Aliens,aliens, aliens: any k-drama fan will know that since ‘ My Love From The Star’ came riding on the hallyu wave, there’s been a certain infatuation in Korean popular culture with narratives focusing on supernatural love interests and smoulderingly sexy paramours from out of space. However ( as the title would suggest), ‘ Glitch’ is an odd anomaly in the equation of science-fiction in the Korean drama industry . The female lead is not in love with some hunk from the far reaches of the galaxies, nor is she an aspiring actress attempting to “make ends meet” or swept off her feet by the “ one”. Instead, viewers are made to question one major thing; is the little green man that the heroine begins to see in dreams real, or is she finally losing her mind, and how can an old friend from the past help with her boyfriend’s disappearance ?

Written by Jin Hansae ( ‘ Extracurricular’) and directed by Roh Deok ( ‘ Very Ordinary Couple’), ‘ Glitch’ tells the story of mundane office-worker Hong Jihyo ( Vincenzo’s star Jeon Yeo-been). Thirty years- old and still living at home with her parents, Jihyo is used to taking part of her daily drudgery at the office. However, Jihyo has a secret: after her boyfriend Lee Siguk (Lee Dong-hwi)’s disappearance, she has been receiving surreal visions and dreams of a small green alien.

Unsure of whether she is losing her mind or onto a possible lead, Jihyo enlists the help of old school friend Hong Bora (Nana), a hostess for an online show about outlandish conspiracy theories about aliens. Bora agrees to helping Jihyo as they attempt to find out answers to Siguk’s mysterious disappearance.

As proven with the chosen director and writer, ‘ Glitch’ is a show which aims high with its concept and ideas: its not afraid to be unconventional with its mystery sci-fi elements, unusual female characters ( especially those who enjoy smoking and are fairly indifferent to romance) , and an odd camaraderie which comes into place between them. Nevertheless while certain elements of ‘ Glitch’ can be perceived as purposefully fun with its genre-switching or surprisingly relevant with its address ( including towards the current issue in Korea of pseudo-cults and repressed mental health), this is admittedly where one of the show’s flaws can often be underpinned: the issue of the drama’s presentation as a comedy.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that for a show about crackpot conspiracies and little green men in visions that comedy does play out a lot in the show. Naturally, it would be wrong to try and make out that for a show where this is highly relied upon, that it’s unwatchable or overly bad. ‘ Glitch’ is fairly quirky and witty with its style of comedy; things falling off walls, slapstick moments and bon mots exchanged between characters ( especially in the UFO enthusiasts club) . Fun at times but certainly variable for individuals also. However, the comic relief also brings about the issue of being heavily relied upon in large chunks of the narrative even when it was not always necessary or required. Although this issue will be explained further by tying into the problem of pacing for the show, ‘ Glitch’ struggled to get its feet off the ground in early episodes. The running theme of craziness vs. reality is a concept that has been tackled a lot in tv shows, but writer Jin Hansae almost seemed to be caught in a slight rut with how to lift this further by propelling events or exploring characters early on. Indeed, while there were many interesting plot points and characters ( including with regards to relationships and past trauma), attempts to enforce laughs in episodes often led to the major moments of suspense and tension feeling somewhat undermined and dissipated at times.

Nevertheless, it is hard not to talk about the show without bringing up the main cast. As mentioned previously, Vincenzo breakout star Jeon Yeo-been plays the main role as heroine Hong Jihyo. Jeon’s performance is fairly good. Although the actress admittedly feel a little enforced with her line deliverances ( although often as a result of her written dialogue), she did add a surprisingly likeable charm to Jihyo which made her character who you can grow to like in the frame of the narrative. ( Even if her character wasn’t always given the same opportunities to grow and develop also,)

One of the surprising stars of the series was Nana as Hong Bora; eccentric, somewhat over-the-top yet surprisingly sincere, there was something oddly captivating about Bora which made her a likeable character against all odds. She certainly had her grating moments as a character at times, but Nana really helped to embody an extra sweetness which will likely melt your heart .

Ryu Kyung-soo delivered a fairly consistent performance as Kim Byung-jo; a character well-rounded in his intentions but slightly less memorable in comparison to the dominating presence of the female leads. ( Especially with regards to his unrequited feelings for the heroine.)

As mentioned previously, ‘ Glitch’ heavily relies upon the essence of slow-pacing. This isn’t always necessarily a bad thing per say as it did allow for opportunities for suspense to build and for numerous questions and intrigue to build in the viewer’s mind. ( Including the notion about the two female leads’ broken friendship, the manifestation of aliens and the actual, true fate of Lee Siguk.) Nevertheless while slow pacing can be a blessing for a series, it does admittedly have its foibles; especially when it boils down to the issue of keep viewers hooked. A noticeable problem that has arisen a lot with ‘ Glitch’ comes through the dilemma of the series failing to really get going in the first few episodes or picking up the pace in certain scenes to enliven the elements of suspense and tension to their fullest. In particular, where major plot moments could’ve done with an element of quick-paced deliverance or shock value, was sometimes largely absent from the series. ( Especially with regards to the ending.)

The aesthetics of ‘ Glitch’ are surprisingly tactful. Director Roh Deok seemed to have a keen eye for engraving the show’s inspiration from naughties sci-fi classics. Through flashbacks to the era, warm and effervescent neons and hazy urban scales with a surprisingly familiar warmth (that starkly contrasts the cold and brutalist settings of sci-fi tales), ‘ Glitch’ is surprisingly stylish with its artistic approach. ‘ Glitch’’s OST wasn’t entirely bad per say but it was hard to really pinpoint any particularly mesmerising or standout tracks either.

‘ Glitch’ was an odd drama on reflection: it was evident that attempting to appeal to a wide audience of fans ( from sci-fi, comedy and mystery) but it often felt as though it struck a lot of loose chords along the way. ( Especially as the comedy felt somewhat enforced in parts also; including with awkward moments and dialogue exchanges too.) Nevertheless, the series did have an interesting premise and fairly good performances by our main cast as well as some stunning aesthetics. Perhaps the one thing ‘ Glitch’ could do with on reflection would’ve been better character writing as a lot of the characters ( including the heroines) rarely felt fleshed out. However, for those looking for something entertaining on the surface level and a quick binge-watch, then ‘ Glitch’ is likely to hit the mark exactly.