Early Access: Breakup Probation, A Week E1

E1. I've heard fans of this show describe this show as poignant and beautiful, which immediately gets my attention. Poignant and beautiful is just the sort of thing that I'd lap up, drama-wise.

I like the idea that a long-time couple, who've settled into the low-grade irritation of everyday life, is galvanized into seeing each other in a fresh light, because of a life-threatening event. This show takes that idea, and embeds it in a fantasy set-up, where all of this technically only happens after our female lead dies from being hit by a Truck Of Doom. Heh. I suppose it's better that we get the Truck Of Doom during our set-up, than in our finale? 😆

I do think that this is the sort of show that gets more engaging, as we get further into our story, and I think that for two reasons.

The first is, this is a fantasy set-up, and our entire first episode is spent laying the groundwork for stuff to happen. Therefore, by the end of the episode, we are really only at the beginning of our story, with Ga Ram ready for the do-over that she's successfully pleaded for.

The second thing is, in just about any do-over story, the initial episodes are typically not very much fun to watch. This is just how this construct shakes out. If our characters were having a good time with their lives, why would they need a do-over, right? Our initial episode is focused on showing us the sore points in Ga Ram and Seon Jae's relationship, with only a very fleeting glimpse of them in happier times.

On that note, I do think Show deserves credit for how differently Seon Jae comes across in the present, compared to the flashback. In the present-day scenes, he looks quite ordinary, just like an office worker trying to live his life and make the most of it. And then, in that quick flashback, he looks absolutely incandescent and dreamy, like he'd stepped out of a fairytale. Not a hair is out of place, and it feels like he's glowing, practically. I feel like this is a clever way of showing us how differently he appears to Ga Ram; perhaps this is Show's way of allowing us to see him through her eyes.

In similar fashion, our drama world is colored differently too, in the different timelines.

In the present day, our color palette leans relatively muted and subdued, and everything mostly looks very ordinary and rather dull, particularly at night. In that quick flashback, however, the Spring colors are amplified, and everything just looks dreamier and prettier. That's a clever touch, I thought.

Story-wise, there are couple of things that jump out at me, this first episode.

First, that Truck Of Doom really requires some suspension of disbelief. The way it's played, there's lots of time for Ga Ram to dodge the oncoming truck, but instead, we have Seon Jae running across the road, not to pull her out of harm's way, but to hold her and get hit by the truck, together with her. I rationalize that what we're witnessing is a moment frozen in time, so while it might look suuuper slow to us, it's probably a lot faster in real time. On the upside, I feel like now that we've gotten our prescribed dose of the Truck Of Doom out of the way, we should be all good now? 😅

Second, it's clear that Ga Ram doesn't actually want to break up with Seon Jae, but she is very much hurt by his reticence, and how he won't include her in other parts of his life.

Specifically, from her point-of-view, it appears that Seon Jae is ashamed of her, &/or does not think it's worth sharing details of his work life with her. Although Ga Ram really does walk away from Seon Jae after telling him that she wants to break things off, there's just something about her, that makes me feel that she doesn't truly want this to be the end. She's missing a sense of assurance from their relationship, and I feel that if Seon Jae were able to give her the sense of assurance she's looking for, she'd be more than willing to continue in their relationship. It's clear that she's more hurt and disappointed, than truly disillusioned.

On Seon Jae's part, it seems that he's generally frustrated, and from what he says in their break-up scene, I infer (and hypothesize) that he finds the idea of sharing his work frustrations with Ga Ram embarrassing, perhaps because it would make him feel small in her eyes, for not being to deal with the problems as well as he'd like.

From Seon Jae's general aura, it doesn't seem to me that he actually wants to break up with Ga Ram. It seems to me that he's just struggling in general, to stay on top of life's demands, and is, at this point, much more jaded than what we see of him in the flashback. Importantly, I don't feel that Seon Jae's actually nasty or unkind to Ga Ram. There's just a sense of resignation and exasperation about him, as he tries to reason with her, like he's just.. tired.

The way Seon Jae instinctively puts his own life in danger in an attempt to save Ga Ram, and the way Ga Ram begs for a way to save Seon Jae's life, even after she's been officially pronounced dead, tells me that these two people do still love each other, perhaps even more deeply than they themselves are cognizant of.

I'm curious to see how Show teases out the mutual discovery that is sure to take place, now that Ga Ram's been given a chance for a do-over. I'm also curious to see how Show intends to resolve the impending conundrum, of rejuvenating the love between Seon Jae and Ga Ram, but within a framework where Ga Ram's obligated to break up with Seon Jae, in order to save his life.

I'm fairly certain that Ga Ram will somehow manage to save Seon Jae by the time we reach the end of our story, but what I'd like to know is, will she also find a way to save herself?

Next episode notes will be out on: Sunday, 12 Sept 2021!