Overview of Our Blues

After a spate of apocalyptic dramas like ‘Squid Game‘ and ‘All of Us Are Dead‘, the South Korean film industry has revelled in the slice-of-life and rom-com genres. The bittersweet series ‘Our Blues’ was released on April 9, 2022, and it came from the renowned director Kim Kyu-tae, known for legendary dramas like ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’, ‘That Winter the Wind Blows‘, and ‘It’s Okay, That’s Love’.

‘Our Blues’ follows the lives of a group of people who live on Jeju Island and consider it their home. The hit Korean drama series is set on Jeju, South Korea’s largest island, with its idyllic but often tempestuous climes and the location adds an element of fantasy to its relatable and earthy narratives.

Profile

• Drama: Our Blues
• Director: Kim Kyu-tae
• Writer: Noh Hee-kyung
• Network: TVN
• Episodes: 20
• Release Date: April 9 – June 12, 2022
• Language: Korean
• Country: South Korea

Cast

• Lee Byung-hun as Lee Dong-seok, a truck merchant born in Jeju.
  • Ryu Hae-jun as young Lee Dong-seok
• Shin Min-a as Min Seon-ah, a single parent who works with Lee Dong-seok.
  • Kim Ah-song as young Min Seon-ah
• Lee Jung-eun is Jeong Eun-hee, a fish store owner with a bubbly charm.
  • Shim Dal-gi as young Jeong Eun-hee
• Cha Seung-won as Choi Han-soo, who returns to his hometown of Jeju and Jeong Eun-hee’s first love.
  • Kim Jae-won as young Choi Han-soo
• Uhm Jung-hwa as Go Mi-ran, Eun-hee’s best friend from high school and benefactor.
  • Yeon Shi-woo as young Go Mi-ran
• Han Ji-min as Lee Young-ok, a first-year haenyeo.
  • Hong Jung-min as young Lee Young-ok
• Kim Woo-bin as Park Jeong-joon, a captain with a clear and warm nature.

Supporting

• Kim Hye-ja as Kang Ok-dong, Lee Dong-seok’s mother.
• Go Doo-shim as Hyeon Chun-hee
• Bae Hyun-sung as Jung Hyun
• Roh Yoon-seo as Bang Young-joo
  • Ahn Tae-rin as young Bang Young-joo
• Park Ji-hwan as Jung In-kwon
  • Park Sang-won as young Jung In-kwon
• Choi Young-joon as Bang Ho-sik
  • Kang Yi-seok as young Bang Ho-sik
• Ki So-yu as Son Eun-gi, Hyun Chun-hee’s 6-year-old granddaughter.
• Kim Kwang-kyu as Kim Myung-bo
• Cho Hye-jung as Dal-i, Young-ok’s friend.
• Jung Sung-il as Kim Tae-hoon, Min Seon-ah’s sensitive and tired husband.
• Chun Dong-bin as classmate of Bang Young-joo and Jung Hyun
• Park Ji-ah as Hye-ja
• Jung Eun-hye as Lee Young-hui, Lee Young-ok’s elder twin sister who has Down syndrome.
  • Jin Hyo-jung as young Lee Young-hui

Synopsis

Lee Dong-seok (Lee Byung-hun) is a crabby truck merchant who was born in a small village on Jeju Island. Dong-seok sells stuff from his truck on the island. He is struggling to manage to cope with his life and live through it. Lee Dong-seok gets involved with Min Seon-ah (Shin Min-a) who has just moved to Jeju and and has started to work with him. She is a person with a backstory no one knows, Seon-ah is a single mother battling depression and is amidst a child custody battle with her husband.

Kang Ok-dong (Kim Hye-ja) is Lee Dong-seok’s mother. She is a quiet woman who minds her business. This strong-willed, stubborn, and unyielding woman often comes across as selfish and doesn’t bother to rectify things with her son. When it comes to her wishes, she doesn’t stop until she gets what she asks for. Lee Dong-seok’s relationship with his mother is not on good terms, and deep down, the child in Dong-seok craves some love and attention.

Choi Han-soo (Cha Seung-won) was born and raised on Jeju Island, but he moved away to the mainland. Han-soo returned to his hometown as poor as he was when he left, keeping up the image of a perfect urban man until he met his first love, Jeong Eun-hee (Lee Jung-eun), again. Unlike Han-soo, Eun-hee is successful in her life, owning multiple businesses, providing everything for her family, and acting as a matron for those at the fish market. Jeong Eun-hee’s story intertwines with Han-soo.

Another character is introduced, Lee Young-ok (Han Ji-min). She has been a first-year female diver (Haenyeo) in South Korea for the past year. She is a mysterious woman who spins stories about her personal life when asked about it, and she ends up earning the mistrust of the natives of Jeju. The other Haenyeos dislike her, but she is determined to stay on Jeju Island.

Lee Young-ok’s openness and bubbly personality with men around her have led to many rumours. Even so, Park Jeong-joon (Kim Woo-bin), a man with a warm heart, falls in love with Lee Young-ok. Park Jeong-joon is the captain of a fishing boat that takes the Haenyeos to sea.

Even though Young-ok ignores Captain Jeong-joon’s romantic advances towards her, gradually she sparks an interest in him. Park Jeong-joon is accommodative and non-intrusive, as he gives Young-ok the space that she requires in their relationship, and their relationship is as rocky as it is endearing.

