But let me start over, as I'm digressing already. This is mostly the story of Lee Yeo-Reum (played by Seol Hyun). She's 28 (and is so in real life; Im Si-Wan is also supposed to be that age but seriously, either one of them could play anywhere from 20 to 35) and has been basically treading water through life and letting people (including her boyfriend) walk all over her. When the aforementioned boyfriend unceremoniously dumps her after 6 years together, her mother dies, and she finally walks out of her job (where the skeevy boss had been trying to alternately sleep with her or belittle her), she packs up a single bag and sells the rest of her things. Then she leaves Seoul and winds up in the small beachside town of Angok. She falls in love with the library, which is where Dae-Beom works and she meets him.
She has to make her money last as she doesn't plan on working for the next year, so she looks around for a place to stay that's cheap. She winds up renting an old billiards place that has been empty for 20 years. It's also the place where an 8 year old Dae-Beom had discovered his murdered older sister and then, after his father was arrested for her murder (partly on his testimony that he saw his dad leaving just before), his mother's dead body after she committed suicide. So, baggage, yo. He's understandably a bit wary and finds it hard to communicate with people but winds up bonding with Yeo-Reum fairly quickly, perhaps seeing in her a bit of a kindred spirit.
This is, honestly, a show about broken people healing themselves. Though, from the original description and the posters and someone's review calling it a "healing show." I had honestly thought there would be a LOT LESS MURDER and heartache.
There's the normal angst -- Dae-Beom's best friend (who is a girl) has acted like an older sister to him all these years but now that Yeo-Reum is in the picture, she's suddenly wanting more. Meanwhile, a guy in town has liked her for years and yadda yadda yadda.
And some bullying / poverty type drama where the initially juvenile delinquent teenager Kim Bom turns out to be living a life of quiet tragedy -- alcoholic father that actually winds up stabbing her while in a drunken rage, causing a huge hospital bill, not to mention the bullying at school. The bright spot in her life that she has a hard time accepting is Heo Jae-Hoon, a rich kid recently returned from the States and basically living on his own as his parents are still over there. He has some bullying issues too, but Bom can't see the things they have in common because she spends so much time concentrating on their differences -- and pushing him away and/or not confiding in him, though he's, well, totally a cinnamon bun to her.
I found the bit where they're all trying to talk Bom into NOT turning her father in for stabbing her and call it an accident instead hard to watch. I understand that the grandmother would not want to see her son go to jail BUT FFS he stabbed your granddaughter and had generally been an AWFUL dad, stealing money and all kinds of things. And then, he appears to have a breakthrough and goes into rehab...but then, by the end, he's back to his old tricks. Which, I have to hand it to the show here...usually if someone has a redemption arc, no matter how unlikely, they stick to it. It was actually more realistic that he failed again. But still a depressing turn.
Anyway, I really enjoyed all the bits about how these broken puzzle piece people fit together and became a whole tapestry (wow, way to mix a metaphor there). For a show that I'd thought was going to be more like Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, it was instead very raw and emotional, but with moments of sweetness.
I'm not going to go into all the murder-y bits or who dies or all the over the top drama parts. It was reasonably well done and somewhat unexpected as far as the resolution, BUT it wasn't what I was watching for.
Was also slightly disappointed in the romance aspect -- though, yes, I get that the show didn't wind up being about that...call it false advertising -- they literally only get as far as...holding hands (surprised pikachu face)...in the very last couple of minutes of the show. I'd hoped for a little more, maybe because they were both nearing 30 and it is okay if life is "sufficient" and slow but...still...
To sum it up, I enjoyed watching Summer Strike. It does give you ALL THE FEELS...just not the feels I was expecting. I don't think I'd watch it again as there was a lot more sad in it than I will usually re-watch. Life is hard enough. The cast was excellent and did a great job, including the ones that start off quite horrible and then, as you get to know them, you slowly see why/how and there is actual measurable change. I do hate it in a show when characters wind up in the exact same place they started. Though, maybe that's why I would have appreciated a bit more progress in the romance department when it's so obvious that they heal something in each other.
Also definitely enjoyed Im Si-Wan in this too. You feel like you could have a nice chat with him over coffee and come away feeling better. I always like the actors that feel slightly awkward and a bit off kilter.
Edit: Ha! Just realised he's also in the same band as Park Hyung-Sik! I suppose I'll have to check out their music now. And apparently he can also play spooky bad guys, as he's in the new film Emergency Declaration which has a heckuva cast.
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