Reply 1994 (2013)

 

It was an epic undertaking but I finally finished the Reply trilogy. After watching the three series, I can safely say that Reply 1994 was the weakest out of three. It is still an entertaining show, with a terrific leading lady in Go Ara (my favorite out of all the three lead actresses in the trilogy), but I also found it annoying at times – especially the drawn-out love triangle between Na-jung, “Trash,” and “Chilbong.”

The plot centers around six university students who live in a boarding house in Sinchon, Seoul that is run by Na-jung and her parents.  The boarders initially start off on the wrong foot but eventually form an inseparable bond with one another. The show is at its best when it focuses on their evolving friendships. Not to mention, I found the unlikely romance between the nerdy “Samcheonpo” and the angst-filled Yoon-jin to be more involving than the contrived love triangle. 

Reply 1994 has a similar framing device as the other two entries – in 2013, Na-jung and her mystery husband have moved into a new apartment, and their friends come over to throw them a housewarming party. Na-jung and her friend, Yoon-jin, are unpacking boxes and she comes across a video cassette of her wedding to the mystery man. She pops in the video and the group watches it with complete amusement.

We then go back in time to 1994, where we are introduced to younger versions of the characters in the prologue. It should be noted that it is until the end of the series that we learn the actual names of the male characters, they always refer to each other by their nickname. “Trash” has known Na-jung’s family all his life – he was her late older brother’s best friend and became a surrogate son to Na-jung’s parents after their son passed away – “Trash” refers to them as his “mother” and “father,” and he treats Na-jung like his younger sister.  However, Na-jung is in love with “Trash” and not in a sisterly way.

The Love Triangle

This leads me to the most annoying aspect of Reply 1994, the love triangle between Na-jung, “Trash,” and “Chilbong.” Even though Na-jung is infatuated with “Trash” that does not stop the character of “Chilbong” from attempting to steal her away. “Trash” is a medical student, while “Chilbong” is the starting pitcher on the Yonsei University baseball team. The two of them initially get along, but once “Chilbong” reveals his feelings for Na-jung to “Trash,” their relationship becomes strained.  After Na-jung confesses her feelings to “Trash,” he is hesitant to act because of their shared history together – she has been like a young sister to him his entire life, plus he is convinced their parents would not approve of such a relationship. However, once “Chilbong” reveals his intentions toward Na-jung, “Trash” realizes his true feelings for Na-jung and is not about to lose her to another man. As far as I’m concerned, the scene where Na-jung and “Trash” share their first kiss is when the love triangle officially ended, and everything afterwards is just filler to milk the mystery of Na-jung’s husband. Nothing afterwards feels natural – this an example of “It happens because the script so.” In order to maintain the mystery of Na-jung’s husband, the script needs for Na-jung and “Trash” to break up at some point, so that “Chilbong” can be given a chance to win her over.

 It’s also not much of a mystery when they are only two candidates to choose from, and all the hints that dropped throughout the series point to “Trash.” The most obvious clue is that Na-jung never reciprocates “Chilbong’s” feelings – he tells her multiple times that he “likes her” but she never gives him a clear answer. When “Chilbong” is hospitalized for injuries he received in a car crash, Na-jung looks after him and spends the night in his room, but this is done more out of obligation than love – she blames herself for the car accident. 

However, the most obvious clue that Na-jung’s husband is “Trash” is when Sung Shi-won (the main character from Reply 1997) asks mystery husband, “Have we met before?”  It is revealed that Shi-won and Yoon-jae live in the apartment above Na-jung and “Trash.” Na-jung and her father, Dong-il, go upstairs to complain to their neighbors about how noisy they are – when they arrive at the apartment, they are greeted by Shi-won, who apologizes about the noise. The two of them hit it off – it is also revealed that Na-jung’s dad and Shi-won, both named Sung Dong-il, are distant cousins (and both manage baseball teams).  “Trash” joins them a few minutes later and Shi-won is convinced they have met before. She is correct, “Trash” bumped into her twice while working as an intern Busan; they first met on a city bus and got into a physical altercation, after getting into a heated argument over the music playing on the bus – “Trash” asked the bus driver to turn it down while Shi-won wanted the driver to turn the music up. This escalates until “Trash” loses his shit, walks over to Shi-won, and tries to pull at her hair. Yoon-jae and friends intervene and try to break up the fight, but it all ends abruptly when driver slams on the brakes and everyone piles on top of “Trash.” 

This incident results in “Trash” having to wear a neck brace and arm sling. The next time, the two run into each other is at a jewelry store – “Trash” is deciding on the perfect engagement ring for Na-jung, and Shi-won just happens to be there and gives him advice. The two of them get into an argument over the music playing in the store, “Trash” then recognizes Shi-won from the bus, and chases her out of the store. Prior to 2013, “Trash” is the only Reply 1994 character who Shi-won has encountered, so the fact that she recognizes Shi-won’s husband means that it can only be “Trash.”

Before “Trash” and Na-jung are an official couple, it is shown multiple times that he can read her better than anyone else. Early in the series, Na-jung’s parents are out of town and it is up to her to run the boarding house. She spends the entire day cleaning the house and making meals for the lodgers. When “Trash” gets home, he notices that something is off about her and feels her forehead, she has a fever and he tells her to get some rest, and he will finish with the cleanup. The rest of the boarders, including Chilbong, were oblivious to Na-jungs’ suffering. When Na-jung blows out her back and is taken to the hospital, it is “Trash” who looks in on her and is able to get her to fall asleep.

