Early Access: Racket Boys E1 (Patreon)

E1. Show took a while to warm up, and I have to admit that I felt myself floundering a bit in trying to engage with this episode's first third, but by the end of the episode, I'm having a good time, and looking forward to more episodes. That's a pretty big achievement on Show's part, I'd say.

I think part of the struggle to get into Show's groove, is that I'm coming off a Vincenzo watch, and this is a very different drama world, with a very different tone. My brain needing a bit of time to adjust, is definitely part of it. The other thing, I think, is the fact that Show makes our key characters losery, and dances the fine line between making them endearing and making them pathetic.

With Dad, he certainly comes across as rather pathetic, particularly in the first half of our episode, and (maybe it's in Kim Sang Kyung's delivery?), I found Dad's hapless grins not very endearing at all. I mean, I felt bad for him, for having such a hard time with money, but somehow, I just didn't find him very likable. To give Show the benefit of the doubt, maybe I'm not supposed to like him all that much, at this early point of our story.

By the end of the episode, however, I do find that I'm warming to him a bit. I think it's partly that I'm just getting used to him being a little wretched, and becoming more accepting of his not very communicative ways with Hae Kang. It's also partly because Show does peel back some layers, to show that in his own limited way, he's trying to do his best for his kids.

I'm also watching Move To Heaven right now, so it's a little startling to see Tang Joon Sang in this, being all sullen and sporty, when his character in Move To Heaven is autistic and timid. I'm really impressed with the range that he's showing, and he's only 17!

I find Hae Kang an interesting character. On the one hand, he can be arrogant, aloof and surly, and yet, on the other hand, he can be really easily frightened, like in the way he balks at sounds in the night and doesn't want to sleep alone, and he can be kind too, like how he tapes up the remote control in a way that makes it easier for the neighbor Gran to use it. Of course, I'm expecting Show to tease out more of his softer underbelly, and that's a journey that I'm looking forward to.

What a great twist, though, that Hae Kang had been a badminton prodigy, since when we are introduced to him, he only has eyes for baseball. I'm curious to know why Hae Kang had quit badminton all of a sudden, when he'd been so good at it, and so competitive too. I'm guessing it had something to do with his parents (apparently) splitting up, since both parents are badminton coaches (that was another great twist).

I'm also thinking that perhaps it had something to do with him reaching his rebel teenage years. We now know that he'd idolized his father as a child, so perhaps reaching his teenhood, and needing to establish his own identity, had something to do with his decision to distance himself from badminton?

I like how this set-up is shaping up, so far. I think Show's done a good job of bringing out the inconveniences of country living, while also teasing out the charm of a small community where everyone knows everyone. Layering on the badminton boys moving into the family home because the dorm closed down was a fun step, since I like the idea of the boys growing on Hae Kang in spite of himself.

I didn't think the inclusion of Jonathan as a character was actually necessary. This felt weird and awkward, especially since our characters mostly gawk at him for being the token black dude,  and he doesn't do anything but stand on the court. Plus, Jonathan himself is made out to be such a kpop fanboy that he'd literally move to Seoul just because he got tickets to a GFriend concert. Altogether, this felt disrespectful, and I count it a waste of screen time. They could have easily cut this out, and we would have had a slightly more compact episode. That would have worked better.

I really liked that scene when Hae Kang couldn't find Hae In (such a cutie pie, seriously!), and the other 3 boys just jumped into action, and looked for her too. In this moment, all the tension between Hae Kang and the boys is completely forgotten, which I found very heartwarming to witness.

Also, how poignant, that Hae In and Hae Kang are kinda-sorta becoming Neighborhood Gran's surrogate grandchildren. It's such a win-win situation, that by the end of the episode, she'd inviting them to sleep over, and they both say yes.

I think it's pretty great that the boys already understand Hae Kang so well, even though they've just met him. They know exactly which buttons to press, to get him to agree to stuff, and I kinda love that it's their wink-wink-nudge-nudge plotting and acting, that first gets him to agree to the match with Yoon Dam, which lands him in the badminton competition, and then gets him all riled up to participate in the next competition, to regain his honor, after losing to a 6th grader - whom the boys conveniently omit to tell Hae Kang, is a badminton prodigy. Ha. I found this really quite funny.

I am curious to know more about the situation between Mom and Dad. They clearly don't live together, and yet, they're on good enough terms, that she would move into the house with her badminton girls, because the dorm is being remodeled. Are they divorced? Separated? Simply living apart because of work demands?

I was happy enough with the idea of the badminton boys living together, but I'm not opposed to the idea of the badminton girls also joining them under the same roof, especially since Hae Kang has already managed to offend their star player, by mistaking her for a boy, and then interrupting her jumprope training; reportedly the two things that get her goat the most.

Given Hae Kang's timid core nature, I can already guess that he's terrified, and I'm sure it's going to be interesting to watch him try not to offend her, while she lives in his house. Muahaha, this promises to be fun.