Reply 1997 (2012)

After I had finished watching the epic series Reply 1988, I decided to check out the other two entries in the Reply series, Reply 1997 and Reply 1994 (it was only after finishing Reply 1988 that I learned ideal way to watch the series was begin with Reply 1997 and end with Reply 1988). While the series have stand-alone narratives, they often reference one another – the cast of Reply 1997 pop up in Reply 1994 in extended cameos – the protagonists of Reply 1994 (Sung Na-jung and Sseureki/ “Trash”) live in the same apartment complex as Shi-won and Yoon-jae, the two main characters of Reply 1997. There is also a scene where Sseureki has an altercation with the cast of Reply 1997 on a city bus. The character of “Trash” briefly pops up in Reply 1988 – he is attending the same medical college as Sun-woo. It doesn’t hurt the narrative if you don’t recognize these characters, but it does an extra layer to the storytelling.

While Reply 1997 has the same narrative beats, and tackles the same themes, as Reply 1988 there is a significant difference between the two series – Reply 1988 is more of an ensemble piece and doesn’t have a main character. The character Deok-sun is the closest thing we get to a main character, but even she is offscreen for a good chunk of the series. Reply 1997 has two distinct main characters – Sung Shi-won and Yoon Yoon-jae. Reply 1988 centered around five families growing up in Seoul in the late 1980s/early 1990s.  Reply 1997 centers around whether or not Shi-won and Yoon-jae, best friends who have been inseparable since their birth, will take their relationship to the next level. There are various subplots scattered throughout – Shi-won’s devotions to the boy band, H.O.T.; Joon-hee, a closeted homosexual, and his unrequited love for Yoon-jae; the awkward romance between Yoo-jung (Shi-won’s best gal pal) and Do Hak-chan, a porn addict; the creepy romance between Tae-woong, Yoon-jae’s older brother, and Shi-won; and the nonstop bickering between Shi-won’s parents, Dong-il and Il-hwa. These subplots do take up significant screentime, but it is Shi-won’s relationship with Yoon-jae that drives the narrative.

Instead of doing a thorough analysis of the entire series, I am going to focus on two plot points – the love triangle between Shi-won, Yoon-jae, and Tae-woong, and Shi-won’s often disturbing devotion to the boy band, H.O.T. 

The Love Triangle

The framing device of all three Reply series is that it presented as a mystery as to whom the lead female protagonist ends up marrying. Reply 1997 opens with Shi-won and friends attending a high school reunion in 2012 and, up until the final episode, it is ambiguous who her husband is – whenever she calls out to her husband, we are never show his face, or Yoon-jae and Tae-woong are standing next each other, and both respond to her. The problem with this mystery is that there are only two possible options (Yoon-jae and Tae-woong) and it is pretty obvious that Shi-won is going to end up with Yoon-jae, despite the misdirection the writers throw at us.  There are two factors that work in Yoon-jae’s favor:

1.     Destiny

Shi-won and Yoon-jae have been best friends since they were in diapers, and it wasn’t until their freshman year in high school that Yoon-jae realized he had feelings for Shi-won. His plan was to confess his feelings for her after the CSAT exam (this was going to be his “D-Day”) but his older brother, Tae-woong, threw a monkey wrench in Yoon-jae’s plan, when he confessed that he also liked Shi-won. This leads to a huge emotional conflict for Yoon-jae – he loves Shi-won, but he also loves his older brother. He also feels greatly indebted to Tae-woong, who sacrificed everything to raise Yoon-jae after their parents passed away when Yoon-jae was eleven.  Yoon-jae (unwisely) decides to choose his brother’s happiness over his love for Shi-won and begins to distance himself from her. However, seeing Shi-won with his older brother only makes Yoon-jae feel miserable – despite his best efforts he cannot suppress his feelings for Shi-won. 

Things come to ahead on Shi-won’s birthday/going away party (the next day, she is going up to Seoul to begin college) and after Shi-won teases Yoon-jae about not getting her a present (she wanted a ring). He coldly replies that she should be asking his brother for that gift and wonders how she can be so cruel. Shi-won is confused by Yoon-jae’s reaction and asks him to explain. He finally confesses his feelings for Shi-won, which leads to an awkward silence. Finally, Shi-won asks if they can remain friends. Yoon-jae scoffs at this and tells Shi-won that he has no intention of ever seeing her again. He takes the ring out of his pocket, plops it down on the table in front of Shi-won, tells her to “throw it away.” Then, in a mocking tone, he says, “Friends? That’s bullshit” and walks out of the room.

