ZOMBIE’S DRAMA REVIEW: Producer Episodes 1-2

After what feels like an eternity of waiting for the star-studded new drama, Producer, to air, I was both excited and a little nervous to start watching this one. I have a tendency to set my hopes a little too high for some dramas but I’m happy to say, my expectations for this one have, at least in these first two episodes, have been met with a reasonable amount of satisfaction. It’s far too early to declare this the best drama ever but it certainly holds the potential to be something great and I’m really looking forward to seeing where this one goes.

As is the case with any new drama, the first couple of episodes are dedicated mostly to character introductions and a basic idea of the story’s plot and these two episodes are no exception. What we’ve learned so far is that the life of a television producer isn’t an easy one, which is something I can attest to because I used to be one. That being said, there have been several moments, in these first couple of episodes when I saw flashbacks to my old life and was suddenly reminded why I left that line of work. Watching Tak Ye Jin calling the shots during the live broadcast of Music Bank brought back so many memories and also a mild panic attack. Yes, the life of a television producer is a very stressful one, as poor Baek Seung Chan is learning the hard way.

While I can’t envy Seung Chan as he dives into the crazy world of television production, I can pity him. A lot. This poor guy! Two days on the job and he’s already managed to have the love of his life trample all over his poor, tender heart, offend a handful of celebrities, get his production team into trouble and land himself on the bad side of both his boss, his boss’ boss and hot-shot PD, Tak Ye Jin. Can’t say this is the best way to start out a new job but he did manage to end up on idol superstar, Cindy’s good side so maybe these first two days weren’t a total wash. With Cindy thinking Seung Chan was the producer who bought her supper, it’s possible she may start seeing him in a better light but at this point, I can’t tell if that’s a good thing or not. Cindy seems to be the type of person who gets what she wants so being in her good graces may prove beneficial for Seung Chan but there’s also the possibility of her getting him into a whole lot of trouble. I guess the question is, which way will this work out for Seung Chan? I suppose only time will tell.

While Seung Chan is adorable in his newbie awkwardness, I find both Tak Ye Jin and Ra Joon Mo to be much more interesting characters. The fact that they’ve been friends since childhood means they’ve got a lot of history together but what does that mean for us? At first it seemed like these two were nothing more than friendly colleagues but then we find that they’re living together, albeit under very platonic circumstances, or so it seems until that drunken kiss happens and throws everything off. Suddenly we’re left wondering if there isn’t more going on between these two than we first thought. Perhaps there’s nothing happening on the surface but there definitely seems to be something brewing under the surface. A drunken kiss doesn’t just happen. Something has to inspire it and my guess is Joon Mo has been harboring a crush on Ye Jin for a very long time. I mean, she’s the reason he got to ride his beloved elevators as a child. That kind of awesome leaves an impression on a young man. The question is, does Ye Jin harbor any suppressed feelings for Joon Mo? It may not look like that’s the case at the moment but who knows what we’ll discover as time moves on.

There’s definitely a very obvious love thing going on here but at the moment I can’t figure out if it’s a triangle or a square or a pentagon or what. Seung Chan is obviously head-over-heels for Hae Joo, who’s in love with Joon Mo, who isn’t interested in her but may possibly be interested in Ye Jin. Meanwhile Cindy seems to be softening her feelings towards an unsuspecting Seung Chan, who is actually being mistaken for Joon Mo (because he’s the one who bought her dinner, she just doesn’t know it). Ye Jin doesn’t seem to be interested in anyone at the moment but if Cindy starts to turn her attention towards Joon Mo, that could rouse some sort of reaction from Ye Jin. The same could be said if Cindy starts to dote on Seung Chan, though it seems, at this point at least, that any affection directed at Seung Chan from Cindy would only rouse anger from Ye Jin. Of course in the Dramaverse hatred often turns to love so who knows where all of this is going to go?

As confusing as the romance side of this drama is, I can’t say the rest of the story is any less ambiguous. There’s obviously going to be a lot going on with the production side of television, what with the complete overhaul of 2 Days, 1 Night and the tangled inner-workings of a massive television station, all of which are sure to play into the romance. My question is, will the production side be enough to carry this story along or are we going to delve deeper into the personal lives of these characters as well? I’m hoping that’s the case, seeing as how there was a tremendous amount of effort put into introducing the main character’s family members. You don’t take the time to introduce useless characters in the first couple of episodes so I’m guessing Seung Chan’s family and Ye Jin’s brother are going to play a part in the bigger picture, the question is, how? At this point, I have no idea but I hope, however they fit in, we get to see more of Seung Chan’s little sister. That kid is a girl after my own heart, begging to see GOT7 right off the bat. Way to go little fangirl! Way to go! (Is it bad if I join her in her begging and plead to the drama gods for a GOT7 cameo? How about BTS? VIXX???)

At this point I have more questions about this show than answers but I suppose that’s a good thing when you’re only two episodes in. There are certainly a lot of different directions this show can take at the moment. The question is, will we like these directions or will they leave us disappointed? Personally, I’m hoping for the best but that’s because I love both Gong Hyo Jin and Kim Soo Hyun and I want this drama to be a success for them both. I do kind of have to wonder about the style in which they chose to film this drama. The switch between traditional story-telling and the reality show filming kinda throws off the groove of the show a little but it also adds an interesting perspective on these characters. Right away we get to see different sides of each of them which gives them a bit more depth and I like that. I’ll be interested to see if they continue with this reality style filming throughout the duration of this drama or if it’s something they’re only going to use at the beginning. I believe this “show” they’re filming is called 3 Days but whether they only use this style of filming for three days is just another thing we’re going to have to find out as we watch. With so many questions up in the air, I’m definitely looking forward to finding out what happens next.

So tell me, what are your thoughts on Producer so far? Have the first two episodes piqued your interest or did you find they fell short of your expectations? Do you have any idea where things are going to go from here or are you more like me, asking a whole lot of questions without any real idea where anything is headed? You know I always love hearing from you so be sure to let me know what you’re thinking by leaving a comment below!