And people saying that they look like mother and son before the drama aired are also welcome!
Yeah. What's so wrong when the woman is older? It's 2022 and it is still an issue.
If they're so put off by it in this show, I guess they'll puke when they watch "Alice". Hahaha. In Alice, the FL played as a mother to the ML and as a girlfriend to the ML. If that wasn't enough, both her characters have the same name and actually one and the same, as far as the story goes.
As they repeatedly said in episode 2, they are "adults".
Sometimes you'll wonder where those people live and why they're acting that way, as if they haven't seen it in real life. Hehe.
Come on, it has kindergarten zombies... the writer is a troll. Its a zombie-comedy and its very well done. I didnt…
Having kindergarten zombies doesn't make it a "troll" or a "comedy". Sure, the vlogger and kindergarten scene was very funny, but it served a purpose -- to lighten up what would otherwise be a very dark show.
I would also say that it also showed how stupid some vloggers are. They would jump right in the middle of whatever disaster just to get more likes. Which happens in real life and that's why they inserted it there, a reminder.
Are kindergartens automatically immune? The writer showed that in a zombie outbreak/apocalypse, no one is immune. Not even the little kids. How many live-action zombie shows can you name who showed this?
The writer is actually brave and wise to have written that. He challenged the stereotype of a zombie genre. In fact, focusing on the students is itself a challenge against that stereotype. Even those who loves The Walking Dead are saying "this is what TWD should have been in its 11 season run".
It served a purpose and it was executed well. I also love the shots. The kids were playing "hide-and-seek". And I don't know if raincoats in Korea are actually color-coded but those scenes made them look like Minions too.
1. Teacher: as a writer myself, there was no need to continue his story after he turned into an immortal-type of hambie. The series itself is about the students--their relationships and how they're starting to mature because the real world was forced on them. The term used is "plot device". He was just that, a plot device.
This is also good because if ever there will be a Season 2, they can pick up on his story and use it. Him being an unknown in Season 1 can lead Season 2 in so many directions. Again, as a writer myself, this is a very useful starting point.
Basically, you shouldn't finish every side stories in one go. If you're not planning any sequel, then leave something for the audiences to talk about and ponder. If you're thinking that you might write a sequel or a spin-off, then those side stories you left are good opportunities.
One can also say that his story is "open ended", and this is also used a lot in creative fiction.
Bottomline, it is not a plot hole. ^_^
2. The girl who escaped: I thought that it was obvious how she escaped. I remember that scene was shown. I think you should re-watch that episode. ^_^
3. The father of the baby. This is similar to #1, there was no need for that because it doesn't concern the story how she got pregnant. You can freely pick which: 3.a. She thought the boy she likes love her, after they slept together he left. 3.b. She was raped. 3.c. She accepted money because she had no choice, she needs it for her education.
Remember, the show was not just a zombie show, they writer and director inserted social issues in it. So any of those I mentioned can be her background story. Meaning, it is an important social issue their society (actually even in other countries) usually ignores--or have forgotten because of the pandemic.
In writing, be it creative fiction or otherwise, there is a golden rule: do not include anything not needed. If the story won't change if it can be removed, then it is not needed and should be deleted.
If #3 is not needed then why did they include it? Because they need the baby as a device for the detective and the police officer. They want to show how the detective is a human being despite him being so harsh to the teacher.
The little kid showing up was also the same. She wasn't an "extra", she was also a device used to establish the character of the detective. He did not have second thoughts about bringing those two kids with them, all the while the police officer with him is ready to sacrifice them to save his own skin.
Could they have had just used anyone else's baby? 100% yes. But it has more impact if the baby was from a student who gave birth on her own. And despite that, even though she was still a student and there's a zombie apocalypse, she clearly showed how much she cared for her own baby.
She could've had left the baby somewhere and saved herself. But she chose to save the baby. Not only that, that student understood what's happening around her, it tells us that she wasn't a fool, that she is street smart. She knew there's a zombie outbreak. So when she was bitten, she immediately knew what she has to do and tied herself up.