The other annoying that is that both “Trash” and “Chilbong” get sidelined for a good chunk of series. When “Trash” is courting Na-jung, “Chilbong” has been sent to Japan to play baseball – he later goes to the States to play for the majors. After Na-jung and “Trash” have broken off their engagement, it is “Trash” who goes missing (because reasons) and this opens the door for “Chilbong,” who just happens to be South Korea, to pursue a romance with Na-jung. It’s like the writers decided each character would be given a turn with Na-jung and both would be given the path of least resistance. I just don’t buy that Na-jung and “Trash” would cut off all communication with each other – even if they broke off their engagement, the two of them share such a long history with each other that it would be impossible for them to forget about one another.  Also, the reason they broke off their engagement was not because of anger, but out of consideration for each other – Na-jung landed an overseas job in Australia and neither of them wanted to burden each other with a long-distance relationship. They tried at first, but eventually grew apart (again, another plot point that I just don’t buy).  This is a prime example of three capable actors (Go Ara, Jung Woo, and Yoo Yeon-seok) doing their absolute best but being let down by the material. Reply 1988 is the series in the trilogy that pulled off the love triangle – it is implied that the difference between Deok-son choosing Taek over Jung-hwan is a matter of seconds. It’s a romance that could have easily gone either way – that’s just not the case in either Reply 1997 or Reply 1994. While the love triangle in Reply 1997 was even less convincing, that show benefitted from being sixteen episodes long and was efficiently paced (the average episode is roughly 45 minutes long).  Reply 1994 is about five episodes too long (there are twenty-one episodes) and it drags to the finish line. 

Go Ara

I mentioned before that Go Ara is my favorite leading lady in the Reply series and that due to her ability to convey so many emotions with just the slightest gesture. Jung Eun-ji and Lee Hye-ri were K-pop idols turned actors, and as a result they were still wet behind the ears.  They both give fairly effective performances, but they struggle in certain scenes – the show attempting to pass the (then) 19-year-old Jung-Eun-ji as a 33-year-old woman in the 2012 scenes is a bit comical, and Hye-ri is more at home doing comedy than drama (I like Hye-ri, but she struggles when it comes to crying on camera. It always feels forced).  When Go Ara starred in Reply 1994, she was already a pro – she had been actress since her early teens. 

Go Ara manages to hit all the right notes without missing a beat. In the earlier episodes, her performance is more exaggerated – Na-jung is a fanatical supporter of the Yonsei University basketball team, especially of the player Lee Sang-min. She spends a good chunk of the first episodes trying to get close to Sang-min, so she can get his autograph. Thanks to her cunning, she is able to get a towel that is drenched in Sang-min’s sweat. However, it also while attending the championships, that Na-jung reaggravates her back and is taken to the hospital.

As time passes, Na-jung begins to mellow out – she still likes Sang-min just not as fanatical in her support as her younger self.  You can sense in a genuine change in her character and that’s because Go Ara dials down her performance as the series progresses. She is even convincing playing a middle-aged mother of three children (despite only being twenty-three at the time).  Just by her body language and expression, you can sense the toll being a mother has taken on her – she is not the same energetic woman of her youth.  

There was an attempt to deglamorize Go Ara – she cut her hair and gained nearly eighteen pounds for the role – but the director couldn’t hide her beautiful hazel eyes.  Plus, even a de glamorized Go Ara is still really cute. It amuses me in South Korea K-dramas when a character will describe the lead female character as “unattractive,” I often think to myself, “What alternate universe are you living in?” There is a scene in Reply 1997 when Tae-woong shows his employees a picture of Shi-won, and they all have a look of disappointment on their faces. Tae-woong responds with, “I know she is not beautiful but…” WHAT?!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  Jung Eun-ji’s smile, alone, would be enough to drive the average male nuts.

The unlikely romance of “Samcheonpo” and Jo Yoon-jin

The contrived love triangle of Na-jung, “Trash,” and “Chilbong” is not as involving as the unlikely romance of “Samcheonpo” and Jo Yoon-jin.  It is revealed that while “Samcheonpo” looks older than the other boarders, he is actually the youngest (they were all born in 1975 while he was born in 1977). In real life the actor who played “Samcheonpo,” Kim Sung-kyun was fourteen years older than Min Do-hee (the actress who played Yo Yoon-jin).  They are an interesting pair – “Samcheonpo” towers over the five feet tall Yoon-jin but he often feels small in her presence.  They are both introverts – “Samcheonpo” is awkward around people and is often too honest for his own good. He also can never read the room. Yoon-jin is angsty, spends most of her free time in her room, and is a huge fan of Seo Taiji. The only time the rest of the boarders see her is when it is time to eat. 

The sweetest aspect of their relationship is that they both accept each other’s peculiarities. They will often bicker with one another, but they really don’t want to change each other. However, they are both willing to make compromises to make their relationship work. As mentioned before, Yoon-jin is a huge fan of Seo Taiji and the Boys, to the point that she attempts to sneak into his house to steal a souvenir from it. When Seo Taiji announces his retirement from the popular music scene, Yoon-ji is devastated and refuses to come out of her room. “Samcheonpo” tries to talk sense into, but she just won’t listen. “Samcheonpo” swallows his pride, sneaks into Seo Taiji’s house, and steals his toilet. He hauls it back to the boarding house, shows it to Yoon-jin, and this immediately cheers her up. It is a silly gesture, but it also proves how dedicated “Samcheonpo” is to Yoon-jin.  They later use the toilet bowl to house a tree.

Later, “Samcheonpo” is attending a social gathering, at a karaoke bar, with his business associates. His seniors want to meet his girlfriend, so “Samcheonpo” calls up Yoon-jin and asks her to stop on by to say hello.  Yoon-jin hates these types of gatherings  and refuses to stop by. “Samcheonpo” tries calling her a few more times, but she doesn’t answer. “Samcheonpo” is about to throw in the towel when Yoon-jin walks in through the entrance. She even sings karaoke with “Samcheonpo.” In the past, Yoon-jin wouldn’t have been caught dead at a karaoke bar, but she is now willing to leave her comfort zone to be with “Samcheonpo.” It’s a great example of how a small gesture can go a long way. “Samcheonpo” understands that this a big step for Yoon-jin and greatly appreciates it, while everyone else is oblivious to the sacrifice Yoon-jin is making. 

