L.U.C.A.: The Beginning

Presentation

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Analysis

Synopsis

Ji Oh is on the run because of his special abilities. Each time he uses them, he loses his memory, so he doesn’t really know who he is, whom he is running away from and why. Ha Neul Ae Gu Reum is a police officer, desperately trying to solve her parents’ disappearance. She meets Ji Oh, while working on a case and realizes that he may be connected to her past.

My Opinion (No Spoilers)

When I first heard of this drama, I was actually pretty excited. I am a huge fan of both Kim Rae Won and Lee Da Hee and the story appeared to be quite incredible. Yet, I ended up episode 12 with a bitter taste, as it didn’t really fulfill all of my expectations. Though the themes tackled were very interesting, the action constantly present and the actors on top of their game, I still can’t decide whether or not I am satisfied.

Many other people who watch it will probably say that the ending was disappointing, though I don’t quite share this opinion (I will tell you why later). I think the drama remained true to itself and to its original goal, despite some irrational twists and turns.

If you want to discover a drama that deals with science fiction, people with super powers and that is not too long, then I recommend you check it out. Be careful however not to expect too much of it, you might regret your choice. Still, it is only 12- episode long and stays quite entertaining.

Analysis (Spoilers Alert)

What I liked?

Starting with the themes, twists and moments that really made me like the drama, explaining why its grade is not that low.

The power of science: In this drama, science occupies a very central place. Everything actually revolves around it and the progress achieved thanks to it. It would say that the main idea is that of Ryu Jeung Kwon (Ahn Nae Sang) from the very beginning until the end. He is the reason why Ji Oh (Kim Rae Won) exists, the creator of a new species and plays God to a certain extent. His scientific argument is the following: human beings are the only ones who didn’t evolve because they manage to create machines/technology in order to ease their tasks. To be more precise: “Humans chose technology over evolution“. This lack of evolution makes them weak somehow, regressing, that’s why he wishes to elevate it to a new level. Therefore, he combines the DNA of several marine species (jellyfish for example) and the human DNA. After several attempts, he creates Ji Oh.

Until the very end, he stands his ground. He actually made me think of Frankenstein, giving “birth” to a new type of creature. Of course, this enhancement of the human race is done at the expense of many other people, but Ryu Jeung Kwon has little interest in collateral damages, such as Gu Reum’s (Lee Da Hee) parents, the pregnant women supposed to give birth to Ji Oh’s descendants, etc… Though I hated him for thinking about himself as the supreme creator and for not caring about anything else other than his ambition, ego and selfish motivation, I have to say that he remained quite constant through the episodes. The worst part is that this behavior gave him a sort of credibility as a scientist, with his own beliefs and convictions, who managed to develop an extraordinary argumentation in order to convince, and to a certain extent persuade, others to join his cause.

Ethics and evolution: This important role played by science allowed for a greater philosophical, but also quite actual, reflection on ethics and evolution. Indeed, we are able today to clone species, if we wanted, create life in the most incredible environment and we could thrive to another level of evolution, if ethics and morals didn’t stand in the way. This drama really ignited some concrete debates of our societies, especially related to how far can we go in the name of science.

At the beginning of the drama, in episode 3 to be exact, Gu Reum has a very interesting conversion with the coroner, that stroke me deep. The coroner argues that a species, such as Ji Oh, with incredible capacities, would endanger the rest of the human species. Indeed, its enhancement is far too great to enable other “normal” people to fight back or to protect themselves. Plus, Ji Oh is quite unstable and unpredictable, which could eventually destroy lives, if he were to be impossible to contain. This problem emerged several times in the drama, when Ji Oh and Gu Reum were both children, when he feels he is in danger….
The second good question is: who are we to decide how our species can change and in what ways it can? And, if we can decide how to evolve, what are the boundaries of mankind? I will let you try to find an answer on your own, if there can be one!

By the way, I think this dialogue with the coroner and the flashback on Jeung Kwon’s past are really key to the understanding of both conceptions of science that are discussed in the drama: one based on challenges and evolution, another restraining itself within the boundaries of ethics.

Of course, the drama dramatized this debate by involving other organizations such as the NIS, wishing to create an army of “X-men” if I dare say and a ß, seeing in Ji Oh, the Angel of God. Both organizations emphasized the dangers of personal interests and greed in such debates, that are not to be taken lightly.

Who is the real monster: This entire discussion on science and its consequences led to a more metaphysical discussion in my opinion. The ever-lasting debate on who is the real monster: the creator or the creature? Like I said, we touch from very up close some important themes tackled in literature and particularly in Frankenstein.
To be very honest, I am still quite convinced that Ji Oh is, above everything else, a victim of scientists’ greed.
From his point of view, human beings have been making him suffer, go through terrible predicaments and experimented on him all his life. The only things he does are to protect himself and his loved one, that is to say Gu Reum. From the opposite point of view of course, being able to electrocute someone by touching him/her, makes you, de facto, a monster. I mean, yes, but this doesn’t change the fact that Ji Oh has a good nature, he wants to be free and live a normal life, when humans are the ones torturing him and chasing after him.

Gu Reum repeats it several times in the drama: she doesn’t believe that Ji Oh, nor their daughter are monsters. In fact, if you don’t want them to become as such, you should start by perceiving them for who they are. I actually believe that you are not born a monster, you eventually become one when the environment you evolve in rejects or destroys you. Isn’t it the same for serial killers, psychopaths, etc…? By the way, if this subject interests you, I really recommend you watch the drama Mouse. It contains all the good elements of an excellent thriller.

