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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Feel Good To Die" Episodes 1-2

Some feel that death is the end, others feel it is but a transition, but for the heroine of "Feel Good To Die" it is the most annoying pause button. The drama follows her otherwise normal office life and common woes experienced under a grating boss, but we are thrown into its supernatural twist right off the bat. Can heroine Lee Roo-da save her boss, and save the day from repeating?

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Before getting to that supernatural element, a little on the infamous man himself. Baek Jin-sang (Kang Ji-hwan) is an exhausting presence, and part of the reason why is that he mixes truth within his nasty goals. While selfish, insulting, and harsh beyond fairness, he is not always wrong. At the moment, Jin-sang can only be a caricature, because his rag doll deaths are more important for the story. That being said, I cannot wait to see his issues unfold.

Lee Roo-da (Baek Jin-hee) and her peers start off just as shallow and grating, but this is turned beautifully on its head. For all his faults, Jin-sang is not the only one who needs to reevaluate his life here. This is just as much a learning experience for Roo-da, her first lesson being that getting caught up in the bad things in one's life is inherently a self-centered thing, but that it can also make one cruel and careless, even inadvertently so.

A story with a "Groundhog Day"-esque premise does not really need to be a straight-faced office drama, or a coming-of-age story, so I am not sure if the series will brush through the issues of working adulthood as lightly as in the first episodes, but this is a promising start. The work is already showing skill in leading the viewer towards common assumptions, only to subvert what it presents us later, which drives its messages nicely home.

This brings me to the supernatural element of Roo-da's day repeating until she finds ways to break the loop. I wonder if there is something larger at play here, like a butterfly effect. Is Roo-da just supposed to stop one death, or is this above and beyond just Jin-sang? I am intrigued by the fire and the dying message, because they seem like an important, and possibly connected incident during this first fateful night.

Most of all, I am curious about the drama's true focus. Supernatural mysteries and office life are very different, and experience has taught me that Dramaland cannot simultaneously juggle two major elements adequately. Ideally, the time conundrum will be a tool on a journey of growth towards a better personal and working life. For now, I will simply wait and enjoy what "Feel Good To Die" has to give me.

"Feel Good To Die" is directed by Lee Eun-jin, written by Im Seo-ra, and features Kang Ji-hwan, Baek Jin-hee, Gong Myung and Park Sol-mi.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

Watch Episode 1 on Viki

Watch Episode 2 on Viki

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