Happiness (2021)

Questionable, but Justified

Happiness, when I heard the name, I thought it would be a rom-com, specially with Hyung Sik and Han Hyo Joo on board.. Totally unexpected setting, a very interesting start, questionable actions by a lot of characters, you find them dumb and stupid until you finish and really think about the situation they were in.

To be honest, until we are dropped into a hellish situation where there is no food, no water, no protection, no electricity, being completely oblivious from the outside world.. Leaving them completely clueless about when they can get out, and where each and everyone starts doubts the person next to them..

We cannot really judge them for doing stupid things, because in such a scenario nobody would be sane.

It's easy to think that why did he do that, he could have done that, because we are watching from a third person perspective, but in a similar situation most of us would probably end up doing similar things..

So in the end, I think the 'stupid' 'dumb' things the characters did, were not non-sense or not logical, because many of them already were 'lacking' many things in life or some of them were already devilish in nature. Their actions were based on what they had gone through in their life..

Might be a stretch, but some of the characters fit into the list of sins really well.. Some had multiple traits even..

Pride - Oh Ju Hyung / Doctor (Who thinks everyone is beneath them)
Lust - Koo Hae Song / Attorney (Who craved into lust)
Gluttony - Kim Dong Hyun / Vlogger (His hunger for content was unbelievable)
Greed - Woo Sang Hee (Her desire for crypto never ended till last minute)
Envy - Cleaner Couple (They risked everything to get what others had)
Wrath - Andrew / Murder (No need to even explain.. )
Sloth - Kim Jeong Gook / Police Detective (He didn't want to be involved with anything.. )

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Great suspense and an endearing friends to lovers romance ....

Will this end on a cynical, happy or tragic note? Finding out the answer kept me on the edge of my seat for all 12 episodes. More thriller than horror, Happiness reminded me of the old X-files series in the US. The main couple treat each other as equals, long time friends who can communicate without speaking a word. They both are bad*ss and excel at their jobs.

Similar to his role in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Hyungsik is excellent at portraying someone who is head over heels for the woman next to him - in all her strengths and weaknesses. Han Hyo-joo does an excellent job of portraying very grounded, protective qualities with no patience for the strong hurting the week.

The ~12-16 side characters are distinctive with GOOD and BAD qualities that are played as archetypes/caricatures. Overwhelmingly, the bad qualities are delusion, greed, and narcissism. Despite exaggerated portrayals, I thought the personalities represented were accurate and rare to see. I was as invested in side plots as I was the main plot, and didn't feel any urge to skip the side character scenes.

(*SPOILER* big minus points for interjecting a needless serial killer storyline, and also using the sociopathic doctor one too many times)

The music was really well done with two very distinctive styles: amped up/industrial and mournful, nostalgic guitar. The two different music styles kept you guessing as to whether the show would end happily or sadly.

Rewatch - I'm not sure about rewatch, but definitely a lot of the visuals are going to stick in my head, I felt like I was stuck in the apartment building with them and that I knew these characters and cheered them (well some of them) on.

(*SPOILER* minus points for making the end scenes not at all reflect the depth of the show - it was like all the trauma etc. was all magically erased)

I grade on other criteria as well:

Themes: 8.5
Greed and never-ending desires are the downfall of human beings. Continuing to be narcissistic, self-centered, and fantasizing about triumphing over others in crisis are unfortunate traits in many. Trauma and tragedy often magnify the character traits that already existed. Keeping grounded in reality, surrounded by family and friends can keep hope alive and the ability to continue to be a community minded human being. Home, family (blood or found) are the keys to happiness. Overcoming disappointment early in life and finding reasons to live can provide resilience in tough circumstances down the road.

(*Spoiler* if the show had ended differently, I would have given the themes a higher score, but in the last 15 minutes it's like the whole disease never happened.)

Complex characters/Character Growth: 7
The general was an excellent complex character, with a mix of opportunism and a moral center. The rest didn't so much grow as illustrate how different types of people respond to crisis. It was realistic that people would still obsess over real estate portfolios, wealth and how to take advantage of a crisis for their own benefit. I also thought it was realistic that people would take silly risks on the optimism that they were special/unique or wouldn't trust others evaluation of the dangers until they had experience it themselves.

