Red Bun Coalition ♟️ The Means Rustify the Soul °8.4° °Excellent°

Corruption: the process by which something is changed from its original use to one that is erroneous or debased. A departure from what is pure or correct. Decay, decomposition, dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.

"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it," said Mark Twain. Even if leaders want the right things, too often they are willing to do the wrong things to get them.

US is a historical political fiction thriller based on true events. Three characters are based on actual historical figures while everyone else seems to be an amalgam of other players that created the political debacle of 1959-60 in SK, Uncle Sam being the most amalgamous. Communism was spreading, the world was in chaos. World War II had rewritten the map of the world. The North and the South Koreans were at odds. SK was closely monitored by an on-site U.S. military. This is one of Director/writer Shin Youn-Shick (Cassiopeia) higher rated offerings. “I think Korea is the only country that asks if one has eaten as a greeting. (The series) portrays the difficult times right after the Korean War, when it was truly challenging to have even one meal a day,” Shin said. Yet it was politics as usual at the top. These back-room ghouls think nothing of the suffering masses.

Not interested? I gravitate to the imaginative side of entertainment myself - Sci-fi, thrillers, fantasy… romance. We have to make an effort to try new things to be more well rounded. As such, one could tag me a somewhat reluctant viewer. Around Ep5 it became clear that this is an excellent drama. US might not be my go-to genre, but it is an excellently created show. It starts like a tank. It grinds slowly but really cranks up towards the end. The acting and directing are sublime. What's most important is that it's a peek under the hood of politics, another reminder that politics is overrun by hoods. “This is what it means to be in politics,” muses Joo In-tae. His daughter had just asked him how he could work with a guy who had tortured him during the Japanese occupation. Many well meaning people do jump into the “public service” foray with the intent to ‘do-good’, but they slowly get absorbed by a system that pumps out ‘doo-doo’. Politics is one big manure spreader. As KS says, it's “Hypocrisy disguised as a dream.”

1960. The March15 Election Fraud is abt the rigged re-election of Syngman Rhee, in power since post WWII. That led to The April Revolution: A series of protests and demonstrations demanding reform that led to the removal of Rhee. We open in 1960, but the cars look older, indicating that money is scarce and they're getting by on older belongings and older technology. It is a dark, wet night and authorities are dragging away a man who is screaming that it's Samsik's fault. What is a Samsik? Well, he is a dude who made sure everyone in his circle had three meals a day. Even during the war. “Sam” means three. “Sik” means food. “Chingoo Chincha.” A true friend.

US is a 2024 release that is rated 86 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 42ish-minute eps that positively fly by in comparison to a typical Kdrama. Not only is US an excellent drama, but it's also a primer on politics and the slippery slope that topples the naive. The good they sincerely want to do is the carrot. Getting reelected is the stick. It helps me understand politicians more and it also makes me despise politics all the more. It's a filthy, slimy business. Cliches are always based on entrenched patterns. The cliche, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” still rings true. The human race hasn't outgrown that problem. Voters and the general public seem to have the attention span of a fruit fly and the memory of an ostrich. We neither know nor understand our history. Therefore we are doomed to suffer corrupt leadership. It just isn't wise to put too much trust or hope in political leaders.

After we hear what a nurturing guy US Is, we revert to 1959 for a closer peek. There's protesters in Seoul. I've not seen one political Kdrama where that isn't going on. It appears to be part of the fabric of Kcountry. The opening eps go back and forth between that point & MPs questioning suspects in 1960. Questions? In ‘59 these guys staged a coup.

Samsik appears to be more mobster than businessman. He's slowly built up enough to enable him to buy into a chaebol level company - he's about to become a business baron. “Do you know what pizza is?” He's in a great mood and jawwing to someone at the meal before his induction ceremony. “You probably don't even know what cheese is.” He tries to explain pizza to a traditional 1959 Korean. It might as well be explaining the 5th dimension. Try explaining soy sauce to someone who has never had Asian cuisine.

