Felicidade (2021)

Excellent acting spoiled by plot holes

The story's first 2 eps were great but started going downhill from there.

First the entire premise of the disease. Think about it. The fact that a thin sheet of glass is holding off blood thirsty creatures both at the basement and the first floor. Glass that could be easily broken with a real impact (anything from as ramming car at the basement to a thrown chair at the first floor)

The writer tried to cover the hole with an excuse that the zombies did not do this when lucid because they wanted to avoid becoming complete monsters.

Match this against the guy who shows up multiple times at the basement trying to trick them into opening up. He is deliberately trying to enter but apparently if the door is opened for him instead of him smashing the glass, it doesn't count as becoming a monster? Huh?

Then we have the complete failure to account for those who would see the world burn along with them (aka infect everyone since you yourself is infected). These people would break the glass just to allow the disease to run rampant. This is despite the portrayal of many personalities in the block including "he who unmasked at the end and shall not be named" and the doctor of accidental comedy

Other than this massive mobius strip logic, we have the writer letting off the comedy doctor, who despite his first criminal act and being caught red handed in subsequent criminal acts, is constantly allowed to run free. Yes, the writer needs a catalyst to move the story but a *cop* who has handled criminals somehow has a "heart of gold" so much that the doctor is let off. Repeatedly. WTF

Then we have the inanity that is the toilet scene. If the female lead was not a SWAT team member (where split decisions must be made accurately) and is portrayed as a vengeful, consequences be damned woman, then that would be fine. But a SWAT team member knowing a bite is 100% infectious, having an unlocked toilet door that she herself could pass through and close behind her, decides on that.

We next have the consistent and deliberate failure to pass out relevant information. Just the last episode, the old man is told to not open the door for strangers, when a simple explanation of who he was referring to and why, would have made it simple. We can see this in prior episodes. Suddenly blood being used to identify infected is mentioned, despite the fact that the method could have having solved a lot of problems from earlier. Explanations of thirst being a symptom is also only mentioned after things explode.

The motivations of the doctor also ping pongs, from injecting xyz into the water to saying he wants xyz to protect himself. As the deus ex machina, he gets immunity and smarts as and when he needs it. Like the handphone recording, which he somehow knows its effect, to the knowledge of how the priest's sight would be blurry, to complete ability to predict the block rep's response after the supermarket raid.

Then we can see that someone told the writer to wrap it up ASAP because by a miracle, the Mr ABC has the components for cure! Oh wow, in the last episode, such amazing timing. This is despite having a whole country to find one and a failure to find a correct one (showing the probability as being minuscule and the other candidates give effects such as the one the colonel's boss experienced)

Overall the show is saved by its actors (minus the male lead). The doctor's actor despite given illogical motivations portray him well enough that he grabs the scenes he is in and amplified by the male lead letting him go again and again, he can get on the audience nerves which shows his acting is really up to par. The colonel also does really well here. He is the only one who foresaw the scenario and took actions to stop it. The colonel's boss was a just a bit part but the guy acted well enough to make people want to beat him up. The old policeman was actually pretty good in how useless he acted (qv that scene with the screaming handphone). The cleaner couple and the lawyer couple played their parts well enough. The female lead did ok, injecting a lot more energy into the scenes she's in but the male lead's expressions are just stoic, stoic smile, stoic wistfulness, more stoic.

Music and sound wise, there wasn't much to look at other than a few overly heavy handed and thus immersion breaking melancholic songs played at the points where "Be Sad Here" is tagged.

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Good Premise but Bad Story Building

To be honest, I picked watching Happiness because both of the main actor, Park Hyung Shik and Han Hyo Joo. They have a great acting and I enjoy their past work. Though, I couldn't help but got disappointed by the stories and the character building this drama has.

Happiness actually has a good unique premise. It is a zombie themed drama that pour slice of life scenarios into it. It has a great opening that is linked to our current pandemic situation. This drama started by how people overcome and get used to the virus and continued on their daily life. But, a good premise need a good execution.

A story need a character to let it flow. What disappointed me the most, how poor written the characters are. Happiness has two main lead that is a former highschool mates. Both Sae Bom and Yi Hyun are shown as a strong selfless characters with no weakness. Is it wrong for them to act like that? Of course not. But as a viewer, we never get a glimpse of understanding on how both the leads grow into the person they are. There is no introduction of their past and they just suddenly show both leads as a cool detective and officer. I actually expect the drama to give background stories for the leads even if for a bit so there can be a character development and we can connect to the character growth, but nothing until the last episode.