If she was a fool, if she was, if she has hatred in her heart, she'll leave that baby and save herself. That pretty much gives us a clue as to which possible scenario why she got pregnant, and what kind of person she is. The kid was no doubt unwanted but she knew it wasn't the kids fault to have been born, and right in the middle of a zombie outbreak.
The father? Not needed. If they added the backstory of who she slept with, what value would have it added to her character and the main story? Absolutely nothing. People would just be angry at him. Aren't people angry at him already without showing him? The mere fact she got pregnant and gave birth by herself, already made people react with anger to whoever was the father, so there's really nothing to be gained for revealing who that as$ was.
4. You've forgotten the father of Lee So Hyeok (if I remember correctly) who went to a government office in episode 1. He was never shown after his short appearance.
Same thing as the professor (#1) and the guy who got the student pregnant (#3). He no doubt turned into a zombie without them showing it.
They could have done the same for his mother, just assume she turned into a zombie. But they needed that scene wherein he lost wits when he saw her mother turned into a zombie.
The reason for that is to remind the audience that On Jo's reaction when her best friend turned into a zombie is a natural reaction. I'm sure many people were pissed when On Jo tried to defend and protect her best friend even though she knew she turned into a zombie.
So later in the show, they showed how the handsome-guy-next-door, who is the group's macho protector, also reacted similarly when he saw his mother as a zombie. He lost his wits like how On Jo did earlier.
All these things connect. The scenes are there because those are needed. There were deleted scenes because those were not needed. There were parts of the story which were never filmed.
In fact, the director and writer, in a Netflix interview, explained that they actually have a very detailed character background for Na Yeon to explain why she's like that. But they did not include it, instead they chose an actress who can play give that aura of being a b*tch and at the same time can drop hints that she had a very troubled past.
That choice saved them from {1] derailing the story; and [2] concentrating on the main plot itself--the students.
---
Sorry if it is lengthy. But I hope I was able to explain it. ^_^
And people saying that they look like mother and son before the drama aired are also welcome!
LOLs. They did not look like mother and son. The actress, and character, is indeed older but she doesn't look like a mother when she's around him. Hahahaha. She doesn't even look like a sugar mommy.
Where did those people get that idea? LMAO!
I'm not sure what is the gap between the actor and the actress but the characters rarely represent their real life ages and gap. I won't be surprised if their gap is like 4-5 years only. At most, 6 or 7 years.
And even if the age gap of their characters is 10 years to 15 years, what's wrong about it? It happens in real life and it's not unusual and not uncommon. We just are not aware because people doesn't walk wearing a placard with their age written.
Generally it's a bad strategy in first episode.. many might drop and also they showed different artist of main…
What is "bad strategy"? Them showing a different set of actors as the "older" version? That's not unusual, that's actually how it was done back in the 80s and 90s, even in the 00s. The style to use the same actors for the "older" version of their characters became popular in 2010s only.
It's actually good that they did it that way. That's 24 years between 2022 and 1998.
* If Kim Tae Ri's character is 18 in 1998. then her character is 42 in 2022. * If Joo Hyuk's character is 22 in 1998, then his character is 46 in 2022 (if he's even alive).
While, yes, Kim Tae Ri is turning 22 in April 2022 and so it should be easier to make her 42 than to make her 18 … her image and looks doesn't give that 40s look. It's better to give that to another actor who gives that 40s aura.
Besides, they turned a 32-year old Kim Tae Ri into an 18-year old character who's acting like any teenager would act, then they'll turn her into a 21-year old character later. That image will be so fixed, it will be very hard to imagine the character as 42 years old if they used the same actress.
I believe Kim Tae Ri can do that, I think their make-up artists can do their magic, but the director doesn't want to gamble on it.
When the gap time periods have a huge gap, it is always safer to use different actors. Architecture 101 and Reply 1988 did that, and many others in both K-drama and even in Western shows.
Love the 90s vibe and also Tae Ri is such an excellent actress I didn't cringe at any of her teenage rants or…
Depends. 1997 was the infamous economic crash which decimated countries and families. I was 15 then, while I didn't react back then, whenever I remember those years, I can't help but remember how the economic crash changed my country as well as our lifestyle.
