Early Access: If You Wish Upon Me E1, E2 (Patreon)

E1. I hadn't been super sure, from the mixed reactions I'd heard about this show, but one episode in, I do think that this one could quite possibly work out to be a solidly enjoyable watch.

First of all, it's Ji Chang Wook in a space that I think suits him particularly well.

Meaning, he's lean, and angsty, and rather lost - which are, fundamentally, some of the things that made his Healer so compelling to me.

Add on the tattoos, the shorter hair, the cute dog, and the glimmers of backstory, and I'm very much intrigued, thank you very much.

What's grabbing me right from the get-go, is the fact that underneath the smart alecky bluster, there is a distinct layer of sadness and pathos, that ultimately makes my heart go out to this dude, who's clearly stolen millions of won, but is vehemently denying it.

I'm curious to know why he stole that money, particularly since he appears to have plans to die without even really using it. There's gotta be a story - or several - around that, yes?

I mean, if you stole it, then why die without using it? And, if you were going to die anyway, then why not give the money back? This situation, where his actions seem at odds with themselves, intrigues me a great deal.

Plus, I do love how attached he is, to his pup, whom he refers to as his son. Aww. Who doesn't love a devoted dog dad, right?

I'm gutted to learn that sonny boy is terminally ill, right off the bat. That feels a bit like a punch below the belt, honestly.

Like, isn't it hard enough, that this show is about terminally ill people? Did we need a terminally ill dog as well, to ensure that every single last one of my tears ends up being shed, for this show? 😩

I do very much appreciate Gyeo Rye's heart for his dog son, in that, he clearly doesn't know what to do for his pup, but he tries to give his dog the best experiences, while he can.

Like the way he takes the dog to the fancy hotel and shows it the fancy statue, and like the way he buys a fancy sports car, so that he can take sonny boy to the beach, to see the sea.

I half wonder whether he only decided to die, since sonny boy's going to die too, and he's got nothing else to live for anyway..?

As for Woori Hospice, its brand of warm quirk is hitting the right notes for me, so far, which I find really important.

Sometimes, dramas' efforts to deliver this kind of warm, quirky feel don't actually work for me, like in the case of the hospice featured in The One And Only. In that show, the hospice's brand of quirk had come off as strange and try-hard to me, and I found it highly distracting.

In this hospice, however, I find that brand of quirky a lot gentler and restrained, which I find much more appealing.

The staff seem warmhearted and kind, and I find their various quirks to still be on the believable side of things.

For example, I can buy the idea that Sung Dong Il's character Tae Sik would sleep in the ambulance on a regular basis, because he's actually homeless otherwise.

And, even though we don't know yet why Tae Sik's spending his time volunteering at the hospice, there definitely seems to be a story there, that I'm sure we'll find out in due time.

For now, I find it quite touching that he's basically found a family at the hospice, where he feels important and needed, and who all sincerely care about him and love having him around.

On top of that, the depth of relationship that he's built with Team Genie's founder, Mr. Yoon, feels deep and touching.

As the team readies to grant Mr. Yoon's final wish, it feels like an emotionally difficult moment for Tae Sik.

I kinda feel more sad for him than Mr. Yoon, actually, because at least it looks like Mr. Yoon's emotionally and mentally at peace, and ready to go, whereas Tae Sik looks like he's pretty torn up about having to say goodbye.

I actually rather enjoyed the contrasting tones of these two threads of story, in that I feel Show toggled between the two quite nicely, and then brought it all together in a way that makes narrative sense.

Sure, there's a lot of coincidence at play, especially with that very heavy hint that Gyeo Rye is actually Tae Sik's long-lost son, but because fact is often as strange as fiction, I'll buy it.

And, I can buy the idea that Tae Sik would drag Gyeo Rye out of the car to take over driving the ambulance, because there really isn't any time to spare, with Mr. Yoon showing signs of distress, and a likelihood of passing very soon.

I'm glad that in the end, the team gets to help Mr. Yoon fulfill his final wish, of visiting his wife's grave.

That final scene where he sees himself holding her hand and saying that they'll be together now, feels touching and poignant, so much so that I'm not even really sad to see him go, since it looks like he's happy to be going to his wife.