Song Dong-il and Lee Il-hwa

Song Dong-il and Lee Il-hwa appear in all three of the Reply series – they are always the parents of the lead female protagonists. In Reply 1997 and Reply 1988 they constantly bicker with one another – to the point where it escalates with Lee Il-hwa violently lashing out against Dong-il. In Reply 1997, their bickering is taken all the way up to eleven, but it usually ends with them having “hate sex” in their car. 

Their relationship in Reply 1994 is more restrained and functional, despite Dong-il’s tendency to invest money in bad stocks. Dong-il is the coach of the baseball team, the Seoul Twins, while Lee Il-hwa runs the boarding the house. Dong-il immediately takes a liking to Chilbong, because of him being a baseball pitcher. He even hints that he would love to have Chilbong as a son-in-law. When “Trash” announces that Na-jung and him are a couple, Dong-il doesn’t take the news well. Il-hwa, on the other hand, is far more understanding and tells “Trash” to give Dong-il sometime to process the news. “Trash” is also the most considerate towards Il-hwa – there is a scene where the other boarders act very disrespectful towards Il-hwa (“Samcheonpo” is upset she forgot to wake him early, Yoon-jin is angry Il-hwa cleaned her room, “Binguerre” snaps at her for talking to his dad on the phone, and “Haitai’s” hometown buddies invite themselves to breakfast and behave in a disrespectful manner) while “Trash” takes the time to leave her a letter to express his gratitude and wish her a happy birthday.  He also later scolds the other boarders for their callous treatment of Il-hwa. The other boarders often take Il-hwa for granted and fail to understand how overwhelmed she is with running a boarding house.

When it looks like Il-hwa might be suffering from menopause, “Trash” suggests that she should see a doctor. She takes his advice, and it turns out that Il-hwa isn’t suffering from menopause but rather she is pregnant. This throws everyone for a loop – it also means that on top of running a boarding house, Il-hwa is going to have to look after a newborn baby, Sung Joon. This also means that they are going to be financially strapped. It must be said that, even at the age of 42, Lee Il-hwa was still a looker. The boarders actually step up their game to help out – when Dong-il is in the hospital, “Haitai” agrees to look after Sung Joon and actually does a good job of it.

Like I said, the show is at it is best when it focuses on the evolving friendships of the main characters – the scenes of them staying up late night, drinking beer, and just shooting the shit are relatable. There is a funny scene where “Samcheonpo” and “Haitai” are set up on a blind date with two college girls, and it is incredibly awkward – the boys treat the girls to KFC. “Samcheonpo” is given the task of ordering their meals and decides to get four orders of biscuits - an order for each person. They end up with close to thirty biscuits and the girls just stare in disgust. Neither "Samcheonpo" or "Haitai" can look their dates in the eye. 

In the earlier episodes, “Samcheonpo” and “Haitai” try to get into a nightclub but keep getting denied entry – the doorman keeps telling them that place is filled to capacity.  They are able to get in thanks to their friend, Kim Ki-tae, and discover that there is plenty of room inside. They were denied entry solely because of their looks. When “Haitai” is drafted into the army, it is “Samcheonpo” and Yoon-jin who visit him on a consistent basis. “Haitai” and “Samcheonpo” initially get off on the wrong foot – the two of them are roommates and there is a clash of personality – “Samcheonpo” can’t get any sleep because “Haitai” is up all-night playing computer games. “Haitai” likes to think of himself of a lady’s man while “Samcheonpo” is socially inept and has a hard time talking to members of the opposite sex.

 However, it turns out that “Haitai” is unlucky when it comes to love – he can never get passed the first date. It initially seems that Yoon-jin and he might end up as a couple, but he misses out on his chance and “Samcheonpo” ends up the victor. There is a scene where he is set up with an attractive college girl (dubbed the “Uhm Jung-hwa of Yonsei”) and she ditches him midway through their date for a married man. The other boarders, especially Na-jung and Yoon-jin, tease him over his fact. They can’t believe how passive he was in this situation.  However, it turns out that he still has feelings for his high school sweetheart, Ae-jung, and the two of them reconnect at the high school reunion.

“Binguerre” is “Chilbong’s” cousin and also “Trash’s” junior at the medical college. He is also a very confused individual, both academically and sexually – he takes a leave of absence from the university (but doesn’t tell his parents) and seemingly has a crush on “Trash,” who is his mentor.  He works various jobs to make ends meet and can’t decide if he wants to go back to medical college – he doesn’t think he was what it takes to be a doctor. He has a very strained relationship with his father and rarely sees his family. When his brother runs away from home and crashes in his room for a few days, he persuades his brother to return home and not to tell their parents he has taken a leave of absence from college. His crush on “Trash” began when the group was playing “spin the bottle” and “Trash” jokingly gave him a peck on the lips. 

“Binguerre” can’t get it out of his mind – this was his first kiss. He doesn’t really know what his feeling are towards “Trash,” but he eventually falls for a nice college girl, Jin-yi, and returns to medical college – putting all of his doubts to rest.  “Trash” scolds him multiple times for lying to his parents and insists he tell them the truth. His father has already sent him a check for his tuition and after seeing that, “Binguerre” decides to go back to college. “Trash” is not the kind of friend who oversteps his bounds; he nudges “Binguerre” in the right direction and trusts that his friend will make the correct decision. “Trash” doesn’t call “Binguerre” parents to explain the situation – this is a mess “Binguerre” has created, and it is up to him to solve it.

The writers really do “Trash” dirty in episodes 19 and 20 – after Na-jung and him break off their engagement, he apparently cuts off all ties to the tenants of the boarding house, including “Binguerre.” The writers have no idea what to do with his character, so they sideline him for most of those two episodes (he has two crucial scenes in these two episodes – a heart to heart with Dong-il and an awkward meeting with Na-jung).  They also don’t do “Chilbong” any favor by having him obsess over a woman who is not interested in him romantically – he is a successful major league baseball pitcher, has traveled across the globe, but can’t move on from Na-jung. There is a lot to like about Reply 1994 and it is worth watching, you just have to make it passed the annoying love triangle.