We did not experience bankruptcy like other people, but the sudden lifestyle change was felt, and as a 15 year old in 1997, I did not understand it yet.
This is why I was so elated when episode 1 was full of comedic scenes, and how Kim Tae Ri actually made things very funny -- it made it easy to watch. Don't get me wrong, I was excited for this show but not the time period. It also caught my attention because Kim Tae Ri is in it, otherwise I would've ignored it.
LOLs, even the "government is killing the film industry" depicted in episode 1, I remember that news reaching the Philippines (although I didn't understand it much). It was that bad after the economic crash. The year 2000 was when hope returned, I guess because "new millennium" = new hope.
I have a concern here why did they make it that the FL is in hs and male lead is a 21 yr old. I don't like minor…
Me and my first girlfriend (I was also her first) were both 15 years old when we started dating, as in relationship. We lasted for 3 years. It was in 1997, 4th year high school.
The show started in 1998. For us, we were both 16 years old in 1998, 1st year college students.
Nothing wrong with it as long as you know your boundaries. The generation of our parents and their parents parents, they got married at 15-20. Nothing wrong with it either.
Yes. In Korea your not considered an adult until your like 20 I believe. The only thing that I’m unsure about…
It's a Korean show and official synopsis stated that she's 18 years old. So … yeah, she 18 Korean.
In any case, it doesn't matter if she's 18 Korean or 18 International. The two characters will always have a 4-year gap. As far as synopsis goes, it's a story about two people who fell in love when they turned 25 and 21 respectively, and that story started when they were 22 and 18.
Is there a problem to fall in love at 18 years old? I dont get it.. Its not like they get in sexual relationship…
1. They were probably born between 2001 and 2012. Their generation is different from those of us who were born between 1970 and 1997.
2. They were probably from Japan where they're forbidden to be in any relationship until they graduate. I think even in China and Taiwan there's that restriction in school. So for them, it's unimaginable.
3. If they're not from #1 and #2, they probably grew up in a family and studied in a school where it is forbidden. I'm from the Philippines and I know families and schools with that restriction. Some of these schools are co-ed too. For them, they did not experienced falling in love at an age where they're focused on their studies.
I agree with you on what you said about taeri. She’s phenomenal, it’s amazing that she was casted for this…
There's nothing wrong with his acting but if you were paired with a top notch actor/actress, you need to give more so your acting won't be overshadowed by your better.
It happens a lot in any show or film, be it Western or Asian. For the rest of the series, he has to exert more effort or to give everything he got, otherwise the show will become a Kim Tae Ri show instead of it being about the two of them.
EDIT: To add. Even actors/actresses themselves admit as much. They usually say, "S/he's _the_ {name} so I have to give more in my acting than."
Because it's really that way. You have to learn to acknowledge your better and do your best to be at par so you can produce an excellent show together. It will also be an opportunity to learn and discover more about yourself and your trade.
EDIT 2: It has nothing to do with his character either. Two actors/actresses can take on the same character but it doesn't mean the result will be the same.
A good example that it is not about the character is Evanna Lynch. A lot of people auditioned for the character Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter. When it was Evanna Lynch's turn, their reaction was "she's Luna Lovegood in real life" … casted.
For Kim Tae Ri, it was a piece of cake to be her character. She's turning 32 and she perfectly acted an 18-year old. It shows how top notch she is even though she debut in mainstream acting only in 2016 (she was originally from theater, and no, theater and film/tv are different -- prime example of that is Sir Patrick Stewart, he himself admitted the theater acting and film/tv are worlds apart).
Again, this is a great opportunity for him to push himself. He's doing good as it is but he can still give more, and he should. He's partnered with Kim Tae Ri.
OH-EM-GEE … I thought it's going to be yet-another-youth-drama-in-the-past but noooooooooo, it's fun to watch!
They also made the right decision to cast top notch and veteran actress Kim Tae Ri. Right in episode 1, they already showed her out-of-this-world talent in acting and being in-character. I admit I had reservations, and I can not imagine her in an 18-year old role … but she blew me away.
