[Drama Review] 'Reply 1988' - Episode 1

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REPLY 1988 - EPISODE 1

Let's go back to 1988, and we don't need Doc Brown or Doctor Who to get us there. tvN's newest entry in the Reply series, 'Reply 1988,' is the third installment, following the previous series, set in 1997 and 1994 respectively.

1988 was a very big year for Korea! The city of Seoul was host to the 1988 Olympics which was a huge turning point and introduced South Korea to the rest of the world. Denim was in, and so was Tom Cruise, the Bionic Woman, and New Kids on the Block. Sony Walkmans are ubiquitous, and the kids listen to the latest music on cassette tapes (analog, yuck!).

Seon Doek holding hands with her father.

The first thing I noticed was that this drama features a huge cast (check out the poster at the top), which would make a proper introduction of the characters, a serious TL;DR. So here are the group of friends around which this drama revolves:

DONG RYONG

The neighborhood "counselor," living in the house across the street. He showers the group with shrimp chips when the bag pops during a movie.

JUNG HWAN

This boy lives upstairs. Our heroine Deok Seon calls him "Dog," and explains "he's not exactly a human yet." Apparently, his family is fairly rich, even if his father is a goofball who greets friends and family with dances and practical jokes.

SUNG DEOK SEON

Lives downstairs from Jung Hwan, and the only girl in this group of friends. Her sister is an entitled sagaji (rude person) who's in college. Direct (and extreme, in the only way a teen can be) with her feelings and thoughts, there's no question why she's the narrator.

TAEK

Jung Hwan's neighbor. Apparently he's really good at Baduk (Go), but "an idiot, when it comes to anything else."

SUN WOO

The most normal person of the group. At least she refers to him as "human." He's not only normal, he's the prototypical good son, the guy who looks after his little sister and mother, and is the man about the house because of an absentee father.

The drama centers on the families of these 18-year-olds, as well as the friends themselves. It does a good job of showing us the world they live in, and the range of monetary incomes from modest to lavish. The path to dinnertime is paved with barter, exchanging salad with neighbors for rice, for example. The mothers sit outside and chop veggies and other domestic chores while gossiping with each other. The kids have their normal lives, getting robbed of the money they collected for their teacher's wedding present, and Deok Seon stealing her sister's makeup, and applying it badly -- it looks as if she were attacked by Bozo the Clown's makeup artist. Not like life is boring at home, as the charcoal they use to heat the house gives off fumes one night, and Mom and Dad get the kids out, except Deok Seon, who has to fend for herself.

The ahjummas sit and gossip

The story is narrated from the perspective of Deok Seon, who is now in her mid-40s. They pull a 'How I Met Your Mother' moment at the end, using an older actress giving an interview (which explains the narration). It works precisely because these people are teens. It's a little harder (like with the sitcom I mentioned) to explain why a 29-year-old morphs into Bob Saget.

The show has a running time of 90 minutes, but the way it's filmed is pretty engaging which makes it feel much shorter. There are some elements of cinema verite, and it's a good runtime for a pilot episode but I wonder about future installments. 'Producers' began to struggle with storylines, managing to get 3 stories into a single episode at a couple points just to fill the time. Anyways, it was a good ride with the first episode, packed with enough funny moments (and sheep bleats, just like before) to keep us laughing. Add to that the heartwarming (and sometimes exasperating) moments with family and it leaves a good first impression.

Deok Seon finds out that it is more difficult than she thought to be a picket girl in the Olympics.

If you've seen the previous installments of the 'Reply' series, then you know what to expect here. The nice thing is that the writers manage to shake things up, and put interesting bits in there that not only serve to keep your interest but also tug at your heartstrings. I'm already ready for the next episode. How about you guys?