Tomorrow [K-Drama Eps 1-16] Talking about Suicide, Grim Reapers, Comfort Women & Episodic Dramas

You fall into a coma after rescuing a man trying to jump off a bridge and wake up to find yourself joining a team of Grim Reapers who save people's lives...That's right, this week we talk about the bittersweet drama, Tomorrow and look at all the tragic stories of each episode

Trigger Warning: This podcast episode will focus on a number of distressing topics including suicide, sexual violence, bullying and death. If you find these topics distressing, you may want to consider giving this episode a miss.

Resources if you or someone else needs support:

Lifeline in Australia: 13-11-14

Lifeline in Korea: 1588-9191

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in USA: 1-800-273-8255

In this episode, let's chat about:

1. The plot of the drama, Tomorrow, & the interesting cast including Rowoon (who plays Choi Jun Woong) , Kim Hee Sun (who plays Koo Ryeon), Yun Ji On (who plays Lim Ryung Gu) and Lee Soo Hyuk (who plays Park Joong Gil).

2. Episodic dramas & Fantasy dramas. I talk about why Episodic dramas have the power to explore our human experiences. We also look at Grim Reapers, especially the world building of the Afterlife in this drama.

3. Why people end up going down dark paths. I look at all the reasons explored in the drama that contribute to suicide and discuss how they are portrayed in the drama. Issues include:

-Bullying

-Depression, failures & poverty

-Bad luck & death of loved ones

-Feeling like life is meaningless & making mistakes that can't be changed

-Not meeting societal expectations or pressures & eating disorders

-Feeling like a burden to others

-Guilt, trauma & sexual violence

-Isolation & burnout

4. The dramas realistic portrayal of sexual violence & victim blaming. I talk about how the drama does a good job of depicting some realistic negative experiences that victims of sexual violence often have to suffer through.

5. Criticisms of the show. I talk about how the show doesn't quite provide actionable solutions to the issues discussed and sometimes resolves issues a little too easily.

6. Ryeon & Joong Gil's Romance & The Ending. Closing off the episode with a discussion about the tragic story involving these 2 characters and looking at why the ending of the drama is quite pleasant.

Intro and Outro music by: Joseph McDade. If you like his music, please support his Patreon

If you like my content, support me on Patreon & unlock goodies: Coming soon

Chat with me about Dramas:

Youtube: These Dramatic Days Podcast for Drama Commentary, Theories & Explainations

These Dramatic Days for subbed Rainless Love in a Godless Land Behind the Scenes videos

Twitter: Thsdramaticdays

Forum: @JenL on Janghaven

Instagram: These.Dramatic.Days for Taiwanese Dramas

thesedramaticdays for Korean dramas

Other related dramas and films mentioned in this episode:

-Move to heaven [Korean Drama]

-Hotel Del Luna [Korean Drama]

-Sell Your Haunted House [Korean Drama]

-The Witch's Diner [Korean Drama]

-Taxi Driver [Korean Drama]

-Harry Potter [American Films]

-Inception [American Film]

-Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [American Film]

Other dramas mentioned in passing in this episode:

-Extraordinary You [Korean Drama]

-She Would Never Know [Korean Drama]

-The King's Affection [Korean Drama]

-Monthly Home Magazine [Korean Drama]

-You are my Spring [Korean Drama]

-Jirisan [Korean Drama]

-Doom at Your Service [Korean Drama]

-Scholar who Walks in the Night [Korean Drama]