Bons Velhos Tempos (2022)

A show that really makes you think

Good Old Days has a unique concept and pretty different from GMMTV's usual fare. I started late on this show, but, once I got going, it didn't take me long to get caught up. Certainly, some stories are stronger than others, but all of them captivated me in their own turn. While the show ties up loose ends by the end of the series, at the time, none of the stories really had a happy ending and that's alright. It makes the show more real and the characters more human.

First of all, I appreciate shows with an anthology narrative. Each of the 6 stories exist on their own and yet are tied back to the running narrative of Hey's life as the shopkeeper. It's something GMMTV doesn't tackle very often, but they did an amazing job with this one. If I had to rank them I would put them in this order: 1)Bond and Relationships, 2) Road to Regret, 3) Memory of Happiness, 4) Love Wins, 5) Somewhere Only We Belong, 6) Our Soundtrack
However, the stories at the bottom aren't bad, just not as good the ones above them. This show tackles a lot of difficult (and dark) issues but in a very real way. The characters are forced to face these issues one way or another and they all have to sacrifice or lose something before they come out on the other side. None of these stories have a true happy ending, but rather a satisfactory ending. The objects in this show are also "stars" in their own way. It would be very easy for the object to just exist in the background of the story, following the characters, but all of the objects carry so much meaning and you feel that. In some stories, the object is the focus of the story and in others it fades into the background but in an ever present way. I never felt like I lost sight of the objects' importance and the weight they were carrying for both the characters and the story. It really captures the idea of that "every object has a soul."

With such a large cast, it's hard to address all the actors and actresses, but I think they all did an amazing job and gave great performances. I especially liked Krist and his role as the shopkeeper. His character development is very different because we don't see his story until the end, but up until that point he plays the role of omnipotent shopkeeper very well. In these types of shows, usually the shopkeeper is some old, worldly person, but the irony of Hey is he experiences the world through other people and yet that's how he able to understand people. I thought Krist did an excellent job capturing this essence of the character.

The only real disappointment I have with this show is they wrapped everything up so nicely. I don't know how extensive the source material for this show is, but I would watch a sequel series with new stories. Good Old Days is definitely worth a watch and is definitely a higher show than most. It's really a show that will make you think and reflect on life and how people face their problems.

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