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Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010)
Sungkyunkwan Scandal
성균관 스캔들
(Aug – Oct 2010)
who’s in it
Micky Yoochun (music group JYJ)
Park MinYoung (OBGYN Doctors)
Song JoongKi (Unstoppable High Kick)
Yoo AhIn (Strongest ChilWoo, Antique Bakery – film)
SeoHyoRim (Good Days When the Wind Blows)
Jun TaeSoo
what’s it about
Let’s travel back to the Chosun (Joseon) Dynasty where we will visit the bedrock of what is now one of South Korea’s longest standing institutes of higher education: Sungkyunkwan. This voguish saeguk spin reinvents the rough and unjust days of yore into a more vibrant, young and happening place to visit, although still full of injustice. It would be like cleaning off the unsanitary grime of medieval England and refashioning historic Oxford University as a hip place of modern fraternity-like collegiate land, imagining its scholars young, gorgeous, and free-spirited, but dressed in traditional 13th century garb. Basically, we have a context ripe for some good old fashioned fun in anachronism.
The story follows four, well actually, five Sungkyunkwan students—three nice ones, one angsty, and the last only pretending to be a boy—aiming for greater knowledge in the way of Confucianism, but mostly studying to learn the ways of politics to serve as a government official.
Park MinYoung plays the squeaky clean 19 year old [wo]man (refined in both face and moral fortitude) who has been forced to shelf her womanhood in order to work at a bookstore/book lending shop as a male scribe. This particular tome house also happens to be an underground cheat factory that sells services to Sunkyunkwan students trying to pass the entrance exams, among other things. She’s got photographic memory, beautiful calligraphy and is blessed with a mind racing with sharp wit and adaptability. When financial debt comes due (what else?) and the care taking of a sick younger brother threatens to undo her family, she grudgingly agrees to pimp out her mad scholarly skills to be a test-taker for rich kids who don’t cut mustard but still want to attend the venerated school. Park MinYoung is an “educated girl” during a time period when such a phrase would be considered an oxymoron. As her mother reminds her, being literate can prove to be poison for a girl in Chosun.
When fellow Sungkyunkwan hopeful who also happens to be the only son of a high ranking politician, played competently by veteran idol Micky Yoochun, realizes what kind of genius-level smarts this fellow scholar Park MinYoung has in his/her head, the young lord does everything in his own righteous power to get him (who he doesn’t realize is a her) into Sungkyunkwan. A little about Micky’s character: he’s a guy who’s moral compass is made of mettle insusceptible to corruption.
In a way, both Park MinYoung and Micky Yoochun are similar people, you see, as they both carry dear their narrow ideas of right and wrong, but for the moment, only one has the luxury to move chess pieces. And if life were truly a game of chess, Park MinYoung is the rook that Micky Yoochun uses all his cleverness and pull to move forward. He makes happen what he thinks should unfold regardless of her wishes. This is how our heroine ends up joining the all-male fraternity of scholarship…and begins to wonder if this might be her one chance to try an existence that resembles that of a real life, instead of just getting by as a doormat for the privileged.
Coincidentally, these are Micky Yoochun’s thoughts as well. What is most intriguing about his character is this staunch belief that being born “noble” does not automatically translate to being a “nobleman” nor a good human being worthy of esteem—he believes this despite having a silver spoon already firmly situated in his own mouth. He values intelligence, honor and strength of character. Basically, he’s nothing like his peers. He’s Chosun’s version of a lefty-leaning bleeding heart liberal...in a room full of conservative rightwings.
Things get stickier when she becomes dorm buds with this very idealistic, if a bit chilly, young nobleman. Certainly the fact that he’s also handsome will eventually pose a problem as well.
I must take time to introduce the rest of the Sungkyunkwan boys, as neglecting to do so would be completely unforgivable:
Song JoongKi:
Loved him! This flirty and affected gently bred man thinks life is a grand spectacle. He’s a wolfish peacock who plays at being insouciant very well, but beneath the veneer of easy smiles and cavalier malice is a man of careful attention and supernatural perception. He is first to suspect that Park MinYoung may not be so much a feminine boy, as just female. He likes games, takes pleasure in toying with the less intelligent around him...but more than that, there is a definite sense that when the game eventually stops, there will be a man beneath who does care about the world, perhaps even very much so. Ah, and Song JoongKi is almost as pretty as Park MinYoung...which never hurts.
Jun TaeSoo:
The entitled war minister’s son, Jun TaeSoo, is the student body prez of Sungkyunkwan and a man who likes the status quo. For him, campus is not a place to learn enlightenment, but the practice ground for proper management of the lower class. To him, Sungkyunkwan is where the powerful gain the know-how and the way-to of keeping the weak and disenfranchised in their proper place. With an uncanny twin-like similarity to his famous sister Ha JiWon, this young man’s glower was intense. Acting chops must also run in the family as he was a convincing moral derelict.