This goes for the supporting roles as well. Each resident have different background and that can be a great foundation for the stories. But again, there is no a scene of process of building the character with depth and they are shown as frustated selfish characters just because they are trapped in quarantine. They give us a poor written villain over other poor written villain over other else poor written villain and stuck them up in one place.

How about the apocalypse setting? At first I am truly interested with the setting and I actually link the virus outbreak in the drama with the title of 'Happiness'. I thought the 'Happiness' emotion might be related on how the infected could bear the virus, but again there is no explanation. They don't give any scenes about the virus, the illegal drug, or even the symptoms.

In fact, Happiness actually casted many great actor and actress that played well with the acting that can make you stay to watch and that is my reason to finish this series. But, there is a lot of scene that against the flow of logic established by the story's plot. If you are not bothered by illogical, unlikely or impossible events, you can begin watching this drama.

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Frustrating characters...

For six weeks - six whole weeks - I was waiting for Sae Bom to finally do something about those frustrating residents and that last one hit to the balls was surprisingly disappointing. Although I understand people can turn into monsters in inhumane circumstances, the fights between the residents frustrated me week after week. For me personally, the show was too much centered on the residents and some annoyances could've been solved if only the reasonable residents and the main leads would've spoken up. In what world does one stuck-up lady has so much power over so many people? And can someone just put that doctor in his place for once? And how come the government and the military weren't more involved? If the rest of the country wasn't in lockdown anymore why didn't they try to contain the situation on the inside? At least provide them with water and food?! It was simply too unrealistic for me. That combined with the annoying characters just ruined the show for me, unfortunately.

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The whole thing was just * and can either be realistic because of how the desease flew considering the plot itself, but the implementation of each parts/scenes which just made the drama too complex to believe and understand that there's a lot of questions need to be addressed about what and how are things even settled in just 2 weeks. What makes the drama more unrealistic is... I'd better count them instead. Firstly, I've observed that the situation outside is too normal knowing that those people seems to having no problem at all and no fear you could expect them to be in the mid of a very serious desease. Secondly, how did they even handled the situation when the drugs has to spread, and I would've believed if the virus occurred in various places since the virus started with a capsule of drug supplement and no idea of where, which, or who are the people took the drugs . Thirdly, the drama seems to only focused in one setting and lacks details. Which is why maybe some of the viewers came with such negative opinions.
Overall, I didn't enjoyed watching the whole thing. The concept was interesting, the cast are also impressive, but the story and the flow of the whole scene was something that did not meet our expectations.

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Infuriating characters & plot holes, but entertaining all the same

Likes: Park Hyung Sik and Han Hyo Joo. I'm fans of both. I think they did a great job with the acting and convinced me that they are both tough characters that could take down zombies and criminals. Doesn't hurt that they are both pretty to look at. I thought they had a very cute chemistry. The doctor was also pretty standout in making his character so despicable. I thought the zombie production and actions scenes were also nicely done.

Dislikes: (SPOILERS AHEAD): The HUGE and obvious plot holes that took a lot away from the story because it made the characters look a bit stupid. For instance, the huge one...Why go through all this manipulation and trouble when you could have just asked Saebom for her blood. Everything about her character would have suggested she would do this freely with no objection. That's just lazy writing imo. The writer should have found some reason why they thought Saebom would be resistant to giving her blood. Then the story would have made more sense. Next problem were the infuriating side characters. They were incredibly frustrating mostly because I couldn't understand their actions. I don't have to agree with it, but I should understand why a character is driven to their point in stupidity. There should be a tiny basis of realism in their motivation. Too many actions were just too inconsistent. For instance, the fear level. One minute they are scared to death because they see a zombie turn, then the next they are walking around like nothing is amiss, I mean wouldn't they try to carry something for a weapon or wear some sort of makeshift protection, esp since they don't know who is infected? That goes for the leads as well. They walk around too cavaliery like they are invincible. Sometimes they carry a weapon, sometimes they don't That's just poor direction, The director should have maintained a certain level of fear and caution throughout.

