Yep, 'Kill Me, Heal Me' Indeed Killed DID Better than 'Hyde, Jekyll, Me'

When I wrote about Hyde, Jekyll, Me last month, I mentioned about its curious case with another network’s drama series, Kill Me, Heal Me, which not only aired at the same timeslot as Hyde, Jekyll, Me, but also has the same premise – a chaebol(South Korean term for family-controlled conglomerate) man suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) or multiple personality disorder because of a traumatic experience in his childhood.  I also mentioned that according to some reviews that I read about it, the latter drama series is actually better, which got me curious, and I hinted, though didn’t commit, that I might give it a look.

Well, I did give it a look.  In fact, I watched the entire series.  It did take a while before KMHM (I will be abbreviating Kill Me, Heal Me from now on) grew on me.  Maybe because I’ve just recently watched HJM (will be abbreviating Hyde, Jekyll, Me, too) and the similarities were hindrances in immediately providing me a fresh experience.  It was only around episode 7 – the part wherein the reason behind the series’ title was revealed – that I found myself completely enjoying it.  At that point, I began to feel that those reviews that said Kill Me, Heal Me is better than Hyde, Jekyll, Me were turning out to be right.  KMHM explores its themes more deeply, its plot holds up much more satisfactorily, and it’s just smarter overall.  The writing is smarter.  And the characters behave smarter – or, at least, know how to think much better than the characters of HJM (yep, it can’t be helped; I will be comparing the two several times throughout this article).

The plot of KMHM is centered on Cha Do-hyun, a member of the Seong Jin chaebol who, at the start of the story, is enjoying a productive academic life in the States.  However, an incident triggers his DID to manifest, the cause of which, as later revealed in the story, was a childhood trauma.  For the next 11 years, he refuses to go home to South Korea so that he can find treatment for his condition while hiding this fact from the Seong Jin family, who are pretty keen about reputation.  However, circumstance forces Do-hyun to go back to Korea, and on his return, he meets Oh Ri-jin, a first year psychiatry resident.  Oh Ri-jin eventually becomes Do-hyun’s personal psychiatrist, secretly treating him for his DID.  As the story progresses, the two learn the secrets of the past, tread the path to healing, and fall in love.

To be honest, I find nothing electrifying about the romance.  But it doesn’t matter.  The story is much more important anyway.  And KMHM truly has a complex and well-plotted story.  It’s full of intrigues and layered with great twists.  The well-developed, well-timed reveals of the story’s mysteries blew me away.  Details that are seemingly small and irrelevant are actually important or intertwine with something important.  Everything fits like a puzzle in the end.

Both HJM actor Hyun Bin and KMHM actor Ji Sung did an impressive job in playing different personalities distinctively.  However, though Hyun Bin was great in HJM, he was limited to two personalities to play.  Ji Sung, on the other hand, has seven personalities to play, hence, he has more room to show a more versatile performance.  It’s not as awesome as Tatiana Maslany’s performance in Orphan Black, but it’s really enjoyable to watch.

Meanwhile, Hwang Jung-eum as Oh Ri-jin is… well, she’s okay, I guess.  But she hams it up a lot when doing comedy.  I was almost turned off by how ridiculous her overacting is.  She makes up for it by being having a couple of fun and heartfelt character moments.

The six personalities that fragmented out of Cha Do-hyun

The most important thing that I find KMHM doing much better is its use of DID as a central plot device.  I’m not saying that KMHM is more scientifically accurate – it does have its share of absurdity – but it has used DID much better than how HJM used it in making an interesting story.  Moreover, not only does KMHM feature more personalities than HJM, but each personality has a sensible background on how he or she came to being.  These personalities are fleshed out properly.

Moreover, Oh Ri-jin also connected deeply with all personalities instead of focusing with one.  What I hated most about HJM is the female lead character’s one-sided focus of her love to a split personality, lack of understanding that the personalities are basically one, and lack of impact on the resolution of the male lead character’s DID.  I have none of these problems with Ri-jin.  She really was a significant element in the resolution of the DID problem, and it’s not only because she is a psychiatrist and a love interest, but there’s a great twist on why she is an important aspect of the recovery process.

