If someone were to ask me who my K-pop bias (that’s K-culture slang for your #1 or favorite, usually among the members of a K-pop group), I won’t be able to answer right away. But my Korean actor bias is without a doubt, Kang Ha-neul. I first saw Kang Ha-neul as Hwang Yong-sik in When the Camellia Blooms, which I binge-watched in 2 nights. After that, I just know I had to watch whatever show or movie he is next in.
Anyway, since I am already subscribed to Amazon Prime Philippines to finishThe Rings of Power, I was notified that there is a new KBS show called Curtain Call (커튼콜). Naturally, I clicked on it and see if it’s a Go or No Go.
Spoiler Alert for Amazon Prime’s Curtain Call!
Curtain Call
Can I just note that Amazon Prime’s copy is not as consistent as I want it to be? For example, in Curtain Call, the Season 1 copy is this:
People involved in a scam of a man who was given a special mission to make a terminally ill grandmother’s wish come true.
I don’t know. The text is not as useful for me as a viewer. Parang di natapos i-type. Ok naman ‘yung S1E01 copy. Here:
The Chair of Nakwon Hotel, Ja Geum-sun, yearns to meet her family left behind long ago in North Korea. There is tension in her South Korean family: her grandson Se-jun tries to sell the hotel, while granddaughter Se-yeon fights to stop her brother. Meanwhile, someone seeks out Jae-heon, an unknown actor, for an unusual task.
The show’s ads are also not shy in revealing the premise of the show (or at least the pilot episode). Basically, the ads already reveal that Kang Ha-neul is an actor who must pose as the long-lost grandson of the Chair of Nakwon Hotel. Fortunately, I didn’t read the ads so I didn’t know what was going to happen. Haha.
Here’s another synopsis I found on Wikipedia:
The series revolves around a man who plays the role of a grandson who defected to fulfill the grandmother’s last wish from the North, a woman who falls in love with that man, and the people involved in the play.
Parang ang gulo lang ng pagkasulat. Maybe it’s just me. Netflix’s synopses are also not good either. Mema lang talaga ako.
The Sad Aftermath of Wars
The pilot brings us back to the Korean War in December 1950. It reminded me that 1950 is not that long ago and the trauma brought by the war is still living in the minds of ajummas and ajusshis. That many people’s lives changed forever because of senseless wars. This was actually what happened to Ja Geum-sun.
The series opens with a young Ja Geum-sun (Ha Ji-won) and her husband (Kang Ha-neul) as they prepare to board a ship bound to South Korea. People raced to the dock very much like a scene in Miss Saigon. The human race really likes repeating its mistakes, noh? In a dramatic twist of events, Ja Geum-sun’s husband helped a young boy not get left behind. The husband, while carrying his son, fell off the ship and into the cold ocean waters not before screaming to his wife “You must survive!” The opening scene is really really good. *slow claps*
Ja Geum-sun’s story is really inspiring. She was able to meet her son and young grandson, Ri Moon-Seong in a reunion program by red cross. Her son hoped that his mother will go home to North Korea upon reunification but we all know that didn’t happen. Her son was killed and she never heard of his grandson again.
Rich People Drama
Ja Geum-sun survives and grows old as the chairperson of Nakwon Hotel. Her granddaughter, Park Se-Yeon (also played by Ha Ji-won – you see what they did there?) not only manages the hotel but made it her life’s passion. She and her two brothers: Park Se-Jun (the serious masungit brother) and Park Se-Gyu (the happy-go-lucky brother) are the heirs of the hotel chain. Like any rich people drama, the chair is terminally sick and her heirs are fighting for money and legacy. Park Se-Gyu wants to liquidate the Nakwon Hotel Group since AirDnD’s stocks are higher than Bilton Hotel’s. AirDnD and Bilton, really? HAHA. Must be the subtitles. Idk.
On the other end of the spectrum, Yoo Jae-Heon (also played by Kang Ha-neul) is introduced as a Grab food delivery driver. Jk. He is a part-time delivery driver as well as a community theater actor. He plays a North Korean character which will be very handy for his next big role.
The Pros
Curtain Call’s opening credits boasts of the series’ powerhouse cast which includes A LOT of familiar Korean actors. This includes: Ko Du-Shim, Kwon Sang-Woo, Sung Dong-Il and a cameo from Kim Young-Min. Seohyun is also reported to make a special appearance in the show. I am so excited.
The pilot is a strong pilot and has established the melodramatic tone of the series. It may not be for all, but it is for me. Haha. A “grandma element” in any story is always a good thing. You can never go wrong. Nakakaiyak parati pag may grandparent character.
The Cons
The story is not that original and has been done countless times before. I hope to see a different take. I hope that the grandmother doesn’t die early in the series. I need more flashbacks.
Medyo confusing din na di na-establish yung character ni Jung Sang-Cheol (played by Sung Dong-Il). Natapos yung pilot na I don’t know who exactly the character is. Is he a secretary? An uncle? The child that was saved in 1950? Pero ayun, all we know is that he is behind the “scam.” At this point, we don’t know what his motivations are, feel ko naman good siya. Pero mukhang hindi. HAHA. Let’s see.
The Verdict
Kang Ha-neul is known to play complex characters and in Curtain Call, he will be playing two characters: Yoo Jae-Heon, and Yoo Jae-Heon as Ri Moon-Seong (and everyone in-between). I’m sure that this will be entertaining to watch. Especially that Yoo Jae-Heon will fall in love with Park Se-Yeon, pero half-cousins sila. Bawal pero p’wede sa House of the Dragon.
So ayun, medyo obvious naman ‘yung verdict.
However, again, this is a drama series. And drama series tend to stretch stories until they become boring and lose my attention. Hopefully, that won’t happen. So far, I am still entertained.
Based on the pilot, Amazon Prime’s Curtain Call is a go! Sana lang di pa mag-expire subscription ko soon!
Episodes of “Curtain Call” will be released every Monday and Tuesday on Amazon Prime Video in the Philippines.