Cast: Go Ara (Sung Na-jung), Jung Woo (Sseureki/ “Trash”), Yoo Yeon-seok (“Chilbong”), Kim Sung-kyun (“Samcheonpo”), Son Ho-jun (“Haitai”), Cho Sun-woo (“Binggeure”), Min Do-hee (Jo Yoon-jin), Sung Dong-il (Sung Dong-il, Na-jung’s father), Lee Il-hwa (Lee Il-hwa, Na-jung’s mother), Kim Seul-gi (Sseureki’s cousin), Jung Eun-ji (Sung Shi-won), Seo In-guk (Yoon Yoon-jae), Hoya (Kang Joon-hee), Shin So-yul (Mo Yoo-jung), Lee Si-eon (Bang Sung-jae), Eun Ji-won (Do Hak-chan), Jo Yun-seo (Ae-jung), Yoon Jin-yi (Jin-yi/ “Die Die”), Lee Joo-yeon (medical student Lee Joo-won), Song Min-ji (Min-jung, Sseureki’s co-worker), Yoon Jong-hoon (Kim Ki-tae), Yook Sung-jae (Sung Joon, Na-jung’s younger brother), Go Woo-ri (“Yonsei’s Uhm Jung hwa”) Kim Jae-kyung (“Yonsei’s Jun Ji-hyun).

Director: Shin Won-ho
Writer: Lee Woo-jung
21 episodes (60 – 90 minutes)

Reply 1988 (2015)

Reply 1988 is the third installment in the Reply series (Reply 1997 aired in 2012 and Reply 1994 came out in 2013).  The three series are linked thematically, if not narratively (though the cast of Reply 1997 make a cameo appearance in Reply 1994, and the character “Trash” from Reply 1994 briefly pops up in Reply 1988) – they are nostalgic looks at their respective eras. The other thing that links the three series are actors Lee Il-hwa and Sung Dong-il, who play the parents of the lead female in each installment (in another of the series funniest bits the Sung Dong-il from Reply1997 meets the Sung Dong-il from Reply 1994, and it is revealed they are cousins). Reply 1988 centers around the ups and downs of five families in Seoul, who live on the same block and have grown up together. It is an ensemble piece – the closest we get to a main character is Deok-sun and that is because she is the narrator of the series (also, she is portrayed by Lee Hye-ri, who was a member of girl group, Girl’s Day, and was voted the “Nation’s Little Sister” in 2014. To briefly go off subject, the music video for the Girl’s Day song, “Oh My God” is extremely amusing, now back to the review).  

Reply 1988 is interesting for two contradictory reasons – on one hand, it features characters and themes that transcend nationality. It is easy to relate to the plight of the main characters, because chances are you have experienced something similar.  The five principal characters (Deok-sun, Taek, Sun-woo, Jung-hwan, and Dong-ryong) will often meet up in Taek’s room and watch VHS copies of American movies (Top Gun, La Bamba, and Dirty Dancing, to name a few). This is something that any child of the 1980s will recognize. Deok-sun’s family lives on a very tight budget (her father, Dong-il) is still paying off a debt) and when they get new shoes and clothes, it is of the generic variety – when Deok-sun gets a pair of Tiger shoes, she is elated. Meanwhile, Dong-ryong makes it a point to show off his pair of Air Jordans. This was an actual phenomenon in the 1980s – you could often determine the social status of a classmate’s family based off the shoes they wore. If it was a top brand like Nike, they were probably from a well-off background. If it was a more generic brand (like Tiger) it usually indicated a lower-middle class background. My personal story of the 1980s was that my parents would usually buy generic soda (Springtime, to be exact) because it was significantly cheaper than the major brands. We also had to settle for cheaper pairs of shoes.

Yet, simultaneously, there are references that South Korean viewers will immediately pick up, while dumb Americans like me will find confusing (there is a scene where the fathers make a bet on whether the baseball team, the Pacific Dolphins, will make the play offs). In another scene, the character Jung-bong encounters South Korea’s disgraced ex-president, Chun Doo-hwan, in a monastery.  Throughout the course of the series, various characters will comment on how beautiful the young actress Lee Mi-yeon is. Deok-sun’s female friends, Mi-ok and Ja-hyun, insists that she looks like Lee Mi-yeon; a claim that gets shot down by her male friends. In one of the shows many in-jokes, adult Deok-sun is played by none other than Lee Mi-yeon. 

I would normally do a brief summary of every character, but there are so many characters in Reply 1988 (who are each given their own arc) that this review would turn into a full-fledged novel.  Instead, I would like to focus on the themes that are present throughout the series and how they relate to the characters.  There are five that I am going to focus on: Missed Opportunities, Second Chances, Education, Aging, and Family.

Missed Opportunities

This theme applies most to the character of Jung-hwan, who is in love with Deok-sun. In the first few episodes of the season, Deok-sun has a crush on Sun-woo and is anticipating the moment when he confesses her love to her. Jung-hwan is also convinced of this and silently sulks over his missed opportunity. However, it turns out that Sun-woo is not in love with Deok-sun but rather her older sister, Bo-ra. This reveal, naturally, crushes Deok-sun but it gives Jung-hwan a glimmer of hope. Yet, he never takes advantage of this opportunity even after Deok-sun begins to show interest in him. He gives her all sorts of mixed signals – Deok-sun asks Jung-hwan if she should go on a blind date, he tells her not to go. Deok-sun, rightfully, interprets his objection as an interest in her. She constantly throws all sorts of signals his way, but he usually responds with a sarcastic remark, or in a lukewarm manner. To further complicate matters, Taek also likes Deok-sun and even admits as much to his friends. While Jung-hwan acts very cold towards Deok-sun, Taek genuinely enjoys being around her. However, Jung-hwan still has a window of opportunity to confess his feelings to Deok-sun, after Taek chooses his friendship with Jung-hwan over pursuing a romance with Deok-sun. This is the perfect time for Jung-hwan to act and HE BLOWS IT. He does nothing! 