Of course, it does have to rely on some typical tropes of Koreanovelas (or drama in general) – most particularly, the “small world coincidences” – for the narrative to work.  And there are also times when the narrative stumble into moments of gratuity and dumbness.  But despite some missteps, KMHMconsistently maintains its general trajectory of smart storytelling going toward a smart conclusion.  Despite the complexity of the plot – and the narrative’s need to juggle romance, mystery, suspense, and comedy – KMHM succeeds overall in telling a unique, entertaining, and thoughtful story.

KMHM doesn’t match the nigh-perfectness (in my eyes) of I Hear Your Voice.  But I’m really all praise about this series.  Except for the music.  The music sucks (except the ska-style music used during comedic moments, which I like).  But aside from this, I have nothing to complain.  I can say that I thoroughly liked KMHM.

So there you go.  At this point, I have already watched four complete Koreanovelas, and I have another series to check out next – Healers (will review this as soon as I’m finished with it.  I’m currently a third through episode one).  Plus, a label for Koreanovelas is now available for this blog.  So, I guess, it’s time – July 20, 2015.  10 p.m. (those who already watched KMHM will get this reference) – to officially declare that I’m now into Koreanovelas, too.

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‘Hyde, Jekyll, Me’ Gratifies, Then Dissatisfies

I just finished binge-watching Hyde, Jekyll, Me a few days ago. 

I think it’s still early to say that I’ve become a bona fide fan of Koreanovela (Filipino term for Korean TV series).  Hyde, Jekyll, Me is just the third Koreanovela that I was compelled to watch in its entirety.  Hence, the pool size is still small to make a definite conclusion.  But I guess this won’t probably be the last Koreanovela that I will binge-watch.  I think I Hear Your Voice really started something.  I extremely loved I Hear Your Voice, and I wondered if another Koreanovela could impact me as much.  My curiosity in replicating the experience with I Hear Your Voice led me to watch Pinocchio (which had the same lead actor and writer as IHYV).  I thought it wasn’t nearly as great, but I still enjoyed the show enough to see it through until its last episode.  Subsequently Pinocchiosomewhat led me to Hyde, Jekyll, Me, since the latter succeeded the former’s SBS time slot, and Hyde, Jekyll, Me might send me to follow another Koreanovela.

Anyway, Hyde, Jekyll, Me is a mix of romantic comedy and psychological thriller, and the premise is – as what the title implies – loosely inspired by the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel, Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.  It tells the story of Gu Seo-jin – the executive director of the theme park Wonder Land, and the next in line to be CEO of his family’s conglomerate, Wonder Group – who contracts DID (dissociative identity disorder), or most commonly known as “multiple personality disorder”, after experiencing a traumatic kidnapping when he was a kid.  The twist is – instead of a “Hyde” monster-personality emerging from a “Jekyll” normal-personality – the original personality Seo-jin is grave, heartless, cynical, and only cares for what benefits him, while the personality that emerged from his illness – who took the name “Robin” – is kind, cheerful, pleasant, possesses a Messiah complex, and creates comics.  Seo-jin and Robin have an understandable conflict with each other, but they nonetheless observe a set of protocols they have agreed on in order to survive and to keep Seo-jin’s condition a secret, one of which is to pretend that they’re twins.

A major shakeup in the existence of Seo-jin and Robin occurs at the arrival of Jang Ha-na, the new commandant of the circus show of Wonder Land.  Jang Ha-na becomes the key witness to the abduction of Dr. Kang, Seo-jin’s psychologist who, prior to her disappearance, revealed to him that she has found the cure to his condition.  But before he can get to her, she disappears, and Ha-na was the last to see her.  However, due to a traumatic encounter with the kidnaper, Ha-na can’t remember his face.  Desperate to find Dr. Kang, Seo-jin’s arranges for Ha-na to be kept protected as well as have hypnosis sessions with Dr. Kang’s talented protégé, Yoon Tae-joo, in order for her to remember the face of the abductor.

Amidst this, a love triangle ensues between Seo-jin, Robin, and Ha-na.  Initially unaware of the truth between Seo-jin and Robin, she buys their assertion that they’re twin brothers.  She gets closer to and develops feelings for Robin, whereas, on the other hand, butts heads with the insufferable Seo-jin.  However, later on, Seo-jin finds himself getting attracted to Ha-na, while she finds herself caring for him and be confused about it since she loves Robin.

