Perhaps a way to make the audience think is to make them a little uncomfortable.
SONU FAKIHA
No, not the Little Women Louis May Alcott wrote about. However, there are mild references to the Little Women story by Alcott. The uniqueness of this drama lies in the themes and genre it is built on.
Generational trauma and survivor’s guilt are something that is often associated with wars. Casualties of war aren’t limited to infrastructure catastrophe but it extends to psychological scars as well. The scars are so deep that it passes on from one generation to another. The story uses the participation of the Korean soldiers in the Vietnam War (a three-decade war) as a base to build the story.
The orchid is potentially the drama's protagonist because it symbolises intergenerational trauma caused by the war. It also becomes a thread that weaves every character because of its hallucinogenic nature that leads to introspection and self-reflection.
The Oh sisters in the drama have a similar situation to the March sisters from Alcott's novel. They are poor and one of the sisters is an aspiring artist (painter). The situation where these stories diverge is parenting. Unlike the March sisters, the Oh sisters have neglectful parents.
Parenting is one of the crucial topics most of the K-dramas touch upon. Parenting styles affect one’s personality. An example of this would be the character Won Sang-ah. She also embodies and carries the theme of intergenerational trauma. She is a prominent figure in the drama. Even the Oh sisters have bitter parenting experiences.
The economic divide is very well illustrated in the series, the contrast between the rich and the poor is depicted through the friendship of Oh In-hye and Park Hyo-rin. Upperclass folks (the higher authorities) have everything in their control. People in power use folks from the lower class as their pawns to stay in power, this is also one of the themes the drama highlights.
Special spotlight on Oh In-kyng because she embodies true journalism (very rare these days). She is feisty and doesn’t hesitate to speak truth to power.
Overall the drama is a good mix of thrill, murder and intense psychological and social themes. There are some triggering and gory scenes but reality must be depicted. Seems like the only way to make the audience/people think is to make them a little uncomfortable.
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