Sisyphus: The Myth (2021)

Non è questo il modo di viaggiare nel tempo...

Questa serie è molto appassionante, nonostante sia effettivamente piena di incongruenze e di illogicità. Nonostante le scene d’azione siano prolisse e abbastanza patetiche. Nonostante delle lunghe digressioni su avvenimenti marginali. Nonostante tutto questo, io me la sono veramente "bevuta". Ritengo che i temi che tratta, che sono principalmente il rimorso, la redenzione e gli affetti familiari, evidentemente sono coinvolgenti nonostante la trama faccia acqua da tutte le parti.

Gli sceneggiatori sembra che abbiano utilizzato il metodo dei foglietti appiccicati alla parete, solo che alla fine li hanno utilizzati tutti inserendo gli avvenimenti qua e là, dimenticandosi la coerenza delle linee temporali, che in una serie sui viaggi nel tempo mi sembra fondamentale.

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Tae-san secondo me è quello trattato peggio. Nella prima puntata viene detto che è morto nel 2010, e anche molto male visto che all’obitorio hanno preparato il fratello a quello che avrebbe visto. Bene, in 18 ore non sono stati capaci di dirci come è morto. In ogni caso, a un certo punto viene svelato che Tae-san non solo non era morto, quel giorno, ma soltanto rapito e sostituito con chissà chi (quindi non si sa come sia stata fatta l’identificazione), ma è sopravvissuto anche alla guerra e poi è riuscito a tornare indietro, nel 2020, materializzandosi a diecimila metri di altezza e andando a sbattere contro un aereo. Tutto questo viene semplicemente accennato e mai si vede cosa realmente sia accaduto a Tae-san.

Quindi nel 2020 abbiamo Tae-san 1, tenuto nascosto da qualche parte mentre il fratello lo crede morto, e Tae-san 2, di cui non è dato sapere che fine abbia fatto dopo aver sbattuto contro l’aereo. Va bene, è evidente che Tae-san 2 è morto, ma mezza informazione la potevano dare, visto che è uno dei personaggi più importanti della storia. È anche imbarazzante il fatto che Tae-san 1 sia, per qualche motivo, perduto nello spazio-tempo… ma perché? Gli hanno dato una botta in testa ed è entrato in coma? Gli hanno dato un farmaco particolare? E perché si risveglia appena il fratello si suicida? Oppure è Tae-san 2 ad essersi perduto nello spazio-tempo? Come ha fatto a tornare indietro nel tempo, se era prigioniero? Si è svegliato ed è scappato? Oppure è stato fatto scappare da Sigma, per qualche motivo che non viene spiegato compiutamente tranne che “era tutto calcolato”?

Purtroppo la verità è che non c’è alcuna logica nella vicenda di Tae-san. Non viene mai spiegato come e perché Tae-san fosse a conoscenza già dal 2010 dei viaggi nel tempo; e poi, quand’è che Tae-san dice al fratello “ci rivedremo”, dal momento che è scomparso all’improvviso? Invece di inserire nella valigia un biglietto con su scritto “Sigma è Won-Ju”, vi sembra logico che abbia messo gli annuari della scuola elementare, in modo che Tae-sul impiega mesi a capire e un giorno intero a individuarlo? Apparentemente è stato predisposto da Sigma per far arrivare Tae-sul alla scuola, ma il tutto è molto farraginoso e spiegato molto frettolosamente (basti pensare che Sigma non poteva calcolare al minuto quando Tae-sul si sarebbe recato alla scuola). E cos’è tutta quell’altra roba che sta nella valigia, a cosa serve? Si va per intuito, ma sarebbe stato carino se ce lo avessero spiegato (per esempio ho capito che le medicine vengono “contrabbandate” per il loro valore).

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All you need is love

Sisyphus: The Myth is an intriguing drama. The thrilling teaser that was released late last year stoked the flames of excitement for many avid K-drama viewers. Coupled with a cast that’s headlined by bankable stars the likes of Cho Seung Woo and Park Shin Hye, it became one of the most talked about and highly anticipated shows for 2021. When it finally aired, however, it polarised opinions here in MDL and left a number of viewers’ expectations somewhat unfulfilled, to the extent that the ratings steadily declined to the current score hovering at around 8.

There are those who continued to enjoy the show, for various reasons, and I happen to be one of them. Allow me to share my (spoiler-free) thoughts and then you can make your own decision on whether or not to embark on what has largely been a fun-filled escapist roller coaster ride.

What is it about?
In a nutshell, a woman from the dystopian future of South Korea travels back in time in the hopes of altering the course of history by preventing the seemingly inevitable fate that befell the country, the looming catastrophe of nuclear war. Central to this mission is the man who invented the time travelling machine. These two characters are played by Park Shin Hye and Cho Seung Woo respectively.