Later that night, he's at a political rally to raise trouble, and the meeting does break up in mayhem, but then Kim San takes the podium. To paraphrase, he says ~I just got back from the USA. No one is going hungary. Every building shines. They don't even eat all their food. I lived above a pizza shop. Do any of you know what Pizza is?~ He goes on to talk of a vision where Koreans aren't starving but, rather, where Korea is the center for commerce in the world. Uncle Samsik is listening. Attentively. The scene is quite powerful.

Park Doo Chil (Snowpiercer) plays ML Uncle SamSik with his coat swinging; part of Sam's signature swagger. It's been 35 years since he did TV. Coming into US, I could only see him as he was in Parasite-9, w/ the greasy face and that smell. (I KNOW one can't smell anything through the TV. That is partly why Parasite is so brilliant!) He made an impression. He's excellent in Taxi Driver-8.4 as well, which is also half-fictionalized events based in a true setting and, historically, serves as a bookend to US. In US, PDC is indefatigable. His character is so alive, so energetic, so garrulous, so thoroughly compelling that, for someone with chronic fatigue, it's actually exhausting. US is a man that has gotten used to exploiting opportunities; it's such a habit that he never questions it. He understands that when your stomach is full your mind tends to open. He won people over by feeding them. We're not that much different than stray cats and dogs in that way. He is portrayed as a split personality. Like the best criminals, he's a savant of human psychology. He grew up poor. Therefore he says things like: “Do you like people that are admired? They're the worst.” Yet he fully embraces the system. He is fundamentally decent to those around him and he's generally loyal, but he has no moral backbone whatsoever. He operates outside of the law entirely. US opens up in ep2: ‘I love red bean buns. I could never afford them, but I wanted them so badly I killed a man one day.’

Byun Yo Han, who is positively luminescent in Mr. Sunshine-9 & Misaeng-9.1, plays Kim San/KS, a man who has the best of intentions but gets marinated and stuck to the bottom by the political sauce. Mr. Byun shows that he can play a serious role. Other actors can as well, but what other actors can't do is capture the magic of the other characters BYH has portrayed. He conveys a nearly tangible sense of delight. That is rare magic, indeed. KS has a soft spot for people that recognize his worth. That only means that he's too self-focused, and his pride is too important to him. It's something that will trip us up. He is so determined to pass his economic reform pkg, (it would be wonderful for Kcountry) that he's willing to do anything. ANYTHING. He thinks he can wash away the stink later.

Lee Kyu Hyung (Doctor John) plays the spineless but powerful Kang Seong-Min. Even though he's a beautiful man, he's terrifying because he's completely self-focused, he has no empathy, and he's gutless. If someone makes him the slightest bit nervous, he orders a hit on them. Choo Sang-Rok is Park Ji-Wook. During the Japanese Occupation he was a quisling and worked as a police officer on behalf of the occupiers. In 1959 he’s a prominent politician. Tiffany Young (Reborn Rich) is marvelous as Rachel Jung. Jin Ki Joo (My Perfect Stranger) is Joo Yeo Jin, KS's fiance, as the show opens. Seo Hyun Woo (Flower of Evil-8.9) plays Jung Han Min.

Those based on true historical figures:

~Ryu Tae-ho as Choi Han-rim: a prestigious general who KS calls a 2nd father. WIKI - “Based on Lee Han-lim, he is known for his political neutrality and being the only commanding officer to declare public opposition to the May 16 coup. After graduating from Shinkyong Military Academy and studying at the Imperial Japanese Army Academy, he served as an officer… was a classmate of Park Chung Hee,” part of the Imperial Japanese Arm & finally 1st Army CDR when the 5/16/60 coup occurred. “He opposed the military's intervention in politics and stood on the opposite line from those who led the military coup of Park Chung-hee. He had prepared to mobilize reserve forces to suppress the coup, but withdrew to prevent a civil war and potential North Korean invasion. Due to his opposition, he was arrested two days later and discharged along with the 5th District Commander and Army Major General Park Ki-byung.”

~Park Hyuk-kwon “as Choi Min-gyu: Minister of Home Affairs who collaborates with the Liberal Party government. Based on Choi In-gyu.”