Complex women characters/Relationships between Women: 7.5
Yoon Sae-Boom is a really wonderful mix of caring, nurturing and can't stand societal niceties. Despite her slight figure, you never feel like she couldn't kick *ss and take names. It was a realistic blend too, not whiplash between two different selves. I liked the range of women presented and also a minor theme about how women handle crisis vs men. The show, however, had a ratio of 1:1 women to men characters, and the women didn't have rich relationships with each other.

Production Values/Cinematography: 9
There were some really striking visual scenes, great use of music and realistic fight scenes with lots of grappling and use of the human body. In this era of CGI, the real zombies and physical fighting were very much welcome. 1 point off as it was completely unbelievable (esp. given the number of cars in the parking lot) how few residents were in the building when it was locked down - the lack of people just felt odd.

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Blends the story of love and thriller in a well executed drama

Happiness, as the name sounds, isn't all about happiness though. This thriller drama sees an apocalyptic world where virus has created a havoc and residents of an apartment are surviving for their life.

Happiness had a decent story with a very good production and overall visuals. The soundtrack though, was the best part in the entire drama. The music tuned to the perfect rhythm along with the key moments in the series.

Not forgetting about the leads who gave a commendable performance and maintained romantic chemistry among themselves. It might not be a part of my Top 5 drama of the year, but it was a very well made show which blended multiple genres/aspects and delivered a convincing result.

My Rating : 7.5/10

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100% FL/ML chemistry and worth the watch!

Came here without knowing who the cast were, never watched them before and super love them! The FL and ML pairing is so so good.

The show starts off slow and I honestly wanted to drop at episode 1 especially during the high school scene because I don’t see where this was going. Glad I held on til at least episode 3 and binge watched in 3 days.

The zombies are not as crazy and intense as Kingdom where is was just non-stop. The zombies here are a lil docile, I’d say. There is gore still, seeing how this is a K-drama. But if you can handle Kingdom, you can handle this.

The supporting characters are what made this show shine on top of the leads. They are SO GOOD at being such hate-able characters! The doctor and the building rep homg. You really see how selfish humans can become when faced with a crisis.

The pacing overall is good except for the rushed ending.

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You Are My Home

There are some flaws with Happiness, like the ending for example. Not only was it sad because of the victims of the serial killer, but I had wished to see him prosecuted because of it. Instead there wasn't much on that. I also wished to see more of the general and his wife, but you only saw him give the antibodies to her. The ending wasn't bad because of that, because all of it was pretty much wrapped up in the end. You saw the general have a happy ending, although it didn't go into too much detail. In the end, Sae-Bom realizes her love for Yi-Hyun and calls him her home. Happiness did not focus on the outbreak, as it is pretty much contained to the apartment, but rather Sae-Bom and Yi-Hyun. The outbreak was a plot device for her to realize how he was her home. That was the reason I loved this show. :-)

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a narrative about human nature

one of the few "hyped up" dramas I have seen recently that I felt was maybe...underhyped. I was truly surprised by this drama. due to the nature of the story, it is not plothole free, but it did a wonderful job of depicting the reality of human nature in times of crisis. the main leads have earned themselves a forever fan in me with their work in this drama as well.

I think part of what makes this drama stand out is that it is one of those stories that takes place in the midst of an "action crisis," a conflict that could quickly become a story of fight scenes and drama. however, amidst this plotline is a narrative of human nature. beautifully done, morally grey characters that you can't help but empathize with one moment, yet you truly despise the next. the focus on the people did leave some plot holes that I think may detract from the story on a second watch when you are less invested in the suspense of the story. however, it is a compromise that results in a truly unique first-watch experiance.

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Is a microbe more dangerous than a man?

I have just finished watching this drama after having it for almost 2+ months on my watch list. I expected this to be a hard core zombie series where zombies come out and keep on biting on other people and so on and on. But turns out that's not the case. It is pretty different than most of the dramas and movies that featured a virus outbreak. So it definitely is a new experiment which I loved a lot. As the series progresses we understand that in the society there are terrifying beings called humans that are far more dangerous than a mere microbe. The class difference, ill treatment towards inferiors, con-artists, overly - selfish mindsets, all these are subtly shown all along the series with a minimum number of characters and that's on the writer.

And coming to the acting, the leads did a very good job. Unlike many dramas where leads date a lot and get a happily ever after married card towards the end, our leads here join the marriage gang first and then start opening up to each other. NGL Park Hyung Sik gives out amazing ahjussi vibes. And all the supporting characters in the series keep on annoying you at some point or the other. And I believe if an actor is able to annoy you via their character that means they did a good job. So, over all the acting is really good.