This is one of the more famous scenes in the Reply series and that is because it doesn’t demonize either side – it is easy to sympathize with both Shi-won and Yoon-jae in this scene.  Yoon-jae telling Shi-won he has “no intention of seeing her again” may seem cold, but it is the correct response. If you confess your feelings to a woman, and she does not reciprocate them, it is almost impossible to go back to being just friends. There will always be an air of awkwardness between the two and, too often, that awkwardness can turn into bitter resentment. It’s actually in the best interest of both parties to move on, instead of feigning friendship. I learned this the hard way.  The sight of Shi-won and Tae-woong together is like a dagger in Yoon-jae’s heart; so why would he want to be around that?

However, it is also easy to relate to Shi-won in this scene. Yoon-jae has been that one constant in her life – they enjoyed a simple and comfortable relationship and getting romantically involved with Yoon-jae would not only complicate things but end their friendship. Her friendship with Yoon-jae is something she wants to hold onto, even though it is implied that she began to develop feelings for him, as well. Plus, Shi-won is at that point in her life where she doesn’t really know what she wants – she is nineteen years old (eighteen in U.S. years), moving out of her parents’ house, and is going to Seoul to attend college. She is already overwhelmed with emotions and her best friend confessing his love to her certainly doesn’t help matters.  On top of that, she is in a passionless relationship with an older man (Tae-woong is nine years her senior). She breaks off their relationship before heading to college – while she likes Tae-woong as a person, her heart doesn’t flutter when she is around him.   She is not cruel; she legitimately had no idea that Yoon-jae felt that way about her. He dropped all sorts of hints throughout high school, but she was too busy obsessing over H.O.T. to notice. She definitely takes Yoon-jae for granted – they have seen each other every day since birth, and she assumes he will always be there. She even bad mouths Yoon-jae to her friends a few times, because she feels he is trying to control her life – even though most of his criticisms prove to be valid.  Yoon-jae avoiding Shi-won turns out to be a blessing – it allows for them to get their priorities straight and when they finally meet up again, it is then that Shi-won can reciprocate Yoon-jae’s feelings. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Yoon-jae effectively cuts Shi-won out of his life for six years – he avoids all school reunions and often visits Shi-won’s parents before the holidays, to avoid the risk of running into Shi-won. Multiple times, his brother suggests that the three of them should have dinner together, only for Yoon-jae to come up with an excuse as why he can’t go. He has kept in touch with all of his high school friends except Shi-won – in a voice over he explains what everyone has been up to, but when he gets to Shi-won, he draws a blank. He did such a good job avoiding her that he lost all interest in her life.

Yoon-jae can avoid Shi-won but he cannot avoid his destiny, and the two of them are brought back together by fate. Shi-won is working as a staff writer for a television program and goes to a coffee house to get drinks for her seniors. As she waits for order, a man in a suit walks in the coffee house and places an order; Shi-won recognizes his voice and looks up to see that it is Yoon-jae. The two of them take the opportunity to catch up. Shi-won asks Yoon-jae if he has a girlfriend, he lies and says yes. She then calls up Joon-hee (who is Yoon-jae’s roommate) and asks if Yoon-jae has a girlfriend.  Yoon-jae, realizing he has been caught in a lie, claims he meant he had a woman who is just friend.  Shi-won then throws Yoon-jae’s words back at him, “Friend? That’s bullshit” and starts laughing. Yoon-jae knows he has lost the war and the two of them resume their relationship. 

She asks Yoon-jae if he still likes her and he is hesitant to answer (even after she has reciprocated his feelings). He doesn’t answer her question immediately – he needs to think about it, because he doesn’t want to upset his older brother. He even brings up to Shi-won that Tae-woong still likes her, but she shoots that down – she likes Tae-woong but she is not interest in his feelings, she wants to know how Yoon-jae feels. She then forces Yoon-jae
 into answering her question -if he doesn’t answer by the time she has counted to three, she will kiss him ten times on the check (it should be noted that Shi-won has a cold at this time). After she counts “two,” Yoon-jae gives her a long kiss on the lips. Afterwards, Shi-won gives Yoon-jae her cold medicine. She won’t need it, because she feels better.

2.     Tae-woong is a huge simp.

The reunion in the coffee house put the final nail in the coffin for Tae-woong’s romantic aspirations with Shi-won. He has spent the last six years simping for Shi-won; even though she broke up with, he desperately hoped she would change her mind and agree to be his wife. However, all he accomplished in the last six years was to further cement his “Just Friends” status with Shi-won. The minute Shi-won sees Yoon-jae at the coffee house, her heart begins to flutter, and she realizes that her feelings for Yoon-jae are more than just that of a friend. It’s actually laughable that after this scene, the series still tries to make it a mystery as to who Shi-won ended up marrying. 

