At a Distance, Spring Is Green: Spoiler-Free Mini Review
- Aug 4
- 4 min read
Updated: 22 hours ago
Title: | At a Distance, Spring Is Green (2021) |
Platform: | Viki, Apple TV |
MDL & IMBDRating: | |
Genre: | Contemporary Romance/ Coming of Age |
Episode Count: | 12 |
Parental Guidance Rating: | TV-14: Themes of suicide and domestic violence, minor violence and language. |
Starring: | Park Ji Hoon (Weak Hero) Kang Min Ah (Bloodhounds S2) Bae In Hyuk (Our Universe) Kwon Eun Bin (Duty After School) Choi Jung Woo (Numbers) Woo Da Vi (Dynamite Kiss) |
RBTS Rating: | 2.5/5 Stars (A coming of age tale for the boys, that was elevated by the girls, but couldn't decide what kind of story it was trying to be and ultimately floundered, despite thought provoking themes.)  |
Cast From the Left to the Right: #ParkJiHoon, #KangMinAh, #BaeInHyuk, #KwonEunBin, #ChoiJungWoo
Synopsis:
A coming of age story about young people in their twenties and the problems they face in university. Nam Soo Hyun and Yeo Joon, two boys with contrasting personalities, unexpectedly become friends when working on a project together. Depicts the realistic worries and conflicts of university students in their 20's, centered around 1st-year student Yeo Joon. Even though Yeo Joon has an attractive appearance and comes from a wealthy background, he carries pain inside. His character is a puppy-dog freshman who takes a liking to a sunbae and follows him around, leading to an unlikely friendship between two very different boys. @MDL
Spoiler-Free Mini Review:
“Does misery end?”
At a Distance explores timing and everything running its course: misery, unrequited love, and even opportunities. The drama starts off with a question that drives the narrative: "Does misery end?", as all the characters wrestle with their seemingly never ending obstacles and work to find the answer with the help of the members of their group. They work through their trauma (of which there was a lot), and the catalyst is supposedly the youngest member, who is actually two characters: One being a traumatized rich kid, the other being an insidious blonde wig. It’s about as natural as the coral lipstick he is clearly wearing.
Yeo Jun (ML) was the weakest link of the show—although all the men’s hair is a close second. What in the Boys Over Flowers, indeed. I didn’t buy Yeo Jun's (ML) character at all. Maybe it’s because as I was watching, I kept thinking that the actor would make an exceptional psychopath, but I’m guessing the show was going more for golden retriever. His vibe came off somewhat creepy and I think a part of the issue was the ML’s obsession with Nam Soo Hyun (2ML). It’s supposedly in the context of pursuing the brotherly relationship he always wanted and never had, but the show never committed to that motivation so it felt misplaced.
As I watched, I sensed… a vibe if you will, between the 2 Male Leads so I looked up the source material which has them in a quasi romantic relationship. South Korea is still restrictive when it comes to LGBTQ couples on "mainstream" television, so the drama adaptation removed that element. However, it kept too many montages of the MLs and gave them moments that would make sense only if the original intent remained. The drama clearly wanted leave the suggestion of romantic feelings open to play both sides, even though the ML entered into a relationship with the FL. However, it never made sense with the story they were telling, and made the ML seem wishy washy. The narrative couldn't decide who the main love interest was suppose to be, and so, muddled the plot.
I went into this blind, so I hadn't seen the marketing before I made this post, and it also can't decide who the love interest is.
Although this is supposed to be the bro show, the female characters were so well written and had clear motivations. They were the reason I finished. I loved Kim So Bin (FL) and really liked the way Kang Min ah portrayed anxiety. It wasn't something she could immediately shrug off, but had to painfully work through. Wang Young Ran (2FL) was so strong and fun! She was a very realized character in the sense that she respected herself and knew who she was, and you won't catch her suffering fools. She cracked me up, and I'm so sad Kwon Eun Bin is no longer in the acting game. Gong Mi Joo wasn't as interesting, but I still liked her character more than Yeo Jun. He will only ever catch strays from me.
At a Distance felt very high school in terms of maturity and dramatics, to an even greater extent than shows like True Beauty or Spirit Fingers, even though this drama is set in college with the youngest main character clocking in at 20 years old. The professor even says, "Is the genre teenage romance?" I rest my case.
The drama had so much potential and did have some thought provoking dialogue, and I enjoyed half of the characters. Plus, I watched the whole thing. However, I couldn't get past the indecision in narrative direction with the characters... and the yellow hair. Woof, Indeed.
Side note: “Why are you crying. Did you lose your country?” is my new favorite saying.
Story=2.5 (Overcoming Trauma), Acting=2 (Yikes to the ML, the gals and the 2ML did better), Production Quality=2 (Was this made in 1980? Who let that hair exist in the world?!), Ending=2.5 (Wanted more resolution w/ the FL and professor and 2ML and 2FL), Enjoyability= 2.75, Would I Rewatch?= No
Trailer:
Director: #KimJungHyun (The Husband)
Screenwriter: #JungWonJun #KoYeonSoo
*Disclaimer: I do not own any of the images used on this blog. All images belong to their respective copyright holders and are used for commentary and review purposes. All reviews, opinions, and statements expressed on this blog are my own and are intended for entertainment and informational purposes only. They reflect my personal thoughts and interpretations and should not be considered as factual.
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