I'm also pretty pleased that Tae Sik arranges for Gyeo Rye to serve his community service at Woori Hospice, because surely this will present opportunities for them to heal their father-son relationship?

I'm in-principle here for that, and I'm hopeful that that reconciliatory arc will turn out to be as wholesome and satisfying as I imagine it will be.

So far, I do like Sooyoung's character Yeon Joo, even though her passion does come off on the rather extreme end of things.

I do find her likable and good-hearted, though, and I do like Sooyoung in general, so I consider this a very promising start.

It looks like Dr. Yang's got a crush on her, but it also seems like he's re-evaluating the possibility of a relationship with her, by the end of the episode.

I guess, as much as he's drawn to her lively, feisty sort of personality, he also finds that feistiness a little too much to bear, since they even end up on the wrong side of the law, this episode, because of her passion to help Mr. Yoon fulfill his final wish.

That, and the fact that she ignores the DNR that Mr. Yoon has signed, and performs CPR on him. That's possibly even more disturbing for him, as a doctor, than ending up in the police station?

Maybe Yeon Joo needs someone who's as bold and feisty as she is, and that's where Gyeo Rye comes in?

It certainly looks like we're off to a rocky enemies-to-lovers sort of start, with Gyeo Rye having managed to enrage Yeon Joo, while making his (very late) way to Woori Hospice for his community service.

It's too soon to evaluate the type of sparks between them - or if there are any sparks at all - but I have a pretty good feeling about this, and am curious to see how they get along (or not), going forward.

E2. Why, I do think that this show is growing on me nicely, you guys.

So far, the main hook, for me, is the growth and development of Gyeo Rye's character.

Even though he's rough and tough on the outside, Show makes sure to give us glimpses of the layers underneath, where we can see that there's a wounded heart, that can be tender and kind, given the right encouragement.

I'm interested to know more about what makes him tick, and also, I find it heartwarming to see him be affected by the hospice folks and the Team Genie experience, in spite of himself.

Secondarily, the arcs around Gyeo Rye potentially reconciling with Tae Sik, and also, Gyeo Rye potentially having a loveline with Yeon Joo, tie for second place, in terms of my interest so far.

I find it an interesting dynamic, that Tae Sik is aware that Gyeo Rye is 99.99% his son, but doesn't actively do anything to confirm or refute it.

He does attempt to ask a few questions here and there, about whether Gyeo Rye has any family, but his approach is casual and gentle, and he doesn't actually pursue it, when Gyeo Rye doesn't provide him with any straight answers.

Instead, he seems to be more interested in seeing what kind of person Gyeo Rye's become, and whether he's turned out to be a decent person.

That somehow endears Tae Sik to me a lot.

I dunno; of course there might be reasons why Tae Sik is reluctant to reveal his identity to Gyeo Rye, like the hint of trouble in the flashback that we're given, where we see that Tae Sik had been mixed up with some gangsters.

Perhaps there's guilt and shame tied to why Tae Sik isn't rushing to tell Gyeo Rye that they are very likely father and son.

But, the idea that Tae Sik's prioritizing Gyeo Rye's character, somehow lands as wise, to me. It feels like Tae Sik's figured out the truly important things in life, and is focusing on that for his son, and that it doesn't really matter to him, if Gyeo Rye ever realizes that he's his father.

I'm probably oversimplifying things, &/or idealizing things; let's see how things shake out from here on out.

For now, though, I like how undeterred Tae Sik is, even though Gyeo Rye repeatedly expresses that he has no interest in helping, or eating, or whatever it is that they're talking about. Tae Sik doesn't react to that, and typically just waves Gyeo Rye on, like Gyeo Rye never protested in the first place.

For some reason, I like that persistence, because somehow, it implies to me, that Tae Sik understands what's going on on the inside, for Gyeo Rye, and is responding to that, rather than to the prickly uncooperative words on the surface.

Of course, it's not all warm fuzzies, since Gyeo Rye's literally being sought out by loansharks who are after him for the 320 million won which he's apparently stolen from them.

That adds a layer of stress and potential danger to our story, which I don't typically proactively look for, but which I concede does add dramatic tension, which is a good thing, almost always.

