Drama Review: Heading to the Ground Episode 1

Yunho can't believe it, too

Minor Spoilers Ahead.

Let's get one thing straight. I had low expectations of Heading to the Ground but I still didn't expect it to be this bad. Guys, I am a k-drama addict. You've seen me in action. I am the girl who sticks to dramas until the end despite them being boring or losing steam after a few episodes. It's like my code. If I start, I have to finish and I can't help hoping that somewhere along the way, if a drama sucks, it will try to redeem itself (sometimes, they do).

But this, I wanted to turn off completely, at the first scene. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I felt so bad I wanted to hide into a hole from secondhand embarrassment and started killing the director and scriptwriter in my head (despite the overacting, Yunho's really honestly just trying so hard to do well that I can't seem to hate him). Yunho's weakness in acting before has already been his tendency to overact and exaggerate. And, boy, his character here just EMPHASIZES this, omigod. I suddenly wish they had made him a businessman. Because Yunho's simple expressions (read: when he isn't making his dorky Yunho faces, Yunho, I love you, okay;;), the emotion comes across well. And, he's very likable and earnest.

Still, I swear, I stopped watching for a bit and then rewatched DBSK's old banjun drama Dangerous Love to make myself laugh. I actually thought he acted more naturally then and we all know banjun isn't srs biznes.

Anyway, I went back to watching because I felt so bad for Yunho I decided I'd give the drama a chance. Go Ah Ra, the lead actress, is pretty mediocre in this episode (although she cries well) and rather bland despite her pretty face. Yoonji, the other girl, is remarkably more dynamic and warm. I'm feeling their chemistry more than YunhoxAh Ra and the CPR scene was awkwardly adorable. I have to say, though, that Yunho and Ah Ra's epic cliche meeting scene was really cute. And I think I might grow to like their pairing as it goes along. Music becomes catchier the more you listen to it.

Verdict: Half the audience probably switched channels after seeing the horrendous, low budget and very awkward opening scene (let's not even mention what it was, go see for yourself). But stick with it for at least thirty minutes more and you'll finally progress from cringing from secondhand embarrassment to watching with a twitching smile on your mouth. After resting my head, I rewatched the entire episode and realized it wasn't as bad as I thought it was (I think the opening scene stalled my brain for a while there). The preview for Episode 2 looks really interesting and made me feel all fluttery. I'm going to keep watching. I'm putting stock in the cast improving as a whole and, hopefully, Yunho will ease on the overacting a little (Yunho, just stop listening to the director and be more natural, okay). The ratings might look low (around 7, dropped to 5, I think) to some but it's a good steady start seeing what dramas it's up against (the other two are at around 14 each).

(P.S. There are photos floating around of Yunho in hospital clothes at a shooting. They're saying it's a mental hospital. With his character in this drama, omigod, that might actually work for the better.;;)