What is beautiful about
"Incarnation of Jealousy"
is how it explores very real issues and still manages to be engaging,
funny, and heartwarming. Even though I dislike Hwa-sin's behavior, I
empathize with his plight. Even though I think Na-ri does wrong, I still
root for her. It is the flaws of the characters, in their histories,
and in their present decisions that make the characters and the stories
relatable.
Na-ri's and Hwa-sin's simultaneous breast surgeries
set them both on a path to healing that goes beyond the physical. The
surgeries make them explore their true desires, and the paths to those
desires require different paths than either of them thought they'd take.
Despite illness, Na-ri is willing to chase her dream after giving up.
Despite his ego, Hwa-sin is willing to remain in his hospital room to
support the very injured Na-ri.
I'm particularly impressed with the show's handling of Hwa-sin, his
ego, and the juxtaposition of his ego and his kindness. He is a typical
Korean male, very macho, very self-centered, and very concerned with
maintaining his image. But that is not all he is. He has a regard for
people that has been buried under his past, the assumptions of others,
the requirements of his job, and the pressures of society. This doesn't
excuse his behavior, but I do love that I can see him on a path to
change. This change is motivated without (by Na-ri), but stems from
within.
Jo Jeong-seok layers those emotions so well.
Na-ri
isn't quite on the same level as Hwa-sin. She has blinders on when it
comes to her dream and her work, not that she can be blamed when there
are bills to pay and a brother to support and not enough money to do so.
Her tactic of pushing down her ego hasn't worked and watching her stand
up for her skills and abilities against a sabotaging colleague was so
satisfying. (She was stupid to leave the hospital hours after surgery,
but for drama's sake, let's run with it.) It was also satisfying to see
her shove Hwa-sin's misogynism is his face. Girl power!
Written by: Lisa Espinosa AKA Raine from '
Raine's Dichotomy'
"Incarnation of Jealousy" is directed by
Park Shin-woo, written by
Seo Sook-hyang, and features
Jo Jeong-seok,
Kong Hyo-jin,
Ko Kyeong-pyo,
Lee Mi-sook, and
Park Ji-yeong.
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