To that I would even add another question: are humans actually good? For Ji Oh, it seems like they aren’t, but what would you say after reading and seeing all that?

What makes someone human: So if you are not a monster, what actually makes you human? At the end of the drama, Gu Reum is kind enough to answer that question for us: love. She tells Ji Oh that he is not a monster, but he lacks love to become fully humane. The reason she gives this argument: he tried to make their baby daughter endure what he lived to make her stronger.
Gu Reum, who becomes a mother after episode 8, clearly disagrees with Ji Oh’s methods, which separates them in the end. She believes that her daughter can be good, contain herself and not hurt anyone, if only she receives the care and love she deserves.

Interestingly, the drama depicted at the same time two visions of science (evoked earlier), as well as two visions of parenthood: do you wish to make you children stronger by forging them through toughness (Ji Oh) or do you believe that a softer method, based on love and care, can give them all the necessary tools to survive in the world?
In the case of the drama, I do believe that, considering the rather atypical situation, both Ji Oh and Gu Reum are needed to raise their daughter. Gu Reum can bring her comfort and love, while Ji Oh teaches her how to fit and contain her power. Of course, it doesn’t end with a happy ending and both parents raising blissfully their child, but it could’ve been one solution.

The love story: I would be a liar if I were to tell you that at some point I wasn’t expecting a love story. Of course I wanted one and I was very happy when episode 8 showed the relationship between the two leads evolving. In a way, I have to say that they are quite compatible: both are lonely, like really, and have problems fitting within their respective environments. The absence of support and more importantly, the feeling of having everyone around them dying, make them depend and rely on each other. They are, in a way, the other’s support.
Despite this great romance, I was still left with a bitter taste seeing how everyone drove them apart from each other. Their divergence of opinions is also a reason, so I was at the same time glad they fell in love with each other and sad they destroyed their relationship. Anyway, this was bound to happen. They couldn’t have stayed hidden their entire lives.

What I disliked?

Now, moving on to what clearly bothered me in the drama and made it so hard for me to judge whether I had liked it or not.

Captain Yi Son (Kim Sung Oh): Okay, so first, there is this guy, or should I call him, the most irrational, stubborn and stupid character ever. I rarely felt so confused when trying to understand the motivations of one character, but I have to admit that this one remained a riddle for me. Apart from the fact that Ji Oh burnt his arm, why is he antagonizing him so much? Why does he want to make him suffer so bad, when in fact, he was the one annoying him in the first place?

Especially, when we know that he is given chances to get out of this terrible situation he is. His “lover”, if I may call her so, Yoo Na (Jung Da Eun) is desperately trying to get him out of the organization. Yet, he refuses to lean on her and accept that he doesn’t have to fight Ji Oh. At some point, I just wondered if he was not like that because he didn’t have any other purpose in his life, having lost everything. However, Yoo Na was clearly reason enough to find a purpose and build a future. On top of that, he stupidly remained in the organization that destroyed him in the first place, even after knowing what it had done to him. Why?

Last but not least, am I the only one thinking that the man is literally the hardest one to kill? At least 4 times he was on the brink of death, but always succeeded in reviving himself or being revived. Please Ji Oh, kill him once and for all! Also, knowing Ji Oh’s powers, how come he is never capable of killing him properly? Make an effort! This was a terrible hole in the story and honestly it didn’t make much sense.

How come Ji Oh’s powers are never used at the right time? This brings me to my second problem, related to the logic of the drama. Knowing Ji Oh’s capacities, I would really like to understand the reasons why he always ends up NOT having the upper hand. He just has to electrocute everyone and we would be done with it. Instead, he is captured several time, beaten up, mistreated, sent to the secret lab. Come on, when does this actually make sense at all!

I am not even going to start with the ridiculous situation, in which two average men think that they are going to stop a sort of “X-man” with a car, a syringe and a product that will make him go to sleep. Know your enemy. Especially if you have been chasing after him for so long.

Is Gu Reum unbreakable? Talking about people impossible to kill, I think the golden medal goes to Gu Reum and later on her baby. She literally spends her time fighting, by the way great action scenes here, but never dies, even after going 3 times to the hospital every two weeks. I mean, she has skull fractures, is unconscious, gets killed in almost every scene, but she never dies. Until the final bullet in episode 12. Don’t tell me that she survived all of that just to be taken down by a ridiculous bullet. Please.

Same goes for her baby, I have seen so many moments when the baby could’ve literally flown away, her head juggling with so much violence, that I actually don’t know how she stayed alive! I understand that she has Ji Oh’s DNA, but she really seemed to be a puppet!

Doesn’t pronounce:

The ending: For all of those who are disappointed with the ending, don’t be. I mean you can be, but you have to put some perspective in it. Like the title suggests L.U.C.A. means Last Universal Common Ancestor, which basically means that were are talking about the awakening of a new species. The goal of the drama was not to depict a sweet love story between a human being and a mutant, it was to emphasize the rise of a species, the birth of a new era and the triumph of evolution (though created) above the rest. Thus, the ending is in perfect fit with the original promise of the title.

P.S.: If you haven’t listened to the playlist, I highly recommend “Voice” but Jemma, that remained stuck in my head for a very long time!