So far, I'm glad that Gyeo Rye's successfully avoiding the loanshark guys who are on his tail, but it does look like the net might be closing in on him, judging from how Seok Joon shows up at the police station and asks that key question about the ambulance. 😬

Also, I'm admittedly worried about Sonny boy, who's supposed to be really ill, but who's being kept in that carrier bag for hours on end, as a matter of routine.

I wouldn't wish that on a healthy dog, let alone a pup that's suffering from a terminal illness, gosh.

I think I'm going to have to just suspend disbelief on this point, going forward, and just pretend that Sonny boy isn't actually sick, and isn't actually having a tough time in that pet carrier. 🙈😅

Even though the focus so far seems to be much more on Gyeo Rye than anyone else, we do get a sense of Yeon Joo's character as well.

For example, while she's quick to act on her feelings, like in the way she kicks off the side mirror from Gyeo Rye's car, she doesn't try to shirk responsibility, when Gyeo Rye asks her to pay for the repair costs.

Even when Gyeo Rye tells her an amount that's almost the entirety of the deposit on her apartment, she doesn't try to get out of it, and instead starts thinking of how to live her life on the amount that she would have left, after deducting the repair fee.

That endears her to me, in that she's unapologetic about her feelings, but she also dares to take responsibility for her actions.

Gyeo Rye's got a good heart, but he's definitely still rough around the edges, like when he casually talks about how it doesn't really matter if he drives carelessly, since Mr. Pyeon's on the verge of death anyway.

That really was rather insensitive, although, from Gyeo Rye's tone, it seems to me that he doesn't mean to be especially rude.

That was pretty darn awkward, though, and I can't help but notice that Yeon Joo's approach isn't that different from Tae Sik's approach. She mostly acts gruff and casual with Gyeo Rye, like she's expecting him to do the needful already, and to hurry up and not waste time.

I feel like with Gyeo Rye, this is most likely the best approach, right now anyway. It gives him an easy way to move away from the awkward moment that he's created, by saying no, or saying something insensitive. It gives him an easy way out, basically.

That makes me think that Yeon Joo recognizes Gyeo Rye's type, and understands what he's about, and what he needs, without having to be specifically told. I do like that.

I also appreciate how Tae Sik understands that Gyeo Rye needs his dignity too, and apologizes for shouting at him. Again, this gives Gyeo Rye an easier way out, to get out from behind his sulky distant manner.

And, I also like the idea that Tae Sik isn't above apologizing, even though Gyeo Rye had started it by saying something so insensitive in the first place.

I have no idea what's happened in Tae Sik's life, and how he's ended up estranged from his family and homeless, and what's led him to Woori Hospice, but he definitely strikes me as a decent, goodhearted person, and I like him already.

It's really heartwarming to think that Gyeo Rye takes after Tae Sik, in that core goodheartedness, because, as much as he might act tough or say blunt, insensitive things, his heart is affected by what he sees and hears.

And the way he makes those fake persimmons out of styrofoam, and puts them up in the tree, because Mr. Pyeon mentions that the tree had used to bear lots of persimmons, is really sweet.

I mean, yes, I do think that he does it in order to make up for what he'd said about Mr. Pyeon going to die soon anyway, but at the same time, I do believe that he's genuinely touched by the Team Genie experience, and that his actions come from the heart.

And of course, there's also the thing where, when he thinks no one is looking, Gyeo Rye is unguarded and sincere in his conversation with Mr. Pyeon. We can see that Mr. Pyeon's sincere thanks to Gyeo Rye, for bringing him home, almost moves Gyeo Rye to tears.

That's really such a moving, heartwarming sort of moment; I feel like this moment really speaks to the core of who Gyeo Rye is - even if he doesn't know it yet.

As we close out the episode, I'm not actually super fussed about what's behind that locked door at the hospice, because I'm sure there's a reason for it, that we'll find out soon enough.

I'm mainly interested to know more about how Gyeo Rye's going to settle into Team Genie, in spite of his protests, and how that's going to help heal him, even as he goes about helping to bring healing to others.

Next episode notes will be out on: Monday, 26 September 2022!

*This show will be covered on the VVIP Early Access (US$20) Tier*