%Here’s an in-depth look at some of the hottest shows t h i s ^
M all season, ranging 00617708
‘
I ’ " Korean dramas
s ?
1 ® ■
THE
I 1
BY W ILL IA M FARRIS
TRÉ CLACKAMAS PRINT
BY JEAN ETTE W R IG HT
THE CLACKAMAS PRINT
“If you can see the future in a dream, what will happen then? That future, that time, that
fate, can it be changed?”
Protagonist Nam Hong Joo (Bae Suzy) asks herself that very question in the new time-
bending South Korean drama “While You Were Sleeping.” The first episode was released
Sept. 27, and it is set to air in. 16 hour-long episodes, available on the drama website.
Hong Joo has vivid dreams that seem to always come true. When she dreams about hugging
a stranger in the middle of a road she simply writes it down, adding it to the rows of notes
on her window from her past dreams. But when the stranger from her dream suddenly moves
in across the street, she keeps her distance and tries her best to avoid him.
Hong Joo’s new neighbor turns out to be a young prosecutor named Jung Jae Chan (Lee
Jong Suk). He frequently runs into Hong Joo but is repulsed by her rude and uncaring attitude.
When he suddenly develops the same ability, he dreams about an accident involving Hong
Joo. He decides to take action and interfere in the course of events, eventually saving Hong
Job’s life. He doesn’t want to believe the dreams are real, but Hong Joo convinces him after
predicting his every move for an entire day.
Throughout the episodes, Hong Joo and Jae Chan are faced with the decision to act on
the information they receive from their dreams. With possibilities of failing and ignoring
them, both are trying to live normally. Hong Joo’s internal conflicts are nicely contrasted
with her tendency to misunderstand Jae Chan.
“While You Were Sleeping” has exciting and unpredictable plots with engaging characters
that will leave audiences desperately waiting to watch the next episodes. The show updates
twice a week on Viki, with subtitles in a variety of languages, including English, Spanish,
French, Japanese and German.
Clackamas Print
“The Gifted” is the newest show on Fox, and is set in the “X-Men” cinematic universe.
It follows a family whose father works for the government to capture and prosecute
mutants; but after an incident in which his son accidentally destroys his school’s
gym they discover that both kids are mutants. Once the government finds out about
the situation, they are set to capture them, forcing the family to flee. In an attempt to
escape the country, they try to meet up with a group of underground mutants who work
to move and protect other mutants before the police or government can capture them.
While this may sound like a standard or reused set up, this show is anything but.
Only the first two episodes have premiered and already the show has done a great job
of being exciting and intense as well as engaging and interesting to see. The characters
in particular are a real bright point, with many of the actors managing to deliver on
the intense emotions and expressions during the action scenes but still doing a good
job conveying more subtle and somber emotions.
The show is filled to the brim with the social commentary the “X-Men” series ha§
been known for. From the very beginning the show makes references to real-world
issues of discrimination and politics, handling them in a mostly believable way.
That’s not to say the show is perfect by any means. It suffers from some of the same
writing issues and cheesy deliveries you expect from other comic shows and movies.
While I praise it for handling more complex social issues, it can still succumb to
the occasional heavy-handed remarks and interactions. The majority of the episodes
do a great job of striking a balance between thoughtful conversations and intense,
spectacular action scenes.
“The Gifted” thus far has been getting praised from fans and critics^'fating it as a
solid TV show. The first two episodes will definitely keep you on the&edge of your
seats wanting to see what will happen next.
theclackam asprint.net