Finished watching SKY Castle and all I can say is 'it is a must watch'.
This is an important show not just because we can learn about the crippling competition in South Korea's education system, but the universal emotion of parental expectation and how many children's lives are being ruined by having to carry this burden. The show also explores the relationship dynamics between couples and other parents as they direct their children's education and life plans. There are layers to unravel and deeper emotions to unpack.
Education is very important because learning is important. Let us not relegate education as the foremost tool to getting 'forward' in life. Families who mistakenly believe they know what's best for their children and then proceed to unload their personal ambitions on their offsprings can cause more harm than good. It is human to err but we are also blessed with emotional intelligence so let us try to learn from mistakes and examples.
The show has some fine quality actors. I swear I was oscillating between pitying the characters and then wanting to punch the same people in the space of two episodes. Every time I saw some of the characters smirking, I had to pause the show and go rant to my friend. My blood pressure must have shot sky high!
The drama is excellently written, the characters are well fleshed out, the pacing is great. There is angst, there is black humour, there is passion, there is tenderness, and there is pure comedy gold.
Viewers can assume some characters could be caricatures of the helicopter parents we read about but honestly, the characters are very well written with their own personalities and stories.
The drama doesn't only depict the competitive nature of education in S.Korea and the burden this places on children but goes on to show the ways it can adversely affect families. Some actions have irrevocable consequences. Yet, we can easily continue on the path to destruction assuming WE are stronger than THEM, that WE make better decisions than the ones who walked the same path before us. This is a way of thinking most of us are familiar with.
Watch SKY Castle for the fantastic storyline and the amazing actors. It holds up a very honest mirror to society. Whether you live in South Korea or some other part of the world, you will be able to understand the futility of chasing your dreams through someone else.
Director Jo Hyun-Tak and writer Yoo Hyun-Mi have done so so well. I look forward to more of their work.
P.S.- SKY is an acronym for the top three universities in the country - Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University, where the nation's best compete to enrol.
