2021 Jaybird Awards

2021 Jaybird Awards

As 2022 draws to a close I am increasingly aware that I never did a Jaybird Awards post for the K-Dramas of 2021. I’m sorry 2021. The main reason for this is just that I didn’t really watch that many dramas last year (and even less this year…) so it felt kind of superfluous, and also felt as though I wouldn’t be doing the dramas of 2021 any justice- because I had missed so many of them! So for 2021 and for 2022 when it comes to a close, rather than sticking to my usual structure of Awards, I’ll be giving every single drama I watched in 2021 an award (or at least a runner up). They won’t be the best or the worst out of all 2021 K-Dramas, only of the small handful I’ve managed to watch. Hopefully 2023 is less hectic and I’ll get more time to dedicate to watching K-Dramas and writing reviews.

Best Mystery/Thriller:

Beyond Evil

This was by far one of the best dramas of 2021. I pride myself a fair bit on being able to guess twists and surprises in TV shows and movies, and I have to say, I just had no idea who was behind anything in ‘Beyond Evil’. And not in a confused, what the heck is happening, nothing makes sense way, but in a layered, everyone has something to hide way. The acting in this was PHENOMENAL. I haven’t seen Shin Ha Kyun in anything before but wow, that man can act. He perfectly balanced between being creepy and being desperate. The whole cast was fabulous and the storytelling was tight, well paced and addictive. It was a great mystery, a great thriller, and an all around great show.

Runner Up: The Silent Sea

 

Best RomCom:

Mr. Queen

It was one of the first dramas in 2021 that I watched, and I clearly remember thinking ‘jeez, it’s going to be hard to beat this one’. It was quirky without being ridiculous and low-stakes without being boring. The writers gave themselves plenty of space to bring in plot with palace politics, but thankfully never let the show get bogged down in too much angst or boring politicking which can often happen to romcoms in historical settings. This drama also gave us Shin Hye Sun doing comedy which was something I didn’t realise I needed in my life until ‘Mr Queen’.

Runner Up: Yumi’s Cells

 

Best Melodrama AND Jaybird’s Choice:

Navillera

I don’t usually like melodramas. I find them too slow and either too cringey or too depressing. But I adored ‘Navillera’. It was a beautiful story with wonderful characters and an extremely talented cast to back it up. Good dramas are the ones that make you feel something towards the story and the characters, and ‘Navillera’ did just that. It was a lovely story and I am glad that I took the time to experience this well-crafted show.

 

Cutest Cast:

Racket Boys

I nearly bowed out of this drama after the first episode because it was young, silly and nothing made sense. And then I realised that I had started on episode four which is why nothing made sense. After starting from the first episode the show was still young and silly, but it had a certain heart and warmth to it that made it an enjoyable watch. So much of this came from the group of young actors portraying the main cast. They brought a great energy to the show and did a great job at showcasing their growing talents as actors. ‘Racket Boys’ was a sweet story with a charming young ensemble.

 

Worst Second Male Lead:

Sunbae, Don’t Put On That Lipstick

Second male leads can be a tricky thing to navigate. You don’t want them to be too swoony otherwise they will overshadow the male lead and none of the viewers will be on board with the main romance. But you also don’t want them to be too terrible, because otherwise why is the heroine even considering them? Hitting that sweet spot in the middle where the second lead is fabulous but just not the right fit for the heroine is where every drama love-triangle aims to be. And that’s exactly where ‘Sunbae’ ISN’T. Lee Jae Shin was a long-term cheater, a liar, and all around *sshole. I didn’t want to watch him on my screen any more than was necessary, and I certainly didn’t want to watch that bulls*t redemption arc the show gave him. He’s just gross.

 

Most Popular:

Squid Game

‘Squid Game’ was a massive success. And rightly so- it was a great drama. I wouldn’t say it’s the best drama I’ve ever seen (I wouldn’t even say it’s the best drama I saw in 2021!), but it was by far the most talked about K-Drama I’ve ever seen. It was addictive and unique and massively appealing to both people who watch K-Dramas regularly, and those who don’t.

 

Most Depressing:

D.P

Objectively this was a good show. But did I like it? No. No I did not. I kind of don’t know why people make shows like this. I guess there’s something to be said about a drama showing realism in order to make social commentary, but to be honest I don’t want to watch characters get physically and emotionally abused in my free time. It’s just not fun. Nothing good happened in ‘D.P’- it was a dark show full of selfish and hateful people and an authority body that did nothing to protect the vulnerable from people who would take advantage of them. Low-key regret watching this one to be honest...

