I am now officially buzzing with excitement for the premiere on April 18 and 19 of We Are All Trying Here. This show entered the room and chose emotional violence. It has a heavy title, and the first two episodes are a complete wreck, in the best sense of the term. I entered hoping to see a typical slice-of-life feel, but this is much more visceral and raw. The writers are as if they were reading my late-night existential crises and thought they would use them to make a K-drama.
My Liberation Notes and My Mister are everywhere with their DNA on this premiere. It is so logical that the silence is so loud and everyday life so heavy. This artistic team has an actual superpower to make a simple walk to the subway look like a spiritual experience. The intense focus on the ‘ordinary’ individual, with the silent weariness of simple survival in a capitalist world, is emphasized. You will feel at home here if you are fond of the honesty of the Yeom siblings. It is that same slow-burning soul-searching magic that causes you to look at a wall and re-evaluate your whole life.
Why Hwang Dong Man is My Spirit Animal
The star of the K-drama Hwang Dong Man (Koo Kyo Hwan) is flawless as a man whose own ideals are draining him out as he keeps on waiting for two decades before he can be a director. He is poor but proud, preaching to students the benefits of poverty being a blessing to writers, and evading his landlord to pay rent. His bitterness towards the successful directors of the successful ‘Eight’ is tangible. It is painful to watch a scene in which he slanders a lead actress and ends up with egg on his face. He is silent, but his eyes are worth a million emotions. He is a disaster, and I am up to it.
Byeon Eun A and the Weight of Perfection
Next is Byeon Eun A (Go Youn Jung), who is the exact opposite, at least at first sight. She appears to have it all figured out, being a smart producer, known as The Ax, but her personal life reflects a woman who is terrified of being found out. The imposter syndrome that we are all affected by is brought out in her character. Her stress is evident between the nosebleeds and the unknown emotions that were glowing on her watch. The highlight of the K-drama is her encounters with Dong Man at the railway crossing. It was clumsy and silent and was just like life itself.
Episode 1: The Architecture of Loneliness
Episode 1 does not simply introduce characters; it creates the whole mood of desperate silence. We begin with the stamping of the bulky reality falling upon Hwang Dong Man on all sides. He is a male preacher who teaches that poverty is a blessing to writers and literally runs away, escaping his landlord. It is a superb, sour irony. The installation of the “Eight”, the group of directors who are elite, is the ideal antagonist to the career stagnation of Dong Man.
The best part of the episode is surely the introduction of Byeon Eun A. Known as The Ax, her professional coldness is obviously a defense against her personal case of burnout. This is not romantic chemistry when she and Dong Man meet at the railway crossing; it is the chemistry of two drowning people who see that they are not alone. The final scene, in which Eun A reads a screenplay by Dong Man, and even believes it to be beautiful, offers the only ray of hope in an otherwise gloomy hour.
Episode 2: Finding Your Voice (and Your Power)
Should episode 1 have been about the weight of failure, the second one is about the spark of defiance. It is a much more inward episode. We observe how Dong Man copes with literal physical pain of his awkward fall at Choi Film, which reflects his bruised ego. That the police arrived to answer a noise complaint because he is screaming his own name is an ultimate fangirl moment— tragic, funny, and so familiar.
The idea of Power is the emotional focus of episode 2. The suggestion by Eun A that love is the missing element in his movie (and his life) is a turning point. Rejected by the Eight, the pettiness of the ‘No Dong Man’ sign at the bar might have ruined him, but instead, it results in that unbelievable fight with Director Choi. This character development is what is required when Dong Man makes a promise that he will be something amazing, only to get them mad. The last scene, in which they share side dishes and their watches say green, implies that their liberation will not come with success, but with each other.
Is It Too Depressing
It is not a baseless anxiety that the show nears being too much of a misery-focused. The gloom runs all the way up to Dong Man, paying off loan sharks to have his cat fixed to the ‘No Dong Man’ sign on the bar. All characters are at war, even Dong Man’s brother Jin Man, who is disallowed to defend him in the bar. This is not the k-drama to watch in case you are seeking the bubbly rom-com or a slice of life. It wants you to sit in the pain. The dialogue occasionally seems a bit too written, almost as a set of poetic quotations instead of real dialogue.
It is a strong beginning of a K-drama that obviously wants to convey something important regarding mental health and self-worth. I am wholly engaged now in the progress of Dong Man to the point of liking himself at least an inch more. The sight of Eun A giving him side-dishes and watching their watches tick off their green made me get that slight spark of hope that I required. It is a big timepiece, yet a requirement. I will be there for episode 3 with my tissues and a tub of ice cream.
Drama Info
- Title: We Are All Trying Here (Everyone is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness)
- Total Episodes: 12 (Ongoing)
- Release Time: Saturday & Sunday @12 AM KST
- Review/First Impressions: 1-2 Episodes
- Genre: Melodrama, Slice of Life
- Cast: Koo Kyo Hwan, Go Youn Jung, Oh Jung Se, Park Hae Joon
- Where to Watch: Netflix, JTBC
Ratings
- Overall Score: 8.5/10 for Ep 1-2
- Overall score plus Recommendation: Highly recommended for fans of “My Liberation Notes” who appreciate deep character studies and the beauty of finding comfort in shared loneliness.
- Rewatch Value: 9/10 The subtle acting and the gorgeous, moody cinematography make it worth a second look.
- Story: 8.0/10
- Acting: 9.5/10
- Emotional Impact: 10/10
Check Out: Yumi’s Cells Season 3 First Impressions
Leave a Reply