[Drama catnip] Ramp up the camp » Dramabeans MGG

[Drama catnip] Ramp up the camp

by Unit

Laughter comes very easily to me — from grins and chuckles to giggles and guffaws. I’m the kind of person you do not want to glance at in serious situations because I will laugh, and we will both embarrass ourselves. I’ve tried — and failed multiple times — to restrain myself while laughing, so I’ve basically given up on containing my amusement and I’m ready to burst out anywhere (apologies to everyone in my house). One thing about me is that you don’t even have to try so hard, because once I spot the slightest hint of humor in any situation, I’m already howling. It’s no surprise, therefore, that comedy is my favorite genre of anything, and that’s why wacky and campy situations in K-dramas will always get me.

I don’t know how they do it, but there’s something about the unintentional way some drama characters are set up to be humorous even when the drama isn’t exactly meant to be funny. And when dramas actually set out to be funny, they are funny. K-dramas will utilize everything in their arsenal to trip the viewers — from dialogue and the subsequent character reactions, to the actor’s facial expressions, slapstick, on-screen captions, and sound effects! (The caw of the crow and goat bleats in the Answer Me series is a classic example of sound effects that trip me).

There’s often a slight exaggeration to the K-drama brand of humor, but that’s what makes it uniquely theirs, and that’s why I love them so much. I find it amusing how dramas place their characters in these ridiculous situations that won’t fly anywhere else but in dramaland. And you know, these situations aren’t so ridiculous when you think about it because they’re just day to day happenings that we’re already used to seeing in dramas. Take drinking for example: we already know that people in dramaland have really strong livers, so their drinking doesn’t faze us. But then they wake up the next morning in a stranger’s house wearing some granny’s flowery pants, and I’m already chortling like a faulty train.

Silly dream sequences, a female lead’s horror when she has flashbacks to throwing up on the male lead, or drunken confessions that lead to massive embarrassment the next day, will never not make me laugh. But these situations almost always lead to a turning point in the OTP’s relationship, and I have zero complaints about humor being the tool to kickstart a romance or to move the plot forward.

But it’s one thing to be funny, and it’s another thing to be funny and tell a good story while at it. This is why I love Park Jae-bum writer-nim’s works so much. From Chief Kim (my fav K-drama yet) to The Fiery Priest and Vincenzo, Park Jae-bum has hacked this formula of balancing comedy with good storytelling. He’s really deliberate about his characters, their dialogue, and the plot itself. Everything is intended to amuse his audience, yet his dramas will always stick the landing and give us a satisfactory feeling at the end. I really want to be like him when I grow up.

In comparison, it’s one of the reasons I’m always disappointed whenever a drama promises to be campy and ends up delivering something else. It’s like having expectations for a snowman only to end up with an ice cream. But ice cream is sweet, and I’m shameless. So, even in the midst of the unwanted drama, I will still find a reason to laugh. Probably while watching a chaebol chairman grab the back of his neck in an obvious attempt to fake a mild heart attack after getting a prosecution summons. Or seeing a mother tie a white headband to protest against her son’s relationship with the female lead.

I’ll most likely forgive a derailed story as long as I find it sufficiently amusing — and it’s pretty easy because even things that might not be funny to others have a tendency to crack me up. I used to feel a bit of embarrassment after getting sober from a solo high of laughter. But right now, I’m unapologetic about it because life is too short to hold back on the (many) things that make me laugh. So, if after drinking a crate of eggs in Hospital Playlist, Chae Song-hwa still sings off-key, I will laugh. If Shin Hye-sun’s character is bent over in search for the missing “dragon balls” in Mr. Queen, I will have tears in my eyes. And if Choi Chi-yeol (and his belt) trips over himself and lands on his butt in Crash Course in Romance, you’d have to pick me up from the floor.

Nobody does zany like K-dramas, and I don’t care whether it’s intentional or not. Just bring on the camp and you’ve got yourself a delighted viewer in me. It is said that laughter is the best medicine for the soul, and when it comes in a K-drama packet, you know I will willingly overdose.

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