The drama contains a mix of science fiction, action, drama, and romance genres imbued with themes of revenge, redemption, remorse, love, friendship and familial bond. The director is Jin Hyeok, who notably helmed The Legend of the Blue Sea,The Master’s Sun and City Hunter, among others. The screenplay is written by the husband and wife team of Jeon Chan Ho and Lee Je In, for only their third production.

This show is jointly produced by Drama House and JTBC, and has been publicized as the network’s 10th anniversary special drama. Its title is derived from the ancient character from Greek mythology, King Sisyphus of Corinth, and is completely pre-produced with principal photography having taken place toward the end of 2020.

What’s great about it?

The Production Values
As expected of a JTBC production, this drama is very well made. I love the cinematography (in particular the indoor lighting), the many gorgeous scenic views of both Seoul in the present time and the vast landscape of the dystopian future. The set designs for various settings are quite exemplary while the special effects (CGIs, firefights, and pyrotechnics) are considerably top tier for a show of this nature.

The Acting and Cast
In my humble opinion, the leads are fantastic and I have absolutely no complaints. While Cho Seung Woo fully embodies the character of Han Tae Sul, the same goes for Park Shin Hye’s Kang Seo Hae. They deliver very strong performances in their portrayal of deeply flawed and emotionally scarred individuals. These are the types of roles that perhaps mature actors with adequate professional and life experiences are better-equipped to articulate and convey convincingly, which is very much the case here.

It’s interesting to note that unlike Cho Seung Woo’s other more serious roles, especially that of Hwang Shi Mok in Stranger, here his Han Tae Sul is much more comedic and mischievous with a copious dose of flamboyance and swagger. Despite possessing similar social awkwardness, this character is remarkably more fun while his ingenuity in getting out of tricky situations bears an uncanny resemblance to the MacGyver persona.

Such nuanced characterization is depicted by the other veteran supporting cast as well, notably Sung Dong Il, Kim Byung Chul, and Kim Jong Tae. Kim Byung Chul in particular surprised me with his depiction of Seo Won Ju. Despite being slightly OTT, I suspect he had the time of his life being “unleashed” from his usual more understated roles. Here he plays “dual characters” where his versatility is quite commendable.

Special mention goes to the young actor Lee Joo Won, who plays the young version of Seo Won Ju. This kid truly gave me goose bumps with his chilling portrayal.

The Action
For the most part, the choreography has been outstanding. From the numerous unarmed combat sequences to the firefights involving some pretty impressive military hardware. It’s not often that we see plenty of intense (and at times, logic-defying) gun battles in a non-military drama so this aspect of the production is indeed praiseworthy. Other forms of action include a lot of hard running in chasing (and being chased by) a multitude of characters.

The Romance
This particular theme is so beautifully and convincingly conveyed. It helps immensely that Cho Seung Woo and Park Shin Hye abundantly possess such wonderful chemistry which is poignantly manifested amidst the ensuing intrigue and mayhem. The pairing of Han Tae Sul and Kang Seo Hae, in many ways, makes a lot of sense. They are each plagued by a traumatic past and rendered seriously flawed, emotionally damaged, and are now fighting against the odds to change their fate.

What could’ve been better?

The Science
I love the concept here about time travelling to the past in order to change the future which gives me vibes of The Twelve Monkeys where the premise is quite similar. However, I do feel that the science as depicted in the show is super messy. Many technical aspects are open to interpretation and left to the viewers to fill in the blanks, as the story progresses. It’s a process of trial and error where we discover new things during every episode. The finale is quite possibly the most mind-blowing of all.

The Screenplay
A parallel narrative and converging plot format is used to tell the story, which includes numerous flashbacks and flashforwards by various major characters in multiple timelines - the past, present and future. Sometimes title cards are used to indicate the date, but not when the scene is obvious. It can get a little disorienting unless viewers pay close attention to the details.

How and why certain events transpire are quite convoluted and require too much deductive reasoning to derive a sense of what the answers could be. The credibility of certain characters is questionable while quite a number of the sequences appear utterly ridiculous and fantastical, despite the sci-fi tag. The seemingly lack of logic in certain respects of the overarching plot has led me to strongly suspect the screenwriters were high on recreational psychoactive substances as they were writing this.

Overall
The sooner viewers suspend disbelief and forgo questioning how the technology works by accepting the science as it is, the less confusing the show would appear to be. Regardless of the perceived weaknesses resulting from the flawed execution of the concept, I found myself enjoying the wild and, at times, exhilarating ride once I shut down my cerebral process and went instinctive. I would advise you to do the same for this is the only way to truly appreciate Sisyphus: The Myth. And if you do decide to watch this, be rest assured - the ending is very much a happy one, for everyone (kind of).

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