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Has Reply 1997's sensitive portrayal of the LGBTQ community stood the test of time?
Reply 1997 was one of the first shows to feature a gay character and portrayed that beautifully. But has it stood the test of time?
We are a few days away from Seo In Guk's drama Doom At Your Service. Doom At Your Service is a fantasy romance drama bout Tak Dong Kyung who has been working hard ever since her parents passed away. She stabilized her life and worked as a web novel editor for 6 years, but then she gets diagnosed with brain cancer. She feels she is unlucky and wishes that everything in her life disappears. This call for doom invites Myeol Mang a messenger between humans and gods, to appear. He says that he can grant her wishes. She asks him to grant her 100 days so that she can lead her life the way she wants to, risking her everything.
The promos and teasers of Doom At Your Service reminds me of how far has Seo In Guk come. The talented singer-actor starred in his first leading role as Yoon Yoon Jae in the nostalgic hit-drama Reply 1997. Reply 1997 is the first drama in the iconic Reply trilogy. Screenwriter Lee Woo Jung takes us back to 90s Korea through the eyes of a young teenage girl Sung Siwon and her unending love for H.O.T, one of the first K-pop Boy groups that pioneered the love for boybands in Korea. Siwon has five other friends - her childhood best friend Yoo Yoon Jae, Kang Joon Hee, Mo Yoo Jung, Do Hak Chan and Bang Sung Jae.
The series is filled with heart-rendering nostalgia, teenage years' innocence, friendship, unrequited love and growing up. In the series, Yoon Yoon Jae is shown to be in love with his childhood best friend Sung Siwon, who only has eyes for Tony, a member of H.O.T. Despite making his feelings obvious, she doesn't understand how Yoon Yoon Jae feels. On the other hand, Kang Joon Hee, Yoon Jae's classmate has feelings for Yoon Jae. Unlike Yoon Jae, he doesn't make his feelings very obvious to Yoon Jae, as homosexuality is still a sensitive topic in Korea. Yoon Jae suspects that Joon Hee is trying to get closer to Siwon and treats him like a rival, unbeknownst to him he is trying not to make his feelings obvious to Yoon Jae.
Korean dramas are known to portray a multitude of issues beautifully and sensitively, but what stayed with me was how Hoya interpreted his gay character. He is in love with his friend and fully aware of the fact that Yoon Jae loves Siwon. Joon Hee confides in Siwon and unlike her hot-tempered personality keeps Joon Hee's secret safe with her. There is no unnecessary drama and love triangle. Joon Hee does confess to Yoon Jae, but Yoon Jae laughs it off as a joke, but Joon Hee isn't offended or affected. He takes the rejection in stride and remains good friends with Yoon Jae and Siwon, even after they become a couple.
I admire how the LGBTQ angle wasn't gimmicky or used as a tactic to gain more eyeballs. It was shown as something that was just there, not as something like a plot device. Hoya's portrayal of Joon Hee is top-notch, easily one of the finest portrayals of LGBTQ in Korean television. I particularly enjoyed the sequence when Yoon Jae finally realises that Joon Hee had confessed his feelings for him and is ashamed of himself, it is Joon Hee who makes him understand better. In a touching sequence, he makes him understand that it is not the opposite person's fault if they don't catch on to your feelings, you do your job of confessing to them and hope they reciprocate. If they don't, it is nobody's loss and if they do, you both win.
The soothing advice worked like a balm on not only Yoon Jae but also for Joon hee, who decided to finally let go of his feelings for Yoon Jae. The conclusion was as quiet and subtle as the beginning of Joon Hee's story and with time, it will stand tall as an effective guide to the portrayal of the LGBTQ community in Korean television.
Will you be watching Doom At Your Service? Share your thoughts with Pinkvilla in the comments below.