This unique love triangle – two different personalities in one body loving the same girl – was the initial draw of this series on me.  This is the first time that such concept was explored (I don’t count Me, Myself, and Irene as a real love triangle involving split personalities), and I was intrigued.  The series was indeed able to use this fresh romantic scenario to create a delightfully complex dynamic... most of the time (I’ll get back to this later).

Another intriguing element of Hyde, Jekyll, Me is the suspense and mystery brought by the psychological thriller aspect of the story.  The utilization of psychological concepts in the plot was nicely done.  The science is obviously wobbly, but it did have an enjoyable presence, which reminded me of the psychology books I’ve enjoyed in the past (including Sybil which detailed the real-life story of Sybil Dorsett, who suffered from 16 different split personalities). There were a couple of well-done twists but these can be predicted if one would carefully observe the details being provided as the narrative progressed.  Nevertheless, the storytelling was gripping in respect to this aspect of the series.

During, the first 16 or so episodes of Hyde, Jekyll, Me, I felt that the series had a good chance of catching up with my fondness for I Hear Your Voice.  There was a lot of dumb in it, but there was a sufficient dose of smarts in it, too.  The dilemma of the multifaceted romance was also seemingly going into a gratifying resolution.  The message that the story was trying to sold us on were working well, too.  There were flaws that I nitpicked for a while, but they didn’t linger in my mind long since I was enjoying it much.  It was in good position during those 16 episodes or so.

But all that good was not sustained till the end.  I was much unsatisfied of where the story went.  I was frustrated that a story that was generally well-told at that point is ruined by bad writing in its closing episodes.  There were parts that were stretched which I felt weren’t necessary to stretch, and parts that were rushed which I felt should have been mined and expounded more.  The resolution of the dilemma of the romance was disappointing in so many points.  The narrative spent a lot of time on the side of the love triangle the audience was definitely least interested on.  Sure, it eventually shifted to the more interesting side, but the transition towards it was poorly and limitedly executed.

The bulk of Hyde, Jekyll, Me is pretty good.  The characters are pretty likable.  The romance was riveting (before it got to its closing episodes).  There was enthralling things in many parts of its narrative.  The themes explored were thoughtful.  The humor, drama, and tension have good chemistry.  The acting was fantastic – especially by Hyun Bin (Seo-jin/Robin) and Sung Joon (Tae-joo).  So there’s enjoyment to be found in this series.  Unfortunately, the bad ending significantly diluted the story.

Hyde, Jekyll, Me was like getting a seven course dinner in which you find the first six courses scrumptious, but an awful dessert was served in the end.   It was a generally pleasing meal, but you still left with a bad taste in your mouth.

Miscellaneous musings – WITH SPOILERS:

