Early Access: Move To Heaven E1 (Patreon)

E1. Show is really efficient, I have to say. Even before this first episode's 45 minutes are up, my heart's in my throat and I'm invested. That's impressive.

First of all, even though I knew that this show deals with death, I still wasn't prepared for our opening scene, where we see this episode's client Kim Seon U getting into that industrial accident. That was excruciating to watch, because it's literally disaster in slow motion, with him desperately trying to stop the machine from crushing his foot, and failing, and then just having to wait for contact to be made, as the machine slowly but surely closes in on his foot that's helplessly stuck. ACK. I literally almost dropped out of the drama, right then and there, even before the opening title cards showed up.

HOWEVER. I'm really glad that I persevered. I just kept telling myself that this wouldn't be the point of the show, and it's necessary set-up, and that once it was over, that would be it.

Because I hadn't actually read Show's synopsis before starting on my watch, I hadn't realized that our key character Geu Ru, is on the autism spectrum. I'd first noticed Tang Joon Sang as one of Hyun Bin's puppies in Crash Landing On You, so this is a very different role for him. I'm impressed with how he inhabits Geu Ru, in that I really do believe that Geu Ru is autistic, and therefore different in the way that he processes the world around him.

Show also does a nice job of showing us things from Geu Ru's perspective. I thought that introductory shot, of manta rays flying across the sky, then morphing into them swimming in water, was very poetic and interesting. This scene is also a very efficient introduction to Geu Ru's amazing memory and eye for detail.

Immediately, I like his friendship with Na Mu, because she clearly accepts him just as he is, and likes him for no other reason than that he's himself. I think it's great that Geu Ru has a friend who loves and accepts him unconditionally, and enjoys spending time with him. Hong Seung Hee is so different here, than in Navillera, where I just watched her as a much more introverted character. It's nice to see that the bubbly suits her well too.

I'd had no idea that Ji Jin Hee was in this, and I really do enjoy Ji Jin Hee a great deal, so I was really happy to see him on my screen. I just.. didn't know ahead of time, that Show was going to kill off his character so soon. Sob. I wish that didn't have to be the case, because Dad, whom he plays, is such a great guy.

I love Dad for having such a gentle, patient spirit, as he bears the burden of taking care of Geu Ru as a single parent, while running his Move To Heaven company. Beyond that, I love how sincerely respectful he is, to the deceased clients, whose things he's tasked to clear out.

I am moved by the detail, that Dad not only takes the time to greet the deceased upon entering the room, but also teaches Geu Ru the art of understanding the person behind the belongings. That makes the deceased person come together as a personality, instead of just being represented by a random collection of things that need to be cleared away and disposed of.

This first story is heartbreaking, in that it feels like such a needless death. Kim Seon U could have gone to an ER to get help, instead of going home to bed because all the clinics were closed. Ack. It was hard to see him curled up in pain on that bed, knowing that his foot had just been crushed in an industrial accident. Of course sepsis would set in, since it's left untreated. And of course, that would lead to his death.

It's awful that Kim Seon U's company seems to be so shady, that they wouldn't give him sick leave when he'd told them that he'd hurt himself, and worse, that they'd refuse to acknowledge that this was an industrial accident, when it clearly was. His foot would've never been crushed, if he hadn't been called back in to work. What is wrong with these people?!? Grrr.

I'm glad that Dad speaks up for Kim Seon U at the funeral wake, but I hope that Show comes back to give Kim Seon U some justice, because, even though Seon U's mom says that she won't take a cent for her son's life, it does mean that the shady company gets away with shirking responsibility for his death, and that just doesn't feel right, y'know?

I was afraid that the shady company people would come after Dad for interfering, but in the end, Dad dies of a heart attack. Sobs. That's so awful; I don't want to lose Dad as a character, he's so warm and wonderful. And it's so heartbreaking, that with his last shred of lucidity, Dad calls Geu Ru, to apologize. 😭

I'm glad that Dad had managed to give Geu Ru one last hug, despite Geu Ru's general aversion to hugs, before leaving him at that fish tank, because that turned out to be the last time Geu Ru saw Dad alive.

I'm definitely concerned for Geu Ru's future, because Dad had been his sole guardian and caregiver, and from what we've seen, Geu Ru's absolutely not equipped to live on his own.

Was that why Dad had gone to seek out that lawyer? Did Dad know that his heart was on the verge of giving out, and therefore bequeath his house and company to Lee Je Hoon's character - listed as Cho Sang Gu - who shows up at the end of our episode?

If Sang Gu is going to be Geu Ru's new guardian, I anticipate quite a few, er, teething issues, because where Dad had been warm, kind and welcoming, the vibe I get from Sang Gu, just from first impressions, is much more worldly and sardonic. I'm feeling a little nervous for Geu Ru, who's almost certainly going to have adjustment issues, but I'm curious to see how this goes.