Jen

I don’t know about the love, but my thoughts about this show can barely be translated

Sometimes I feel like k-drama screenwriters blindly shoot at a concept board of niche ideas and then try to connect the dots between everything they landed on so that it makes sense. This drama takes the cake in this regard: it could have carefully and purposefully explored cheating, unrequited love, family and medical trauma, sudden rise to fame, delusional disorders, miscommunication regardless of language, the inner conflict between jealousy and professionalism, I could go on. But it didn’t: all of these topics were discussed on a surface level, and the introduction of every next plot element felt like a whiplash. I could get on board with the almost fantasy-like depiction of Muhee’s hallucinations in the first half of the show, but even they felt like a betrayal to me as a viewer, since I went into this expecting to watch a “realistic” romantic comedy. From episode 7 onwards, however, it was simply a mess: the genre switched, new ideas kept appearing, we learned so much about the characters that we simply didn’t need to know, and the conflicts already laid out barely got a satisfying resolution.

The main premise - the reality format “Romantic trip” and Muhee falling for the interpreter in her ear instead of the Japanese actor she is going on dates with - is lovely. I think the show did a good job of exploring the relationship between language and love, but it could’ve gone even deeper. What are the constraints of Muhee and Hiro not speaking each other’s language when it comes to developing feelings? What misunderstandings can happen even if she and Joo Hojin can communicate freely? The message of “there are as many languages as people” is beautiful and I think the show missed out on not fleshing it out even further. In this line of thought, I wish we had seen more of Muhee and Hiro’s relationship, or at least understood why he ends up falling so hard for her despite her rejecting him all throughout the show, never bothering to learn to speak his language and going from 0 to 100 for no reason (at least from his perspective). I assume the show didn’t go in this direction to avoid setting up a love triangle like it appeared it would in the initial episodes, but I think simply seeing more of the filming process would’ve provided much needed context for both Hiro AND Hojin’s feelings towards Muhee. (Also, I self-indulgingly wish I’d seen much more of Hojin’s struggle to interpret Hiro’s growing fondness towards Muhee).

The biggest flaw of the show is definitely Do Rami in those middle three or four episodes. The motives behind her actions did not make any sense to me at all, even when one accounts for Muhee’s childhood trauma, negative self-talk and avoidant tendencies. On the one hand, Rami was there to push Muhee to do things she otherwise wouldn’t (that could bring her happiness), on the other, she was simply sabotaging her. The episodes where Rami was in the spotlight were incredibly frustrating to watch and did not manage to achieve the desired effect of her acting as an interpreter between Muhee and Hojin. Not to mention that, as far as I know, that’s not the way dissociative identity disorder functions: other personalities don’t simply disappear once their protective (or chaos-stirring, according to this drama) role is fulfilled. Muhee’s mental problems were not researched with the care needed to portray conditions surrounded by so much misinformation already. I wish the show had simply focused on her audiovisual hallucinations and how they affect her work on set and relationships with the crew. It could’ve even touched upon medical neglect instead, since one of the psychiatrists in the beginning did say her problems are “beyond medicine” (in the subtitles I read). Anything would’ve made more sense than what ended up in the script.

I hated that the main recurring conflict was between the leads and their mutual backing off from confessing/committing to each other, when it would’ve been way more heartwarming and meaningful to show them sticking together despite everything and navigating any misunderstandings by learning more about each other’s pasts and minds. I would’ve loved, for instance, a bigger focus on their family histories in a way that actually contributes to understanding how they act. What did Hojin’s shaky relationship with his mom bring to the plot? Absolutely nothing, it tied to nothing else and contextualised none of his behaviors or beliefs. What about his novel? Was that the only way to write a(n unnecessary) conflict between him and his mom, something to mention on two occasions and then never again? And why did we barely get to see anything about his relationship with his brother, the one who was supposed to marry his long-time unrequited crush Jiseon? Wouldn’t a conflict there have been much more productive in the grand scheme of things?

Genuinely, the vagueness of the show regarding so many of its central elements has to be where everything falls flat. Because we never really understand why Hojin was so hung up on Jiseon, or why she came together with his brother to begin with. It is never explained how Muhee’s uncle and aunt mistreated her, and the big reveal in the end regarding her family had 0 emotional impact and felt like an afterthought simply added to the script to explain Do Rami’s presence from a couple of episodes ago. These random lore drops that were barely explored felt like the screenwriters were exceptionally proud of a brainstorming session and wanted to include everything they'd come up with about all characters, regardless if it actually contributes to the show.