In fact, Tae-woong’s romantic aspirations had been doomed a few episodes earlier (the end of episode 11), when Yoon-jae saved Shi-won from a rapist. Yoon-jae has started to distance himself from Shi-won, but when he finds out she is in danger, he immediately drops all pretense and runs to her rescue. Shi-won has taken a part time job at a convenience store and her shift ends at midnight. While walking home from her job, she notices that a strange man is following her. Meanwhile, Yoon-jae is home and is watching the news – he starts to worry about Shi-won when he hears about how violence crimes against woman have skyrocketed in the last year. He tries to call her to make sure she is okay but keeps getting the busy signal -it turns out that Shi-won is calling his phone at the exact same time. Finally, she is able to reach Yoon-jae by calling his landline. She tells him about the strange man, and he asks her where she is – after he gets her location, he bolts out the door. It is the middle of the winter, but Yoon-jae is so focused on getting to Shi-won that he forgets to put on a jacket and shoes (he is wearing a white T-shirt, sweats pants, and sandals).  

Yoon-jae tries to outpace the man but keeps gaining ground. If this wasn’t intense enough, Yoon-jae’s progress is briefly halted when a man on a bicycle runs into him. He shakes off his wounds, gets back up, and continues running. Just when it looks like the man is about to spring on Shi-won, Yoon-jae calls out her name and runs to her. He simultaneously scolds and comforts Shi-won while escorting her back to her house. Shi-won notices that he is underdressed for the weather and that one of his sandals fell off while he was running to her. When they get back to her house, Yoon-jae resumes his cold act – when Shi-won notices that blood is trickling down his left arm and tries to get a good look at the wound, he pulls it away and tells her “I won’t die from it.” This is the moment where Shi-won begins to think of Yoon-jae as being more than a friend, but she doesn’t want to admit it. As mentioned before, she doesn’t want to risk losing her best friend.  She convinces herself that was simply an act of a concerned friend and not of a man in love. Granted, I would hope males would run to the aid of a female friend who is in trouble. 

The defining feature of the brief period that Shi-won dated Tae-woong was how chaste it was – it is devoid of any real intimacy. The closest they get to an intimate moment is when they share an awkward hug and Tae-woong gives Shi-won a kiss on the forehead. It is clear by Shi-won’s body language (she is very stiff) that she is comfortable around Tae-woong and can’t see him as anything more than a friend. 

Question: Are there any viewers that actually ship Shi-won and Tae-woong?  In the other two entries, it makes sense that there a divided loyalties between the male suitors, but Tae-woong and Shi-won as a couple is one the most awkward things I have ever seen. It is also creepy, if I’m being honest – Tae-woong is nine years older than Shi-won and starts to date her when she is still in high school. He was also a teacher at that same high school, and one of the reasons he quit was so he could pursue a relationship with Shi-won. On top of that, he was once engaged to Shi-won’s older sister (who was killed in a bus accident). Which means that he sees Shi-won as replacement for his deceased fiancée, because they are so much alike. They are also a different place in life – Tae-woong has become wealthy after starting up a social media company, I Like School, and at age 28 is looking to settle down. For Shi-won’s 19^th birthday, Tae-woong buys an engagement ring, but backs down when one of his co-workers tells him that it might be a bit too much – instead he buys her a cheaper couple’s ring (the exact same one that Yoon-jae bough her) and gives her the keys to his Seoul apartment, but Shi-won breaks up with him any ways. 

There is more depth to Shi-won and Yoon-jae’s relationship – it is rooted in genuine emotions. They experienced many ups and downs, know each other’s weaknesses, and witnessed each other’s worst qualities, and their love has survived all of that. The relationship between Shi-won and Tae-woong is more materialistic in nature, he rarely pushes back and always give her what she wants – he gives her his portable CD player, buys her a new cellphone (as part of a couple’s plan), and foolishly picks up an engagement ring.

The reason Shi-won agreed to go out with Yoon-jae is that she liked the idea of him. On paper, he is the perfect mate. Plus, he is a likable fellow, but it is all surface level stuff, because no matter how hard she tries, Yoon-jae just can’t reciprocate his feelings. He is total flat line. You don’t choose who you are attracted to – it is something that just hits you.  