I certainly did not find any unique characteristics that I can mention about the technicality behind the drama and I have no complaints too. So I can say that all the off-screen action was just as it should be.

Would I re-watch it? Maybe to watch the leads' chemistry but not in terms of the story. But this series is definitely a reminder that homo sapiens are to be dreaded more than any virus. Period.

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NOT a long review but is short and sweet :)

Firstly all I need to say is that this show has me checking ever 2 minutes on Friday and Saturday if the episodes are out.. I wish I was lieing 😩

WATCH THE SHOW ITS SO GOOD!!! ONE OF THE BEST I'VE SEEN SO FAR!!!!

It really keeps you engaged and hooked. I need them to start releasing all episodes at the same time if they are going to be this quality of a show...

I don't even need anything to happen between the fl and the ml as long as none of them die, if one of them or the little girl dies I'm changing my rating for the show 🤓

Yeah so that concludes my review..idk if it was helpful but it give a different view point I think lol. No joke though the series is so freaking good, Can't get over it 🙊

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La dupla protagónica pide a gritos una comedia romántica

Bueno........ como empezar una reseña de un drama que se perfilaba como uno de mis favoritos del año y me dejo un sabor agridulce al final sin que suene como un hater??
En líneas generales el drama cumple con todo lo propuesto, la historia esta bien guionada porque la enfermedad no sale de la nada y mal explicada sino que toman un contexto real (fantástico pero real) y lo llevan a una situación limite. La química de la pareja protagonista es preciosa de principio a fin y los personajes de reparto cumplen todos con su rol en lo que una situación como la del encierro produciría en la gente.
Los puntos mas fuertes del drama (para mi) son la química de los protagonistas y a la par o tal vez un poco más, los actores de reparto y seamos honestos quien no pensó en matar a varios de ese grupo en el trayecto del drama??? por momentos el problema no era estar encerrados con una pandemia nacional afuera sino que estar encerrado con esas personas cada vez menos humanas.


(SPOILERS)



Los puntos negativos de este drama creo que son más personales que claros pero no creo estar tan alejado de una opinión objetiva, primero que nada, es la vía que tomo el drama de no cargarse a ningún personaje principal osea cuanto más fuerte habría sido el final si terminara en el 11 con la muerte de park hyun sik? Estamos rodeados de personas cada vez menos humanas, con varios infectados afuera y un gobierno al borde de abandonarlos y un loco asesino entre ellos pero nadie muere, este me parece un error gravísimo y que para mi le costo seriedad a toda la situación critica que vivieron.
Otro punto serian los antagonistas que venían a pasear y como llegaban se iban, con estos me refiero al hombre rico que mordió a la esposa del teniente coronel han que parecía ser un personaje pesado pero no lo fue y al asesino "andrew" personaje que mostro la cara 15 minutos en 12 capítulos y que en realidad no aporto con sus asesinatos porque para que fueran relevantes tuvieron que intervenir la representante del complejo y el oh joo hyung.
El punto final es completamente personal y es que el ultimo capitulo fue un completo relleno solo para mostrar que la pareja tuvo su final feliz y todo pudo volver a la normalidad.

Como dije en líneas generales el drama es bueno y cae al final pero no deja de ser lindo, se los recomiendo muchísimo en caso de que gusten los dramas de zombies

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Good thriller where the real monster is the human nature of some people

This action drama is centred on an outbreak of a new virus, making people mad and almost "zombie"-like. The story has some investigation and action sides, but is also foremost exploring the consequences and psychological impact that has the outbreak on the people living a new lockdown in a building. The show feels honestly pretty realistic after the last couple of years and the COVID pandemic. It has also a creepy but real take on the collective life in apartments and the relationships with the neighbours within a building.

I like a lot the the female and the male leads from some of their previous dramas: they did not disappointed me here!!! They had a great chemistry together and were both credible in the action scenes and more emotional ones. The secondary cast was also pretty convincing playing some revolting parts...I was utterly disgusted by the incredibly selfish behaviours and horrible acts done by some of the characters...

The OST was good, not overwhelming with some soothing songs with a lot of soul and some dramatic tunes really fitting the series. I found the making pretty good though quite classic: it was efficiently delivering in terms of thrills but maybe lacked a bit in terms of suspense and horror elements.

