic of her feelings. Instead, her primary motivation becomes to help Saeroyi achieve his dreams. This starkly is contrasted with Soo-ah’s character, who claims to love Saeroyi, but is unwilling to sacrifice her own goals and desires for him. For example, she chooses to go work for Jangga Group because it’s objectively a great career opportunity, even though she is aware of the great injustice that was done to Saeroyi (more on this later). She repeatedly tells Saeroyi to “force her to quit her job”, aka: she wants him to destroy Jangga Group. so that she doesn’t have to choose between her career and him. But it’s like…bish you already made your choice when you continue to work there despite the fact that it’s a betrayal of your best friend! Anyways, I was always on the Yi-seo train, she just exemplified so much better what it means to sacrifice for the ones you love. Saeroyi’s relationship with Soo-ah was always too passive to be a success story. Neither person put in the effort necessary to sustain and nurture the relationship; it was all based on what was essentially a promise made in high school, lol. I loved how the love triangle highlighted the flaws and strengths of each person involved.
The slow organic development of Saeroyi’s relationship with Yi-seo made the relationship really believable and one that the audience could truly root for At first, he was so adamantly against her feelings because he still liked Soo-ah (or so he thought. But honestly I think he was just too busy trying to beat Jangga Group to think too deeply about how he actually felt lol). And he was definitely put off by the age difference; he is 10 years older than Yi-seo, who was 20 years old at the time when she first starts working for him at his pub. Her persistence wins in the end though, and I have to admire a woman who confidently goes after the man she wants! Ultimately, because she was such a useful asset to his team, I think Saeroyi had confused romantic feelings (which is what he truly felt towards her), with simply friendship and admiration of her competence (what he thought he felt towards her). It was only when he stepped back to evaluate whether he would still want Yi-seo around him if his business died, that he realized that his feelings for her ran deeper.
One of the things I love most about any story, be it a movie, drama, book, etc, is when the main character goes through an arc that comes full circle. Itaewon Class presents a perfect example of excellent story-telling. Much of Saeroyi’s motivations throughout the drama was based on his desire to take down Jangga Group to get revenge for his father’s death (long story short, Jang Dae-Hee’s son accidentally killed him in a hit-and-run collision, but the whole thing is covered up…yikes). From the very beginning, there is this problem of two proud people butting heads: Park Saeroyi and Jang Dae-Hee. Neither is willing to budge or bend to the other. Jang Dae-Hee throughout the drama repeatedly asks Saeroyi to get down on his knees before him, and every time, Saeroyi refuses because he cannot bear to bow to someone who is the pinnacle of injustice and corruption. But by the end, he realizes that getting revenge is not something to live for. He was living for the dead (his father), when really, he ought to be living for the living (Yi-seo and his other friends who stood by him and helped him with his dreams). His paradigm shift was beautifully expressed near the end of the drama, where Jang Dae-Hee once again asks him to get down on his knees, and he complies, finally willing to humble himself so that he can save the one he loves most, Yi-seo. IT WAS SO EPIC OMG, and I was so proud of him. Definitely one of the strongest aspects of this drama was how character-focused it was, and how different characters acted as foils for each other.
The other supporting characters in this drama were all really great. Saeroyi’s Itaewon Class pub crew was such a cute group of friends who all experienced first-hand how noble and upright Saeroyi was, and therefore aligned themselves with him loyally and absolutely. Saeroyi’s philosophy of respect, diligence, and integrity is something that is admired by all, and the connections built on that foundation is what leads to his success. He gains people’s faith, and delivers!
This drama had it all; action, romance, thrills, and humour. It was heart-warming, heart-wrenching, and just so raw and genuine. It’s not your standard slice of life drama, and the impact and message of the story is truly valuable and memorable! One motif that is used throughout the drama is this idea of soju tasting sweet or bitter depending on how good your day was. “How does it taste?” Park Saeroyi’s father had asked him this at the very beginning. And finally, finally, at the end, Saeroyi takes a sip of his drink and smiles at the audience, and we know that it’s a sweet night.
Thought Bubbles 