Our Blues

Wow.

I just watched the final episode. I don't think I can properly put into words how amazing this show has been, but I'll give it a shot.

So Our Blues is a series where they follow a close knit group of people who live on Jeju. Where we get a number of episodes each which mainly focus on a couple of them and something dramatic which happens to them. And oh boy does it get dramatic. In the absolute best sense of the word.

The actors, all of them are amazing in their roles. Even the child actors are fantastic. Every one of them does a great job to drag you into their emotional situations and make you believe it's real, and makes you understand the character even if their choices would not be your own and empathise with them.

The stories are amazing. Every time you they changed the spotlight to different characters, I wished for it to remain with the ones we had before as I liked them so much, only for the new characters to become my new favourites. I didn't really care for the two teens at first, untill we got to their story and some of the most intense scenes I have ever seen when they talked to their fathers. Luckily most characters are seen throughout the series even when their story is done. So it's not like their story is done and then we don't see them again.

I laughed, I cried, and then I cried some more. The scene where Lee Byung-hun's character films the snowy mountain.... I think this will hit everybody more as they get older. I don't think I can watch that scene without getting teary eyed.

I can not stress enough how much I loved watching "Our Blues". This is must see tv. With one of the most perfect endings I have ever seen. Watch it, watch it, watch it!

Stories of all characters are moved as s%##!

Wonderful drama, need some tissues between each stories.

Wonderful acting, wonderful stories, wonderful scenario.

What else?

Not a character miscast. Not an emotion overplayed. Not a storyline over-told. Absolutely flawless.

The technical details - not a single goof. The cinematography... breathtaking. The writing: quite nearly voyeuristic as we share these lives and learn their most intimate secrets.

That exceedingly talented (adorable!) little girl. The heartbreaking revelation of domestic violence. The genius introduction of a gifted artist. The profound bleakness of depression. The stigma of teen pregnancy. Through it all, the poignant need of a neglected boy who only ever wanted to hug his mom. Even after all those years.

And how all of those tragic elements pale in comparison to joy of belonging.

This entire show can be summed up in one word. Exquisite.

In the in the 1960's French filmakers created masterpieces centered around interactions of famiy's, their villages. They were perfectly nuanced, true. Korea has taken over the genre . Netflix has presented these to a global market and I am grateful. Korea has incredible actors, writers, directors... to me a KO is step beyond US, China, Japan...on the par or better than Britain, Scandinavia.

Each actor in 'Our Blues' is spot on. Hard to favor one over another, but Lee Byung Him(?) des Qqq a masterful job. Compare this role to his restrained, disciplined Officer in Mr. Sunshine . Here he plays, an angry manchild, unable to form a meaningful connection to others.

Korean drama can be a bit prone to melodrama, with overacting and padded storylines being the main weakness. But 'Our Blues' avoids these pitfalls and delivers consistently fine storytelling, excellent acting and thoroughly engaging scripts and screenplay. This is top-notch drama delivering many deeply poignant scenes as the ensemble cast reveal their life struggles. If you want to dip your toe into the global phenomenon of K-drama, then this is the perfect starting point.