There were so many plot holes that I can't even count, but yet, I still found myself entertained and waiting in anticipation for the next episode. A large part of that has to do with me being fans of PHS and HHJ. I really looked forward to their interaction with each other. It carried a lot of the drama for me. I enjoyed seeing them be all tough. I also have a love for zombies or disaster type stories too so that also played a part. There was also enough tension to keep me tuned in to see how this would all end. If you're like me, then I would suggest checking this drama out. But if you need a well executed story that makes complete sense, then you may not enjoy this one,

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Sae Bom & Yi Hyun's fight for Happiness

or should I say — "watching them together is our Happiness"

This drama brings out many versions of humans. It shows how layered this society is… I met a mix variety of people here, those who will help others selflessly, those who may save themselves first selfishly, those who think money is God & everything can be bought even in case of emergency… There are those few confused characters too who are in a great dilemma that if they should help or not…

The drama also depicts that Class discrimination between people from upper & lower class can survive even in such chaos… so the more I started to love the leads, the more HATE I had in my mind for those extra mean characters… by hate I mean I wanted them to just die... If you want to watch this, you need enough patience for annoying side characters.

Han Hyo Joo (as ~ Yoon Sae Bom) is an anti-terrorism trainer & someone who is selfless & fearless. She is kinda reckless at times but she is straightforward. I loved the way she kicks, I was like "Oh my God, that was so smooth!" Definitely a very good Strong female lead. But she doesn't falls under the category of Smart female leads for me cause her decisions were all hasty, without consideration.

Park Hyung Sik (as ~ Jung Yi Hyun) is a detective & a former baseball player who has courage and knows when to use his cop & sportsman skills. He is righteous & strong. PHS has definitely got good action skills. That car slide scene is something I saw repeatedly again and again. He is good at no matter what role he plays. Happiness as Hyung Sik's comeback drama is perfect.

The chemistry of the leads is like so pure. They understand & support each other. They are like one team. No forced romantic moments considering a total action-thriller drama. So, No exaggeration of romance. Just a simple couple who pretended to be a couple but actually love each other a lot deep in heart. Their bond is just precious. I wish these two get more chances of cooperation cause look at them, they look so good together…!! And I'll stop fangirling now haha.

Jo Woo Jim (as ~ Han Tae Seok) is a military informant who wants to help everyone. He plays the hard cold guy role in front of everyone but is actually very caring at heart. There has to be someone who takes the tough decisions & be bad, he chose himself for that. There's one scene when I just screamed that "Oh God, HE IS SO COOL"…… well, there's PHS Oppa in this drama so shouldn't I just cheer up for him more but No, Character-wise, I loved Han Tae Seok more…

Keeping us hooked up… This isn't draggy at all… just a simple zombie drama that goes "little" in-depth with the characters but from the enjoyment point of view, I was personally enjoying watching it. It wasn't very scary in terms of visuals but it did make me nervous about what is going to happen next.

I think I am gonna miss the rooftop of this drama, I just feel very attached to it, I wonder what's so special about that place… then, my only complain here was that I wish they gave more background story for the characters first so that we can connect to them…

Overall, I loved this drama and just that it's thriller and I basically know all the facts now, so I won't rewatch this but what a nice ride this was… Give it a try if it suits your drama taste…

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The Eternal Search for ‘ Happiness’…

Against its seemingly antithetical title screenwriter Hang Sang Woon and director Ahn Gil Ho’s‘ Happiness’ attempted to mirror similar issues from prejudice, isolation and loneliness which occurred particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The unusual combination of genres highlighted a hellish fight to not only escape from the “infected “( the mysterious disease ravaging the population and leaving the infected in a zombie-like and feral state with few lucid moments ), but surprisingly a bittersweet love story between its main leads also .

The TVN drama presented an odd accumulation of fast-paced thrill and tension through its plot twists as well as tender and bittersweet scenes by taking a moment to slow-down the storyline and allow viewers’ to contemplate and soak in events. Yet like most intriguing fusion-genres in execution ‘ Happiness’ could sometimes not escape certain pitfalls of writing errors and character-drive along the way.

Of course ‘ Happiness’ offered viewers a fairly impressive lineup of acting abilities and most notably our main cast. Actress Han Hyo Joo brought forward Yoon Sae-Bom to life through adding an unlikely sweet charm to her onscreen persona ; a professional counter-terrorist operative whose pursuit of happiness by moving into a new apartment proves only to be a blunder during the events of the series. Sae-Bom’s reactions and interactions with others throughout the series could often feel prosaic during early episodes; initially driven for the “sake of plot “ rather than upon reflection of viewers getting to understand more about the female lead through subtle character growth . Nevertheless as the series progresses Sae-Bom provided to be a major asset to the plot and allowed some time to focus on developed sides of Sae-Bom’s personality from altruism to stubbornness in order to present some focus on the importance of humanity and depth within the female lead.

