[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Access 2014" Episode 3

Now that the novelty has worn off a bit I find a myself a little less impressed with "Access 2014". Mainly this is because the program's started repeating itself. Part of this is manadatory really- we have three couples and all of them are supposed to be going through the same dramatic beats, so of course we have to see some of the same stuff again. It's just that after the first literal blind date, it's hard to get excited about the concept again when the main point of contention is a matter of age.

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Yes, that really is the closest we get to any kind of serious dramatic tension here. One couple is surprised to discover that their relative ages are not what was initially assumed. I'll confess- I put a little too much emphasis on that particular question too. But I don't dwell on the point because it's not interesting and it really just comes off as a little silly. "Access 2014" is good at being cute, yet there's no risk. It's just optimism.

On that note, let's consider the new creative ways everyone comes up to communicate with each other. Letters appear to have little popularity at this point as new creative methods of contact make an appearance. An art collage proves to be a very informative experience. They're selfies, but specifically designed not to clearly show faces. We instead see every single other part of the immediate background- and this actually says a lot more about the woman than her face ever could.

I can't help but notice, by the way, that the woman seem to be more creative than the men. Everytime I go back to the best, most genuinely interesting surprises, it's always the women that comes up with them and taking the creative initiative. It's an odd contrast to the blind dates, where the men are the ones driving the conversation. I wonder if that's a major part of the drive here- that the distance, helps make the women feel less ridiculous about just being themselves.

And yet at the same time these gestures mean very different things depending on what side we're seeing them from. Take the song. "Access 2014" lets us hear both versions- the lovely, smooth version recorded in the woman's room, and the crackling raspy one on the man's end. Even though his version is of decidedly less quality, the man is impressed and mesmerized by the music. That's likely where the true power of this disconnected love lies- in that novelty that can make us appreciate the inner beauty that may not be initially obvious.

Review by William Schwartz

Narration by Bae Suzy and Roy Kim