*Note: There are spoilers!*
After having just finished watching the Korean drama Reply 1988, I was left in a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts brought on by the themes of friendship, family, and community the show was based off of. The show was released in 2015 as a part of the last edition of the Reply trilogy and is written by Lee Woo-jung and directed by Shin Won-ho. The show brought on immense success both domestically and internationally and won tvN’s Top Drama Award in 2016.
The show, as the title implies, takes place in the year 1988 in the heart of Seoul, South Korea. It goes on to explore five families living on the same neighborhood block and the sense of community they built upon one another. It also explores the love triangle of Deok-sun, Jung-hwan, and Taek. Wondering who ends up with who becomes a main part of the story as well. It’s a feel-good show that shows an accurate, comedic, sad, and beautiful representation of reality.
It shows the struggle of the times and the reality for many Koreans growing up in this time. With my mother having been the same age as the characters of the show (born 1971-1972) at the same period in time, it was fascinating to see a replica and representation of my mom’s life while also feeling the same struggles of family and the fading away of our youth as the characters. A way for me to travel back in time and get a taste of the life lived before me while merging with my present. Whether it was the mixing of cold and boiling water to bathe, having to change out the briquettes to stay warm in the cold winter months, or devoting yourself to a talent show to win that cassette player, Reply 1988 showed the slow-paced life lived by many of our parents.
There are too many good scenes that highlight the theme of the show but here are a few of my favorites. The dynamic between Taek, a famous and champion Go-game player, and his widowed father, Moo-sung is that of love and indescribable consideration for each other. His father sits in front of the TV while watching so the volume doesn’t bother his studying son, or cuts out each newspaper photo, headline, and article his son is in to document in his journal. When Taek is thought to have been in a plane crash on his way to one of his matches, Moo-sung’s life is turned upside down. Having always been well-known to be one of the most eerily composed and calm people most have met, seeing him lose his composure over the possible death of his son was heartbreaking and all-telling of his love for his son.
With the entire neighborhood running over, not believing their ears, it’s revealed that Taek was alive and well. What he doesn’t know is the absolute meltdown his father experienced: breaking open a locked drawer to find the hotel’s information with his bare hands, screaming on the phone with the hotel and manager, and nearly collapsing out of relief.
Another favorite dynamic and scene are that of Bo-ra, the sister of the protagonist Deok-sun, and her father Dong-il. It reflects the typical relationship between an eldest daughter and her father, so similar in their passivity, where they can’t openly express their love for each other and are left with missed opportunities and guilt. Bo-ra is getting ready for her wedding and buys her father a pair of dress shoes. Unable to get himself to tell his daughter that they’re too big, he continues to gloat at the fact that his daughter bought him these shoes, especially for him, and is seen polishing and admiring them.
On the day of the wedding, Deok-sun stuffs handfuls of tissues into the back of his shoe to prevent him from tripping. Grateful, he walks his eldest daughter down the aisle and all is good until it comes to the bowing ceremony for the parents. Bo-ra sees this and breaks down into tears, a rare sight for the family, where the toughest and scariest person on the block finally breaks her own heart by realizing she didn’t even know what size shoes her father wore. After the wedding is over, the two express their love and gratitude for each other in the same exact way, unplanned by exchanging letters and writing down their thoughts and words of love. It’s truly a beautiful scene that broke me down into tears.
All that being said, this is to come back to the idea of the beauty of community and family. Whether it’s the entire block running to see if Moo-sung is okay or the silent exchange of T and love and acknowledgment between a father and his eldest daughter, the way in which community, friends, and family became one through small acts of love, kindness, and support is evident and is a representation of the times.
Times where constant political disorder and struggle in Korea caused harsh realities of economic struggle for the average person, with no mercy to the families of the show. With no support from institutions, the community was left as all people had. Friendship was key to the youth who were being pushed to the forefront of social and political change. These were the people that were going to be there for you in the face of disaster and ruin and in the face of happiness and the most beautiful moments of life. The show expresses this cliche-sounding theme of family, community, friendship, and youth in a realistic, heart-wrenching way, and definitely not as cheesy as I make it out to seem. I got a glimpse of my mom’s youth while feeling heard in my problems of mine.
This was me, replying to 1988.