Costar Park Hyung Sik’s reprisal of an intriguing role was highlighted through his onscreen persona Jung Yi-hyun ; a suave and observant detective investigator who had shared-history with female lead Sae-Bom from their school days and provided to be one of the first key characters to come across findings of the mysterious disease during a case. Yet whilst Yi-Hyun was undeniably an intriguing character he could often suffer from the fate of many main characters through becoming an inherent “ plot device”; necessary to keep the storyline moving, but sometimes lacking in more subtle character development. Naturally Yi-Hyun did have golden opportunities to be explored in more depth during some key moments in the series but this could sometimes lack greater exploration.

As far as the chemistry between our main leads is concerned ‘ Happiness’ admittedly was a bumpy road- good onscreen chemistry between Hyung Sik and Hyo Joo could often fall victim to more staid cliches and setups which did not always weigh up against the more heavy-hitting moments of the series. Naturally later episodes took a little more time out to focus on some subtle relationship development between the main leads but often this was interwoven with more serious scenes and storyline moments also.

the supporting characters of the drama also have an intriguing part in events of the drama from Han Tae Seok ( Jo Woo Jin); a discharged military informant agent to the residents of the apartment ( some of which are admittedly less well-defined than others.)

Ahn Gil Ho plays upon subtle palette changes and lighting tones throughout the mis-en-scénes of the drama - key scenes crafting an important ambience throughout the series through this setup and pragmatic choice of OST, whilst some quintessential moments admittedly lacked the same ingenuity when required.

‘ Happiness’ offered viewers an intriguing concept with a dash of profundity and romance in between its zombie-style thriller setup- it isn’t inherently terrifying , but director Ahn Gil Ho and writer Hang Sang Woon are able to add a touch of suspense and sweetness in an intriguing and pacy storyline. The writing could sometimes wane through the pressure placed initially upon odd tropes, cliches and setups( especially for our main leads) during early episodes.( Alongside the heavily dominant setting of the apartment growing slightly bland.)However later scenes spent time focusing upon the storyline in more depth; brilliantly brought to life by our main cast’s dynamic performances by our main leads and the interwoven cinematography of the director. The ending was admittedly filled with a few loose ends but did deliver a sense of completion for the series. Overall whilst ‘ Happiness’ wasn’t without its more evident writing faults the drama offered an intriguing storyline with contemplation with a good cast and intrigue for viewers, as well as allowing room for philosophical thought towards the true definition of happiness in life.

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Happiness: the state of being happy or the struggle to become happy?

We have numerous different definitions and interpretations for the term 'happiness' and we incorporate different definitions depending upon the situations or scenarios. For this drama, the most appropriate definition that comes to my mind was stated by Steve Maraboli that says, "Happiness is not the absence of problems, it’s the ability to deal with them." Don't you think it resonates with the entire drama?

The basic concept of Happiness (해피니스)is apocalypse and we are having more of it these days, no? But what makes this drama stand out is a different approach of showcasing human behaviour during crisis, more than the apocalyptic situation. Yes, that's how you have to perceive and watch the entire thing keeping that in your mind. Otherwise you gonna hate this drama if you have come here to see thrilling monster apocalyptic consequences, utter dystopia and plenty of gore elements.

Happiness is about the happenings inside an apartment building that's been quarantined due to the spread of a deadly new virus, along with other apartments of the complex it belongs to. The virus has the ability to invade the infectee's brain and gain control over it by which the diseased develops monstrous symptoms and crave for blood. There's simply no cure to the virus since it's completely new and, nor is there a way to control the contagiousness. The drama is entirely about community survival because the residents belonging to different class who are stuck in the building, has to patiently wait until the restrictions are lifted. Meanwhile they have to avoid getting infected by any means as well as solve conflicts like fight for food, water, other accessories, finding network and most importantly save themselves from each other. This seems like a better synopsis.