Runner Up: One Ordinary Day

 

Most Forgettable:

The Veil

Apparently I watched this? I remember seeing Namgoong Min in a revenge mystery/thriller and this must be it. I do not remember anything that happened. I think there were some good fight scenes though, and I’ also pretty sure I remember thinking that all the hero’s problems would have been solved if he’d just never given himself amnesia in the first place? But yeah, that’s pretty much it. It’s a show. That I did indeed watch.

Runner Up: The Witch’s Diner

 

Least Convincing Couple AND Biggest Disappointment:

Doom At Your Service

I disliked this show. I disliked it quite a bit. There were so many things wrong with it. But there were so many things that should have been right with it- which is why it ended up feeling like such a massive disappointment. My expectations were far too high. It had Park Bo Young and Seo In Guk- the chemistry should have been so intense it was short-circuiting my laptop! Instead we got barely a fizzle. The whole plotline had varying levels of frustration throughout, and the story just didn’t really incorporate the fantasy elements very well. It ended up being quite a struggle to get through all the episodes this drama had as it was so slow moving, and really, I just didn't care after a certain point.

 

Highest Body Count:

Mouse

K-Drama loves a good serial killer storyline. Even romcoms can’t get away from it. I guess nothing heightens the tension in a show quite like the possibility that anyone could die- regardless of if it fits the genre or not. And ‘Mouse’ had not one but TWO serial killers! Such tension! (I mean not really, the whole show felt strangely both too confusing and too predictable at the same time). But boy were there a lot of deaths. And I mean a LOT. People were dying left, right and centre. Strangers, family members, main characters- no one was safe. I think all in all the drama could have come together better than it did, but boy the writers did not care about who they killed off and in a world that is filled to the brim of characters protected by plot armour, it's a pretty refreshing direction for a drama to take.

 

Best Sequel:

Hospital Playlist 2

This is basically a continuation of the first season- you could go through watching the last episode of Season 1 to the first episode of Season 2 and probably not even know you had entered a new season. The show gave viewers everything they loved about the first season, but just changed up the development and the main plot points a bit so we weren’t given an exact replica. The cast and characters remained delightful and the story remained engaging and heartfelt. A win all around.

 

Most Haunted:

Sell Your Haunted House

Was this the only show I watched with ghosts in it in 2021? Maybe. Do I remember much about the ghosts? Not really. Jang Nara gave a wonderful performance and I appreciated her taking on a darker role that her usual chipper, baby faced, loveable heroines. Jung Yong Hwa was passable in his role. There were ghosts and possession and a mystery that centred around the death of our heroine’s Mum, and it was a pretty good ghost show all things considered.

Navillera

 Navillera

9/10

Navillera

Genre:                                       Episodes: 12                         Year: 2021

Melodrama

Synopsis:

Shim Deok Chu is a 70 year old retired mailman who decides to pursue his lifelong dream of learning ballet. He meets his instructor, Lee Chae Rok, a young ballerino who has hit a slump while preparing for a big audition. 

Cast:

Park In Hwan (Shim Deok Chul)

Song Kang (Lee Chae Rok)

Na Moon Hee (Choi Hae Nam)

Kim Kwon (Yang Ho Beom)

Jo Bok Rae (Shim Seong Gwan)

Jung Hae Kyun (Shim Seong San)

Hong Seung Hee (Shim Eun Ho)

Kim Tae Hoon (Ki Seung Joo)

Jo Sung Ha (Lee Moo Young)

Kim Soo Jin (Shim Seung Sook)

General Thoughts:

This show is great and I love it. Ever since the first snippets of casting news and synopsis was released I was so keen for this drama. It sounded insightful and emotional, and the slightly unusual paring of an older actor and a new up and coming actor officially peaked my interest. Every bit of new news about this drama had me getting more and more excited and impatient for it to finally be released. I set a pretty high bar for this drama, and it met that bar. And then some.

I absolutely adored this show

The acting in this was really phenomenal, and there wasn’t a single person on the cast who didn’t delver an outstanding performance. As most of the show focused on Deok Chul and Chae Rok, those two characters had a lot of screen time, and were asked to bring a vast range of emotions to the drama. Park In Hwan is a very experienced actor and it was nice to have a drama that allowed him to really stretch his acting muscles. It’s a sad fact that once actors hit a certain age there’s usually drop in the amount (and quality) of roles they can take on.