~Oh Kwang-rok “as Joo In-tae: a politician who insists on national prosperity and peaceful coexistence. Loosely based on Cho Bong-am. …Three years after the election, Cho was charged with espionage and receiving funds from NK. His first trial resulted in an acquittal but he was convicted in a second trial and was executed on 31 July 1959. His death sentence was posthumously overturned in 2011 by the South Korean Supreme Court.”

The Albright Stonebridge Group is a real Foundation committed to economic growth in SK.

The slippery slope. KS is courted more than a duke's only daughter. How does Samsik seduce him? With intoxicating statements like this: “Nobody gets to fulfill more than 25% of their desires. Nobody gets 80 or 90% so what do you do? You increase your desires by 40-50-60%. Have ambition.” When KS finally succumbs, he has this conversation with the party chief: “I don't need nice guys. We are waging a war here. I won't tolerate any tears.” “I've already shed all my tears. I'm done with that.” By that time he had abandoned his fiance, ignored dozens of illegalities, and had started sewing the seeds of revolution. Samsik stays in the shadows. One might almost think he invented subversive triangulation, but apparently politics is the same at all times and in all places. It's a filthy business in which those in power take advantage of those in need. Catch rivals committing crimes? It's merely an invitation to control them. Turning them in is the last thing that US would do. Even so, Samsik and KS form an unbreakable bond. They have good goals that they intend to implement by any means possible. Following proper channels never even occurs to Samsik, and he manages to slowly and steadily bend KS to his will.

It's always the things that we think we know, our faulty presuppositions, that are going to bring us down. “There was an explosion of people that spilled onto the streets instantly. Ultimately, none of the promises or plans we made mattered at all… No one could have predicted the way the winds would take us, or or how the waves would crash.” The director is adept at building up tension throughout the show. It explodes into the protests. There's an aerial shot of marchers that pans several blocks. It's really spectacular. Next, he intersperses the filming with genuine newsreels from the time itself. It's quite emotional. Another nice touch is how KS is gifted a light grey suit. It stands out amongst the unified dark suit coalition. I think it represents how his white intentions became muddied and gray through his interactions with US. In the last ep KS wears a black suit. His eyeglasses are two tones of grey.

Uncle Sam knows things are going sideways in the last ep. He can sense it. He looks at the hotel lobby. People are chit-chatting, drinking and going on with their evening as if nothing's happening. They're completely unaware of the day, of the country, & of the rotation and revolution of the earth. Isn't that always the case? The soldiers enter. It's a profound scene.

US, himself, is often profound. We'll let him close this out: “Let me ask you about the principles that govern this world. Spring arrives, then summer. Flowers bloom, then wilt. They're what make the World Go Round And the sun rise and set. The Earth's rotation and revolution. Can you feel it right now? The rotation and revolution? That's precisely the kind of man I am. The Earth's rotation and revolution…” (looks like the earth still goes around without him). “Sometimes I feel… I feel tossed aside in the world, completely abandoned. I'm flooded with loneliness. It's in those times that I find what I fear most of all… is when that loneliness… becomes familiar.


(more) 〰️QUOTES〰️

So you think love is trivial? Guess you don't know much about love.

People think they're different from each other. Eventually, they figure out they're all the same. When they figure it out, it's too late.

You have a bad habit. You underestimate people who are younger than you. You need to fix that.

An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought. ~Simon Cameron US financier & politician, 1799-1889~

✏〰 IMHO
Ratings
Directing 8.3
Writing 8.5
Acting 8.5
Romance 3
Flutters 4
Warmth 4.5
Art 8
Sound & music 7.5
Ending 9

Levels
Excitement 5.5
Laughs 2
Tears 6
Fright 3
Tension/anxiety 3.5
Gore 3
Thought provocation 7
Snores 0


?8.3 ?8.5 ?8.5 ?3 ?4 ?8 ?/?7.5 ?9 ▪ ?4.5 ⚡5.5 ?2 ?6 ?3 ?3.5 ?3 ?7 ?0

Age 14+
Language Rated-R Fbombs, some violence, gore, and scares, but the tradeoff is the primer on politics and human relationships. This is an educational jaunt as well as an excellent drama.

Rated TV-MA

Re-watch? Would

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