[REVIEW] KBS2 TV series 'Iris'

Poster for KBS TV series "Iris" [Taewon Entertainment]

A car explosion in Budapest, Hungary and a main character jumping off from a dam in Akita are scenes from KBS blockbuster drama “Iris.” The drama, which showed off its grand scale from the start, planned another car explosion and a shooting scene in the middle of Gwanghwamun, near the city hall area in downtown Seoul. Choosing Gwanghwamun as its background was wise, aside from the fact that there was busy traffic near the spot. The TV series, the only recent drama that has exceeded a viewership rating of 30% aside from MBC “Queen Seon-deok,” deals with maintaining peace on the Korean peninsula and the entire world. Despite the fact that the drama deals with reality, trying to believe everything that happens on screen is difficult at times. Why is this? Is it because actor Lee Byung-hun overcomes all of his misery so easily? Or is it because he never tells us about the untrustworthy legends? Here is what reporter Yoon Hee-Seong and TV critic Kim Sun-young say about this idealistic yet reality-based drama. Written by Yoon Hee-seongKBS2 TV series “Iris” is based on a somewhat heavy story-line. The characters talk about serious topics regarding international relations and about North-South Korea relations. The action scenes that appear on almost every episode are also very serious. Characters’ intentions behind car explosions, jumping off a dam, shooting down a plane are also grand. Yet, what is most important in this espionage drama is Kim Hyun-joon’s (played by Lee Byung-hun) fate. Upon being rejected from the organization and his nation, Kim is forced upon death. Although he anticipated beginning a new life after killing the head of a yakuza, his life was not guaranteed. Yuki, who Kim tried to save with all his might, ended up dying. Kim, who fails to save others and also fails to be saved by others, is indeed an isolated character in the drama. As his situation worsens, he tries to become a stronger person.However, Kim’s situation in “Iris” is not as dreadful as we imagine. He is easily situated in the center of the entire plot by easily cooperating with Kim Sun-hwa (Kim So-yun), being easily accepted by Park Chul-young (Kim Seung-woo), meeting Yoo Jung-hoon (Kim Gab-soo) and even encountering the president. And during this process, memories of the hard time he spent fighting alone are dissolved in the air. It is as if everything was planned ahead -- for things work out smoothly for Kim. Questions such as ‘how?’ and ‘where?’ do not seem crucial in this drama. Emphasizing its scale might seem only natural for a drama that cannot attract viewers with a particular purpose or method.The emptiness which comes from lack of explanation also exists in the drama’s romance. The moment when Choi Seung-hee (Kim Tae-hee) encountered Kim failed to gain much popularity not because their love was shallow and not because their relationship was too ordinary. Rather, it was because the history of their relationship was not portrayed enough throughout the drama. Although they have moments that they remember, they do not have meaningful stories to cherish. Choi, who breaks the rules of the organization to find her lover Kim, without having fully shown how much she loves him, ends up making her look like an amateur rather than a plaintive woman. The same goes for Kim Sun-hwa, who adheres to Hyun-joon without a clear reason. Sun-hwa discarding her loyalty toward her nation does not quite makes sense when keeping in mind that she has served her country for her entire life. Also the process of her sorrow resulting from losing her family which transforms into love for Hyun-joon is illogical. Explaining such complexities can only be done by saying that these two women are characters who were planned to ‘love Kim Hyun-joon.’ Keeping in mind that they both have such goals, the reasons and details behind their love stories can be omitted in “Iris.” This is because the core principle of “Iris” is to never tell legends you do not believe in. By carelessly carrying out its story in such as way, what “Iris” gives viewers is scenes to watch. If viewers can watch Hyun-joon’s body, analyze Seung-hee’s gestures and see them set Gwanghwamun on fire, the subject of war, whether they be North and South Korea or Sparta and Troy, simply does not matter. This is so because none are realistic to the eyes of the viewers. Therefore, watching “Iris” is like watching an amateur skater who is only full of passion. The willingness to execute a crucial jump skill is something that can create a disaster, but at the same time it is the only card the skater possesses. Therefore, “Iris” is exerting its full efforts to come up with better action scenes, comforting itself that this is the best service that it can offer its viewers. Skipping processes in between and simply jumping to such flamboyant points, however, is incorrect. This is because viewers can easily lose interests watching a drama missing a story. Written by Kim Sun-youngAs a young boy, Kim Hyun-joon (played by Lee Byung-hun) dreamed of being a superman who saves the world. But the real reason he chose to be become an NSS agent who "defends his country and fights enemies who threaten its peace" was not because of he was patriotic or loyal but because the job was exciting. Unlike Park Chul-young (played by Kim Seung-woo), who was all about faith and ideals for his country, Kim was purely motivated by his personal desires and so when that desire was betrayed, he was easily able to plot revenge against his country. However, after all the trials and tests he had encountered, he found himself in the very place that had to fight against the great big enemy that threatened the peace of not only his country but also the world. In the end, Kim Hyun-joon could not escape his fate as a superman. The reason KBS's "Iris" is so popular with the Korean public is not just because it is a huge blockbuster drama. Unlike the previous Korean blockbusters that benchmarked Western hero stories but failed to match its scale with an epic storyline, "Iris" is a drama whose scale and story match up almost perfectly. And what "Iris" was trying to achieve was telling a powerful hero fantasy that had never been done in a Korean TV series before, save for a few traditional dramas that told about mythical Korean heroes and kings. The story's set-up -- of a supranational secret organization planning the second Korean War in order to prevent the unification of South and North Korea -- expands the plot and puts Korea at the center of a global story. The character Kim Hyun-joon, who gets caught up in the conspiracy and loses his identity, seems to be following the typical character formula in a modern spy story but eventually becomes the first global superhero in a Korean drama by fighting the great big organization. Showing his well-toned abs and surviving any crisis like an immortal, he reminds viewers of those hard-bodies heroes from 1980s Hollywood movies. Such traits of "Iris" and the public's response to the show -- compared to the low ratings MBC TV series "Hero", which airs in the same time slot -- tell us something. That viewers nowadays want to see a powerful and idealistic hero rather than a less-than-godly, small-time hero that was typical in previous Korean dramas. It is no coincidence that some parts of the president seen in "Iris", another heroic and powerful character as Kim Hyun-joon, overlap with President Cha Ji-wook (played by Jang Dong-gun) in the film "Good Morning President". The president in "Iris", a nationalist and reformist, who says that he wants to lead the unification of Korea "without worrying about what other countries think" is somewhat similar to President Cha Ji-wook, who, in the film, does not succumb to the pressures by U.S. and Japan and carries out independent foreign policy by directly talking with North Korea. But the commercial success of "Iris" seems to have been borne out of the fantasy that is similar to the one provided by the film "Good Morning President". It is a desire and fantasy for a powerful, idealistic hero that simply does not exist in reality. Reporter : Yoon Hee-Seong nine@10asia.co.kr, Kim Sun-young TV criticEditor : Lynn Kim lynn2878@asiae.co.kr, Linda Kim lindakim@asiae.co.kr<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>