Newtopia: Episode 1 (First Impressions)
by SailorJumun
Nothing like a zombie outbreak to boost your love life. Coupang Play’s newest zom-com Newtopia follows a bumbling soldier and his girlfriend, caught in several areas and caught of their relationship. The drama begins off gradual, as we get to know these characters, however leaves sufficient hints to indicate that we’re in for a bloody good time.
Editor’s observe: That is a gap evaluation solely. For a spot to talk about the whole drama go to the Drama Hangout.
EPISODE 1
We open to non-public LEE JAE-YOON (Park Jung-min) in pure bliss, about to be discharged from the military. He leaves his fellow troopers with a smug smile and heads off to satisfy his girlfriend KANG YOUNG-JOO (Jisoo). Earlier than he can get to her, although, his lovey dovey fantasy is damaged and he wakes up, nonetheless within the barracks. In actuality, he has a few yr left within the military — a yr away from Younger-joo. Oof.
Feeling antsy, Jae-yoon calls Younger-joo, and he’s irritated to seek out out that 1) her male co-worker took her dwelling and a pair of) she’s too drunk to have a correct dialog. Jae-yoon’s squad chief catches him together with his telephone, which will get his and everybody else’s telephones taken away. We rapidly study that Jae-yoon and his pal RA IN-HO (Im Sung-jae) are seen because the clowns of the squad, particularly since they’re on the older aspect.
Jae-yoon’s squad is stationed in a Seoul skyscraper, which definitely makes for an attention-grabbing setting contemplating what’s going to occur. It additionally makes for some first rate humor, like when the troopers are compelled to stroll up (or in Jae-yoon and In-ho’s case, crawl) all 75 flooring. I’m out of breath simply watching these poor guys.
In the meantime, Younger-joo makes positive to ship Jae-yoon an apologetic textual content message for worrying him. He can’t reply, after all, which is irritating the hell out of each of them. It provides us the sense that this can be a common factor for them and that every one that frustration is about to boil over.
As all of that is occurring, I can’t assist however really feel like I’m watching a straight-up rom-com fairly than a zombie present. I maintain ready for indicators of a virus going round — a convulsing deer, a panicked runner, one thing. It’s not too uncommon for these exhibits to take their time introducing the zombies, but when they don’t give us something, then I simply get impatient.
Lastly, as Jae-yoon is making his approach down the constructing, he seems out the window and notices some individuals working round down beneath. He senses that one thing is mistaken, however the soldier he’s with shrugs it off. They’re too excessive up, and the individuals just about appear like ants, so it’s arduous to inform.
Jae-yoon rapidly forgets about this, extra targeted on reaching Younger-joo. He’s in a position to borrow a telephone from a pal working the kitchen and calls her. Younger-joo is at work, although, surrounded by her nosy co-workers, so the dialog goes nowhere as soon as once more.
Once they grasp up, Younger-joo’s co-workers tease her for nonetheless courting somebody within the military when she most likely has no intention of marrying him. And, at dwelling, her mother mainly chides her for a similar factor. She tries to disregard these feedback, however they’re undoubtedly beginning to hassle her.
Later, Jae-yoon is delighted when In-ho sneaks him his telephone. (Aw, what a very good dude.) Jae-yoon will get on a name with Younger-joo, able to make up, however at this level, she’s questioning their relationship. She tells him that ready eighteen months isn’t precisely simple for her, and he or she’s not even positive what their plan might be as soon as he does get discharged. The place will they go from there?
To Younger-joo’s disappointment, Jae-yoon is unable to reply her query. So with a heavy coronary heart, she means that they take a break. And I don’t know if it’s due to Jisoo’s performing or as a result of we don’t know her character all that properly, however I’m probably not feeling the heartbreak right here. So far, we’ve solely ever seen Jae-yoon and Younger-joo irritated with one another, so I’m not in a spot the place I’m rooting for his or her romance but.
We do get some good scenes with Jae-yoon opening as much as In-ho, saying he doesn’t really feel worthy sufficient for marriage, and with Younger-joo reminiscing whereas taking a look at outdated photographs. There’s a cute flashback of Younger-joo attempting to chop Jae-yoon’s hair in preparation for the military, laughing and making enjoyable of him. She will get too emotional to complete the buzzcut, although, leaving him with a stripe of his hair gone, lol.
Younger-joo’s journey down reminiscence lane is interrupted when her work sunbae website positioning JIN-WOOK (Kang Younger-seok) asks her out to lunch. It’s fairly apparent that Jin-wook likes Younger-joo — he retains insisting on her calling him “Oppa” and is continually asking questions on her boyfriend. I already don’t like him and his Dump-him-for-me vibe.
Younger-joo will get a voicemail from Jae-yoon, and he or she excuses herself to the lavatory to hearken to it. In it, Jae-yoon apologizes for not contemplating her perspective. He says that it will be unfair to make her wait when he doesn’t know what his personal future seems like, and he agrees that they need to break up. The finality of all of it appears to hit Younger-joo, and he or she rushes out, needing to speak to him face-to-face.
After all, Jin-wook presents to drive Younger-joo over to the barracks, and he simply has to guarantee her that he’s at all times there for her. The digicam lingers on his face 5 seconds too lengthy, which implies he’s both about to run right into a truck or a zombie.
After which, SMASH. An contaminated individual breaks by way of the automobile window headfirst, its eyeball coming out and sticking to Younger-joo. She lets out a horrified scream, and ugh, I might too, woman. One thing about that visible makes my pores and skin crawl.
Again within the skyscraper, Jae-yoon and In-ho are making their approach down the constructing to run an errand. However one thing out the window earns their consideration… It’s a aircraft, flying proper in direction of them. All they’ll do is maintain onto one another and scream, bracing themselves for catastrophe.
It positive took some time to get to the motion, however now that we’re right here, I’m really excited to see the place it goes. It’s an excellent setup, having troopers trapped in a constructing (à la Happiness), then Younger-joo, and I’m guessing Jin-wook, on the bottom. Like I discussed, the romance wasn’t actually gripping me, so throwing in some main battle just like the apocalypse was very a lot wanted.
The entire level of the present is for Jae-yoon and Younger-joo to threat their lives to reunite, and I’ll be dissatisfied if it doesn’t ship. I need to see some struggle in them, to see some actual desperation. Together with that, I’m to see how all of the dynamics play out — how Jae-yoon and In-ho will work as a group, how Jin-wook will check Younger-joo’s emotions.
We don’t know what sort of zombies these are, or how they happened, however Jae-yoon did see the individuals working round in a hospital-looking space. We additionally heard by way of the information of an tried quarantine, so it may have began from some unknown sickness. The zombs are positive to be delightfully scary, and in the event that they’re handled with the identical foolish humor that was proven on this first episode, they’ll hopefully deliver one thing new to the desk.
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