Black Dog

Presentation

For more…

Analysis

Synopsis

​Ko Ha Neul’s dream is to become a teacher. As she starts working at a private school, she discovers the entire educational system and its ups and downs. Accompanied by her mentor Park Sung Soon, she navigates through this sometimes tough environment. 

My Opinion (No Spoilers)

​I really liked Black Dog. First, the main cast made up of Ra Mi Ran and Seo Hyun Jin is incredible. Second, because the drama was capable of portraying with realism the school system. To that, I would even add the touch of idealism and romanticism that punctuate the drama, as we follow Ko Ha Neul in her quest to becoming a good teacher. 

I have to be entirely honest though, the drama oscillates between dynamic moments and less dynamic ones (but that’s the pace of school, right?), which bored me a little during the transition between events. 

Anyway, if you like school dramas and are looking for one that is worth the try, I highly recommend you see this one!

​Analysis (Spoilers Alert)

A broad view of the educational system: As the title indicates pretty well, the topic of this the drama is focused on education and school. From that point of view, Black Dog manages to give a vast overview of all of the ups and downs of this specific system. We follow the arrival of Ko Ha Neul (Seo Hyun Jin), a rookie teacher, full of passion and dedication. Just like any rookie teacher, she wants to do her best for her future students. Her status though is a bit special, since she is a contract worker. Therefore, she doesn’t have the same benefits as other permanent teachers and is very often considered as an outcast like the other contract teachers. Just like Ko Ha Neul, we happen to enter the school with an innocent look on the system. Ko Ha Neul is an idealist, she works very hard and is very willing. Throughout the drama, the character of Ko Ha Neul gives us some more insight regarding school life, either as a teacher or as a student. We get to see an environment much more complex than we think, ruled by internal strives and the law of the jungle. 

During her journey, Ko Ha Neul is accompanied by the other members of the administration team Park Sung Soon (Ra Mi Ran), Do Yeon Woo (Ha Joon) and Bae Myung Soo (Lee Chang Hoon). Black Dog illustrates in a realistic manner the backstage at school, meaning that you get to see everything that happens, when teachers are not giving lessons. I felt as if I myself was Ko Ha Neul, discovering little by little all of the specificities of the system. Thus, I went from enthusiastic to disappointed, from thrilled to deeply hurt; depending on the circumstances. Black Dog gives quite a truthful portrait of the Korean educational system, in which corruption, nepotism, elitism, competition and favoritism are dominant.Interestingly, school in that drama prepares students to the tough life that comes after, but deprives them from their innocence, because they are thrown in this arena at a very young age. Ko Ha Neul, who considers her high school days as the best of her life is also quite taken aback and robbed from her own innocence as a rookie teacher. 

All of these elements quoted above are tackled in one or several episodes in a row. Ko Ha Neul being their witness, if not sometimes the trigger or the solver. Indeed, she gets off the wrong foot with her colleagues at the very beginning, because they all think she was hired through connections (her uncle is a high member of the administration staff). Then, she is given the position as teacher for the highest ranked students; shedding light on favoritism and elitism issues. What I really liked about that drama is that it denounces all sorts of bad practices from the educational system, while trying to find a compromise in-between. Of course, elitism will never disappear from the Korean educational system, it is too deeply rooted; but there is and should be a way to teach all students equally. Meaning that all of them can move at their own pace without suffering the consequences of favoritism. Those advanced can keep going, while those struggling can have some help from teachers. At least, this is the kind of system that Black Dog tries to go with. 

The drama is thus a sort of odyssey, in which Ko Ha Neul navigates through the various microcosms and has to carefully pick sides. 

The 2 microcosms: The great advantage of the drama is that we don’t only have the depiction of student life as a whole, but also a portray of teacher life. What I mean is that there are in fact 2 microcosms evolving side by side and sometimes colliding. The clans that we can find among the students are easily visible among teachers as well. In that matter, we have the bullies, the outcasts, the good students, the rebels, those responsible and those reckless, those stealing others’ work, the popular… in both worlds. I thought that it was clever to show viewers these 2 worlds, since it is proof that your experience at school is only a taste of what comes in the “real world” afterwards. Everything you go through at that time is supposed to prepare you for the rest of your life. 

I believe it also highlighted the fact that in reality even adults sometimes are not completely mature. They can be childish and mean, even though they are grown-ups. Thus, it is not necessary for children (students) to act like adults, since you never really do so. Black Dog even showed us sometimes students being more serious or responsible than adults, but it is a pleasant to take the drama out of the school life. Indeed, students often feel like failing at school is the end of their life; without understanding that school is not everything. It’s the moment for them to also get to know other aspects of life such as first love, friendship, comradery…

Each microcosm is subject to its own struggles and fights, some influencing the dynamic of the second microcosm. For example, when average students fought back the creation of an elite group (only for top students), it created a conflict among teachers, between those in favor and those against that same elite group. There is a synergy between both worlds that can also turn into war. 

What it means to be a teacher: When she was young, Ko Ha Neul almost died in a bus accident during a school trip. Stuck in the bus, her teacher rescued her but died instead. Amazed by the facility with which her teacher was willing to sacrifice his life for her, she has since dreamed of becoming one. Becoming a teacher should give her a reason that could explain her teacher’s behavior. Like I said before, Ko Ha Neul embarks on a journey, an odyssey, the goal being to understand what it means to be a teacher. Even though we don’t have a clear answer, I think by the end of the drama we get the feeling. 

The first times: School is often considered as the place where you experience your first times. Interestingly here, Ko Ha Neul is also the one experiencing first times. As a rookie teacher, she has her first job, her first students, her first colleagues and her first disillusions as well. Just like the students she teaches. 

First time englobes successes and failures. In terms of successes, Ko Ha Neul wants to provide her students with the best lectures to give them more chances in their college admissions. In terms of failure, being accepted and liked as a teacher is quite the challenge; as being accepted and liked as a student is. We get to see the difficulty of acceptance from both sides. Teachers are ranked depending on their performance just like students. Grades rule school. However, Black Dog puts forward the need to take some distance with grades (the traditional system) and open up to a new system more focused on feelings and positivity. The new wave of teachers embodied by Ko Ha Neul gives some hope for the system to start fresh. 

I really loved the fact that the story emphasizes positive feelings such as friendship, cooperation, teamwork… proving that you never succeed on your own. 

Moving on: The ending of the drama was rather heartbreaking. At the end of each cycle stands another one. It is never-ending but the following ones will never taste like the previous one. By the end of the drama, everyone splits and go in different directions, either students or teachers. It gives a bitter taste of the ephemeral passing of life, showing that you can never go back to your youthful days (your happiest ones). This drama is definitely about growing up, leaving behind some memories and parts of yourself and understanding that whatever happens, life goes on. What you think was terrible at some period of time, was in fact nothing years later. 

When Ko Ha Neul gets to see her former students, I had this nostalgic vibe. Same when the Admission Department started to split up. 

In a nutshell, Black Dog provided viewers with a beautiful message and life lesson regarding the importance you should (or shouldn’t) give to school, while portraying its functioning quite truthfully. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvf83Kyrh6o