By far one of the most easily loveable characters in K-Drama

It was nice that Park In Hwan was able to take on a role where he was not a side character, but the main character, and boy was he able to deliver on the emotions. Park In Hwan had such a magical way of making Deok Chul appear so sweet and soft, but never let the audience forget that this was a man who had a vast depth of life experience. The confusion and grief that Park In Hwan had to portray was a difficult thing to do, and Park In Hwan seemed to navigate this very tricky terrain with apparent ease. His performance was so layered, with his expressions in highly tense scenes able to portray more than one emotion at a time. Similarly, Song Kang delivered a complex performance also. Grouchy young person with a soft heart is not exactly a new idea in K-Dramaland, but it seems to be something that Song Kang can do very well. Song Kang was so good at ensuring that the audience knew that his snappiness came from places of hurt and worry, and not from anger or selfishness. I also thought Song Kang did a marvellous job of acting out the part of the ballerino. In my head I knew it probably wasn’t Song Kang himself doing the complicated ballet moves, but he was so convincing in the closeups with how he held himself and moved that I didn’t have a disconnect with the character where it felt like someone else in the dancing scenes. Song Kang put in a he effort at learning ballet for this show and it translated really well, and his performance and the show as a whole benefitted immensely from the time and effort he put into learning the art.

This show has made me want to go and watch a ballet performance

While all the support actors were extremely good, a stand out for me was Kim Kwon as Ho Beom. Kim Kwon had a similar task to Song Kang, where he had to convince the audience that his aggression and anger was coming not from a place of malice, but from a place of deep hurt. I found Kim Kwon’s eyes so wonderfully expressive and he really sold his characters redemption arc, as it never felt like it came about unexpectedly. The plot for this drama was pretty straightforward. It almost seems like it should be boring, a retired man is learning to dance ballet, but it never was. Each episode was packed with character development and relationship growth.

You know what those angry boys need? A gentle grandfather figure

A layer of complexity was added to the story with Deok Chul’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and I was pleasantly surprised when it was revealed that Deok Cheol had known about his diagnosis the whole time- usually dramas would use this as a big emotional point where the main character would consider giving up on his dreams due to an illness. But instead, Deok Chul found out about his illness and that was the trigger for him to go after what he had always wanted. The theme of dreams and goal was very present throughout the entire show, and I liked how the drama touched on this in different ways through different characters. The most obvious was Deok Chul who after almost an entire lifetime of putting his dream off was now pursuing his passion. We also had Song Kang who was overcoming obstacles as he pursed his dream. But the two inclusions that really added a lot to the show for me were Ho Beom who thought he had missed the chance for his dream, and Eun Ho who just had no idea what her dream or passion was. Both were extremely relatable situations, perhaps more relatable than our leads. It can be so easy to think that we have missed out opportunity to follow what we really want to do with our lives, and Ho Beom was an interesting way to illustrate that. Compared to the other boys playing soccer he may have been older, but compared to Deok Chul who had decided to pursue his passion, Ho Beom was still so young and so much time. It was a great parallel between the two characters was lovely and mirrored a parallel that was being formed between Deok Chul and Seong San and Seong San and Eun Ho.

While they were all flawed, they were a lovely family

Both Deok Chul and Seong San felt they had to give up on their dreams in order to financially provide for their families, and similarly Eun Ho originally felt that she didn’t have time to find what she wanted to do in life as she was under so much pressure to begin building a career. It was interesting to see how the ideologies filtered down though the generations, and how as Deok Chul became more free and content in his pursuits, his son and granddaughter were also freed up to follow what they wanted to do. The directing in the drama was done well also. It’s not something I usually notice, but I think the water and the director worked well together to bring out the most of the emotions in the drama. In particular the scene on Chae Rok dancing in the snow to prompt Deok Chul’s memory was such a perfect culmination of smaller parts in the show.

CINEMATIC PERFECTION

It was one of Deok Chul’s first big moments where his memory fried him in a public setting, and the inclusion of having Ho Beom there linked back to a previous scene of Deok Chul telling Ho Beom that Chae Rok is not the kind of man that can be forced to dance wherever because he is a star who will soar. In that moment, with the snow falling and Ho Beom watching, Chae Rok soared for one of the first times in the show. It wasn’t because he was on a famous stage or performing in front of thousands, but because he was dancing with all the emotion he had for someone he dearly loved. Everyone in the audience watching could tell what a special moment this was, and this was reflected in Ho Beom, who had never really seen Chae Rok dance before. It was a perfect tying together of multiple scenes and multiple ideas that was just *chef’s kiss* perfection. 

What Was Great:

Relationships:

I touched briefly on the fact that this show doesn’t have a lot of actual plot going on, but that there was still plenty happening in the drama. A lot of the development was stemming from all the relationships the show had going on.