Yoon Sae Bom (Han Hyo Joo), an SOU cop is highly decisive, righteous and straightforward as a person. She never tolerates injustice and always ready to counter any challenging situation. Jung Yi Hyun (Park Hyung Sik) is violent crime detective who never fails to get to the root of any incident and is good at dealing with any kind of unforseen event. Sae Bom & Yi Hyun have been friends since highschool and maintain a healthy friendship through mutual care and admiration. Han Tae Seok (Jo Woo Jin) an ex-military agent has the topmost hand as a pharmaceutical company executive and constantly strive to defeat the virus.

Ahn Gil Ho & Han Sang Won, PD & Jakka of the drama respectively, are very familiar names in the Kdrama industry with a good record of dramas as their accomplished works and this drama is probably the 2nd from this duo, together. Given the concept & context of the drama, the execution and screenplay management is done well, in overall. The writer deserves applause for bringing forward a different approach in apocalyptic story. Sure we have seen plenty of apocalypse but some are more about the survival against the crisis and others are balanced between along with human problems. But let me repeat that Happiness is more about the later. It's a great idea to showcase the human behaviour during the current pandemic that the audience could greatly relate to.

We have got many actors in the drama who are more or less familiar and are good at acting. I am afraid i will end up mentioning all of their names, I will just say that Lee Joon Hyuk playing Detective Kim Jung Gook (Yi Hyun's supervisor) and Park Joo Hee as Lieutenant Lee Ji Soo (Tae Suk's assistant), are my favourites. Acting department did pretty well here but i don't think it had any character with significant scope to showcase their skills.

The plot development is quite good, I wasn't actually amazed by it but sure, it's something to look forward to. It isn't really constantly gripping or something that makes you to seat at the edge except for the last few episodes, ngl. I am in fact pleased how the mood wasn't drawn to be intense and heavy, throughout. There were instances of kindness, humanity, love and care, all of these incorporated at appropriate spaces. There is no crude amount of romance between the leads here, even though they're considered couple, rather, to me, it felt like a slowburn development that was invisibly progeesing through mutual care. However, chemistry between them as best friends or even partners is superb, you are gonna love it. The first 2 episodes are not that great to keep you hooked, so i suggest you to try the next 2. Also, personally, I was with the wrong impression about the concept, so I struggled a bit initially. But it's a matter of time I changed my perceptions and to my cooperation, the show came to me in a different light. The progression is nice and the last 3 episodes are makes you anxious about the further consequences. Those are the best episodes no matter how much frustrated I had become.

There are few aspects that could have been better. I understand what the drama is about but meanwhile, they could have explained more about the virus, the restricted drug, the symptoms, which could have made it even more interesting. They could have thrown some more light on the character dynamics of the the individuals stuck in the apartment, with some background settings; Ik it would have demanded more run-time, so I'm not complaining. The sound production makes it look lame which is not the case. I am not fan of Han Hyo Joo's acting, nor do I hate her but I had hard time resonating with her character Sae Bom at particular instances here. Her behaviour sometimes didn't at all feel like that of an SOU cop. Also, Hyung Sik's acting plus voice felt unfamiliar to me since it's his comeback drama. Anyways, the sole reason I was here was the cast and I am pleased with whatever I was offered through this project.

The drama has only 2 OSTs and loved both of them. "What Lies Ahead" by Joe Layne is a country song which has trenchant values, defining the title of the drama. It's all about the anticipations and strategies about one's future, requires to achieve real happiness but little did they know that Happiness comes with hardships. "Pain" by Isaac Hong is a track that yearns to escape from pain, that has trapped them witnin an infinity loop. Other than these 2, Happiness also features several tracks from Joe Layne as background scores at several instances. I am honestly not satisfied with the sound production. Given the premise, Happiness could have produced and utilised some good instrumentals as it's background score or even theme songs but they got very of them composed. In fact, those few are good yet underutilised. This influences the screenplay in a way that the drama feels slow, when it actually isn't.

Since 90% of the runtime takes place witnin the apartment, there ain't much scope for cinematography but the CGI involving the virus infected individuals and their behaviours was upto the par.

