The Expression Hub

Genre: Romance/Comedy

No. of episodes:16

Presented by: JTBC Studios

“Time travel is like a magic door that allows us to explore the past and future.”

Anonymous

Its the end of the month and also the end of the new beginnings series. This week’s pick comes from the country which has had the world notice it thanks to its foot tapping music, thanks to its fair share of dramas which makes everyone fall in love with them, a skincare regime which is pretty tedious but according to a lot of people worth the effort. Also, this country’s electronics and cars seem to be a rage at least with the people of my country apart from the things I mentioned above. Did anyone guess which country I am talking about? Well, if you don’t know the answer, the answer is South Korea. This country has tried to make a mark in the world through its electronics, cars, highly impossible beauty standards, foot-tapping music which seems to make no sense (remember Psy’s Gangnam style😅)and through their dramas which are very high on the romance front. So, this week’s pick also belongs to the rom-com genre with a dash of some fantasy in it and a lot of indirect advertisements . To know more read on.

Synopsis: 18 Again is a series which revolves around Jung Da-Jung and Hong-Dae Young , a couple who has a pair of twins, Hong-Sia and Hong-Siu . Life seems perfect for the two despite the fact that they had their children at a very early age. But years later, their so called happy life seems to crumble when Jung files for a divorce and their 18 year old twins start ignoring their father. If this was not enough to add to the woes, Dae-Young’s life becomes more miserable when he loses his job after being denied a promotion and instead being transferred to Busan.

     These series of events leave him heartbroken and wishing that he could go back in time and fix his life as he repents for all the mistakes that he has committed. His wish gets granted as he turns into a 18 year old miraculously with a mind of a 37 year old and starts living a new life as Goo Woo Young. With his new identity, he tries to become a shadow to his children and be present for his now ex-wife and learns a lot about them . What does he learn about his family? Is he able to fix his mistakes and be the man that his family wanted to be him ? Will he be able to win the love of his family again or will he fail ? Also, will he be able to revert himself to his original self physically or will he be a 18 year old forever?

Assessment: This is a show which deals with a lot of issues with two adult people at its center. It deals with the issue of how not being communicative with your better half can lead to a lot of problems which eventually ends up in the breakdown of a marriage. Also, it shows how a breakdown in a marriage has its impact not only on the children but also on the families which are related to the people close to them. This show also deals with other issues like getting bullied at high school, how beauty always has an upper hand when it comes to certain jobs more than brains, of how coaches run admission rackets , of someone being obsessive and harassing them , how social media is quick to judge without any empathy. It also teaches us valuable lessons of being financially independent, of being able to take a stand if injustice is meted out, of being able to take care of yourself if a grave situation presents in front of you, of being resilient emotionally and not letting your naysayers bringing you down. And the most important lesson it teaches us that it is never late to fix things and that with time and efforts , one can always fix things.

   I literally ended up falling in love with the female lead(Kim Ha-neul) more than the male lead because she gave me the most important lesson no matter how difficult it is in life , you should always pursue what you love with utmost courage and let no one else bother you. After all, you can have a bad day in life but not a bad life. I also ended up loving the characters of Ae Chu Rin and Go Deok Jin because they are ultimately the type of friends whom you want in your life- people who can stand behind you like a rock no matter whatever curve balls are thrown by life.

  One thing that I just find annoying (maybe annoying is not the right term but maybe over the top is a correct way to describe it) is the obsession of K-dramas with the feeling of love and impossible beauty standards. The dramas have a nice and a fascinating story line but I guess the only thing that these people find interesting is falling in love. Love is a beautiful feeling , but you cannot survive in life just on love, right? Things need to be looked into from a realist point of view as well. I appreciate it when people depict things in a realistic manner. That actually shows a mirror of how the society functions right? Maybe this is a thing that show makers can incorporate . Also, can we have less brand promotions please? It is a great way to attract attention to your brand but it just somehow puts a viewer off. Also, it is next to impossible to have a single favorite when you do have a variety of options in your life as you are bound to experiment at some or the other time. But I guess it was a trick to promote the brand so every family meal has to be of the same brand which I literally found super funny.😂😂🤣

The view : A good show which tries to put light on various issues , this one though a bit tedious as there are a lot of episodes for a person who is pretty short on time like me. But if you are a person who can binge watch , then this one should be on your list at least once in a life as it does have an interesting story line as well as some interesting characters which will provide you some respite from your day to day drudgery. Also, it has some important lessons which can be incorporated in life that can make us a better version of ourselves. So, do go ahead and give it a watch by ignoring the brand promotions which might tend to irritate you . And yes do not forget to share your experiences of the same. Meet you next week with another pick and another theme . Till then lots of love and care. 🤗😊

Rating: *** and a 1/2 stars

Baap dialogue: “No matter how hard life gets , never regret anything that made you smile.” (Jung Da-Jung in a radio episode when she was at Serim High School)

Que: Name the team to which Ye-Ji hoon, the famous baseball player belongs to?

a. Haitai Tigers

b. Sammi Superstars

c. Seum Wolves

d. OB Bears