Flash forward to 1994 – Jung-hwan is in the air force and is home for the weekend. The gang still get together on the weekend and, much to Jung-hwan’s disappointment, he learns that Deok-sun has a boyfriend. She is supposed to see a concert with him, but he ends up cancelling their date. She has an extra ticket she needs to give away, but can’t find any takers, so ends up going to the concert on her own. Jung-hwan learns, though the grapevine, that Deok-sun’s boyfriend is a two timer – he already has a girlfriend and was using Deok–sun to make her jealous. He finally comes to his senses and realizes this a golden opportunity to confess his truly feelings for her – he abruptly leaves a showing of Forrest Gump, jumps in his jeep, and drives to the concert venue (where Deok-sun is standing outside of, waiting for the show to start). However, it seems destiny is working against him – he keeps hitting the red lights and when he finally arrives at the venue, he finds that Taek has beaten him to the punch. This officially closes the window on Jung-hwan’s potential romance with Deok-sun. At first, he is quick to blame fate for his bad luck, but then he realizes that it was his hesitancy that cost him a chance at love. It is one of the series’ more heart-breaking moments – all Jung-hwan can do is look back in regret at his missed opportunity.

Second Chances

This happens to multiple characters in Reply 1988 – it seems that Fate has slammed door on their romantic prospects only for them to be given a second chance. Three couples are given a second chance at love: Deok-sun/Taek, Sun-woo/Bo-ra, and Jung-bong/Mi-ok. 

As stated above, Taek initially passed on his opportunity to be with Deok-sun, because he valued his friendship with Jung-hwan over love. However, after five years have passed, he is amazed that Jung-hwan has never confessed his feelings to Deok-sun. This time around, Taek is not going to be as considerate towards Jung-hwan feelings and, when the opportunity presents itself, he acts on his feelings and confesses everything to Deok-sun. Jung-hwan, to his credit, takes it like trooper and even supports Deok-sun and Taek’s romance. He is still bummed out, but he also wants his friends to be happy.  This was one of the more controversial plot points in Reply 1988 – there were many viewers who were upset that Deok-sun ended up with Taek instead of Jung-hwan. Throughout the series, it is presented as a mystery as to who Deok-sun ends up marrying – the series often cuts to an older Deok-sun in 2015 and her unnamed husband. However, there are hints scattered throughout the series that Deok-sun that Take is her husband. The most obvious is early on when Deok-sun jokingly suggests Taek and her get married.

There is also a noticeable difference between how Deok-sun treats Taek and the rest of her male friends. With the other guys, she is very much the tomboy and uses crude language and engages in rough housing. When she is with Taek her more feminine nature emerges. Taek is a professional Baduk player and is somewhat of celebrity in South Korea – he competes in international tournaments and has even won a few championships. He is a brilliant competitor but is very child-like in every other aspect of his life – he is a pushover who will happily lend money to players, no questions asked. He is also very quiet and an introvert – the only people he is comfortable around are his group of friends and he barely speaks even when he is with them.

In episode nine, Taek’s father (Choi Moo-sung) asks Deok-sun if she can accompany Taek to a tournament in China and look after him. She, naturally, jumps at the opportunity of traveling to another country. Whenever Taek has a big match, he usually doesn’t sleep or eat until after it is over.  At first, it seems like Deok-sun only came along to bum around China, but in a flashback, it is revealed that she made sure Taek got sleep and was fed – she ordered takeout and put it outside Taek’s hotel room. She also brought blankets and a comforter with her from South Korea to ensure that Taek’s would get a comfortable night’s sleep. When she learns that the room Taek is staying in is cold, she complains to the front desk and is able to get him a different room – she also manages to befriend the hotel staff despite the language barrier.  When she later learns that Taek is taking sleeping pills, she gives him a good scolding. It is also telling that Deok-sun is always smiling when she is with Teak, while she is in a constant state of confusion around Jung-hwan. The difference between the two is that Taek, despite his shy personality, opens himself up to Deok-sun, while Jung-hwan continues to push her away (often unintentionally).  Plus, there is also a fact that Taek and Deok-sun, even before they became item, shared a passionate kiss. Deok-sun wakes up in the middle of the night and finds Deok-sun lying next to him. Taek leans forward and gives Deok-sun a kiss. Taek assumes, given his state of mind and Deok-sun’s willingness, that the whole thing was a dream. Deok-sun seems to confirm this when, after Taek asks her what time she left his house, she says she left him shortly after he fell asleep. They both secretly breathe a sigh of relief – Taek believes this kiss never happened while Deok-sun is happy that they can resume their friendship without it turning awkward.

The relationship between Taek and Deok-sun is foreshadowed by the budding romance between Taek’s father (Choi Moo-sung) and Kim Sun-yoon (Sun-woo and Jin-joo’s mother). Like Deok-sun and Taek, Sun-yoon and Moo-sung are childhood friends. They grew up in the same neighborhood and it was Sun-yoon who persuaded Moo-sung to move to Seoul after his wife passed away. As the show progresses, Sun-yoon and Moo-sung become increasingly dependent on one another. After Moo-sung suffers a brain hemorrhage, it is Sun-yoon who finds him unconscious in his watch store and calls the paramedics. She spends the next few weeks nursing him back to health – she makes sure he is well fed and gets enough sleep (sound familiar). When Sun-yoon is in danger of losing her house (she has to pay the bank 10,000 dollars or her house will get auctioned), it is Moo-sung who lends her the money to pay the debt off. When Sun-yoon gets a part-time job cleaning a bathhouse, Moo-sung agrees to look after her daughter, Jin-joo. As a result, Moo-sung and Jin-joo become nearly inseparable. Sun-woo is initially apprehensive about his mother’s relationship with Moo-sung – he still has memories of his late father and is resentful that his mother is replacing his dad with another man. Sun-woo eventually warms up to Moo-sung, because he makes Sun-yoon happy. Moo-sung finally works up the courage to ask Sun-yoon to marry him – it would be beneficial for both to live under the same roof instead of going back and forth to each other’s houses.