Again, Happiness is a live-action drama of human psychology and their socio-cultural behaviour during crisis, or let's simply relate it to the current pandemic. The world has changed a lot since the outbreak of a deadly virus. Despite the difference in our status or classes of different categories, we all were exposed to similar threats of health as well as livelihood. And that's how we got to see how people respond differently to the same situation. People were scared, sceptical and inundated by informations and mental health of a large group of people went into shambles, adding financial problems to the lump of other crisis. Some were craving even for a single meal wheras as some were dealing with it sitting at home, as if nothing has happened. The pandemic in fact lengthened the difference between rich and poor even more. We witnessed people fighting over something like toilet paper. On contrary, we also got to ser different group of people coming forward to help each other and pledging to overcome the crisis together. Human psyche is inherently flawed, beset by biases that distort information. It is seen as incapable of dealing with complexity, probability, and uncertainty, and tending to panic in a crisis. This is everything you'll get to see in Happiness.

The entire piece is thrilling and awes you with its suspense at several points but it might not feel compelling which is okay because it's more important that you understand the undeaying messages which the show wanted to convey.

Overally, Happiness is a good drama which experimentally shows the social science pov of human behaviour and the underlying psychology. Please keep in mind that it's 10% apocalypse and 90% about demeanor of so called social animals, namely human beings. It's definitely worth the one time watch and I would surely recommend to give this a go, at least for Park Hyung Sik.

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What is Happiness? just feeling of joy or satisfaction of getting what we seek for?

Happiness is irony... title suggests something, drama itself never really follows the same path. Thinking about it, happiness is a vague concept... maybe like love. So not for everyone but the enjoyment, characters, the story provides might give happiness, not all-time but little glipms. It wasn't on my radar... honestly I jumped on the train without even reading synopsis or tags just for HHJ and PHS. And yes I was tricked as zombies were the last thing I was expecting from 'Happiness.'

It's not horror...at least I wasn't scared, there aren't many jumps scary moments as I found zombies a little funny (or it's just me who's weirdo). The story is pretty basic which doesn't give 'HELL! what happened?' moments, as most of the part I found pretty predictable even the biggest 'twist' I saw that coming miles away, so in the department of suspense, it's not that great. There are soooo many irritating, dumb characters (more than likable characters)... annoy you to death, will make you want to strangle, punch, kick their ass (well don't worry about this department our FL is master in it). Leads aren't 'perfect' so their decisions aren't always right, sometimes very reckless, they make a lot of mistakes. These are some shortcomings of the drama, if you have less endurance for any of these this isn't for you.

Happiness serves many very classic drama tropes, with done right! Lacking in some departments it gives more than what was promised manages to surprise even with cliches. With very less likable characters.. it makes you get emotionally invested in them, rooting for them, getting charmed by them.

The romance was the last thing I was expecting... honestly I'm no fan of forced romance in thrillers when it's just there for nothing other than a drag. But I'm completely sold for this couple... Gosh, the way they look at each other, their caring gaze, holding hands, hugs, I'm satisfied more than enough... I don't need big proposals, confessions, kisses, them just doing anything, talking with each other, fighting with zombies together being normal is satisfactory. And them being so natural... is the chemistry that I seek even in rom-coms.

As I said leads aren't perfect, they have their limitations/shortcomings. Sae Bom comes as very cool at the start, I loved her in prior episodes.. but then her characterizations aren't according to her profession as much I love strong female leads who can fight well... I get a little irritated by actions without consequences and the 'I think I'm doing always right' attitude. Even though I love her coolness and personality but, indeed, it's not true to what she should do as special forces are well-trained, very disciplined... so recklessness is the last thing you expect from 'special force officer' coz for god's sake they are trained for sensitive, life-endangering situations.

I loved her in action scenes, at a times she was more practical than Yi Hyun which was needed.. and yeah she's cool throughout. Yi Hyun is an almost ideal guy sweet, nice, sticking to morals, loving husband.. who can become a bad cop for his wife. He's so precious.. he's the lead guy where you won't get SLS (oops sorry I forgot it's a thriller, not romance). But he's being just being morally right wasn't always pleasant (that gave me 'Boy you don't have to be nice always' moments)... I loved when he gets angry and does things that viewers crave (satisfactory).

I'll admit I'm charmed by Han Tae Seok who's undoubtedly my fav character of the series, I have a soft corner for grey characters and he's total badass he's that person who doesn't give f*ck to right or wrong.. but still do things right, the only guy who can situation in the right way. He's interesting charming, with a good foundation of back story and with desperation.

might not be the greatest thriller... but it's satisfactory, entertaining, and keeps you on the edge of the seat even with the ordinary plot but interesting characters giving you happiness.