I would recommend this to people looking for an action drama with an interesting psychological side. Despite the concept of the show, the horror vibe is pretty mild. There are of course a lot of blood, some jump scares and thrilling action sequences, but the horrific side is quite subdue and more relating to the human nature of some people. Frightening truth: most of the time human beings are indeed scarier than monsters...

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Different and Enjoyable

I don't normally go for zombie content because I generally think it gets too repetitive and doesn't reflect well on what the horror genre can truly offer BUT I enjoyed Happiness particularly because the zombies aren't what we usually see. You've got your standard virus outbreak causing people to turn into mindless flesh-eating savages but this is only for a limited time, after which they become lucid and can speak, think, and behave like a regular person before their next 'episode'. With each episode you have, the less likely you are to come out of the zombie-like state.

The stakes might seem lower than the usual zombie infections we're used to from other zombie content but I enjoyed this twist because it raises the moral and ethical considerations of killing someone who is infected, which we do see in the show. In a series like The Walking Dead, there's no question about putting down a zombie; it's not a person, they're already dead. But in Happiness, wait out the episode and you'll be able to have a conversation with the person who attacked you. Maybe this isn't what some zombie enthusiasts would enjoy, but I thought it made the scenario quite interesting. One line I absolutely loved was in a scene where the main leads were forced to do something that might attract the zombies toward them so they asked for a weapon but they were told instead, "You said the infected are people too. Sort it out through conversation."

Classism rears its ugly head here as well, with the richer residents continuously insisting they deserve more than the renters on the lower floors simply because they have more wealth. I quite liked this aspect of the story as well. It baffles me personally how someone would think money holds any value in the middle of an apocalypse, especially because they don't truly know when or if life will go back to normal. I just think it made for an interesting commentary on society. At a time when people should be coming together to help each other survive, instead we see humanity crumbling away.

I also loved the OST. It felt quite different from the usual soundtracks we hear and added a lot to the tone of the show.

I give this an 8 because although there was a lot I liked about this, there were some decisions the characters made that seemed a bit out of place and the ending left me wondering about a couple of story threads (but nothing major). Some of the character stories could have been expanded on a little more as well and I also felt that, for a show about zombies, more could have been done with the element of suspense.

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Unique and enjoyable story despite a lot of unfulfilled potential

Likes:
-The premise of a zombie outbreak in a post-covid world was really interesting, especially with it being more of a rabies-like virus where people had violent episodes before going back to normal. It raised a lot of interesting questions about whether they were still human, whether it was a moral failing, whether they could resist their thirst, and whether they could go back to being a part of society after being cured.
- A lot of people have complained about the tone being inconsistent or unrealistic, but honestly, given what we now know about how people responded to COVID, it felt realistic to how a zombie apocalypse might actually play out. It wasn't all violence and gore, but instead it was filled with people trying to go about their lives as normal while an unsettling, suspenseful feeling pervaded everything. Those with power tried to maintain the status quo, many didn't want to believe the true horror of what was going on, and others tried to take advantage of the situation to their own benefit. It showed how you could remain hopeful and find happiness amid an apocalyptic event. The soundtrack was great in setting up that both suspenseful but hopeful tone.
-Lastly, of course, Han Hyojoo and Park Hyungshik's characters and chemistry were great and kept me interested even when the plot started to drag and get inconsistent. I'm a sucker for slow burn and friends to lovers romances, and I loved that they always cared for each other from the start. They were both equally badass, and they both saved each other in so many ways.

Dislikes:
-A lot of the questions posed in the first half were kind of abandoned in the end, and the moral/lesson was unclear (the power of love? Help your loved ones before others? Leaving the infected to die works? The rich and powerful will get away with it?)
-It was also ridden with plot holes, like if Saebom had the antibodies that would save everybody, how come they didn't get her out of the apartment sooner? How was everything outside back to normal that fast?
-The side character's motivations weren't really fleshed out super well, and Andrew, 1201 ajumma, and 601 ajusshi were basically just evil foils to our righteous ML and FL (copaganda much?)
-They really kissed while Yihyun was infected?? Insane behavior.

Conclusion: it didn't quite live up to it's potential, but boy, did I enjoy the ride. Objectively this should probably a 6.5/7, but it was a 9 in my heart, so we'll average it at 8.

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