1
SKITC
Probably within reach of a coffee
Shin Hyun Bin is lights out. The rest is more of a flicker, but it's intriguing enough overall
Viewing “Reflection of You” may require a different mindset for viewers who prefer their shows with a clear good guy(s) versus bad guy(s) or at least someone in the character roster that a viewer might aspire to be like and relate easily to. This is not that production. The suggestion for those who might find this disconcerting is to think of “Reflection of You” as less like a work of fiction about a conflict between a rich family with a troubled marriage and the couple that becomes entwined in their affairs and more of a competition. But instead of competing in a sort of athletic superiority, it’s a race to see which character can be the most horrible person alive. Only it’s not just among the characters on the show, they’re competing to be number one awful human on the planet. And folks, this is a crew with Olympic level quality across the board.
A bit of a digression here. For those readers that have seen the brief marketing writeup of the show, it is misleading and should be wholly ignored. This is a story of two women who became friends through their painting. One married into a rich family and the other was romantic with another artist. The married woman, Hee Joo, begins an affair with Woo Jae, the boyfriend of Hae Won. Hee Joo and Woo Jae end up in Ireland together, then Hee Joo returns to Korea, Woo Jae ends up in a coma for three years and Hae Won begins to seek revenge for being wronged. There’s also a whole circle of other characters with axes to grind and knives to stab and grievances to air. Honesty is rare, kindness is served with a side of self-serving purpose and warmth has supply chain issues.
Hee Joo is the central character as she is the only character directly connected with the other major players, her husband, her former friend and her lover. For the present day events, she’s the target of revenge but Go Hyun Jung never satisfactorily sells the character as a sympathetic one. She crushes the scenes when Hee Joo drops the mask and her desperate anger and hypocrisy are on full display. But most of the time, Hee Joo is trying to act normal and it doesn’t connect nearly as well. That’s a problem as without a sympathetic character in the middle of everything, it saps the tension that should be building between the other three pulling her in different directions.
Woo Jae shows up late to the proceedings as he begins the show still recovering from a coma. Kim Jae Young doesn’t do anything particularly special with the character. He’s definitely got the brooding looks and has no trouble with the half-baffled state that Woo Jae spends much of the narrative within. But when Woo Jae regains his faculties, Kim Jae Young doesn’t muster the intensity and rawness needed to transform the character to what he should be.
Quality of performance is no issue for Shin Hyun Bin. She magnificently captures the most subtle expressions, changes in tone and cadence and Hae Won’s wearied posture. Hae Won has a maelstrom of anger and resentment internally but outwardly is measured and mysterious. Of all the characters that alternate between victim and agressor, she is the most compelling in either form. When she is the character that is moving the narrative forward, whether with rightful anger or morally questionable methods, “Reflection of You” gets serious traction when she is in the spotlight.
There’s also a supporting performance by Jang Hye Jin, who follows a couple of roles in comedy centered productions with a blistering performance as Hee Joo’s sister-in-law and an afterthought child under a powerful, cold mother.
Unfortunately, the arc must bend away at a certain point and the steam that Hae Won has generated slowly seeps out. Although the confrontations and arguments and unpleasantness continue to build as the players each seek widely disparate objectives, the emotional resonance over the last third of the show never connects at more than a half-fever pitch.
Despite some manner of imperfections, “Reflection of You” is a strong show and worth watching, but it is primarily for the masterpiece of Shin Hyun Bin’s performance. It is among a very few of the finest acting performances of 2021.
A bit of a digression here. For those readers that have seen the brief marketing writeup of the show, it is misleading and should be wholly ignored. This is a story of two women who became friends through their painting. One married into a rich family and the other was romantic with another artist. The married woman, Hee Joo, begins an affair with Woo Jae, the boyfriend of Hae Won. Hee Joo and Woo Jae end up in Ireland together, then Hee Joo returns to Korea, Woo Jae ends up in a coma for three years and Hae Won begins to seek revenge for being wronged. There’s also a whole circle of other characters with axes to grind and knives to stab and grievances to air. Honesty is rare, kindness is served with a side of self-serving purpose and warmth has supply chain issues.
Hee Joo is the central character as she is the only character directly connected with the other major players, her husband, her former friend and her lover. For the present day events, she’s the target of revenge but Go Hyun Jung never satisfactorily sells the character as a sympathetic one. She crushes the scenes when Hee Joo drops the mask and her desperate anger and hypocrisy are on full display. But most of the time, Hee Joo is trying to act normal and it doesn’t connect nearly as well. That’s a problem as without a sympathetic character in the middle of everything, it saps the tension that should be building between the other three pulling her in different directions.
Woo Jae shows up late to the proceedings as he begins the show still recovering from a coma. Kim Jae Young doesn’t do anything particularly special with the character. He’s definitely got the brooding looks and has no trouble with the half-baffled state that Woo Jae spends much of the narrative within. But when Woo Jae regains his faculties, Kim Jae Young doesn’t muster the intensity and rawness needed to transform the character to what he should be.
Quality of performance is no issue for Shin Hyun Bin. She magnificently captures the most subtle expressions, changes in tone and cadence and Hae Won’s wearied posture. Hae Won has a maelstrom of anger and resentment internally but outwardly is measured and mysterious. Of all the characters that alternate between victim and agressor, she is the most compelling in either form. When she is the character that is moving the narrative forward, whether with rightful anger or morally questionable methods, “Reflection of You” gets serious traction when she is in the spotlight.
There’s also a supporting performance by Jang Hye Jin, who follows a couple of roles in comedy centered productions with a blistering performance as Hee Joo’s sister-in-law and an afterthought child under a powerful, cold mother.
Unfortunately, the arc must bend away at a certain point and the steam that Hae Won has generated slowly seeps out. Although the confrontations and arguments and unpleasantness continue to build as the players each seek widely disparate objectives, the emotional resonance over the last third of the show never connects at more than a half-fever pitch.
Despite some manner of imperfections, “Reflection of You” is a strong show and worth watching, but it is primarily for the masterpiece of Shin Hyun Bin’s performance. It is among a very few of the finest acting performances of 2021.
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