• Gu Seo-iin is, by far, the best character in the series.  The characterization and character development were so well-done.  I was rooting for him all series long.
• Han ji-min was a descent actress.  However, her character, Jang Ha-na, suffered the most from the bad writing.  I was hoping that Ha-na would find herself being in love with both Robin and Seo-jin, and after her struggles, she would eventually figure out a way to reconcile her feelings for the two personalities, and be the ultimate factor in making them whole.  For a while, it felt like the story was indeed going there.  But that didn’t happen.  Instead, Ha-na focused her love on Robin, and kept on insisting that her love was solely for the Robin personality.  Heck, they even got married (so dumb).  She doesn’t seem to comprehend – as well as most of the characters around them – that though Robin is a distinct personality from Seo-jin, he is nonetheless a creation of Seo-jin’s subconscious, and still a part – an extension – of Seo-jin.  All those things she loved about Robin is basically hidden somewhere inside Seo-jin.  And if ever Seo-jin gets cured from his DID, he and Robin should merge (just like the case with Sybil Dorsett.  When she got cured, she recovered or absorbed every memory and quality of her other 15 selves).  Sure, in the end, that exactly what happened – “Robin” was integrated into Seo-jin, and the two got together.  However, there was no real development about it.  I never really see Ha-na identifying Seo-jin himself as the man she loves.  It felt like she only get to love him because the qualities of Robin emerged from him.  Throughout the last episodes, it seemed Ha-na would have even preferred for Robin to fully take over Seo-jin’s body and life rather than for Seo-jin to get cured from his illness.  All of these kind of portrayed Ha-na as dumb and superficial.
• Sung Joon delivered a very compelling performance as the “big bad” of the story.  His transition from a pleasant, caring Yoon Tae-joo to a vengeful, obsessive Lee Soo-hyun was nearly as impeccable as Hyun Bin’s distinctive portrayal of Seo-jin and Robin.
• Detective Na’s Conan O’Brien hairstyle was enough to make me laugh at the character.  But actor Lee Joon-hyuk is legitimately funny.
• Min Woo-jung’s cheer dance routine was pretty amusing and charming.
• A gorilla named Bing Bing – which was seemingly brought to life by a mix of bad CGI and an actor in an ape suit – played a big part during a significant scene in the pilot.  I was a bit disappointed she (he?) never appeared in the series again.  Come to think of it, there was no other circus animal featured.  And I never saw an official performance from the Wonder Circus.
• An element of the story which I hoped was further explored in detail was “Terry”, the third personality that came out when Robin was brought to the edge.  In connection, it was revealed that Ha-na isn’t the first girl that Seo-jin and Robin loved at the same time.  But these details merely had fleeting referencing, and didn’t have any substantial contribution to the plot.  Thus, in the end, it felt like a needless plot detail resulting from bad writing.
• I didn’t like the music at first, but it eventually grew on me.  “♪ Because of you… Because of you-uuuuuu…  ♪ lalalalalalalalalala… ♫ Because of you…. Now I can say, ‘I love you’…. ♫ Lalalala. ♪”
• Interesting note: MBC’s Kill Me, Heal Me – a Koreanovela that has a similar premise of a woman falling in love with someone that has multiple personalities – aired at the same time slot as Hyde, Jekyll, Me.  Intriguingly, according to what I read, the former is better than the latter.  Hmmm.  I might check it out.  Might.
• I welcome any recommendations on what Koreanovela I should try next.  Just take note that I’m looking for something that can recapture the magic of I Hear Your Voice. 

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'I Hear Your Voice' is the Koreanovela that Has Made Me Invested... and Swoon

“Koreanovelas” (Filipino term for TV drama series from South Korea) are never my thing.  Yes, there were times when some Koreanovelas would have some details or aspects that were able to stir my curiosity enough to make me catch some episodes.  But none really were capable of completely clinching my interest, turning any slight amount of fancy I had into total fandom. 

The closest one to do so was probably Lovers in Paris, most likely because it was the first Koreanovela that reached our shores (if I remember it correctly), gave me my first idea of Korean pop culture (“Aja!” is an expression I first learned here, and it’s an expression I like since then), thus, had the advantage of novelty; eventually, the plot succumbed to hackneyed soap opera tropes (which our typical Filipino drama series suffer from), obliterating any extent of liking I had on the show.

With what I’ve laid out above, one may understand why I consider I Hear Your Voice (also alternatively titled as I Can Hear Your Voice) as the greatest Koreanovela ever.  Because after Lovers in Paris, thousands of Koreanovelas have popped up through the years, and it’s only this time with I Hear Your Voice that I got to love a Koreanovela series and get to be completely invested on it.  Being compelled to write about it is already a very telling hint of how much this series made an impression on me.  For me, it’s the greatest product that has ever come out of the Republic of Korea since kimbap and the Black Eagle (not really from Korea.  But it’s the first thing that I ever liked about Korea.  See Red Alert 2 for the reference).

I Hear Your Voice tells the story of Park Soo-ha and Jang Hye-sung.  When Soo-ha was just nine years-old, he and his father were assaulted by Min Joon-gook, a man that had a grudge with his father.  The trauma mysteriously gave Soo-ha the ability to hear other’s thoughts once he gets a glance of their eyes.  Joon-gook killed his father, and he was about to kill Soo-ha too when 15-year old Hye-sung timely arrived on the scene to disrupt him. 