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Find Your Happy Place

Contrary to the title, this isn’t a fluffy dramedy/rom-com that’s filled with rainbows, sunshine and lots of happy folks with warm smiles and joyous laughter. Well, not exactly. Happiness is about the onset of a zombie outbreak. At first glance, the story appears to be the antithesis of happiness but there’s more than meets the eye. Different viewers would have their own takeaways from this drama but personally for me, my interpretation of “happiness” in this context lies in cherishing what you have amidst the chaos that threatens to take away that which you hold dear, and those whom you so love. For this very reason, this surprising gem became a sort of happy place for me as I began to develop a fondness for the drama and the characters in it, despite the macabre premise.

The director of Stranger, one of my all time favourite dramas, Ahn Gil Ho helms this production. The plot is based on the original screenplay by Han Sang Woon. Of his previous works, I’ve only seen The Good Wife which is a decent adaptation of the original US series. The drama is set in the near future that makes references to the post-Covid pandemic. Principal photography took place primarily at the extensive e Pyunhansang apartment complex in Gyeonggi province’s Okjeong city, which is used as the fictional Seyang Forest Le Ciel apartments in the drama.

Happiness focuses on a couple who find themselves under lockdown in their brand new apartment complex during the zombie outbreak, termed “Madness Epidemic” by the authorities. The ML is a Violent Crimes detective of the Seyang Police Station while the FL is a Special Operation Unit (SOU) police squad and counter-terrorism operative. Central to the plot is how these two individuals work with a shadowy governmental agency, Disaster and Crisis Response Center, led by a very mysterious SML, who coordinates the military in the zombie crisis containment and medical researchers’ efforts in finding a cure for the epidemic.

In addition to the character study into the best and (mostly) worst of human nature in the face of impending doom, the narrative contains elements of social commentary and presents a somewhat satirical depiction of a deeply hierarchical society, particularly through the class distinctions between the affluent owners living in the upper levels and the general public in rental housing of the lower levels of the apartments. Themes of apocalyptic dystopia and high-level corruption while tropes concerning childhood connection, contract marriage, and friends to lovers are all present in this drama, among others which I won’t mention further to avoid spoiling. Additionally, jump scares feature quite a fair bit in a number of scenes.

For what appears to be a moderately budgeted drama, I have no major complaints in terms of the production values, design and quality. The fight choreography is quite impressive and so too the presence of the military elements and use of firearms in the action sequences. The makeup for the zombies, including blood and gore, appear well rendered. As most of the story takes place at the apartment complex, there isn’t a sense of the scale of the outbreak, which purportedly occurs nationwide and also across the world. This means there are no massive numbers of extras posing as zombies and running riot all over the place, like scenes in Train to Busan or the sageuk-zombie fusion, Kingdom.

Generally I’m quite pleased with how the story is presented, in terms of the plot development and pacing, sequencing of events in a linear fashion and with minimal disruptions to the timeline i.e. lack of excessive flashbacks of backstories and jumping between different time periods. While there are some similarities with another apocalyptic drama, Sweet Home, the notable differences being the apartment building here is much bigger and the action also takes place outside the building but within the expansive complex that houses several apartment towers. The sheer number of people involved as far as the inhabitants are concerned as well as the external forces outside the complex are much higher. I would say the atmosphere in the drama isn’t as bleak or toxic but instead rather pleasant, were it not for the pesky zombies.

A majority of the characters are quirky and out-of-the-box, which is part of the drama’s charms. I have come to love all three leads and certain supporting characters, in particular a certain little girl. Other characters are those that I either despise or feel perturbed by, but that is testament to the characterization. Most of the supporting characters get their fair share of screen time and story arc. Some characters, however, such as the female soldier who assists the SML in his endeavours and the FL’s colleague in the SOU, unfortunately do not get fleshed out for our benefit. The bureaucrats and chaebols connected to the zombie outbreak also do not make their presence significantly felt until the tail end of the drama, which appears more as an afterthought rather than any crucial aspect of the storytelling.

