Early Access: Happiness E6 (Patreon)

E6. We get more background, and more twists and turns, this episode, and it's all very effective in keeping the watch taut.

This episode, I'm dismayed to see that LTC Han's wife had gotten infected when the Chairman had turned, and attacked her, during a lunch appointment. That feels so.. random. That poor innocent woman was just doing her best to be nice to her husband's business associate by attending a business lunch, which, rightly has nothing to do with her - and she'd gotten infected. Gah.

There are other things said this episode, to emphasize just how random infection can be, but I feel like nothing brings it across quite so clearly, as the case of LTC Han's wife.

In a twisted sort of way, it does feel a bit karmic, that LTC Han would realize the terrible situation his wife is in, immediately after telling his staff to cover up the fact that one of the test subjects had turned and was biting people. He'd dismissed it then, because the product launch was imminent, but.. it sure looks different to him, the moment he realizes that his wife is in that same position.

What a terrible lesson to learn, honestly.

I also really hate the Chairman dude, more than ever, this episode. His sense of snooty entitlement is rage-inducing. I hate that he clearly and casually applies a double standard to himself, saying that it's not ok for other people to have developed a taste for blood - but it's fine for him.

Wow. This sense of privilege is particularly nauseating, considering how he doesn't even seem at all sorry, for attacking and infecting LTC Han's wife. The way he refers to her as getting infected at around the same time as he, he makes it sound as if he had absolutely nothing to do with it. Grrr.

It must be taking a great deal of self-control, for LTC Han to continue to work with the Chairman, and speak to him in civil tones. I guess that shows just how much LTC Han needs the Chairman, in his fight to find a cure.

Speaking of which, it's a sobering statement that LTC Han makes to Ji Soo, where he talks about having calculated how many losses they can stand to take. Those losses he's talking about, are, I believe, human lives. The situation is basically so dire, that they have to actively decide to let certain sectors of people die, in order that the community at large might live - or so they hope.

It reflects, in a very pointed manner, how governments have been making pandemic policies, all this time. Each time they say X number of people may dine together in a social setting, they're not saying that it's safe for you to do so; they're saying that if you get infected and die because of dining together in a social setting, this number that they've specified, is a loss that society can tolerate, as a whole.

Taking that social commentary, and couching it as a zombie show, is really a very interesting approach, I think. It makes the virus something very visible and terrifying, while keeping the factors and situations relatively similar to real life - and that makes COVID-19, an invisible virus, become much more visible, all of a sudden.

As before, I like how Show humanizes the zombies as patients who are probably terrified and ashamed, while showing us that among the uninfected, there are some legit monsters.

Doctor-murderer is a prime example. He's so fixated on furthering his own agenda, that he's willing to bend any rule, and skirt any guideline, even if it means putting his community at risk. Like how he goes to raid the gym van for Next pills, even though it means opening the doors to the carpark - and thus making the building vulnerable to being invaded by infected zombies.

I have to say that I did get a burst of satisfaction, seeing him feel so terrified, when the infected gym instructor grabs onto his leg and tries to bite him.

And, even though it's kinda mean, I have to confess that I understand why Hyun would let him suffer like that for a while, before pulling him to safety. This dude clearly requires more than the average person, in order to learn his lesson. And even then, it looks like he doesn't actually learn his lesson. I guess some people will never change.

Lawyer dude is another guy who really needs to have a reality check. The way he goes down to the carpark, and opens that door, despite the risks, is really stupid. But I think Show's point is, that that's what greed does to people.

Last episode, it was live-streamer dude who took that crazy risk, following that trail of blood at the minimart to the zombies. And this episode, Lawyer dude does something similar, because of the promise of a client - and therefore more money.

Even the minimart girl agrees to go outside to get live-streamer dude's phone, for the promise of money.

It really makes you wonder about people, and what makes us tick. I mean, it's amazing how quickly people are lulled into a false sense of security, isn't it? Minimart girl had encountered the zombies herself, while at the minimart, but just one day later, she ventures outside, because it looks quiet, and because live-streamer dude offers her money. We human beings can be so shortsighted sometimes.

And then there's how people are quick to judge, until it's their turn to be judged. Like, those people are really quick to vote for throwing gym trainer dude out of the building, because he's infected, and they don't want to risk infection. But.. I'm sure they won't be as enthusiastic, if they suddenly found themselves to be infected, and in gym trainer dude's shoes.

Obnoxious Brother finds himself in that position quickly enough, since I don't think there's any chance that he won't get infected, with how he gets bitten in the neck like that. I don't like him one bit, for how he's treated his sister all these years, but I still feel bad for him, that he's probably now infected.

Through it all, we still get little nuggets of OTP goodness between Hyun and Sae Bom, which are such lovely little highlights to my watch.

Like that little pocket of time that they spontaneously spend on the roof, after going up to check whether any infected people have infiltrated their building via the roof. The way they reminisce about the past feels so natural and organic; these two really go back a long way, as Building Representative Lady says.

And then, there's the way Hyun looks at Sae Bom, as she talks about wanting to fly to the nursing home to see her mother, if she could. That flash of tenderness in his eyes has so much depth to it, that I feel convinced that there is a deep well of feelings backing it up. Swoon.

I also love how Sae Bom tells Hyun never to do something crazy again, like how he'd touched the blood in order to smear it on doctor-murderer's face. She's definitely concerned for Hyun's safety, and that just gives me the warm fuzzies.

It's also pretty great, how they can talk about anything, between them. When Sae Bom has her doubts about Hyun because of what doctor-murderer said, she brings it up honestly, and Hyun clears the air promptly. Ahhh. Such healthy interactions between our OTP!

And it melts my heart to see how much Hyun cares about Sae Bom, even though he knows that she's very capable of defending herself. When he asks her to be the good cop, and she declines, it's clear that she wants to relieve him of being the bad cop - and he wants to prevent her from getting hurt, as the bad cop. Awww. These two care about each other so much, and in such understated, practical ways. 🤩🤩

And then there's how Hyun reacts, when he hears that Sae Bom's gone upstairs with the guy from the 15th floor - whom he's just found out, also bought Next pills. The way he charges upstairs, and is literally ready to break down that door, in order to get to Sae Bom, is just so intense and swoony. 😍

Next episode notes will be out on: Saturday, 15 Jan 2022!