Letter #36: Little Women

Good morning, Erin. 
 
Look, we all know that Kim Go-eun was more than enough to draw me into watching this show, but did you know that the 1994 movie is one of my all-time favorites? (And not just because I was completely in love with Winona Ryder. Like, I just generally adore the movie. And Winona Ryder. And also the Pride & Prejudice movie with Keira Knightley. Which is obviously a totally different thing, but I had a very similar experience with both films, which is why I brought it up.)
 
Yes, that’s right, we’re talking about the least-likely adaptation of Little Women you’d ever guess could be a thing—and with absolutely no spoilers of any kind. There aren’t a ton of details to get into that aren’t specifically plot-related, so I’m just sticking to overall thoughts. So…fear not: ‘tis safe to tread.
 
Shall we get to it, then? Yes, perhaps we better had: 
 
1. This was a really fun ride. Start to finish, it’s a rollercoaster, full of twists and turns and cliffhangers and revelations. And, in many instances, these things even make sense, which is quite a feat. Absolutely worth the watch, if you’re interested in a murder mystery/conspiracy/thriller that has a shocking (and skillful) amount of the original story in it.
 
1A. …which is not to say it is without its foibles, of course. I’m pretty sure most of the story (especially later in the run) either doesn’t really make sense or hopes you’re too distracted to remember perhaps contradictory details that came before what’s immediately in front of you. The main characters don’t drive the action in the final few episodes as much as they should, too often passively swept along with plot interests of supporting characters or left to be (for lack of a better way to explain this) rescued by outside elements—which is a combination of script contrivances and my personal distaste for switching character focus for plot convenience. And…I mean, maybe it’s just me, but there are times when the show attempts levity when it absolutely shouldn’t. 
 
1B. But—bottom line—I think there are more than enough satisfying beats to overcome the handwaving and contrivances and ill-timed lightheartedness. I recommend it. But also beware: it is f***ing bonkers. 
 
2. I am proud to say I actually knew the whole of the main cast (and much of the supporting cast), here:

• my girl Kim Go-Eun as Meg.

• the Main Girl from 100 Days My Prince as Jo. 

• the main girl from All of Us are Dead as Amy.

• the baseball player love rival from 18 Again as…uh, Mr. Wharton College Man. 

• the autistic brother from It’s Okay… as Meg’s boss.

• the best friend/hygienist girl from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha as one of Jo’s coworkers. 

• CEO Butler from Korean Odyssey as a school principal.

• the former mob boss guy from The Uncanny Counter as the General. 

• the younger brother-thug from (also) The Uncanny Counter as Aunt March’s manservant. 

• a cameo by someone I won’t spoil as someone I won’t spoil and it’s great. 

 
3. By the way: Mr. Wharton College Man looks really good, here. I mean, I’m sure you either think he’s handsome or not handsome, but dude’s clearly been working out. You never get to see the, um, proof directly, but…good for him. 
 
4. On the other side of things, we’ve got Jo’s coworker (from Cha-Cha-Cha) who is not being allowed to be as pretty as she can be, here. Which is a bit of a bummer. 
 
5. On the other other side of things: Jo looks great! Like, I spent the first couple of episodes being somewhat smitten with her for how pretty she looked—to the point where I felt like I was cheating on Kim Go-eun. (But don’t worry: I got over it around Ep 3 or 4. #MegIsBestGirl)
 
6. …but to get away from the way everyone looked, I want to talk about how great Kim Go-eun’s performance as Meg was. Of the characters with complex emotions or personalities to play, I don’t think there’s anyone who stacks up to how well she did. It’s not a spoiler to reveal that she’s supposed to be a bit of a dummy, in this, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more believable rendition of such, before—by which I mean she’s not written (or played) one-dimensionally as a moron or a caricature of someone who isn’t bright. Because Meg isn’t blanketedly stupid, just not clever, not a strategic, not calm, often too ruled by emotion, maybe too unwilling to put effort in rather than to let someone else think for her…and this comes around to result in her making bad choices or not catching onto things quickly enough or being gullible. It’s a very earnest portrayal of someone who just isn’t especially smart, rather than someone who is fundamentally dumb (if that’s at all a clarifying distinction). And…yeah, I thought she was great. 
 
6A. …but, for the record, she also looked good. Because of course she did. (Though, to be fair, she’s lost some of the youthful plumpness in her cheeks, which does objectively affect her appearance, if I’m being totally honest. (Subjectively, though…I don’t care a wit.))
 
7. Oh—Meg’s boss (from It’s Okay…), who is so often a goofball or idiot in what I’ve seen him in, is more than effective at being very much not a goofball or idiot, in this. And good for him. 
 
8. The show’s choice to frequently allow the audience to know more than the characters is one I’m still not 100% sure worked for me or not. Which might be an indication that it worked just fine, actually. 
 
9. Heh, it’s kind of funny to see how often “WHAT IS HAPPENING?!” is written in my notes. In a good way. (A mostly good way. (I think. (Probably.)))
 
9A. Like I said: f***ing bonkers, Erin.
 
10. I know I’m the world’s greatest detective and all, but I’m pretty sure the show lets slip a detail, at one point, that I can only assume they either don’t want the audience to pay attention to or absolutely want to reward the audience for remembering when it comes back into play…and I can’t figure out which. In either case, I have to think I’m not the only one who caught it and then spent many episodes wondering aloud at the TV if it was going to come back or not. And, as with the issue of telling the audience things the characters don’t know, I can’t quite decide if this worked for me or not. (Though, of course, finding out I was right was pretty satisfying. Which might be an indication that it worked just fine, actually.)
 
11. Just…if you watch this, could you…like, is that the tunnel from Hotel Del Luna (again), in Ep 9? It is, right? I’m not being tunnel-racist, again, am I?
 
And…yeah, I think that’s about all I’ve got for you, today, Erin. Nice and compact. Because pretty much everything else I could say is very much about the intricacies of the plot. And I wouldn’t want to spoil that for you. 
 
…though, if it feels weird to be finished with this letter so quickly, I can absolutely go on about how much I love Kim Go-eun for another couple of pages, if you like.
 
(Whoa—I can feel the strength of that “no” from here. Like, in the past, as I write this. Wow.)
 
—Daryl