This also allows me to transition to the Sun-woo/Bo-ra relationship. At the start of the series, Sun-woo is a junior in high school while Bo-ra is a freshman in college. When he confesses his feelings to her, she naturally brushes it off as a high school crush. However, Sun-woo is persistent and when Bo-ra realizes that his feelings for are much deeper than a crush, she returns his feelings. The two of them begin to date in secret – in one of the show’s interesting subplots, Sun-woo and Bo-ra have the same surname and, during this era in South Korean history, it was frowned down upon for people with the same surname to get romantically involved. There were laws that dissuaded people with the same surname from getting married – they could go through with ceremony, but they weren’t allowed to register their marriage. When Bo-ra decides to take the Bar Exam, she realizes that it will be hard to focus on both her studies and her relationship with Sun-woo, so she suggests they break up. Sun-woo doesn’t take the news well and the two of them lose touch with one another. Five years later, Sun-woo is attending medical college and he agrees to take a classmate’s place on a blind date. It turns out that the blind date is none other than Bo-ra. It seems that Fate has brought them together and Bo-ra asks if they can start over again. Sun-woo says agrees, but on three conditions:

1.     The first condition is that he is going stop using honorifics when he is with her. He’s not going to call her “noona” if they date. 

2.     He doesn’t want to be cast aside by her. He’s not asking to always come first, but she needs to be honest with him when shit hits the fan, instead of pushing him away (like she did in 1989).

3.     His feelings for her are serious, and he is already thinking about the next step in their relationship (marriage). He tells that if she is uncomfortable with this last condition, then there is no point in getting back together. She needs to think about this last condition for a bit, but she eventually agrees to it.

In the final episode, Sun-woo and Bo-ra tie the knot. The laws that prohibited people with the same surname from getting married have been repealed and their parents, despite their initial hesitations, give the young couple their blessing to get married. I will touch on Sun-woo and Bo-ra’s wedding later on, as there is much more that needs to be said about this scene.

The most unexpected romance in the entire series is that of Jung-bong and Mi-ok. Jung-bong is Jung-hwan’s older brother, who has the mindset of a child. He has failed the college entrance exam seven times, and it seems his life will be an aimless one. It’s by mere happenstance that he meets Mi-ok, who happens to be Deok-sun’s best friend, and it is love at first sight. They initially communicate via letters – Jung-bong will give a letter to Deok-sun and she relays to Mi-ok. They eventually come up with a system to communicate via the telephone – if the phone rings twice, that means it is Jong-bong and Mi-ok should call him back. It is rumored that Mi-ok’s father is an intimidating man and she insists they keep their relationship a secret. However, Jung-bong’s romance with Mi-ok ends abruptly when she is sent to the States to study.  Five years later, the two of them reconnect in a chatroom and resume their relationship. The real reason Mi-ok wanted to keep their relationship hidden from her father was not because he was intimidating, but rather because her teenage self was embarrassed by his profession – he owns a fabric store. Mi-ok and Jong-bong are walking down a street, and she sees her father standing outside of his shop. At first, she avoids eye contact and walks past her father.  However, she stops, turns around, and introduces Jung-bong to her father, and the two of them hit it off. Jung-bong compliments her father on starting his own business and even compares him to Bill Gates.  Jung-bong and Mi-ok eventually get married and start a family.  It is really a credit to the writer, Lee Woo-jung, that even supporting characters like Jung-bong and Mi-ok are given a satisfying character arc.

Education

Education plays a huge role in Reply 1988 – there is a huge pressure that is placed on the teenaged protagonists to attend college. This is very similar to the United States in the 1980s, where the Boomers were pushing college on their children – this is also the reason why there is a hug shortage in skilled trade jobs (“You don’t want to be a plumber, you need to go to college.”) The Boomers are truly the worst – but back to the review. The character of Jung-bong has failed the college entrance exam seven times, and his parents worry that he is destined to live an aimless existence. He later finds his calling as a Chef.  

Deok-sun is a below average student (she is ranked 989 in a class of 1400) and often falls asleep while attempting to study. It is revealed that Deok-sun and her friends were born in 1971 – a year that brought about a baby boom in South Korea and, as result, Deok-sun is part of one the most competitive classes in the country’s history. Deok-sun eventually gets a job as an airline attendant. Bo-ra is the opposite of her younger sister, she is a top-notch student who eventually takes, and passes, the Bar Exam. She also ends up breaking up with Sun-woo, so she can focus on her studies. Their younger brother, No-eul (who has the face of a forty-year-old) is simple minded and doesn’t fare any better than Deok-sun.

Dong-ryong’s father, Jae-myung, is the dean of the school and is a strict disciplinarian – as tough as he is on the other students, he is tougher on his own son. The series largely skips over their college experience – it time jumps from 1989 to 1994.  We learn that Dong-ryong ended up working at his older brother’s restaurant and then eventually managed his own restaurant.  Jung-hwan ends up joining the air force. 

While Deok-sun is a subpar student, she is well liked by her home room teacher. One of Deok-sun’s classmates, Songi, suffers from epilepsy. Songi’s mother informs the teacher about her daughter’s condition and asks if there is a student who can keep an eye on Songi. The teacher recommends Deok-sun, and Songi’s mother meets with Deok-sun and gives her instructions on what to do in case her daughter has an attack. When Songi has a seizure in the classroom, Deok-sun remembers these instructions and saves Songi’s life. After the episode has passed, Songi is hesitant to go back to the classroom, because she is worried her classmates will stare at her and ridicule her. However, when Songi returns to the classroom, Deok-sun asks if she would like to have lunch with her friends. The girls put Songi at ease by cracking a few jokes and treat her like they normally would. 

Aging

This is a harsh reality that almost all of the characters have to face, but the parents are affected the most. The most obvious example is when Ra Mi-ran, the mother of Jung-hwan and Jung-bong, is hit by menopause. She goes through various mood swings and often the slightest thing can set her off – she tears into her husband because of how he sets the table. The men in her life are at a loss on how to make her feel better – they begin to wish there was another female in the household. In the previous year, it was Lee Il-hwa (Deok-sun and Bo-ra’s mother) who was hit with menopause and Deok-sun was there to guide her mother through it. Jung-hwan and friends are able to cheer up Mi-ran by staging a second wedding for his parents. 