There was a lot of love going around

 Many of the relationships existed before the start of the show- Deok Chul and his family, Ho Beom and Chae Rok, but many new relationships started to form once Deok Chul and Chae Rok started to interact. The most noticeable of these was of course Deok Chul and Chae Rok themselves. Their relationship was the heart and soul of this series, and so much relied on this strange and unusual pairing being able to grasp and maintain the interest of the audience. There was great chemistry between the two actors, and watching Chae Rok come to rely on Deok Chul was lovely. The relationship took another turn during the season as Chae Rok learned of Deok Chul’s illness and in turn became an increasing support for Deok Chul, always worrying about his safety and ensuring his family were around to take care of him. This relationship was at the centre of the show, and it was such an innocent and selfless relationship that was so endearing to watch play out. Each of Deok Chul’s family members also had a unique relationship with their father. The show didn’t go into each and every one in depth, but I appreciate that it gave each of the three sibling special moments with their Dad so that we could see the different impact that Deok Chul had on each of their lives. Similarly, I really enjoyed the parts of the show that showcased the relationship Deok Chul had with his wife, Hae Nam. It’s not the usually fluttery romance that we get in K-Drama, but the support that they gave each other was beautiful.

Couple goals

I loved how Hae Nam just accepted Chae Rok when Deok Chul brought him home and basically treated him as their youngest child or new grandchild. She provided a caring warmth that Chae Rok had been craving since his mother’s death, and it was lovely to see how Hae Nam was able to help Chae Rok a similar way Chae Rok was helping Deok Chul.

Off, my heart

I was surprised when the show brought in more scenes of Eun Ho as I didn’t think that she would be a major character going in, but I really enjoyed the character growth she was given. A lot of her growth stemmed from her relationship with her grandfather and with Chae Rok, both who encouraged her to take the time to find what she wanted to do in life. I adored that the sow gave a little hint of possible future romance between Eun Ho and Chae Rok, but am glad that we never had anything concrete come out of it. Chae Rok was already a part of the family, and while it would have been adorable for him to officially join the family as Eun Ho’s partner, I’m equally glad that for at least the duration of this drama, Chae Rok’s main tie within the Shim family was through Deok Chul. This show was absolutely jam packed with emotions, and all of those emotions came from the detailed characters that populated the show, and the deep, poignant relationships they all shared.

What Wasn’t:

Just Gonna Gloss Over That Child Abuse Huh?:

Okay, so the only thing that really didn’t like a chord with me and is what prevented me from giving this show a 9.5 (the highest I ever rate anything) was the way Chae Rok’s Dad’s character and story line was developed.

Like, c'mon guys- that's a full on baseball bat he's whacking them with...

At first there wasn’t anything that seemed like it could hurt the show- Chae Rok’s Dad went to prison and in doing so resulted in the closure of the school’s football club. It did take a detective to figure out that the most likely chain of events there is that Chae Rok’s Dad was hitting some of the students. And sure enough, that’s what was happening. The loss of a father figure was an crucial part of Chae Rok’s character and was an important factor in the relationship that was formed between Chae Rok and Deok Chul.

Cute ballet Alzheimer's gramps is way better than...this guy

Deok Chul started to fill a void in Chae Rok that Chae Rok didn’t want to even admit was there, and it was a beautiful and bittersweet thing watching Chae Rok learn how it felt to have an unconditional support and to always have someone in his corner. The issue I have with Moo Young’s character is that they centred more on the fact the he unwittingly ruined the soccer club rather than that he…beat the shit out of children? With a baseball bat? Like that’s not something small. The reconciliation between Chae Rok and Moo Young was nice enough, but it always felt like it had this looming shadow behind this nice scene of Moo Young not really being all that regretful that he smacked the sh*t out of these kids. Even in his apology to Ho Beom he was very much ‘I’m sorry I ruined your dream by having the club disbanded so scouts never saw you play’ rather than ‘I’m sorry I was misguided in my methods and thought beating you was a suitable motivator.’ And then after he handed out some shoes everyone was all happy to move on with life. It felt strange and unresolved and I cannot say that I was satisfied or comfortable in the way that story line was resolved.

He did poor Ho Beom so dirty

I think it was a delicate subject that the show touched on, and unfortunately I Just don’t think it was handled well. If the show was going to choose to focus on the fallout of the club rather than the actual abuse itself, then I wish that they would have come u with a better reason for Moo Young to be arrested. I mean, seriously, a man who has just been released from prison for child abuse is then given a job in a…school? With more children? Seriously?

Recommend?

Yes. Everyone should watch this drama.

This show is an absolute friggin' masterpiece