Early Access: Navillera E1 (Patreon)

E1. Ooh. I like this one a lot, and right away.

I mean, I'd heard that Show might take a while to grow on me, particularly because the initial episodes can be rather melancholic, but.. I'm pleasantly surprised that this doesn't deter my fast-growing affection for this show, like, at all. There is melancholy, true, and there is a sense of heartache pulsing through our narrative, but - and I find this very key - Show's touch is very gentle. Even when our characters are experiencing moments of sadness or angst, I can feel that they are in gentle, loving hands, and I have this assurance that they are on a path to better, brighter and more hopeful days. I really like that.

I'm not sure if I can sufficiently put a finger on why, but a lot of this episode felt more like a movie than a drama, to my eyes. In part, it's the emphasis on show, rather than tell, as Show works to give us a sense of our key characters and their respective contexts; in part, I think it's in how the act of showing us their contexts feels like a collection of vignettes that we need to piece together to create a whole picture in our minds; perhaps, in part, it's also the general quiet, restrained mood in which this is all done. There's just something a little more.. mature and sophisticated in how our set-up is communicated, I feel, than the average kdrama.

At the same time, there's also how large the music is, in our drama world. Every time we hear the ballet music play, it's swirling, assertive and it takes over everything that's on the screen. It feels quite epic and momentous, and that could also be adding to my sense, that Show is more cinematic than the average drama.

I have a huge soft spot for Park In Hwan, because he was such a sweet dad in the second kdrama I ever watched, Save Your Last Dance For Me, and it's so nice to have him on my screen again.

I find myself growing fond of Deok Chul right away; he's got such an amiable air about him. Plus, it's also clear that he cares about his friends. When the other guys at the funeral wonder about why certain friends aren't present, it's Deok Chul who's able to rattle off the reasons, off the top of his head. The only reason he's able to do that, is because he cares enough to keep track of everyone. And, it seems like Deok Chul is the only person who has enough compassion, to visit his friend Gyo Seok at the nursing home, who's been abandoned even by his own family. Just in these things alone, it's easy to see that Deok Chul has a big heart with a lot of love, and I already want him to overcome any and all obstacles, to achieve his ballet dreams.

I love how it's clear to see that ballet truly moves Deok Chul, down to his very soul. The way the music from the practice studio stops him in his tracks, and the way he watches Chae Rok rehearse, entranced, it's as if he's helpless against the pull of ballet. At the same time, there's a distinct sense of wistfulness about him, as he watches.. it quickly becomes clear that watching and appreciating ballet isn't enough to satisfy the desire of his soul. He wants to be able to submerge himself even more fully in the beauty of ballet, by dancing it.

I can understand why Deok Chul would have kept his ballet dreams under wraps all these years. After his father had forbade him to dance, I'm sure the pressures of life, and the need to provide for his family, easily pushed any thoughts of ballet to the back of his mind. And, it does seem like Deok Chul would have been willing to settle for watching on the sidelines, until Gyo Seok's suicide jolts him to take hold of his dream, all over again.

I must say, I'm impressed with the fact that Song Kang studied ballet in order to prepare for this role. That's no easy task, and to my untrained eyes, it seems that he's doing a very solid job of the dancing required. Of course, I do think that he has a body double for the more complicated dance shots, but there are enough shots which feature his face, to convince me that he's learned more ballet than most people could learn, in the months that he's spent studying it.  Even his non-dancing posture, when he's doing regular people things like walking and standing,  strikes me as that of a ballerino, with shoulders squared and thrust out. Really well done, I say.

Personally, I do think that Song Kang's an actor who could still use some additional layers to his acting, but, as with Sweet Home, I do think that this role suits him well. The sense of bottled up melancholy that Chae Rok exudes, is something that Song Kang does well. There's a shadow that hangs over Chae Rok that gives him an almost plaintive sort of air, and I'm curious to learn more about him.

What's the deal with his dad, and why does Chae Rok have estranged "friends" who vibe like bullies, coming to low-key threaten him at his place of work? And, why does Chae Rok seem to feel indebted to them? The situation between him and his father seems complicated. The fact that Chae Rok struggles with whether or not to meet his father upon his release, is very telling.

On the one hand, it feels like he doesn't think it's worth it, which is why he goes to the audition instead of the prison on his father's day of release, and yet, on the other hand, he seems to really want a connection with his father, judging from the way he forsakes the audition he's been preparing so hard for, in order to go to the prison. How disappointing for him, that he doesn't get to see his father, and only finds out later via a very brief phone call, that Dad's already left for Daecheon for a job. Poor Chae Rok. He clearly wants more from his father, but Dad is clearly withholding more.

I can already feel in my bones, the huge potential for a symbiotic relationship between Deok Chul and Chae Rok. Chae Rok would be able to teach Deok Chul ballet, and help him achieve his dream, while Deok Chul would be able to share his earnest, clear-eyed passion for ballet with Chae Rok, who's become quite jaded over time. And perhaps, just maybe, Deok Chul might become the father figure that Chae Rok is so clearly hungry for. Augh. Just the thought of it makes me happy.