Yoo AhIn:
If I loved Song JoongKi’s playboy infidel, let it be known that I worshipped Yoo AhIn’s rebellious drunkard. Holy hot banditry—overload on the awesome factor. It is probably not too big a spoiler to reveal that Park MinYoung also inherits this bad boy as her second roommate, a somewhat hooligan-ish cynic played by Yoo AhIn, another unique-minded student who bends against the wind. He is described in delight by his Sungkyunkwan peer Song JoongKi as a “crazy horse,” and judging by the fact that he already has a nickname, he appears to be an upperclassman. These types of ultra-cool mysterious characters are always scene stealers despite the small doses in appearance, but more than that, Yoo AhIn simply reeks of charisma. He is First Guy material but somehow only ends up in supporting roles. Either way, he owns this role, as he always seems to give a proper delivery of all his characters, silly or serious.
A couple more screen shots of Yoo AhIn because he is all that and a bag of rice:
director
Kim WonSuk, Hwang InHyuk
screenwriter(s)
Kim TaeHee
commitment
20 episodes
network
KBS2
first impressions
When done right, fusions are great fun. If done right. Most are not. Here’s the good news: there’s precious little to hate about this drama! It’s a flirty class act. And trust me, I’m as surprised as anyone else to be writing that sentence. We’ll see as the show goes on, but so far, it appears this drama isn’t interested in making a mockery of an esteemed institution, on the contrary, there is great deference afforded for Sungkyunkwan. Instead, Scandal is using the cast of fresh young faces to create the mass appeal but keeps the story set for a more serious direction. Yes, it does take liberties and it is a brightly colored comedic take on history, but it also has a great deal of honor, like the characters in the show.
Park MinYoung plays a girl already a master at her masquerade so we don’t waste time waiting for her to get acclimated to her role as a boy, which is key to getting the viewer on the right foot with this drama. It makes it easier to accept her entry into Sungkyunkwan. She’s a pro at pretending manhood, she’s had long practice at hiding her true identity. Her family situation is a typical sob story, but manages to be touching anyway, mostly in part due to the actors. Park MinYoung takes her job as a boy with dire gravity, because it is a dire lie. The character never forgets that it is a matter of mortal consequence for her, so we do not forget either. It is a comedy we are watching, but we believe that for the character, life is no joke.
All the characters, lead by Micky Yoonchun, are struggling with a philosophical question that has no answer: can honor and power co-exist? The answer is grey and I like that Scandal has decided to use that as the focal point of the story, not depending only on romantic chemistry to carry it through. There appears to be an actual story here. Hurray! And enjoyably, some witty dialogue that befits a tale about scholars. In addition to the strength of all the youthful main characters, the supporting roles filled by senior actors also lend great credit to the show. There is actually quite a bit of plot going on behind the scenes and that makes this drama not just fun, but engaging.
As with every drama post-Boys Over Flowers that features a quad of handsome boys and one lucky girl who gets to be loved by them, this faced comparisons to BOF pre-airing, but this show is nothing like the 2009 Hana Yori Dango Korean adaptation. That’s all that really needs to said about that topic, I believe.
I was very hesitant about this one initially, but after its debut, I felt an instant affinity for all the characters, and you know, carry a big torch lit with complete and utter devotion to Yoo AhIn, so I can see myself getting very obsessed with Scandal if it keeps up the good work...hopefully its ratings will also look upward.
And last but not least, the cinematography in Scandal is so very rich and pretty. There is a nice tone and ambiance about the whole drama. For example, see below. How gorgeous:
(first impressions initially posted Sept 3, 2010)
wildcard
Yoo AhIn (henceforth Yooey for this review) and Song JoongKi (JoongKi).
I don’t think all that many of you would come to fisticuffs with me over the assertion that I’m about to make: Song JoongKi and Yoo AhIn were the hooks that held the choice bits of meat in this drama. I know, that’s kind of a gross association, but they did hook viewers in and they are hunks of Grade A. Heh. Without the two, I doubt Scandal would have been as successful in its delivery. They came aboard with more acting experience than Micky Yoochun and Park MinYoung (the main couple) and both actors became integral to providing the heart and acting credibility that kept this show from veering off too far into freshman fluff. Shows like this are meant to be fun, but only advance to being good when the acting is able to hold it all together. As likable as Yoochun and Park were as characters, I did not think either actor to be strong enough to have carried this show. The solid performances by the supporting leads, their “seniors” in the drama, both in character and in terms of acting experience, were greatly to their benefit.
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