But at the end of the day, I mostly enjoyed watching this drama. The event-packed plot prevented me from taking breaks even when I was endlessly frustrated, and the acting was truly exceptional to the point where it distracted me from… everything else. I wouldn’t Not recommend it - just be prepared for disappointment, especially if you’re expecting a romantic comedy like I did.

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A pretty enjoyable watch, so long as you suspend disbelief

I went into the drama with no expectations - I had enjoyed “Only Boo!” last year, was not entirely convinced about Sea’s acting, but the plot was entertaining enough to keep me hooked. However, I initially didn’t have “Head 2 Head” on my radar and only picked it up because I was craving a lighthearted show, one of these where the more you think about the plot, the less it makes sense. And oh boy, did “Head 2 Head” deliver in this aspect (but to my surprise - not in a bad way).

Let’s talk about the main couple first: J and Jinn ended up having my entire heart. I really enjoyed watching the progression of their relationship throughout the show - fast-paced, but also not too rushed. We got enough time to see them grow closer, fonder of each other AND handle hardships together as a team. If we ignore J’s inner struggles, I also think they communicated pretty well and cleared up conflicts quickly enough, which is always great to see in a BL. My only grapple with J and Jinn is that I think the show could’ve gone way deeper with their back stories and development as individual characters. From one point onwards, it felt like their lives merged and they didn’t have much going on apart from their relationship. Which may be logical given J’s traumatic visions, but I wish it weren’t the case. Either way, I think Sea and Keen did a great job with what they had to work with. Keen was phenomenal as always, and even though I felt like Sea couldn’t really deliver during some of the more emotional scenes, his acting has drastically improved since “Only Boo!” (and a cocky character is a GREAT fit for him).

I also liked the direction they took J’s visions in. The way I understood it, they were a supernatural ability to an extent (otherwise how would you explain the notebook scene?), but one could also interpret them as a non-magical product of J’s worries about the future, or even as obsessive intrusive thoughts. Even if this wasn’t the intention of the show, I appreciate that they filmed the scenes and explained the visions in a way which allows the viewer to make their own conclusions. I also liked the way this plotline was wrapped up - there weren’t any last-minute explanations of how this ability actually works; J just basically makes peace with the fact that the future is uncertain, and that even if he might not always be able to protect Jinn, he can at least love him.

With regard to the family dynamics, there is a lot of room for growth in my opinion (and I don’t only allude to the tendency to forgive neglectful parents in Thai dramas). I found Jinn’s relationship with his mom very interesting and would’ve loved to see more of it besides the very open displays of affection and praise. I similarly wish the show would’ve focused more on how the absence of Jinn’s dad affected his childhood. I loved the scenes in which Jinn expressed his unfiltered anger (Keen did amazing in those!), but they also ended up feeling a bit empty when all we were otherwise shown as an audience was the moment the dad left. Like, a couple of throwback scenes where Jinn and his mom are portrayed struggling on their own would’ve been perfect! Likewise, I wish they also showed us how the father took care of the mother behind the scenes, as well as a more detailed explanation WHY they chose to keep Jinn in the dark; the big reveal that he was always there felt out of nowhere, as if they wanted to quickly redeem him so that the viewers have less of an issue with Jinn forgiving him (and with this being yet another show where a bad parent faces no consequences).

Last but not least: if I have to be honest, I was a bit indifferent towards Van and Farm. I did not like Van until the very end (although he admittedly underwent character growth) and I didn’t really understand why Farm had a crush on him to begin with. Especially at the point where Van’s wrongdoings had piled up, I found myself wondering how Farm’s feelings remained so strong when he was shown to be someone aware of his worth and not willing to tolerate bullshit. I am, however, relatively happy with how their storyline played out, and episode 10 when the two of them were the focus (rather than the main couple) actually became my favourite. Not because they were granted more screen time, but because we could see the friend group’s dynamics in a new light through Farm and Van's conflict.

Rereading my review up until this point, it sounds like I wasn't all that enthusiastic about the show. But that can't be furhter from the truth - because what surprised me the most regarding it is the excitement with which I was anticipating the new episode each Sunday. Not many shows have had such an effect on me, so I will be looking back on this one with warmth in my heart. Is it a masterpiece? No, not really! But it did deliver on being a lighthearted, entertaining watch, and that’s sometimes all you need. Might not be rewatch-worthy (while waiting for new episodes of “Head 2 Head”, I unfortunately found out as much about “Only Boo!”), but as long as you take off your critical glasses, I am sure you will find something for yourself in it.

(Oh, and maybe they could’ve spared us a couple of hospital visits - it gets to a point! I cheered after finishing episode 10 and there being none! Maybe that's actually why it's my favourite episode, lol)

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