Things for Romance Fans to Know Before Watching Healer
This is one of the most high-chemistry, romantic love stories of all time. While the drama gets into some dark history, it also has an upbeat, romance-action soul. But some viewers who love romance don't make it past the opening episodes.
To make it through episodes 1 to 3, it helps to be aware that they evoke past national wounds. So if you're new to Korean history, you might want to become aware of these hot button topics:
1.Jeon Tae-il, whose 1970 self-immolation turned him into a martyr for the labor movement
2. The Gwangju Uprising - May 18 to 27, 1980
3. The suppression and ousting of journalists, and the takeover of news agencies in the 1980s
4. Corrupt 1980s adoption practices, including falsifying records and forcibly taking children from their families
5. Jang Ja-yeon, who in 2009 left behind evidence of systemic coercion and exploitation within the South Korean entertainment industry
Healer is so romantic, precisely because there are high stakes all around. For the leads, their past traumas dovetail. For their parents' generation, there was harsh payment for resistance - in some cases, the ultimate price. For their society, looking to the future, there are grief and lessons from the past, but also clarity and hope.
All of this makes me feel a little guilty for getting so much escapist pleasure out of rewatching Healer! But it wasn't all escapist, because it allowed me a window into another country's past, and I'm grateful.
To make it through episodes 1 to 3, it helps to be aware that they evoke past national wounds. So if you're new to Korean history, you might want to become aware of these hot button topics:
1.Jeon Tae-il, whose 1970 self-immolation turned him into a martyr for the labor movement
2. The Gwangju Uprising - May 18 to 27, 1980
3. The suppression and ousting of journalists, and the takeover of news agencies in the 1980s
4. Corrupt 1980s adoption practices, including falsifying records and forcibly taking children from their families
5. Jang Ja-yeon, who in 2009 left behind evidence of systemic coercion and exploitation within the South Korean entertainment industry
Healer is so romantic, precisely because there are high stakes all around. For the leads, their past traumas dovetail. For their parents' generation, there was harsh payment for resistance - in some cases, the ultimate price. For their society, looking to the future, there are grief and lessons from the past, but also clarity and hope.
All of this makes me feel a little guilty for getting so much escapist pleasure out of rewatching Healer! But it wasn't all escapist, because it allowed me a window into another country's past, and I'm grateful.
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