During the trial, the death of Soo-ha’s father was about to be dismissed as a mere traffic accident, which would had resulted to the acquittal of Min Joon-gook, when Hye-sung arrived to testify against him.  This ensured Joon-gook’s indictment and imprisonment, and he threatened to kill Hye-sung once he gets out of jail. 

Hye-sung’s bold decision to come and testify had a strong impact on Soo-ha.   He developed an infatuation on her and vowed to protect her from Joon-gook. 

Ten years later, Soo-ha, a high school senior, remained love-struck and had learned martial arts to carry on his promise of protecting her; while Hye-sung became a lawyer and had been recently hired to be a public defender.  After reading in a neswspaper of Hye-sung’s employment, Soo-ha was able to track down his first love.  The two got to meet again after a decade, and Soo-ha would find himself aiding Hye-sung in her cases with his mind-reading power.    

Meanwhile, coincidentally, Min Joon-gook, still vengeful and bitter, was released from jail… 

Such is the set-up in which this awesome tale started off from.   (Watch the series to see how the rest of the story goes.)  

   

The show’s initial run was from June to August 2013.  But it was only this year that it was viewed in Filipino television when a local network dubbed and aired it during weeknights (as I write it, it’s still ongoing).  I got caught of it while browsing channels one night (probably while I was watching replays of games from the 2014 FIBA World Cup).  I was charmed, watched a few episodes, got hooked and intrigued enough to search and buy a DVD of the complete series, watched its entirety, loved the series from start to finish, and then proceeded to re-watch most of the episodes.

What’s so special about I Hear Your Voice?  First, the refreshing and exceptional romance between Soo-ha and Hye-sung was a thrill.  Initially, I admit that I was first drawn to it because of having personally fallen in love with an older girl (*cough*), I found the romance relatable.  But it didn’t just end there.  As I was drawn more to the story, I found the romance to be actually fascinating by itself.  It wasn’t shallow, uninspired, and gratuitous.  It was slowly but pleasingly well-developed; it felt justified and earned.  It was appealing, distinctive, and wholesome.  Hence, I was able to find those scenes designed for romantic purposes a delight to watch. 

Heck, this show even made me swoon!  That’s what is most surprising of all.  It’s something unlikely of me.  I’m never a fan of romances, though I do get fascinated by unique, genuinely enjoyable romantic chemistry and tension between two wonderful characters.  There’s even no need for an actual romance to happen between them, as long as the tense attraction between them are there.  Some examples of such are the “speculative romance” of Jughead and Betty, Batman and Wonder Woman’s quasi-romance in the Justice League animated series, the uneasy attraction between Frank Hardy and Nancy Drew (whenever the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew team up), Sherlock Holmes’ “the Woman” esteem for Irene Adler, and back when Peter Parker (a.k.a. Spider-Man) and Carol Danvers (then still Ms. Marvel) started dating in the comics.  (That’s an idea.  I probably need to list my most favorite fictional couples.)      

     

But cases of fictional couples making me be actually thrilled by their romance are rare.  Disney’s Aladdin and Jasmine were the earliest, I think, and the “Eye of the Beholder” episode from the animated series was arguably its highest point.  The most memorable instance was in Cinderella Monogatari, the anime reinvention of the iconic fairy tale, but that was a long, long time ago (There might be other recent ones, but nothing comes to mind as I write this.)  And now there’s Park Soo-ha and Jang Hye-sung. 

 

Second, its premise that combined romantic comedy, court room drama, fantasy, and suspense – each aspect important in making the story terrific – was executed and utilized effectively.  Having such a lot of different genre elements happening around the show seem to be ripe for an untidy narrative, but the series pulled it off fantastically.  The plot remained coherent, well-paced, poised, and impeccably balanced of humor and tension. 

It’s not really perfect.  I still found dumb details that I can nitpick if I want to.  But they can be forgiven.  This is a show that has a character that can read minds after all, so a little more suspension of disbelief regarding coincidences and lazy details for the narrative to stick isn’t that hard for me to give.  The result is a delightful story after all.  I cut them some slack.  I have no complains.      

Third, there is profundity in its message as well.  Insightful themes like telling the truth, keeping promises, admitting faults and mistakes, not wasting one’s life by succumbing to hate and revenge, and maturing as a person are powerfully articulated by the story.      