Good job on the director and writer for letting her show her acting talent right in the first episode. Usually, the talent of veteran actors/actresses are reserved in the middle of a series but they challenged that, a wise decision.
P.S. Looks like Nam Joo Hyuk will need to up his acting … Kim Tae Ri is already phenomenal in episode 1.
The series started because a random girl decide to pet a mouse .
True. But any student could have been bitten. The professor himself could have made a mistake. Someone may have had removed the steel case then left.
Point is, there are a hundred ways for that virus to transfer to humans. The mouse was just used as a literary device to make things simpler. They could've chosen not to use that mouse, and use probably 2 to 3 episodes to explain how it spread to humans, like how Western shows do it. It will not only be a waste and it will detract people from the purpose of the story.
1 
1. They can show the audience a glimpse on what it really is like in a meteorological agency.
2. They can show how weather forecasting are done.
3. They can use real life public image of meteorological offices: "you always get your predictions wrong"
This is good because:
a. They showed how we should give our local meteorological agencies a break.
b. Our respective local agencies are not the only ones who can make mistakes in their forecasts.
c. It's not easy and there's a clash of "old" and "new"; "by the book" and "natural" minds.
d. And … they're people too, with their own lives to live.
Definitely unique. We usually see office dramas set in, well, ordinary offices. Or in police-related offices. And the usual hospital / ER setting.
I commend the director for not telling them to clap, it doesn't fit where the show is going. (It was easy to fall into that in that scene.)
^_^
If they're so put off by it in this show, I guess they'll puke when they watch "Alice". Hahaha. In Alice, the FL played as a mother to the ML and as a girlfriend to the ML. If that wasn't enough, both her characters have the same name and actually one and the same, as far as the story goes.
As they repeatedly said in episode 2, they are "adults".
Sometimes you'll wonder where those people live and why they're acting that way, as if they haven't seen it in real life. Hehe.
I would also say that it also showed how stupid some vloggers are. They would jump right in the middle of whatever disaster just to get more likes. Which happens in real life and that's why they inserted it there, a reminder.
Are kindergartens automatically immune? The writer showed that in a zombie outbreak/apocalypse, no one is immune. Not even the little kids. How many live-action zombie shows can you name who showed this?
The writer is actually brave and wise to have written that. He challenged the stereotype of a zombie genre. In fact, focusing on the students is itself a challenge against that stereotype. Even those who loves The Walking Dead are saying "this is what TWD should have been in its 11 season run".
It served a purpose and it was executed well. I also love the shots. The kids were playing "hide-and-seek". And I don't know if raincoats in Korea are actually color-coded but those scenes made them look like Minions too.
Seriously, it was brilliant.
1. Teacher: as a writer myself, there was no need to continue his story after he turned into an immortal-type of hambie. The series itself is about the students--their relationships and how they're starting to mature because the real world was forced on them. The term used is "plot device". He was just that, a plot device.
This is also good because if ever there will be a Season 2, they can pick up on his story and use it. Him being an unknown in Season 1 can lead Season 2 in so many directions. Again, as a writer myself, this is a very useful starting point.
Basically, you shouldn't finish every side stories in one go. If you're not planning any sequel, then leave something for the audiences to talk about and ponder. If you're thinking that you might write a sequel or a spin-off, then those side stories you left are good opportunities.
One can also say that his story is "open ended", and this is also used a lot in creative fiction.
Bottomline, it is not a plot hole. ^_^
2. The girl who escaped: I thought that it was obvious how she escaped. I remember that scene was shown. I think you should re-watch that episode. ^_^
3. The father of the baby. This is similar to #1, there was no need for that because it doesn't concern the story how she got pregnant. You can freely pick which:
3.a. She thought the boy she likes love her, after they slept together he left.
3.b. She was raped.
3.c. She accepted money because she had no choice, she needs it for her education.
