Early Access: Racket Boys E2 (Patreon)

E2. This show is definitely growing on me nicely. It's giving me slightly meandering, but ultimately feel-good community vibes that are very similar to the signature vibes of the team that gave us the Reply series, Prison Playbook and Hospital Playlist; the fact that writer-nim was a writer for Prison Playbook definitely shows.

I like that we're getting a sense of our characters, while getting a feel for the country life that they're living in Haenam. It's also really heartwarming to me, to see the boys come together as an intact group, even though Hae Kang is rather reluctant about it.

For starters, it does appear that Mom and Dad have simply been living apart because of work demands. Given what we learn this episode, that Dad had co-signed on a loan for his friend and that's how the family lost everything, I can see how it would be important for Mom to have a steady income too. It does feel like Mom's been living in the countryside for some time already, since it appears that she's been training the girls' badminton team for a good amount of time. In that context, it feels like a really a good thing, then, for the rest of the family to join her in the countryside.

Somehow, it gives me a sense of gratification, that even though it's Hae Kang's first day of school in a completely new location, he already has his own group of friends to hang out with, because the badminton boys live in his house. This seems like a really cool side effect, to me, because in my head, it's a very intimidating thing to be the new kid on the first day of school. And yet, Hae Kang already has buddies who'll automatically hang around his desk during breaks. I like that.

I feel like the whole thing with Jae Seok is going to turn out to be a case of context making all the difference. He'd been best friends with the boys, and then had moved to Seoul without saying goodbye, on the eve of the performance that they'd rehearsed so hard for. This doesn't sound like a situation where Jae Seok had control over. As a kid, you might just find yourself moving without prior notice, if your parents don't tell you about it beforehand, and just spring it on you, and I'm guessing that that's what had happened.

However, it is weird that Jae Seok never called his friends back in Haenam to at least give them an explanation, and it is also weird that he'd pretend nothing bad had ever happened between them, when meeting them at the competition this episode, so I'm curious to know the full story around that.

I rather enjoyed getting to know Hae Kang's peculiar temper, this episode. He's turning out to be such an interesting mashup of things. On the one hand, he can be super awkward, and on the other hand, he has these flashes of badassery, like when he refuses to be intimidated by bullies. The way he stands up to those bullies this episode, you'd think that he's some kind of ace fighter, because he appears so fearless, and he is so firm, in telling off the bullies. And yet, he gets beaten up just like everyone else. It's oddly endearing.

It's also endearing, to see him stand up for his teammate without hesitation, and it's also pretty great to hear him correct the bully, that they play badminton, and not tennis. It all lands with a very united, teamworky sort of feel, so it's extra interesting to hear Mom tell Dad, that Hae Kang doesn't care about this teamwork stuff; he's just got that peculiar of a temper. I'm curious to see how this particular part of Hae Kang develops, because I am so sure that he will definitely start to feel those teamworky community feels, by the time we finish our story.

The arrival of the couple from Seoul feels a little random, but since we are only at episode 2, I'm assuming that they will become part of our story. What I appreciate is how their experience settling down at Haenam is a vicarious experience for us, too, of the small town sort of hospitality that is prevalent in Haenam. From Mr. Hong passing them farming supplies, to Grandma Ome giving them an earful for driving over her spring cabbages, to Hae Kang bringing them a pot of curry, it's quite a journey.

It was a nice way to turn things on their head, by having Grandma Ome get a taste of what it's like to flounder in an unfamiliar place on her day trip to Gwangju (cute cameo by Kim Min Seok!), and therefore come back with some empathy for the new couple. Her gift of kimchi was exactly what they needed, and it gives me chills to realize that this new couple had been on the verge of a double suicide, only to be brought back from the brink, by the unexpected warmth and care that they received from their new neighbors.

I found it a pretty fun reveal, that Head Coach Bae turns out to be the legendary White Wolf that Coach Yoon's been hearing about all episode. He lives up to his reputation too, practically driving Yoon Dam to the ground with the punishment that he metes out for Yoon Dam's lack of team spirit (for not joining the others, in standing up for maknae Yong Tae), but managing to deliver a strong lesson in teamwork and solidarity, through the experience.

I think it's pretty darn great, that it's Hae Kang who first responds to Head Coach Bae's pronouncement, that they wouldn't get to compete, by offering to finish Yoon Dam's punishment for him. Aw. That's team spirit, even if he doesn't want to admit it.

Ooh. I'm intrigued that Hae Kang seems to have found his lost badminton mojo, by the time he takes the court during the Spring competition. Suddenly, he's the center of attention, and with Yoon Dam's SNS savvy, I feel like it won't be long before Hae Kang goes viral and becomes an internet star. Fun!

I'm definitely curious to see how this new development affects both Hae Kang, and our story in general. Will Hae Kang embrace his newfound badminton stardom, and rekindle his love for badminton, or will he still cling to baseball as his One True Love? Also, it seems like Se Yoon might start to see Hae Kang in a brand new light, given this new development. Will we have a loveline between the two badminton stars? That could be cute, no?