Fourth, and most importantly, there were plenty of great character moments.  I’ve always been a big fan of strong fictional characters (that’s why I write plenty of lists on them), and this series had plenty of interesting, deep characters that developed well through the story.  

*Warning: some spoilers ahead!*

The main characters, Park Soo-ha and Jang Hye-sung, were able to learn a lot of things from each other and from all the people they’ve encountered throughout the story.  Their experiences definitely helped them become wiser, more mature, and stronger as individuals and as a couple. 

Min Joon-gook was a terrifying but pitiful villain.  Warped with hate and obsessed with revenge, he served as a perfect anti-thesis of Soo-ha.  Soo-ha would have turned out to be the same if he didn’t have Hye-sung.  So, Soo-ha might have probably vowed to protect Hye-sung, and probably was able to carry it out to an extent, but it was really Hye-sung who saved Soo-ha from succumbing into an empty, hateful life. 

Aside from Min Joon-gook, the most important secondary character is the charmingly geeky and idealistic Cha Gwan-woo.  He’s a former cop who became a lawyer (and Lawyer Jang’s colleague) and completes the “love triangle” between Soo-ha and Hye-sung.  He’s not at all like the disruptive, unwanted “third party” kind of character that is typical of a “love triangle” romance.  He’s actually a great, noble character from whom both Soo-ha and Hye-sung gained a lot of wisdom from.  Though understandably infuriated of him at first (for being a rival who is deserving of Hye-sung more than him), Soo-ha would eventually consider Lawyer Cha as a better man and the person that helped him the most in maturing into an adult, worthy of Hye-sung’s love.  

Other notable characters in the series are Seo Do-yeon, Hye-sung’s high school adversary whose accusations led to the latter’s expulsion in high school, and then grew up to become a prosecutor and Hye-sung’s rival on the court; Lawyer Shin, a veteran public defender who is a mentor for Lawyer Cha and Lawyer Jang; Judge Kim, the judge constantly presiding the cases and always exasperated by Lawyer Jang; Go Sung-Bin and Kim Choong-ki, Soo-ha’s classmates and whose constant bickering is a source of constant amusement for us watching; and Eo Choon-shim, Hye-sung’s mother.    These characters all have key moments and worthwhile developments to follow in the show. 

All of these – romance, plot, themes, and characters – make I Hear Your Voice a fun, exhilarating ride with a fantastic finish.  I was happily satisfied by how the story carried on and concluded.  Its ending, especially, was an extremely satisfactory and empathic wrap-up, but still left some sadness for I would no longer know what will happen next to the characters’ stories that I got to be so invested in. 

For me, I Hear Your Voice is something like how a certain gentleman valued Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn.  This gentleman went to Mark Twain and told the author he wished he didn’t read Mark Twain, and was willing give a hundred dollars for it to be so.  His reason?  So he could have again the pleasure of reading Huckleberry Finn for the first time.

  

Really.  I found it astonishing that I found myself wishing I haven’t seen the series yet, so I can have the pleasure of watching it for the first time.  I Can Hear Your Voice is that awesome.             

Some assorted musings:

• Wow.  I wrote a long one.   Again, I guess I just really, really like this show.  And I am still completely baffled why I do.  Maybe my taste is changing as I grow older?  Hmmmm.      
• Hye-sung is six years older than Soo-ha.  In real life, Lee Bo-young and Lee Jong-suk, the actors who played them, actually have an age gap of ten years.  Fun trivia.
• Lawyer Shin makes some of the most hilarious facial expressions ever. 
• Out of its 18 episodes, my most favorite one is probably Episode 14.
• One creative thing about this show is each episode title is from a featured title or line from a song.  “Echo” (the theme song) and “Why Did You Come Now?” are the show’s best songs.  They’re in my current playlist.  I probably liked them only because they were of the show. 
• Fun chemistry was happening between Lawyer Cha and Prosecutor Seo during the last episode.  Too bad there was no real hint on where it would be going.       
• If Harry Potter’s epilogue is the worst ever, I Hear Your Voice has one of the best ever. 
• I think this is even the first time I even used the word “swoon” in a blog post.  /shaking my head.

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