A stellar cast comes together to deliver a flawed message

Before I get into what I loved about Part 2, I wanna touch on my overall main issue with this otherwise good drama. So getting right into it, I never expected this drama to move the needle as far as addressing the societal problems SK has that leads many to commit suicide. However, I also didn't expect the overall message to lean towards blaming the victim for doing such a "selfish" misdeed either.

Continuing from Part 1, the theme has been pretty consistent in wrapping things up in Part 2: the ML is so preoccupied with his own troubles that he didn't stop to take a look at the suffering of those around him. It is this misstep that has led him to do the very selfish act of taking his own life in the first place. After all, it's his fault for not continuing to endure his suffering for the sake of his loved ones like the rest of us. Hahaha loser. Of course I stated that in jest, but that isn't far off from what was depicted.

Let's make this clear: the ML is pretty selfish (but not for THAT reason) and has taken life for granted. However, these character flaws shouldn't have been the crutch of why he took his own life. Furthermore, he shouldn't have received punishment because of this. He couldn't see the struggles of those around him because he too was suffering. This doesn't invalidate his suffering, though. This isn't some Christmas Carol Scrooge-like situation where a nasty mean old man gets confronted with his misdeeds and is forced to change his ways or meet a grim fate. We feel empathy for the ML because he is a good person who has a hard life. Those of us who have been in the trenches of depression and suicidal thoughts know what it's like to struggle to hold on. It's not his fault for giving up.

The ML has worked hard for years only to not see the fruits of his labor because society continued to beat him while he was down. Not only that, but once he took his life, he met death who damn near guilt tripped him to hell (literally). Why? Because he's selfish. He treated "meeting death before death comes to meet him "as no big deal. He should've lived and continue to take what life throws at him. It's a good concept on paper, but in action it fails to see suicide from a broader perspective. This is not quite the message someone who has worked hard but still struggled for many years would want to hear and sadly there isn't enough positive thinking in the world that can solve deep rooted issues that society has caused. Don't get me wrong, I see the intent behind depicting the ML go through so much when he was alive, but to enter into the body of someone who got "thrown away" by his family and society (The 11th life where the salaryman loses his job he gave his youth to and his family), only to have the message remain "don't be selfish you loser! Think of your loved ones!" is hard to understand.

So, the few surface level criticisms on the pressures society place on its citizens were nice, but it never attempted to scratch beneath that layer of comfortability to get to the real uncomfortable conversations about why folks consider suicide in the first place. Of course no one's gonna call out or point the finger at the culprits and again, wasn't expecting them to. But to outright pull the victim blaming card was...a choice. There were better options to convey the point but I get the writer wanted to play it safe by doing what is considered a less controversial/ narrower depiction of suicide.

All of that out the way, I still love this drama. I'm not so jaded by life's many struggles not to enjoy every piece of content that misses the mark on depicting sensitive subject matters. The acting and cinematography were top notch. And the music, while not highlighted in every episode, was pretty good as well. Overall, there's enough to love about this drama that'll keep you tuned in. Twists and turns leading up to the finale should keep most satisfied.

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Perception vs Objective Reality

Regeneration is a drama with a lot of ambiguity and deception behind every episode. What started as a common tale of revenge against a scammer, slowly but surely turned into a drama about perception. Much like piecing together a puzzle (as the opening alludes to), you don't get a clear understanding of the events that unfolded until the last few episodes. Heck, I'd even argue there are many things intentionally left unclear by the time you reach the end.

The stage was set. You have a funeral for the charming and smart scam artist Fei Ke and the attendees: all his victims. Each character shares their story of how they met Fei Ke with each story being sadder than the last. Several plot twists later and the plot becomes less straightforward than originally believed.

Without giving too much away, it turns out, everybody is terrible. This main reveal is what made this drama compelling to watch. To steal a line from the ml "there are no good or bad lies. It's all just a lie." This is the driving force behind the drama: the many lies from unreliable narrators.

Every character blamed Fei Ke for their misfortunes. At first glance, their anger would seem justified. Fei Ke did scam them, after all. But as the "truth" gets revealed, it becomes clear every characters downfall was orchestrated by their own hands. They all approached Fei Ke instead of the other way around. They all were deceptive and used Fei Ke as a means to avoid taking responsibility for their own terrible actions.

I almost made Fei Ke sound like a victim here. To be clear, he wasn't exempt from the same flaws the other characters faced. His whole life took a turn for the worst when he got caught doing something illegal. And instead of taking responsibility and being more angry at his careless actions, he blamed his friend for ratting him out.

If this all doesn't sound exciting to you then that's completely understandable. Regeneration isn't the smartest cdrama ever crafted, but it's one that really makes you think until the very end. It poses some interesting questions about what is the truth and what is a lie. In the end, we don't really get an answer to many of the questions as the director wanted to focus on perception and not objective reality.

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A quirky tale of destiny and self-acceptance

It's too early for me to say 'The Atypical Family' is the drama of the year, but let me just say it's definitely a contender!

Full transparency as someone who watches well over a dozen dramas per month: I thought about possibly holding off on watching this drama until it aired all the episodes. I wasn't really sold on the premise after the second episode and some of the characters kind of annoyed me.

So fast forward to now (writing this review on June 9th finale day) and I'm so glad I didn't listen to that tiny voice in my head telling me to drop it faster than other dramas! So what got me to change my mind so quickly? Well firstly, it's the cinematography that kept me seated. Then came the story. Next was the performances. Last was the music.

What I like to do with reviews is give you a spoiler-lite breakdown of things to look for, standout moments and or performances and just simple reasons to give this drama a chance (or drop it if it doesn't sound worth your time):

Is there romance? Oh yes! It takes a little to while to get things started but once you get to around episode 6ish, you'll likely be all-in for the leads to get together!

Is the story good? Yes. An absolute masterpiece? Maybe for some. For me, it was pretty good. I was kind of impressed that in just 12 episodes there was enough to keep me looking forward to watching week after week. The A plot revolves around time travel and romance. The B plot follows each character as they come to terms with their powers and the wild antics of the con artist family. Both plots seamlessly intertwine from the first episode to the last. As far as pacing is concerned, I'd say things might feel rushed on episode 12. They had to wrap up all the loose threads in the roughly 1 hour episode so it's natural to feel things happened too fast. Thankfully there weren't many loose threads.

How were the performances? In short: flawless. Every actor put on a stellar performance. My personal favorites were Jang Ki Yong as Bok Gwi Ju, Chun Woo-hee as Do Da Hae and Park So Yi as Bok I Na. If you're like me and can't really remember a memorable role of actor Jang Ki Yong, then he'll definitely be memorable in this drama! Man, something about him crying makes you breakdown and cry too. He put so much emotion into the role. Same with the talented Chun Woo-hee. She nails her role as a con artist looking to escape her horrible life. Lastly, 12 year-old Park So Yi will win you over from the very first scene she's in. She's so talented!

Other things to note:

There's a "sudden" shift in personality for the big bad of the story that might confuse you. You can chalk this up to the character not getting enough screen time or rather the writer not delving into the motivations behind the character. If this drama was 16 episodes the characters turn to the side of light might not be so jarring. With that said, them not being fleshed out doesn't take away from their great performance.

There are plenty of "girl power" moments if you love seeing women treating a terrible character like the trash that he is.

The soundtrack grows on you!

Kim Su Hyun in a fat suit was a choice. I wasn't liking it at first but the characters journey to self-acceptance made me forget about it.

If you're patient enough (something I initially lacked in the beginning) to hop on this emotional ride, I promise you won't regret it! Who knows, by the end of it, you might turn into an emotional mess like me!

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