Deok-sun’s father, Dong-il, works at a bank, in the fraud detection department, but is forced to retire early because of the hit the banks due to economic reasons (and the advent of ATM machines). He is compensated with a generous severance package – he gets close to $200,000 in severance pay. However, he has worked at the bank for nearly thirty years and now, at the age of fifty, he has to figure out what to do with himself.

Sun-yoon ends up injuring her wrist at her part time job at the bath house and works through the pain because she can't afford the medical bill. While she is visiting Moo-sung at the hospital, he not only lends her money to pay off the debt her house, but also additional cash to get her wrist fixed. 

Family

The most obvious, and important, theme in Reply 1988 is family. Deok-sun’s parents, Dong-il and Il-hwa, are constantly arguing with one another and, in one instance, Il-hwa gets so angry that she throws a rock at Dong-il, which hits him in the left eye and leaves a bruise. The main reason for their argument is finances – Dong-il lent money to his best friend a few years ago, but his friend never paid him back, and he has spent the last few years paying the debt off (a good chuck of his weekly paychecks goes to the bank).  As a result, they must live a frugal existence – they can rarely afford to buy their children new clothes and often have to borrow money from the neighbors to cover their existence. They also live in the basement of Kim Sung-kyun’s (Jung-hwan and Jung-bong’s father) house. Despite Dong-il’s often disagreeable demeanor, he is generous to a fault – he often gives money to vendors who are struggling. He will often come home with useless items and this, understandably, enrages Il-hwa.  However, despite their constant bickering, the two of them still love one another and stick it out and eventually are rewarded for their loyalty – Dong-il’s friend pays back the loan and the family is finally on financially stable ground.  Song Dong-il and Lee Il-hwa play their roles to perfection – this was the third time that have played the bickering parents of the female character in the Reply series. They were also cast as man and wife in The Accidental Detective series – officially making them the John Wayne and Maureen O’ Hara of South Korea. 

Oddly enough, the heart of show is really the relationship between Dong-il and his older daughter, Bo-ra. It certainly provides the series most tear-jerking moment. Two of them are constantly at odds with one another – during Bo-ra’s freshman year, she takes part in protests, and this infuriates Dong-il. However, his objections are not ideological (he actually helps a male protestor evade the police), but rather financial – he is worried that Bo-ra’s political posturing might harm her chances for employment. When she gets arrested, this further creates a divide between father and daughter.  However, despite their often-rocky relationship, Dong-ill is still very supportive of Bo-ra. When they have gotten out of debt, he asks her if she wants to take the Bar Exam, and he will support her regardless of her decision. In the 1980s, in South Korea, anyone could take the Bar Exam. Those rules changed in 2009 and only graduates of law school were allowed to take the exam.  

Dong-il and Bo-ra have the exact same personality – they are temperamental, have a strong work ethic, and have a hard time expressing their true feelings for one another. At Bo-ra’s wedding to Sun-woo, she buys her father dress shoes for the ceremony. He praises his daughter for buying the perfect pair of shoes, but in reality, they are too big. Deok-sun ends up stuffing napkins into the shoes, so they won’t slip off Dong-il as he is walking his daughter down the aisle. After Bo-ra and Sun-woo say their vows to one another, they turn to face their parents, and it is then that Bo-ra notices the napkins in her father’s dress shoes. She breaks down in tears – it was more important to him for his daughter’s wedding go without a hitch than to inconvenience her with a minor problem (a solvable problem, at that). His daughter’s happiness is more important than his comfort. This small act perfectly represents Dong-il’s love for his children – he has consistently sacrificed his so own comfort so his children could have a better future.  Dong-il and Bo-ra both end up writing a letter to each other where they both express their mutual love for one another, and they both get choked up by the gesture.

There is also an interesting scene in episode eight, where Sung No-eul (the younger brother of Bo-ra and Deok-sun) attempts to break up with his intimidating girlfriend, Soo-kyung, but it doesn’t go too well when Soo-kyung’s friends gang up on him. Deok-sun stumbles upon this scene, notices that her younger brother is crying, and gets into a physical altercation with Soo-kyung. They end up being hauled into the police station. Il-hwa comes to the police station to claim Deok-sun and No-eul. When Soo-kyung’s guardian arrives, a young woman with her hair dyed red, they immediately assume the worst.  Il-hwa begins to scold Soo-kyung and her guardian. However, it turns out that Soo-kyung’s guardian is her older sister, who has been forced to raise her younger sister after their parents were killed in a car accident. The reason her hair is dyed red is because she is attending a cosmetology school. She legitimately feels bad for her younger sister’s behavior – the death of their parents completely changed Soo-kyung’s personality. Dong-il arrives on the scene, along with a lawyer, and starts berating Soo-kyung and her older sister, until Il-hwa explains the situation. He feels like a completely monkey’s ass and apologizes.  Il-hwa then invites Soo-kyung and her sister over to the house for dinner. Deok-sun asks what is about No-eul that sparked Soo-kyung’s interest. She explains that, after her parents’ death, No-eul was the first person she encountered who pushed back on her – he scolded her for smoking. He scolded her not out of anger, but out of genuine concern, and she appreciated that. Dong-il then scolds Soo-kyung to get her act together and that he will check up on her to make sure she isn’t causing trouble. She is visibly touched by this gesture and resumes eating her dinner. This is the first time in a long time she has been given fatherly advice. Though, it is disappointing this is the last time we see this character. 

