‘Heavenly Ever After' Review: A Heartwarming And Terrifying K-Drama
After an accident leaves her husband Ko Nak-joon paralyzed and bedridden, Lee Hae-sook (Kim Hye-ja) spends most of her adult years working as a loan shark to support her family. She passes soon after her husband's death and enters Heaven, where she's given the option to choose the age she'd like to appear as while living there. Hae-sook decides to remain as her 80-year-old self, since her late husband had mentioned that she was the prettiest at that age. But when she reunites with her husband in Heaven, she's mortified to find him as a 30-year-old. Nak-joon (Son Suk-ku) is also initially shocked at their age gap but nevertheless shows her unwavering affection. With his help, Hae-sook learns to adjust to her new life in Heaven. Along the way, she meets some of its other residents, including some familiar faces from her past.
Many other K-dramas have also addressed the afterlife, but Heavenly Ever After sets itself apart by incorporating a wide variety of genres like comedy, slice of life, romance, fantasy and even horror while nimbly alternating between extremes. You might find yourself bawling at a heartwarming scene in one episode, while another episode (ahem, Episode 5) might have you shrieking from terror at watching people being tormented in Hell.
The series invites viewers to contemplate questions about the hereafter. What might happen to us when we die? What might Heaven and Hell be like? What sorts of regrets might we carry with us when we pass away? Would going to Heaven give us a second chance at life and an opportunity to realize our unfulfilled dreams?
And perhaps most importantly: Do all dogs really go to Heaven? What if people could reunite with their pets in the afterworld, and what might that look like?
One particularly touching moment in Episode 2 explores this to great effect:
(I dare you not to cry while watching this!)
When Netflix posted this clip on its official Facebook page, thousands of netizens—many of whom weren't even previously aware of this K-drama—commented on its emotional impact. The scene itself is only a little over three minutes long, but it apparently reduced many viewers (including myself) to a puddle of tears. And it's not the only scene in the show involving our furry four-legged friends that will likely melt your heart.
Heavenly Ever After portrays the afterlife in clever detail, drawing heavily on earthly references to make it more relatable for audiences while also injecting some humor into an otherwise mysterious and often dreaded subject. Who knew you could ride the subway or take a taxi to Heaven or Hell, for instance? Or that Heaven would have security checkpoints like the ones found at airports? When Hae-sook asks the man who arrives at her funeral if he's the Grim Reaper, he remarks, 'They used to call us that, but not anymore' before wryly adding that everything in the great beyond is also automated, 'so they don't need Grim Reapers anymore.'
Though the show has plenty of amusing moments (including some hilarious puns that unfortunately get lost in translation), it also offsets this levity through its nightmarish, morbid depiction of the underworld in the fifth episode. Graphic scenes of the condemned being crushed to death, having their tongues ripped out repeatedly or falling into a boiling cauldron of molten metal—all of which are based on the major hells of Buddhism—are more gruesome and terrifying than Dante's Nine Circles of Hell or anything found in Christianity.
As with many other K-dramas, Heavenly Ever After also features sharp commentary on some of South Korea's thorniest societal ills, including voice phishing scams, religious cults, corrupt politicians and familicides (which often occur when parents take their lives along with their children's to prevent them from being orphaned and neglected).
No critique of modern-day South Korean society would arguably be complete without at least mentioning celebrity suicides and cyberbullying, which the show addresses at length towards the end of Episode 5. In fact, King Yeomra, the lord of the underworld in Korean mythology, has even reserved a special place in Hell for those who engage in cyberbullying. Even journalists who destroy the reputations of public figures aren't spared punishment, as seen in the scene below:
What ensues is an ingeniously creative yet shockingly gory sequence showing a giant King Yeomra crushing their faces with his fingertips as he taps away on a human keyboard.
As a journalist myself, I have to admit that this scene cut really deep. It provides a glimpse into why the press are often loathed in South Korean society and why journalism—especially entertainment journalism—as a profession is still frowned upon by many (but not all) Koreans. Even though I've personally never written a hit piece (and would never think of doing such a thing), it's still painful to be lumped together in the same category in the minds of some Koreans. But anyway, I digress…
It's also worth noting that the show suggests that suicide doesn't automatically condemn one to Hell. Instead, punishment is reserved for those who take another's life without consent or cause someone to commit suicide. (In South Korea many people have a different perspective on suicide than those in the West; for a detailed explanation, check out this insightful essay by Korean American writer YJ Jun.)
Aside from painting a disturbingly lurid portrait of Hell, Heavenly Ever After comes across as very quirky and a bit slow-paced at times, but it's a deeply heartwarming and thought-provoking show overall. For anyone who's ever lost a loved one, the series is definitely worth watching. Just keep a large box of tissues nearby.
Heavenly Ever After is currently streaming on Netflix in select regions.
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