refordgarry

When you have a hit on your hands, such as "Tangerines", is that not a clear message that audiences need MORE like this? Too few kdramas fit into the comfortable "family" genre nowadays, in preference for pigeon-holed categories, and so much the loss, both for ratings and box-office.

What makes Tangerines so special is the sincerity of it all - life as a Korean on an undeveloped island through bad times and good. The method of delivery is also unique, in that each episode is very anecdotal, dealing with themes and human experiences across the span of three family generations. No straightforward, chronological storyline here, more a set of interleaving "storylets" and recollections that span some 50 years of often harrowing family trials and tribulations . I have to admit it is sometimes quite a challenge to watch and re-arrange the scenes into past-present order, but easy-viewing is not what sophisticated audiences really crave. Since there's enough of that stuff already on all other channels.

My favorite character of this drama is definitely the grumpy Gwan-Sik, who, just like his equivalent, Lee Dong-Sook in the kseries Our Blues (also set on Jeju) undergoes genuine movement and transformation from a truly hateful person into one more accepting and integrated into Life. There are strong characters and those not so strong, thanks to writing or just actor personality, but nonetheless Well Done! I would definitely recommend "Tangerines".

For those old enough to have witnessed the Alan Bardel 1964 version, glued to their flickering TV screens, transfixed by the gothic horror and grime, this one was going to be a hard act to follow. To film this, in a modern age, with all the demands of hi-res, colour and costumes was a very brave attempt, and for that I genuinely applaud the effort......... however, it could have been done a WHOLE LOT better, which probably suggests that even with all the EU tax breaks (and other backhanders) there simply were not enough Euros in the chest to really give justice to the Dumas classic. The UK actor Sam Claflin, as Edmond Dantes had screen presence, but arguably not enough ruggedness to really carry the role, in comparison with a persona of Jeremy Iron's gravitas (cellmate Abbe Faria). One big gripe was about the buried treasure. The chests, after having lain for 300 years would have been infested with guano, cobwebs and bat feces, if not totally decimated by Time, but looked like something recently bought on E-bay. Bad move, my continuity guys! Despite all - I'm watching to the end, and I will do my hardest to enjoy it!

Enjoyed countless k-dramas over past years, but lately too much generic "pigeon-holed" K-Trash is marring this once good product - too generic and downright predictable - which is why I gave "8-Show" a try. The series DOES attempt to imitate the structural vicissitudes of modern life, and it HAS to some extent been inspired by The Squid Game (2022) and El Hoyo (2019), though 8-Show tried to carve a more highfalutin path than the barbarous Squid Game, preferably more "Brezhnev" than "Stalin" in its execution. The show, at least kept me engaged till the finish, but was at times a little too melodramatic and occasionally sadistic. The conclusion might have worked equally well for a K-School drama as for a K-Noir. But, since it's the 8-Show I'm happy to award it an "8".