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[Drama catnip] Understated healing melos
by quirkycase
My drama tastes have changed somewhat over the years, which isn’t surprising – as I’ve gotten older and entered into different phases of life, my taste in many things has changed. While I still enjoy a swoony romance, the older I get, the more I find the stories that really reel me in and stick with me are the quieter ones that get to the heart of what it means to be human. In particular, I can’t pass up an understated melo where two broken people come together and work toward healing. There’s just something about watching people connect to find solace and understanding in one another that’s so moving. Mix that deep healing journey with a quiet, restrained tone, and I’m a goner.
Most of the time, these bonding and healing stories take the form of a romance, but not always. One of my favorites that truly exemplifies this category is the fantastic My Ajusshi. Watching the unlikely yet beautiful connection between Ji-an (IU) and Dong-hoon (Lee Seon-kyun) grow as they help each other heal was a special experience. And the fact that this wasn’t a romance set it apart and made it even more notable. They were simply two people who deeply understood and supported each other. It was nice to see a non-romantic relationship given such importance and care – love and connection comes in many forms, and they can all be powerful.
Then, there are those somber healing melos that I think of as romance light. They do feature romances, but the focus is less on the romantic aspect of the relationship and more on the general connection between two people; you could make the relationships platonic and still have the same story. Dramas like My Liberation Notes and Human Disqualification fall into this category for me.
In both dramas, while the broken souls at the center of each story do have a romantic connection, it’s not romance or attraction that primarily draws them together but their mutual need for someone, anyone, to understand them without judgment. The need for human connection takes precedence, making romance feel more like a bonus or add-on. In fact, for much of Human Disqualification, I wasn’t even sure it was going to go the romantic route for the leads, and I didn’t really care. The connection between Bu-jung (Jeon Do-yeon) and Kang-jae (Ryu Joon-yeol) was compelling, regardless of what form it took.
Of the full-on healing romances, the wonderful Just Between Lovers has to be my favorite. Kang-du (Junho) and Moon-su (Won Jin-ah), strangers who survive a building collapse in their youth and meet again as adults, were such great characters on their own and together. Their unique, shared trauma massively impacted their lives, leaving them both stuck in the past in their own ways. I loved watching the two of them slowly open up, helping each other process their trauma and realizing it’s okay to be happy.
A Piece of Your Mind had a similar appeal for me as Ha-won (Jung Hae-in) and Seo-woo (Chae Soo-bin) forged an unlikely bond over AI. I loved the sweet, slow-burn relationship that developed between them while they found solace together and the strength to confront their traumas. (And as a bonus, a first love was used to bring the couple together rather than tear them apart!) The lovely, dreamlike atmosphere made it all the better.
In general, I love a strong sense of atmosphere, which is likely another reason these understated healing melos appeal to me so much. Part of what makes a healing drama so, well, healing is the vibe – that sense of peace, warmth, contemplativeness, or even oppression at the start. Everything from the direction to the color palette used can play a large part in creating the right tone. Do You Like Brahms? is another example of a drama with a lovely, dreamy atmosphere that accentuated the sense of healing. Its warm palette and soft look complemented the warm, gentle romance between Song-ah (Park Eun-bin) and Joon-young (Kim Min-jae) as they struggled to forge their paths forward in the cutthroat classical music world that had left them both scarred.
Then, there’s I’ll Find You on a Beautiful Day which used wintery vibes to full effect. I can’t think about this drama without thinking about the setting. The beautiful mountainous, snowy landscape and cozy bookshop made for the perfect backdrop for the healing romance between former musician Hae-won (Park Min-young) and bookshop owner Eun-seob (Seo Kang-joon). It was a great blend of cold and warm, mirroring the cold Hae-won and Eun-seob had experienced with the warmth they found in each other.
Even though my catnip sometimes backfires on me – not all understated “healing” dramas turn out to be all that healing (Summer Strike, I’m looking at you) – I will always be sucked in by the promise of a slow-burn healing journey between two hurting souls. These slow-paced melos may not always have much in the way of pizzaz or excitement, but they’ve still got that drama magic that pulls you in and makes you root for these messy yet deeply affecting characters. Sometimes, it’s the quietest stories that hit the hardest.
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