Athena - try two

[dangermousie]

As you probably realized by the conspicuous lack of any Athena-related posts, I haven't been following that drama at all.

Simply put, I was bored to death by the first episode (I don't remember the last time with a major drama where I ended the first ep without having a single moment that grabbed me or a single character that made me interested to at least check out ep 2). I was so bored, I never even felt the desire to check out ep 2, and that despite the fact that I adore Jung Woo Sung, Lee Ji Ah and Cha Seung Won, and that its thematic predecessor, IRIS, went on my all-time favorite list.

JWS' character was just blandly dull, Su Ae was a sociopath (I have seldom disliked a leading lady like that from the start but she really fits the textbook definition), the same was true of Cha Seung Won, and Lee Ji Ah didn't even appear. Plus, the pacing was molasses-slow and JWS and Su Ae lacked any chemistry whatsoever.

But now, algelic, posted the below amazing vid and about how CSW and LJA's characters end up hooking up for manipulation reasons but develop feelings, and I am tempted enough to give it another try:

I only wish whoever made that vid, made the drama, too. Now, that would be a drama worth watching. Oh well, since that's not to be - my wish - in the alternate universe, get rid of Su Ae, give Jung Woo Sung a good drama to show off his acting chops in, and leave this one to CSW and LJA to develop some sexy dysfunction. Please.

Anyway, am about to go for try n2. I hope it's less emotionally dead than it seemed from ep 1.

Comments

[algelic.livejournal.com]

It's actually the official music video for the song, so it was made by the ATHENA team.

I think the interesting parts of the drama only start around episode 5 or 6. Until then... fastforward when you're bored!

I'm going to hold on just to see the scenes between Lee Ji Ah's OTP!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The dude who made the video should have made the drama.

And yum!

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

I read an interview where JWS talks about how he's kind of envious of LBH for getting to play a character like Hyun Joong and I can't blame him. I was really excited after the first two eps because I thought JWS's character was going to go from being this slacker who clearly has a lot of potential to being this interesting, fun character who was going to be thrown into total chaos so he'd have to rise up to the challenge. Instead he remains boring and it doesn't seem like he's a very good spy either.

I've watched 5 episodes and I found all the characters so bland and robotic and the entire drama emotionally dead, as you put it. I don't know how anyone is supposed to care about characters without knowing barely anything about them. Yeah the action is great but a good story should also have compelling characters and a story. Athena is such a disappointment :(

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes - IRIS was generally better written but the protagonist is where you can see the difference big time. Hyun Joon was such a fascinating character - because you got to see this fairly well-adjusted person thrown into moral, emotional, and physical hell and you got to watch him trying to claw his way out, be affected by it all, try to cope etc. There isn't anything like this going with anyone in Athena. JWS is every bit as good an actor as LBH but any actor needs something to work with.

And then there are the leading ladies. Leaving aside acting ability opinions, Su Ae's character is not complex - she's just ice-cold evil. And that is just not interesting. A sociopath doesn't make an interesting main character, unless it's a very twisted, extremely well-written psychological drama like Slingshot. IRIS kept its sociopaths and psychos firmly on the periphery - a complex bad guy is much more interesting. This is as if they made TOP a girl and love interest. Nope.

I have loved some very flawed action dramas before - as I posted downthread, I am one of 5 people who fangirled Lobbyist. But whatever plotting problems Lobbyist had, it never forgot that any drama is a story of its characters and I loved and/or found fascinating most of its characters. This isn't the case here at all.

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

You know I could deal with ice-cold evil if the character was amusing or entertaining. At least it would be fun to watch her do crazy awful things so I would have fun hating her (Creepy is an example. He's awful and I want him to diaf but I find his evilness really entertaining). But her character is so incredibly flat. I'd never expected a mysterious double agent character to be this incredibly boring. And I loved Su Ae in 9 End 2 Out but here watching her is like watching a dead fish.
And it's not just her. All the characters are flat and boring. I think JWS's character is very mildly likable because he's a great actor and he's trying really hard to do something with the character. I just don't understand how a spy/action drama can be this lifeless.