As far as the acting is concerned, this is where Happiness shines through. The ML Jung Yi Hyun is played by Park Hyung Sik who returns in his first drama appearance since being discharged from military service. Since I last saw him in Suits, he retains that exact same boyish charm and projects the level-headed calm and sensible persona that we have come to expect of his characters. Along with a strapping physique, he certainly looks the part of a violent crimes detective. Han Hyo Joo, who plays the FL Yoon Sae Bom, also makes a return to the small screen this year after last appearing in W in 2016. Among all the lead characters, the FL is quite possibly the most offbeat of them all. Fearless, daring, streetwise and without a care about authoritative structures or social constructs, this is an independent woman who knows what she wants and how to achieve it. She might appear nonchalant and apathetic at times but deep down she has a clear distinction between right and wrong, and has a strong sense of protectiveness over those whom she deeply cares for. All these qualities are magnificently portrayed by Han Hyo Joo.

These two characters are the best part of this drama for me. They’re not perfect, far from it in fact. Their occasional catastrophic decision making counts among other seemingly ridiculous flaws which manifest over time but still I couldn’t help but root for them to overcome all the challenges and dangers that come their way. Their dynamics are top quality where every interaction, even inaction at times, between them truly is a joy to behold.

The SML is played by Jo Woo Jin, no stranger to the industry who has appeared in many renowned drama and film productions over the years. It is a blessing indeed for us viewers that he graces this drama with his presence. The role of the extremely grey and layered Han Tae Seok suits this man to a T, where his understatedly nuanced performance breathes life into the character to further elevate the drama.

Among the supporting cast, special mention has to go to Baek Hyun Jin. This is the third time I’ve seen him this year, after Taxi Driver and The Devil Judge. Known affectionately as the “U-data guy” for his OTT portrayal of a psychotic CEO in Taxi Driver, this actor simply excels in portraying antagonistic roles. In this drama, his character of Oh Joo Hyung is much more subdued in comparison with his previous roles but still does not detract from the lowkey villainous vibes that he consistently imbues into his acting. Bae Hae Seon is another one who has had a prolific year after appearances in Inspector Koo, Hometown CCC, and Great Shaman GDS, of those I’ve seen. She plays the hubristic and self-important “Queen Bee” of the apartment complex, Oh Yeon Ok. Her portrayal here is angsty yet amusing at the same time. Prolific child actress, 9-year old Song Ji Woo who plays Park Seo Yoon, the sickly little girl living on the 5th floor certainly deserves mention for her efforts in the drama.

Happiness introduced me to a number of new musicians who enhanced the production with their evocative music. Joe Layne with the very fitting opening theme and an emotional English-language track, while SAAY, Isaac Hong and Jemma contributed a song each. The original score is composed by multiple award-winning Kim Tae Seong who has form with this genre, having worked on numerous suspense-thriller productions over the past decade.
Eureka (Opening theme) and What Lies Ahead - Joe Layne (조레인)
Pain - Isaac Hong (홍이삭)
Nobody Knows - SAAY (쎄이)
ENIGMA - Jemma (젬마)

IMHO, Happiness is definitely one of the biggest surprises of the year, as far as K-dramas are concerned. It’s not as big budgeted and extensively promoted as some of the more well-known productions and the horror theme involving zombies may have turned off some viewers from trying this one out. But I’m glad I gave this a go and what a fulfilling, entertaining and worthwhile viewing experience it has been. If you can overcome your fear of zombies, do give this drama a chance and, who knows, you might end up being pleasantly surprised as well.

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this could be a better drama

at first when i found this drama i was excited , i like horror zombie apocalypse theme like this, but after going half of it i found the story are really boring , i even almost fall to sleep when watching this drama , they should fire the guy who killed this drama story , althought the idea was really good one with different kind of zombie that can turn back to human , they should explore this much further or maybe look for idea from others movies or dramas like train to busan, all of us are dead etc , at least the zombies there are much "lively" compared to this , the story got really boring to me when it reach around epsiode 6 ... the story become really slow , also i really dislike the char of ML and FL , they both are to naive and stupid , the char they played in this drama are to far from reality , when someone want to kill u would u just let them free to do it ? they let the doctor run free and do whatever he want , also other bad char too , and i so furious when the stupid friend of the ML take side with other but the response of the ML and FL are just....flat , they should be really angry with him or punch him , there are other flaws to in this boring drama that u will find it urself when u watch this boring drama ,also i dont feel any chemistry at all between the FL and ML ,and maybe this just me but everytime i see they both in this drama they both always try look so cool and good with the way they walk,speak,act ,run etc ..their act are so below standard, so i confuse how can this boring drama gt 8,9 lol , i wouldnt recomended this to someone who this is a good zombie drama like other , this is my personal opinion only , all of us are dead are much better than this ,

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