Remember, the show was not just a zombie show, they writer and director inserted social issues in it. So any of those I mentioned can be her background story. Meaning, it is an important social issue their society (actually even in other countries) usually ignores--or have forgotten because of the pandemic.
In writing, be it creative fiction or otherwise, there is a golden rule: do not include anything not needed. If the story won't change if it can be removed, then it is not needed and should be deleted.
If #3 is not needed then why did they include it? Because they need the baby as a device for the detective and the police officer. They want to show how the detective is a human being despite him being so harsh to the teacher.
The little kid showing up was also the same. She wasn't an "extra", she was also a device used to establish the character of the detective. He did not have second thoughts about bringing those two kids with them, all the while the police officer with him is ready to sacrifice them to save his own skin.
Could they have had just used anyone else's baby? 100% yes. But it has more impact if the baby was from a student who gave birth on her own. And despite that, even though she was still a student and there's a zombie apocalypse, she clearly showed how much she cared for her own baby.
She could've had left the baby somewhere and saved herself. But she chose to save the baby. Not only that, that student understood what's happening around her, it tells us that she wasn't a fool, that she is street smart. She knew there's a zombie outbreak. So when she was bitten, she immediately knew what she has to do and tied herself up.
If she was a fool, if she was, if she has hatred in her heart, she'll leave that baby and save herself. That pretty much gives us a clue as to which possible scenario why she got pregnant, and what kind of person she is. The kid was no doubt unwanted but she knew it wasn't the kids fault to have been born, and right in the middle of a zombie outbreak.
The father? Not needed. If they added the backstory of who she slept with, what value would have it added to her character and the main story? Absolutely nothing. People would just be angry at him. Aren't people angry at him already without showing him? The mere fact she got pregnant and gave birth by herself, already made people react with anger to whoever was the father, so there's really nothing to be gained for revealing who that as$ was.
4. You've forgotten the father of Lee So Hyeok (if I remember correctly) who went to a government office in episode 1. He was never shown after his short appearance.
Same thing as the professor (#1) and the guy who got the student pregnant (#3). He no doubt turned into a zombie without them showing it.
They could have done the same for his mother, just assume she turned into a zombie. But they needed that scene wherein he lost wits when he saw her mother turned into a zombie.
The reason for that is to remind the audience that On Jo's reaction when her best friend turned into a zombie is a natural reaction. I'm sure many people were pissed when On Jo tried to defend and protect her best friend even though she knew she turned into a zombie.
So later in the show, they showed how the handsome-guy-next-door, who is the group's macho protector, also reacted similarly when he saw his mother as a zombie. He lost his wits like how On Jo did earlier.
All these things connect. The scenes are there because those are needed. There were deleted scenes because those were not needed. There were parts of the story which were never filmed.
In fact, the director and writer, in a Netflix interview, explained that they actually have a very detailed character background for Na Yeon to explain why she's like that. But they did not include it, instead they chose an actress who can play give that aura of being a b*tch and at the same time can drop hints that she had a very troubled past.
That choice saved them from {1] derailing the story; and [2] concentrating on the main plot itself--the students.
---
Sorry if it is lengthy. But I hope I was able to explain it. ^_^
Where did those people get that idea? LMAO!
I'm not sure what is the gap between the actor and the actress but the characters rarely represent their real life ages and gap. I won't be surprised if their gap is like 4-5 years only. At most, 6 or 7 years.
And even if the age gap of their characters is 10 years to 15 years, what's wrong about it? It happens in real life and it's not unusual and not uncommon. We just are not aware because people doesn't walk wearing a placard with their age written.
It's actually good that they did it that way. That's 24 years between 2022 and 1998.
* If Kim Tae Ri's character is 18 in 1998. then her character is 42 in 2022.
* If Joo Hyuk's character is 22 in 1998, then his character is 46 in 2022 (if he's even alive).
While, yes, Kim Tae Ri is turning 22 in April 2022 and so it should be easier to make her 42 than to make her 18 … her image and looks doesn't give that 40s look. It's better to give that to another actor who gives that 40s aura.
