[2022 Year in Dramas] Reflecting in my reflections

by Guest Beanie

By @shaima

I watch dramas with the faith that the next drama I watch will be the one to have my cell village all excited and celebrating, like in Yumi’s Cells — that my next drama will fill me to the brim with anticipation, and end with that great feeling of satisfaction. And yet, I have been willing to wade through scores of dramas that scream mediocrity — and some actively bad — to achieve that rare eureka moment.

2022, though, found me reluctant to go in too deep – and that could be why it felt like a year of slim pickings. Like any beach trip that brings along heaps of itself in sand, salt, and high spirits, I find the dramas that I did watch this year became part of my year-end reflections. In my year in dramas essay, I want to highlight the characters and stories that I feel add weight to the reaffirmations I make to myself before going into 2023.

Be unabashedly you: This is a very thin line that can cross over to either cutting down parts to fit ourselves with the crowd, or the all encompassing belief that we must be extraordinary and change the world to deserve to be alive.

• Alchemy of Souls had an ensemble of characters that refused to bow to what others told them they should be, and in being true to themselves, they found happiness (however short-lived).
• The Law Cafe’s Kim Yuri touched many hearts and lives by living up to her principles. And her fashion sense.
• Woong in Our Beloved Summer dreamt of a life of doing nothing, and whiling away time in peace. In the end, he kind of makes it happen in his own way.

 
Make peace with the past: Going into rumination mode distracts us from the present. Accepting the past frees us, and allows us to see our possibilities as limitless again.

• Jang Gang in Alchemy of Souls kept running away from his past, and in doing so, passively aided and abetted the chaos in Daeho.
• The neighborhood in Link: Eat, Love, Kill shut out their past, rather than question and take any step about the squirming feelings they encountered that fateful night. In facing their past, they could have saved many lives and bucket loads of stress.
• Similarly, in Crazy Love, if only Oh Se-gi could have hashed his issues out with Noh Go-jin — rather than let it fester and grow into this comically villainous scheme — there would have been much peace and happiness.

 
Nurture your support tribe: Family and friends weave the safety net when disaster strikes, and buffer stress. They also provide emotional support, encouragement, and assistance to our progress.

• In Link: Eat, Love, Kill, however unrecommended, the mother and grandmother unquestioningly (and amaturely) clean up the scene of an “accident,” and are always ready to get their “weapons” to keep Noh Da-hyun safe. This support is definitely palpable in her confident demeanor and outlook, while Eun Gye-hoon’s background keeps poking out of his otherwise well developed career and personality.
• In Dear M. Cha Min-ho gets to correct his rash mistakes, thanks to his friend and his sister who both believe in him and his dreams.
• In Through the Darkness, Song Ha-young was finally able to find peace with his profession only with the support from his colleagues.
• We should also remember the besties that provide sounding board for ideas and events, the fun they add in a busy life, as well as the shoulders to cry on, like in Our Beloved Summer, Business Proposal, and in a twisted way, Ghost Doctor.

 
Let go of negativity: One cannot saw sawdust. Whether it’s a drama you picked because of an actor/writer/director, or whether it is a loyal genre that you always complete, if it isn’t serving you, it’s okay to let go.

 
Mind shift: “When you listen long enough, everyone makes sense.” Understanding and accepting that the truth we know is only “our truth,” and working on empathy to understand what the other person is feeling, allows us to handle our reaction to a situation, and the impact it makes.

• Yoo Bobby in Yumi’s Cells 2 is a great character because he actively empathized with others.
• Similarly, Seo Yul’s regard for others over himself makes him all the more adorable in Alchemy of Souls.

 
Smell your flowers instead of staring at the garden next door: In a world where everyone posts their glossiest life on social media, it is easy to lose sight of the present that we have, and keep chasing our tails. Finding happiness right where you are gives the peace and energy to smile and face the world.

• Little Women, with its characters and storytelling, shows this aspect from diverse sides, the Oh family and the Won family.
• The characters in My Liberation Notes seem to find to peace once they accept that what they want necessarily does not align with what they think they should have.

 
Don’t give up on your puzzle when a piece is missing: For better or for worse, this life is ours. So, instead of just flowing with the times, make conscious decisions bring more agency and create a masterpiece of life.

• Yumi consciously made decisions in Yumi’s Cells 2, be it in her career or her relationships.
• Yeon-su in Our Beloved Summer decided that she was willing to accept the piece that fit — and whatever came with said piece — and that was the growth her character needed to find her happiness.

 
I have enjoyed watching dramas and reading all the discussions here on Dramabeans this year! May 2023 bring us more dramas and characters that speak to us, entertainment us, and illuminate the little insights that can affirm our own progress in life.

 
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