It's also found it hard to believe that in six years, Tae-woong didn’t move on – his a young, wealthy, and handsome man who can get any woman he wants, but he is still pining over a woman who is not interested in him. It is the classic flaw of most simps, “If I just wait, she will eventually realize that I am the right man for her!” That rarely works out that way – that is why Yoon-jae had the right idea when he walked away from Shi-won – though, in Yoon-jae’s case he mistook her initial confusion for a full out rejection. Tae-woong eventually does find love with another woman – Dr. Lee Joo-won (who also has a cameo in Reply 1994) the surgeon who operated on his colon. Tae-woong is kind of dense when it comes to women – Dr. Lee Joo-won drops all sorts of hints his way that she is interested, but he is like, “Where’s Shi-won?” DUMBASS!!!! They reconnect years later and get married. See, there is hope for simps. You just need to find the right girl – namely one who actually likes you. 

While I immensely enjoyed the Reply series, they do feature my least favorite trope of K-dramas – the time jump. The writers will effectively set up a conflict and then a text will flash on the screen that reads, “__ years later.”  The most egregious example of this was in the show, Birdy Buddy – the two main characters get into a car accident, the screen white outs, and then it cuts to “two years later.” It’s a trick writers pull when they have painted themselves into a corner – it allows them to start over with a clean slate. In Reply 1997, we get a time jump of six years and the show only briefly touches on what each of the characters have been up to in that time. What did Yoon-jae and Shi-won do in all time? Yoon-jae becomes a judge and Shi-won gets a job as a staff writer on show, but how did they get there? Did they date other people during that time? It’s only in flashbacks that we see Yoon-jae coming up with excuses to avoid Shi-won. It doesn’t ruin my overall enjoyment of the show but is a minor gripe.

K-POP

Reply 1997 chronicles the rise of K-pop – Shi-won is a huge fan of the boy band, H.O.T. The show differentiates between positive and negative aspects of fandom. One of the main subplots is the ongoing feud between H.O.T. fans and Sechs Kies fans.   

Shi-won isn’t just a casual fan of H.O.T. – they are the bane of her entire existence. When she learns that her close friend, Yoo-jung, is a closeted Sechs Kies fan and Shi-won doesn’t talk to her for nearly a month.  It is, in her eyes, the ultimate betrayal. She also gets into a physical altercation with classmates who are Sech Kies fans, and it is Yoon-jae who has to break it up.  The rivalry is that intense. Sadly, this is not an exaggeration – there is a phenomenon in K-pop known as the Anti-Fan – these are devoted fans of a certain group who will hate-watch any group they feel is a rival to their favorite idols. They will spread rumors and often manufacture scandals in an attempt to derail the careers of their object of hate. The bullying rumors that nearly derailed the careers of T-ARA were largely spear headed by devoted fans of Girls Generation (the irony is the two groups were on friendly terms).

Shi-won’s devotion to H.O.T. is pretty disturbing at times – she camps outside of the house of her favorite idol, Tony, in hopes to get a glimpse of him. She even sneaks into his house and Tony, rather than call the cops, decides to humor her and gives her an autograph. When Shi-won learns that there is board member opening in the H.O.T. fan club, she impresses her seniors by writing a love letter to Tony in her own blood. She later feels like a horse’s ass when Tony, during a radio interview, talks about how he received the letter and was disturbed by it.

She freaks out on her father when he wears her H.O.T. raincoat in the rain while taking out the garbage. She insists he take it off immediately, even though he is standing in the rain, and keeps assuring her that he will take it off once he is back inside. That is not good enough, and she begins to pull on the raincoat and tears the left sleeve. 

The feud between the H.O.T. and Sech Kies fandom comes to ahead at the 1998 Golden Disc Awards – where both groups have been nominated for the Daesang Award. The two fandoms are waiting outside the theater in the rain – the H.O.T. fans are wearing white raincoats while the Sech Kies fans are decked in yellow raincoats. The battle lines have been drawn – there is even a neutral zone between the two fandoms. It’s just a matter of who is going to fire the first shot.  Two fan clubs’ presidents walk into the neutral zone and begin to hurl insults at one another. It eventually escalates into a full out war, and the two sides start to go after one another. Before it gets too serious, their fighting is interrupted by a PD, who announces they will be letting the fans into the theater.  Insides the theater, two fandoms are enthusiastically cheering on their groups – both of them convinced that their group is going to walk away with the prestigious award. The MC teases both fandoms by asking if they should just give the award to either H.O.T. or Sechs Kies. Both sides are in shock after the winner is announced – Kim Jung-hwan. The once bitter enemies sit outside the theater, speechless, and take turns consoling one another.