Besides, they turned a 32-year old Kim Tae Ri into an 18-year old character who's acting like any teenager would act, then they'll turn her into a 21-year old character later. That image will be so fixed, it will be very hard to imagine the character as 42 years old if they used the same actress.
I believe Kim Tae Ri can do that, I think their make-up artists can do their magic, but the director doesn't want to gamble on it.
When the gap time periods have a huge gap, it is always safer to use different actors. Architecture 101 and Reply 1988 did that, and many others in both K-drama and even in Western shows.
We did not experience bankruptcy like other people, but the sudden lifestyle change was felt, and as a 15 year old in 1997, I did not understand it yet.
This is why I was so elated when episode 1 was full of comedic scenes, and how Kim Tae Ri actually made things very funny -- it made it easy to watch. Don't get me wrong, I was excited for this show but not the time period. It also caught my attention because Kim Tae Ri is in it, otherwise I would've ignored it.
LOLs, even the "government is killing the film industry" depicted in episode 1, I remember that news reaching the Philippines (although I didn't understand it much). It was that bad after the economic crash. The year 2000 was when hope returned, I guess because "new millennium" = new hope.
The show started in 1998. For us, we were both 16 years old in 1998, 1st year college students.
Nothing wrong with it as long as you know your boundaries. The generation of our parents and their parents parents, they got married at 15-20. Nothing wrong with it either.
In any case, it doesn't matter if she's 18 Korean or 18 International. The two characters will always have a 4-year gap. As far as synopsis goes, it's a story about two people who fell in love when they turned 25 and 21 respectively, and that story started when they were 22 and 18.
2. They were probably from Japan where they're forbidden to be in any relationship until they graduate. I think even in China and Taiwan there's that restriction in school. So for them, it's unimaginable.
3. If they're not from #1 and #2, they probably grew up in a family and studied in a school where it is forbidden. I'm from the Philippines and I know families and schools with that restriction. Some of these schools are co-ed too. For them, they did not experienced falling in love at an age where they're focused on their studies.
It happens a lot in any show or film, be it Western or Asian. For the rest of the series, he has to exert more effort or to give everything he got, otherwise the show will become a Kim Tae Ri show instead of it being about the two of them.
EDIT: To add. Even actors/actresses themselves admit as much. They usually say, "S/he's _the_ {name} so I have to give more in my acting than."
Because it's really that way. You have to learn to acknowledge your better and do your best to be at par so you can produce an excellent show together. It will also be an opportunity to learn and discover more about yourself and your trade.
EDIT 2: It has nothing to do with his character either. Two actors/actresses can take on the same character but it doesn't mean the result will be the same.
A good example that it is not about the character is Evanna Lynch. A lot of people auditioned for the character Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter. When it was Evanna Lynch's turn, their reaction was "she's Luna Lovegood in real life" … casted.
For Kim Tae Ri, it was a piece of cake to be her character. She's turning 32 and she perfectly acted an 18-year old. It shows how top notch she is even though she debut in mainstream acting only in 2016 (she was originally from theater, and no, theater and film/tv are different -- prime example of that is Sir Patrick Stewart, he himself admitted the theater acting and film/tv are worlds apart).
Again, this is a great opportunity for him to push himself. He's doing good as it is but he can still give more, and he should. He's partnered with Kim Tae Ri.
They also made the right decision to cast top notch and veteran actress Kim Tae Ri. Right in episode 1, they already showed her out-of-this-world talent in acting and being in-character. I admit I had reservations, and I can not imagine her in an 18-year old role … but she blew me away.
Good job on the director and writer for letting her show her acting talent right in the first episode. Usually, the talent of veteran actors/actresses are reserved in the middle of a series but they challenged that, a wise decision.
P.S. Looks like Nam Joo Hyuk will need to up his acting … Kim Tae Ri is already phenomenal in episode 1.
Point is, there are a hundred ways for that virus to transfer to humans. The mouse was just used as a literary device to make things simpler. They could've chosen not to use that mouse, and use probably 2 to 3 episodes to explain how it spread to humans, like how Western shows do it. It will not only be a waste and it will detract people from the purpose of the story.
^_^