Itaewon Class is Not Your Usual Revenge Story

I am inclined to nice, fluffy K-drama romances where everyone lives happily ever after and Itaewon Class definitely did not look like that. It seemed darker. Maybe a gang story? If you’ve watched the best Korean dramas, romance or otherwise, you know the formula — love triangles, good vs evil, rags to riches, crazy rich vs poor. I knew what to expect. Of course. In the first episode of Itaewon Class, a high school girl (and future crush; Soo-Ah played by Kwon Nara) is late for an interview. She is a poor, hardworking orphan. He is the all-good but introvert guy who stands up for what is right (and also runs every day, has stamina etc). There are no buses or other means (the villain owns a car though) to reach the destination. And this interview means everything. I knew what was coming “The hero is going to carry her on his back all the way”. But my confident K-drama veteran self was busted when he did not. Instead they run. Together. But she is the one who chases her dream (literally), not the hero. That summed up the new Netflix Original series, Itaewon Class, for me. As the series progresses, more people help themselves and try to add sweetness to their bitter lives. Itaewon, I would later find out, is a melting pot of culture and religion. It boasts of a colourful nightlife, discos, dance clubs, gay bars, pubs and restaurants with international cuisine. It is said to be quite different from the more conservative regions of Korea and is home to a large expat population. Set in this gentrified neighbourhood of Seoul, the first episode of  Itaewon Class gave me enough to sink my teeth into —  manslaughter, a capitalistic conglomerate, small dreams crushed, and precedent for decades-long revenge plot. I could see why Itaewon Class is one of the highest viewed and rated Korean dramas and it is definitely among the best K-drama of 2020.

An underdog’s revenge story

The central plot revolves around the socially inept, egoistic, man-of-principles, Park Saeroyi (Park Seo-joon) with a chestnut hairstyle (that he would not recommend in real life). The villains are the business-oriented, arrogant father-son duo running Jangga Co, the best company in the Korean restaurant industry. Saeroyi is expelled from school for standing up to bullying, which sets into motion a series of unfortunate events that end with him serving a jail term. Now he is a middle school educated ex-convict with a dream to start his own pub and destroy Jangga. While the plot seems like any other underdog’s revenge story, it is the journey to the inevitable end that makes Itaewon Class worth watching. Smirking villains, mafia bosses, moles, unhappy stockholders, a reality TV cookery competition, deafening twists, love interests and clusters of grey characters blend in a cinematic fashion at Itaewon.

The vibrant visuals are one thing, but Itaewon Class, adapted from the webtoon also by the same writer, Gwang-Jin, has some excellent script writing. The first half of the drama is a playground of good acting. I have watched Park Seo-joon as yet another awkward but not memorable boss in What’s wrong with Secretary Kim (He also does a guest role in the Oscar winning Parasite btw), but Itaewon Class proves how a good script and tight direction can explore an actor’s potential. Each action — the nervous touching of the head, long pauses, flitting eyes — is deliberate and breathes life into Park Saeroyi. The evil Chaiman Jang Dae-hee (Yoo Jae-myung) and the ambitious, calculating Ji Yeo-seo (Kim Dami) — my favourite — are a treat to watch in their respective roles. The sound track brings alive the kaleidoscopic Itaewon Class in all its glory. I am constantly replaying Sweet Night (produced and sung by V from BTS), Gaho’s Start and Lee Chan Sol’s cover Still Fighting It.

People fight their own battles

There is no saviour swooping in to make everything alright. Perhaps this is what I loved best about the show. It isn’t all about Saeroyi even when his revenge is the honeypot. A transgender stands up for herself when ridiculed. An ex-con who scoffs that convicts can achieve anything, reforms his ways. A boy has a 15-year plan to take down the prominent players in the Korean restaurant industry. A boy believes brains over brawn can make him defeat his bullies. No saviours, only friends and a shit load of unlucky situations.

Itaewon Class addresses social issues and taboos

Itaewon Class — with its meaningful subplots — hammers discrimination against the LGBTQ community in workplace and elsewhere, disapproval about mixed marriages, corruption in government offices, and racism towards foreigners. The bubbly transgender, Ma Hyun-Yi (Lee Jo-young), saving up for her gender reassignment surgery navigates uncomfortable spaces. The black-skinned Korean man, Toni (Chris Lyon), with a Korean father and Guinean mother, shatters many stereotypes in casual racism — he is believed to speak English when he knows only Korean and French and is often called an African because of his looks, even by his colleagues  (the good-guys making mistakes and un-learning is refreshing).

Women in Itaewon Class are neither props to the ambitious men nor mere love interests. In fact, there is hardly any explicit romance, but just enough because this is a business-war after all. (But that doesn’t stop you from the anxiety of overlapping love triangles that seem like they might go either way). Oh Soo-ah (Kwon Nara), a top-level executive at Jangga and Saeroyi’s crush is tormented by her loyalty. Jo Yi-seo (Kim Dami), the bubbly, cut-throat-competitive social media influencer with insane marketing skills (and sociopathic tendencies; and hopelessly in love with her boss) who knows how to put her skills to good use, stole my heart. Women save themselves here — Soo-Ah stands firm on her dreams, Yi-seo when asked by a drunk date who slaps her ‘Who will save you’, replies confidently ‘Myself’, Yi-seo puts her foot down when others express concern about her being too young to be taken seriously, a single mother raises her child to achieve her dreams by hook or crook. Itaewon Class brings out the bad in people — the raw selfishness and purposive choices. But here misfits find their way — non-college goers become business managers, bad chefs learn cooking and prejudiced convicts warm up to friendships.

However, after winning you with the intense acting from a brilliant cast, the last few episodes of Itaewon Class set in 2020 disappoint. The subplots — gangsters, kidnaps — reek of shoddy writing. The performances are dull with plot wrap-ups, distribution of on-screen time among actors and in-your-face product placements. I missed the intense performances and applause worthy dialogues. Nevertheless I found myself engrossed solely because of the characters who keep fighting class struggles and power imbalances.

And hope. It was inspiring to see a man remain hopeful, never-complaining and often being understanding of others’ selfish decisions that hinder his own success. It was exhilarating to see people fall — multiple times — and simply start over. ‘Never give up’, the drama kept whispering. This is a war of opposites — people vs business, the fine line between right and wrong, and how much ego is too much ego?

Itaewon Class is one of the best K-dramas of 2020

Ultimately the Itaewon Class hits different from other Korean dramas. The characters are flawed, selfish, all-too-human. They fight. They snatch. Itaewon Class thrills, surprises and traps you into a revenge feud with no light at the end of the tunnel in sight. It makes you worry about the love triangles, and get exasperated with the amount of bad luck that befalls Saeroyi. But when he — the shining, never- upset but obnoxious, awkward, never-changing Saeroyi — says “I’ll be okay” you know he will be. And you think you will be too.

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