Sweet Home Review

Drama: Sweet home (스위트 홈)

Director: Lee Eung-bok

Screenwriter: Kim Hyung-min

Cast:- Song Kang, Lee Si-young, Lee Jin-wook, Lee Do-hyun, Kim Nam-hee, Go Min-si, Park Gyu-young, Go Youn-jung, Kim Gab-soo, Kim Sang-ho, Kim Hyun, Woo Hyun, Kim Hee-jung, Kim Gook-hee, Lee Bong-ryun, Go Geon-han, Woo Jung-kook, Im Su-hyung, Ahn Dong-goo, Lee Joon-woo, Jung Ha-dam, Kim Ji-eun, Heo Yool, Choi Go, and others.

About the show:-

After the untimely death of his parents and sister, Hyun-soo leaves his house and locality and moves into a new apartment. Strange incidents and suspicious activities in the apartment cause distress and disturbance to Hyun-soo and the other residents. Soon these activities are not limited just to their apartment but are happening throughout South Korea. The residents with the help of Hyun-soo need to survive the tough times as people are turning into monsters.

(*This review may contain spoilers. If you have already watched the show, please continue reading. If you haven’t watched the show yet, you can still continue reading or you can come back to the review later.)

Favourite things about the show:-

Woman power:- The show does an outstanding job in putting women as the show runners. I am not dismissing the men and boys of the show, they are incredible as well but the women are the highlight. Instead of putting the women on the side where they are just screaming and crying for help, this show actually shows that women are capable of fending for themselves and also fighting for themselves and for others around them. Women are tough, strong, brave, courageous, loyal, caring, loving, kind, forgiving, fearless, they own their mistakes, they have integrity, empathy, dignity, they are gentle and tolerant, they are natural-born nurturers, they are hard working, they are problem solvers, they have resilience, they are compassionate, they are great listeners and are great leaders as well.

I would like to thank the director for showing the true beauty and strengths of women and congratulate him on producing such a remarkable show.

The women of the show:-

1) Yu-ri is raised to be strong and brave and has the ability to fight and not give up. Throughout the show, she makes sure to care for everyone irrespective of sometimes being treated badly. She puts the others first and nurses the injured even though a lot of times she herself is not in the healthiest of conditions. The scene where she uses Sanitary Napkins as a support for an arm fracture on Jae-heon is brilliant. It is a small scene but a necessary and a very effective one.

2) The young girls and the women fighting the tentacles monster shows that they are brave. They are scared but that does not stop them from fighting.

3) The scene where the mother (Jin-ok) hugs her daughter after Sang-wook brings the girl's body inside the apartment is packed with strong emotions. A mother's love for her child and her breaking down when she loses that child is heartbreaking to watch.

4) Sun-young being tolerant with her husband throughout but being the one to kill him (the hairy monster) is beautifully captured. She knows that her husband made her life a living hell but the apology just before dying after thirty years of ill treatment is still able to melt her heart, but she has to do what is right for everyone. She shows that a woman is loving and caring but she will stand by what is right and fight against the wrong.

4) Yi-kyung stands out as the leader amongst the women. Yi kyung's scenes that stood out for me - her fight with the tentacle monster and her killing the protein monster with the truck, where she searches for the truth about the virus, and especially the fight sequences despite her pregnancy proves that women are strong both emotionally and physically and that they have it in them to deliver well even under pressure.

5) Myung-sook's maternal instincts even after turning into a monster and her continuing to fight the protein monster when she is turning into one herself is admirable. Her self-control while being around the kids is marvellous.

6) Jin-ok loses her daughter but she decides to put her pain aside to take care of the ones in need, especially the kids, Su-yeong and Yeong-su.

7) Ji-su fights alongside Jae-heon at every step. She says that she gives her best at everything she does and she proves it throughout the show. She keeps fighting for the ones around her even when she is hurting physically and emotionally. It shows the true signs of a woman and her strengths.

8) Eun-yoo is young but she isn't naive and stupid. She confronts the wrongdoers, she comforts the emotional, she supports the underdogs, she fights alongside the brave. She is hot headed but she still has love in her, especially for her older brother. She confronts him and his actions only because she cares and knows he can be better and do better.

9) Su-yeong takes care of her brother Yeong-su throughout the show. It was stated above how women are natural-born nurturers and Su-yeong proves that even though she is young, she is tough and she will be there by her brother's side to take care of him.

Now let us talk about the Men:-

1) Hyun-soo and his ability to control his urge to turn into a monster is so thrilling to watch. With every episode, your admiration for Hyun-soo keeps increasing. He is selfless and kind and generous and brave and is always loyal to his people. He was a good kid. He was bullied in school but he doesn't let that define his character. He obeys Eun-hyuk's instructions and never argues (except when he is influenced at the end), he cares for Eun-yoo, he protects the women, the children and the old men. He is able to control his urge to turn evil because he chooses to be good and not be vengeful or indifferent. At every step of the way, he fights for others selflessly.

2) Sang-wook - He is brutal and aloof and can come across as cold, heartless and insensitive, but it's only a matter of time. He grew up with trauma, sadness and dislike and has the urge to fight for justice. Somebody needed to tell him that it is okay for him to need people and to care for them and that in return he is also allowed to be cared for. Jae-heon does that for him. Sang-wook shuts out the voices in his head but Jae-heon is the voice that shows him he deserves kindness and that he needs to be kind to others.

4) Eun-hyuk - The leader we all need and appreciate but would never openly acknowledge it. If not for Eun-hyuk, no one in the apartment would have survived even half of what they did. He does everything as the leader - keeping the indoors and outdoors separated, keeping tabs on the people, keeping accounts of food, water and electricity supply, performing the surgery on Ji-su, coming up with plans and much more. Is he always right? No, he is not. But Eun-yoo and Yi-kyung make sure to confront him about his mistakes, his recklessness and sometimes his insensitive behaviour. He needed these women to keep him sane.

5) Jae-heon - Is he the Knight in Shining Armour? No, not entirely. He is kind, caring, loving, gentle, empathetic, brave and ready to fight for the people, especially the ones he loves. But he is flawed and he makes sure to acknowledge and accept that he is flawed. He made mistakes but he turned to God and surrendered to Him and he let God turn him into the human he could be. He is now a changed man and he deserves to be recognised for the courage to change. He is trying - trying to be better than before, to be on the path of righteousness, to walk on the path that God has destined for him. He deserves to be recognised for trying. He fights valiantly till the end.

6) Gil-seop and Du-sik prove that experience matters. They are the silent leaders. They are the leaders that stand behind and support the others so that the team does not stumble or falter or deter from the path. They are older, wiser, experienced and skilled and they put all these into practice while trying to save the ones in need. They are fearless and that is what the team needs. The team needs their ability to withstand the difficult times without being afraid of falling, of failing or dying.

What a magnificent cast this show has! All the supporting actors are remarkable in their respective roles. I got sucked into the show and it felt like I was Harry Potter when he uses the pensive. The realistic and the passionate acting made me feel like I was in a real world full of monsters and the residents.

The acting, the directing, the writing and the execution were par excellence. I applaud the entire team for putting forth such an incredible show. I can't wait for the second season. I will miss the cast that we lost in season one but I will look forward to see a new cast. I can't believe we lost more loveable characters in Sweet Home than we lost in G0T.

If you haven't watched this show and are into zombies and monsters, apocalypse thrillers and horrors, then please be sure to watch Sweet Home.

For the ones who have already watched Season 1, Let's get ready for Season 2.