By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
February 4, 2019
☆☆☆☆
Yoo Jin-Woo (played by Hyun Bin)
Jung Hee-Joo (played by Park Shin-Hye)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.
A unique series that kept me guessing until the end, “Memories of the Alhambra” starts off with a strong, intriguing premise: A teenage videogame developer has created an addictive world of augmented reality (AR), where players interact seamlessly with medieval warriors. Gamers go to real-life places (e.g. restrooms in neighborhood bars) to acquire weapons, which are only visible to people wearing special optical lenses. Then they head off to real-life public places in city centers and parks to do combat.
To passersby, they look like weirdos flailing around and falling on the ground, writhing in pain. But within the confines of the game, each hit and stab is very real and the players are left bloodied and beaten … until they turn off the game. Then life goes on as normal.
Or so they think.
Game developer Jung Se-Joo (played with just the right amount of terrified skittishness by EXO’s Park Chan-Yeol) has discovered a deadly kink in the game and reaches out to investment firm CEO Yoo Jin-Woo for help. Unaware of anything but potential profits, Jin-Woo agrees to meet the young man at a hostel in Granada (Spain).
The hostel is run by Se-Joo’s older sister, Hee-Joo. Once a promising classical guitarist, she was forced to give up her musical dreams after her parents died. Working multiple jobs, she’s now the breadwinner for the family, which includes her younger siblings and their grandmother.
So, high-tech AR elements aside — the series has quickly fallen into the K-Drama Comfort Zone of rich chaebol / poor woman.
A few other fussy elements are thrown in to complicate matters, including an ex-wife who is married to his competitor (played by Park Hoon), who was once his best friend; a movie-star wife he doesn’t love and wants to divorce; and a father figure, who is not as he seems.
The visuals in this series are stunning and I flinched more than a few times during the realistic battles. But even weeks after I finished watching the series finale, I can’t get over the fact that the showrunners wasted Park Shin-Hye in what is basically a kinda/sorta girlfriend role. The script gave her little to do but worry and cry. Why hire an A-List actress for that? I know that the thrust of this story is from Jin-Woo’s point of view. I know that when reality blurs with AR and his sanity is questioned, it has to be his emotions we feel. And Hyun Bin is stellar in his role. He does everything right.
But, still. I was more invested in Jin-Woo’s warm friendship with his (male) personal assistant than with his fledgling romance with He-Joo.
Written by Song Jae-Jung, whose also wrote “W,” the story is best when it touches on the relationships that brought Jin-Woo to where he is today and allows him a chance to reflect on how he has lived his life. Is it too late for redemption? Or is he condemned to repeat his life reliving his mistakes?
The ending hints at his future, but was ambigious enough to leave many viewers, including myself, unsatisfied.
Also…not for nothing, but I think most contact lens wears will agree with me when I say… I was skeeved out when the gamers inserted their optical lenses without washing their hands first. All I could think was … hello, pink eye!
Airdates: Sixteen hour-long episodes aired on tvN from December 1, 2018 to January 20, 2019.
Spoiler Alert:
The game develops a deadly life of its own. When battling a real-life person, the aftermath is real. Who you kill remains dead to the rest of the world, but will attack the person who killed them forever.
In the last few moments of the series, we see He-Joo rush to find Jin-Woo, who may be alive. But all we see is a glitch. Is he alive, or is he trapped within the game forever?
Was I the only one who didn’t realize how big #Chanyeol‘s role was in #MemoriesOfTheAlhambra? Wow! Anyhow, it was a unique #KDRAMA that started off strong & showcased #HyunBin‘s skills. But #ParkShinHye was woefully underutilized. My review⏯️https://t.co/xUXV0F3Kya pic.twitter.com/CHWfP6aec9
— Jae-Ha Kim 김재하 (@GoAwayWithJae) February 4, 2019
© 2019 JAE-HA KIM | All Rights Reserved
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