Jung-hwan’s family managed to escape poverty not due to hard work, but because they won the lottery (Jung-bong bought a scrap book’s worth of tickets and managed to pick the winning number). Despite their posh lifestyle, their father, Kim Sung-kyun, is still very frugal with their money and will only buy cheap products. He also will never hire a repairman to fix any other their electric appliances and will attempt to do so by himself, and it always ends in disaster. He is a chipper fellow, who constantly spews all sorts of dad jokes. The only person who finds his dad’s jokes amusing is Deok-sun. He also hordes a lot of junk – he has a closet filled with objects he has collected over the years. Sung-kyun is a goofball – but he genuinely loves his family and often knows when it’s time to defer to his wife, Ra Mi-ran. There is also a touching scene where Jung-hwan teaches Ra Mi-ran how to read her name in English. Sung-kyn and Mi-ran are going to Japan for a short vacation and have gotten passport. She sends Jung-hwan to pick up the tickets. However, in order to validate the tickets to trip, she needs to read the English version name of her on the passport. Jung-hwan asks her multiple times to read it back to him, but she keeps making an excuse and hangs up. Finally, she confides to Jung-hwan that she doesn't know how speak or read English. He helps her out, by writing her name in Korean characters under the English version of her name.  While Jung-bong has a child-like mentality, he shows to be adept at doing all the household tasks; when Mi-ran visits her mother for days, it is Jong-bong who ends up running the household. 

Dong-ryong is a latch key child – both of his parents work fulltime and he either is forced to eat out, or at his friend’s home. It has been years since his mother has made him a home cooked meal – on his birthday, the only thing he wants is his mother’s seaweed soup. Unfortunately, his mother is overwhelmed with work (she is the manager at an insurance agency) and leaves him money to order something. When he runs away from home, for a day, neither of his parents are aware he ran was gone – his father scolds him for staying out late, but that’s about it.  When Dong-ryong gets in a motorcycle accident and is hauled into the police station, he is worried about the scolding he will get from his mother (he fears her wrath more than his father’s) but it never happens – she asks him if he is okay and takes the afternoon off to look after him and even makes him seaweed soup. His parents are not bad people, they just are so focused on being providers that they often overlook their other parental duties. While Dong-ryong’s father, Jae-myung, is a disciplinarian, he is not without sympathy – his wife retires from the insurance agency, so she can focus on being a grandmother, but it proves to be a bit overwhelming for her and she goes to her sister’s house for a few weeks to get rest, and Jae-myung is okay with this. He calls his sister-in-law to check up on his wife and insists that she comes back when she is ready. While he is talking on the phone with his sister-in-law, the camera pans down to reveal that he is holding his grandchild.  It turns out that Jae-myung enjoys being a grandfather and wants to spend as much time with his grandchildren as humanly possible. Eventually, his wife comes back and gets a part-time job working at a grocery store – she is just not a homebody and needs to get out.

Sun-woo has a close relationship with his mother, Sun-yoon, and his younger sister, Jin-joo. He is a dutiful son and helps out whenever he can. When Sun-yoon gets a part time job to help make ends meet, she keeps a secret from Sun-woo, because she is worried that it will make him angry. However, Sun-woo finds out any ways and, after thinking about it for a few minutes, tells his mother he knows she is working part time, and he is okay with it. Sun-woo just hates the thought of his mother suffering, especially on his behalf, and his initial objections are more out of concern rather than anger. When Moo-sung enters his family’ life, Sun-woo initially doesn’t like it, but eventually warms up to his future stepdad. Moo-sung and Jin-joo become inseparable – whenever he is at work at his watch shop, Jin-joo asks for him. Moo-sung often regrets that he couldn’t raise Taek in a more normal fashion – his son has played Baduk for most of his life, doesn't attend school and,as a result, he is socially inept. However, he raised his son to the best of his abilities and, by moving to Seoul, surrounded his son with a stable group of friends.

The main underlying theme of Reply 1988 is that the characters are flawed but decent people. They make mistakes, constantly fight with one another, but also show tremendous warmth and generosity towards one another. My review only really scratches the surface of the series and doesn’t do it justice. In fact, there is so much going on in the series that I will probably have to rewatch it in the future to fully appreciate it – I didn’t even bring up the subplot surrounding the 1988 Summer Olympics, that were held in Seoul, and the impact it has on the families. If you have time, I highly recommend you check it out (and the other installments in the series, Reply 1997 and Reply 1994. Though, be sure to watch them in this order: Reply 1997, Reply 1994, and Reply 1988).

Cast: Lee Hye-ri (Sung Deok-sun/ Sung Soo-yeon), Park Bo-gum (Choi Taek), Ryu Jun-yeol (Kim Jung-hwan), Go Kyung-pyo (Sung Sun-woo), Ryu Hye-young (Sung Bo-ra, Deok-sun’s older sister), Lee Dong-hwi (Ryu Dong-ryong), Sung Dong-il (Sung Dong-il, Deok-seon’s father), Lee Il-hwa (Lee Il-hwa, Deok-sun’s mother), Choi Sung-won (Sung No-eul, Doek-sun’s younger brother),  Kim Sung-kyun (Kim Sung-kyun, Jung-hwan’s father), Ra Mi-ran (Ra Mi-ran, Jung-hwan’s mother), Ahn Jae-hong (Kim Jung-bong, Jung-hwan’s older brother), Kim Sun-young (Kim Sun-young, Sun-woo’s mother), Kim Seol (Jin-joo, Sun-woo’s younger sister), Shin Bi (Jin-joo, age 9), Choi Moo-sung (Choi Moo-sung, Taek’s father), Yoo Jae-myung (Ryu Jae-myung, Dong-ryong’s father), Yoo Dam-yeon (Department Head Jo, Dong-ryong’s mother), Lee Min-ji (Jang Mi-ok), Lee Se-young (Wang Ja-hyun), Lee Mi-yeon (adult Sung Deok-sun), Kim Joo-hyuk (adult Choi Taek), Jeon Mi-seon (adult Bo-ra), Woo Hyun (adult No-eul), Lee Soo-kyung (Lee Soo-kyung, No-eul’s girlfriend), Kim Joong-Ki (Kim Joong-Ki/ Michol), Go Chang-seok (Mi-ok’s father). Eunsoo Kwon (Songi – class president at Deok-sun’s school).

Director: Shin Won-ho
Writer: Lee Woo-jung
20 episodes, 75 – 110 minutes.