However, fandom is not inherently a bad thing, and, in Shi-won’s case, it actually helps her find her career path. Shi-won begins to write H.O.T fanfiction and posts it online, and it is an instant hit among the H.O.T. fanbase. Her fellow H.O.T. fans constantly harass her at school, desperately wanting to know when she is going to post the next installment. She is able to use her fanfic to get a creative writing scholarship and it is the first step in her career as a screenwriter. 

It's because of the K-pop fandom that Tae-woong meets his future wife, Dr. Lee-won. Tae-woong has taken the job of a Professor at Yoon-jae’s alma mater, and his assistants convince him to attend a TVXQ concert. While at the venue, Tae-woong agrees to wait outside so he can give a ticket to the fan club’s vice president. His assistants give him the vice president’s phone number, so he will recognize it when she calls. The two of them meet in a coffee house and Tae-woong is surprised that the vice president is none other than Lee-won. The two of them hit it off and eventually got married. One of the positive aspects of fandom is that it connects you with people who share a similar interest, and that often can develop into a genuine friendship. It also can inspire creativity – passionate fans often write fanfic or create artwork that centers around their favorite group. 

It is also fitting that given how K-pop is important plot point in Reply 1997, that many of the cast were K-pop idols themselves.  Seo In-guk (who plays Yoon-jae) was a popular solo artist. Jung Eun-ji (who plays Shi-won) was a member of the girl group, Apink. Her fellow Apink member, Yoon Bo-mi, has a cameo as the younger version of Yoon-jae’s mother.  Hoya (who plays Joon-hee) was a member of the boyband, Infinite. Lee Joo-yeon (who plays Dr. Lee-won) was a member of After School. Kim Ye-won (who plays Shi-won’s ill-fated older sister, Sun-joo) was a member of Jewelry. Yoon-jae’s favorite idol, Tony Ahn, makes a cameo appearance as himself. The funniest piece of casting is Eun Ji-won (a member of Sechs Kies) as the social awkward porn addict, Do Hak-chan. There are a few times throughout the series where a character will point out how Hak-chan is a dead ringer for Eun Ji-won, but he denies it.  Hak-chan overcomes his awkwardness and starts to date Yoo-jung (who is die-hard fan of Sechs Kies and Eun Ji-won); the two of them are watching a movie that stars Eun Ji-won and Hak-chan makes a comment about how bad his acting is. This offends Yoo-jung and she suggests that they break up. Hak-chan apologizes and watches the rest of the movie in complete silence.

Reply 1997 is a step down from Reply 1988, but it is better than Reply 1994. The two leads, Jung Eun-ji and Seo In-guk, are likable and have great chemistry together. The main problem I have with the series is the creepy relationship between Tae-woong and Shi-won. Otherwise, it is an entertaining show that is well worth your time. It is also a good thing I limited my review to just these two plot points – a more thorough analysis would have been the length of novella.

Cast: Jung Eun-ji (Sung Shi-won), Seo In-guk (Yoon Yoon-jae), Song Jong-ho (Yoon Tae-woong), Hoya (Kang Joon-hee), Shin So-yul (Mo Yoo-jung), Eun Ji-won (Do Hak-chan), Lee Si-eon (Bang Sung-jae), Sung Dong-il (Sung Dong-il, Shi-won’s father), Lee Il-hwa (Lee Il-hwa, Shi-won’s mother), Noh Ji-yeon (Jang Dan-ji), Jung Kyung-mi (Kyung-mi/ “Eun Dokki), Kim Sun-ah (Kim Sun-ah/ “Eun Gak-ha), Kim Ye-won (Sung Sun-joo, Shi-won’s older sister),  Kang Kyun-sung (young Dong-il), Park Cho-rong (young Il-hwa), Lee Joo-yeon (Doctor Lee Joo-won), Park Ji-yoon ( Joon-hee’s older twin sisters -sixth and seventh), Yang Joon-hyuk (Yoon Joon-hyuk, Yoon-jae’s father), Lee Yeon-kyung (Moon Jung-mi, Yoon-jae’s mother), Son Jin-young (young Joon-hyuk), Yoon Bo-mi (young Moon Jung-mi), Tony Ahn (himself), Kim Gook-jin (himself), Kang Yu-mi (H.O.T. fan club president), Ahn Young-mi (Sechs Kies fan club president).

Director: Shin Won-ho
Writers:  Lee Woo-jung, Lee Shun-hye, Kim Ran-joo
16 episodes (30 – 70 minutes)