And the plot isn't any better. In IRIS you cared about all that terrorist/bomb in the bus stuff because the characters cared and their lives were at stake. Stopping a bomb from going off would mean something more than a promotion at their stable jobs. Everything in IRIS had a connection whereas here everything is disjointed and I just don't get the point of some of the characters or plot points or interactions between characters. It's just badly written and I don't even get what they are trying to do. It's really frustrating because they're wasting an amazing cast.
At this point I'm just watching for superficial reasons.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I feel terrible for JWS because he's a wonderful actor who came back to dramas after 15 years for this.

Yes, entertaining evil is entertaining (see smirky Creepy). But it's one thing in an antagonist, in a heroine we sort of are supposed to ship with the hero, it's not really great. I am not a Su Ae fan at all, and have always found her a very flat actress, but in her defense here, even an actress I like more, like Ha Ji Won, really wouldn't be able to do much with what she is given here.

Exactly - while in abstract, blowing up a bus or stealing a nuke or whatever, is a bad thing, for a viewer to care about this in a fictional world, it has to be tied to characters we love. Sure, if it's on the news, I'll care even if it involves people halfway across the world who I am never going to meet. But not so in fiction - I will only be invested if characters I love are invested. And there have to be characters for me to love, to start with.

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

in a heroine we sort of are supposed to ship with the hero, it's not really great.
Ita! Every time the drama tries to get me to ship them with pretty dates in pretty locations, I just roll my eyes. I don't even get why he's so infatuated with her because he knows nothing about her and I would understand if the character was written in a way she seemed all cool and mysterious but the character is about as interesting as a cold bowl of cereal.
I can't believe the writing is this bad.

[ambergold.livejournal.com]

Might want to go with episode 5 instead, several reviewers have said that's where it picks up

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the heads up!

[ockoala.livejournal.com]

I'm up to ep 8. There is a reason why I haven't written a real opinion about this drama. Considering how I live for Jung Woo Sung, the silence on my part speaks volumes. Is. Sad.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am so shocked with this drama - they got such a stellar assembly of actors and they wasted them all.

And the thing is - I am basically the target audience for this - I fangirl most of the cast, I loved IRIS, I happen to like dramas from this writing stable (I was even one of 5 people who loved Lobbyist) and I go for action dramas big time. But this is just so emotionally empty.

I am so unhappy that they got JWS to come back to dramas after 15 years for this.

[kitkat-cat.livejournal.com]

i am probably one of the very few that have no interest in IRIS (ducks the rotten eggs thrown her way), and also, have no interest in Athena. But i did seriously consider watching Athena for one reason only, and he goes by the name of Cha Seung Won. Is it bad that all throughout the video, my thoughts were along the lines of 'mmmm, he's delicious...mmm, Cha Seung Won, do me toooooo!'???

hmm, i think i'll have to re-watch the video again just to make sure.

[algelic.livejournal.com]

I didn't like "IRIS" either. And "ATHENA" doesn't interest me either... BUT I'm watching it for Lee Ji Ah and her awesome scenes with Cha Seung Won! It's all worth it!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

LOLOLOLOL. I am someone who adored IRIS but even I am not too excited by Athena. CSW, otoh...mmmmm.

[algelic.livejournal.com]

Mousie, I just found out that the awesome bed scene happens in episode 10!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

offfffffffffffffffff to find

[iheartkleenex.livejournal.com]

OMG, look at minute 3:04! It's actually a bed make out scene, I am amazed. I really want to watch the drama just for them but I can't bring myself to it. Maybe after the awesomeness that is Secret Garden cools down, I'll give it a try.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I hear selective viewing of this one is best.

If you want a makeout scene, have you ever watched Lovers? It's by the writer of Secret Garden and I love it.

[iheartkleenex.livejournal.com]

I came across Lover many times but I never had the chance to watch it. It's that good is it? I'll for sure watch since the person who recommends it has The Legend for favourite drama. ;P

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Lovers is a melodrama but a good one. (not fond of Lovers in Paris or L i Prague)

[(Anonymous)]

I saw a recap at DB where LJA had this short wig on, and then it hit me why I can't ever connect to her other characters (BV, Style, this)-- I freaking miss Sujini. T^T Ah~ go back to being badass, Lee Ji Ah.

I read in an interview that Jung Woo Sung ok'd Athena because "I chose to do “Athena” mostly because it’s more like a movie than a television show. We began shooting six months ago so it doesn’t really feel like we’re doing television."
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2930471

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link.

And yup, I miss Sujini