Another character is introduced as Lee Young-hui (Jung Eun-hye), Lee Young-ok’s sister with Down Syndrome. Young-hui’s character addresses the ostracism that disabled people and their families face in society.

Another compelling story told in ‘Our Blues’ is the one that surrounds two high school students who are in love: Jung Hyun (Bae Hyun-sung), an 18-year-old high school student born in Jeju, and Bang Young-joo (Roh Yoon-seo), a high school student born in Jeju. Bang Young-joo wants an escape to Seoul. They are both the children of single dads and former friends. Jung Hyun’s father, Jung In-kwon (Park Ji-hwan), owns a food stall at a fish market on Jeju Island, and Bang Young-joo’s father, Bang Ho-sik (Choi Young-joon), is an ice maker who sells ice at a fish market on Jeju Island.

Ending Explained

Seon-ah slowly beats depression after she starts interacting with Dong-seok, and they both begin to explore their trauma, healing from the past or at least trying to see a path to the future.

The high school student Bang Young-joo delivers a baby girl towards the end of the drama, and the new parents seem to have quite a smile on their faces at the end of their ordeal. When it comes to Park Jeong-joon and Lee Young-ok, Lee Young-ok is extremely nervous about meeting Jeong-joon’s parents. Jeong-joon reassures her and tells her not to worry, as his parents already know about her family. When they reach Jeong-joon’s parents’ house, Young-ok is bothered by the fact that they don’t even smile at her.

The couple chose a bad day for the visit, as the parents were not in a good mood due to reasons unrelated to the couple. At the dinner table, Jeong-joon’s mother had tears in her eyes as she told Young-ok that it must have been very hard for her because of her family. After this conversation, Young-ok starts conversing easily with them. Jeong-joon’s parents do like Young-ok and give them their blessing.

The story witnesses closure surrounding the relationship of an estranged mother and son, Lee Dong-seok and his mother Kang Ok-dong. The two travel by ferry to the mainland so that the mother Kang Ok-dong can visit her former husband’s sons, and perform a memorial service. The mother and son search for Ok-dong’s hometown which had been demolished in place of a new dam and explore a town she enjoyed visiting back when Dong-seok’s father was still alive.

Dong-seok was able to release his anger, and as a result, he can now move on with his life and build meaningful relationships. The mom and son visit Hallasan to see the reputed beauty of Baengnokdam Lake in the wintertime. Later his mother Ok-dong died after experiencing her happiest day, spending quality time with her son and left him behind knowing that he wouldn’t be alone like she was.

Theme

‘Our Blues’ is a wholesome series that addresses emotional wounds and showcases the role love plays in the path to healing. The drama has multiple storylines with a raw exploration of mental health, depression, class, age, grief, fear, and more. The viewers will be able to see themselves reflected in one way or another, with different windows into interconnected lives. ‘Our Blues’ manages to pull off cross-generational storytelling that hits each emotion imaginable, from joy to earth-shattering grief.

The drama showcases different adult stories, and each story in ‘Our Blues’ hits on themes of ageing, youth, love, loss, and coping with depression. As the title of the series directs, there is plenty of sorrow in this series, but there is also a space for hope. Each moment of pain and vulnerability comes with a moment of joy and a bit of hope for the future.

Awards

• APAN Star Awards – 2022
  Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries, Shin Min-a
  Best Supporting Actor, Yoon Byung-hee
• Asian Academy Creative Awards – 2022
  Best Screenplay, Noh Hee-kyung
• Busan International Film Festival with Marie Claire Asia Star Awards – 2022
  Rising Star Award, Roh Yoon-seo
  Content that Changed the World, Our Blues
• Kinolight Awards – 2022
  Korean Drama Of The Year, Our Blues
• Korea Culture and Entertainment Awards – 2022
  Excellence Award, Actor, Choi Young-joon
• A-Awards – 2022
  A-Awards – Impression, Lee Byung-hun

Interesting Facts about Our Blues

1. Filming of the drama began on Jeju Island in October 2021, and 70% of the filming was done on Jeju Island.
   
2. The drama represents Kim Woo-bin’s return to television after a hiatus of 6 years, with his last TV series being ‘Uncontrollably Fond‘ in 2016.
3. The series depicts the lives of ordinary people in the Jeju oil field as the background.
4. The filming for the series has been stopped since February 7 as actor Lee Byung-hun tested positive for COVID-19.
5. The drama features 14 main characters, each telling eight stories.
6. ‘Our Blues’ takes over TVN’s Saturday and Sunday 21:10 time slots previously occupied by ‘Twenty Five Twenty One‘ and followed by ‘Alchemy of Souls’ in 2022.

FAQs

1. Who are the writer and director of ‘Our Blues’?
   The drama is written by Noh Hee-kyung and directed by Kim Kyu-tae.
   
2. What is the genre of ‘Our Blues’?
   The drama falls into the romance, life, drama, and melodrama genres. 
   
3. How many episodes are in ‘Our Blues’?
   The drama has concluded a successful 20-episode run.
4. Is the K-drama ‘Our Blues’ worth watching?
   ‘Our Blues’ is just as impressive as it comes down to the beauty of Jeju Island. From spectacular sunsets to sweeping establishing shots, the drama makes the most of its lavish, and paradisiac setting.
5. What is the Instagram ID of Han Ji-min?
   roma.emo is the Instagram ID of Han Ji-min.
6. What is the Instagram ID of Lee Byung-hun?
   byunghun0712 is the Instagram ID of Lee Byung-hun.