While Jong-gi clearly skirts the line of medical ethics, all of his
actions are very clearly in line with trying to calm So-hye down and see
herself as a person whose life has value. It's very noteworthy how
Jong-gi has gotten So-hye to go from mental breakdown in earlier
episodes to participating in a support group this episode. The support
group scene is wonderful, by the way, precisely because it really gets
at how the mental toll of illness is just as bad as the physical, and
how it really helps just to get positive encouragement from peers.
Which brings us around to Hae-seong, who continues to rise up
heroically to tough situations because he's a generally decent guy. I
really like how his motivation is never really painted as just being out
of a desire to get together with So-hye. Hae-seong has a lot of sneaky
ideas because he's been in tough scrapes himself in the past. The man
has a very strong sense of empathy, which really is a lot more
attractive than his handsomeness.
But all the same Hae-seong needs encouragement too. The billiards
scene with Jong-gi is especially great, because it shows off the better
personality traits of both men without diminishing either. Jong-gi, too,
is perfectly happy with making misleading statements when he can
plainly see that doing so will inspire Hae-seong into being a better
man. And Hae-seong, however irritated he gets, wants to win by being the
better man.
So-hye and Hae-seong work as a couple in a way So-hye and Jong-gi
never can because they actually know each other. Yes, their relationship
has been acrimonious in the past, but Hae-seong nonetheless has strong
personal respect for So-hye as a person, and this respect transcends
their often mutually petty behavior. That So-hye can appreciate this
when they have very little direct interaction this episode is a sign
that she's maturing as well.
There's also some decent integration of the Seol subplot here, as Sang-hwa (played by
Yoon Ji-won)
makes visits to Seol's home. More than the generally comical villainy
of Seol's husband and in-laws, I like the incremental efforts made on
the part of people in Seol's life to try and get her to move past all
that.
"Fantastic"
is principally about self-improvement, as characters take bad
situations and try to rise above them with a little help from their
friends. It's a very nice moral thrust and I enjoy watching it progress.
Review by William Schwartz
"Fantastic" is directed by
Jo Nam-gook, written by
Lee Seong-eun and features
Kim Hyeon-joo,
Joo Sang-wook,
Park Si-yeon and
Ji Soo.
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