First Impressions: Giant (2010)

Giant
SBS
60 Episodes
May - Dec 2010

Plot
Just look at the poster art above, as if it wasn’t obvious!!!

Greed, envy, revenge—and like the hefty 1956 James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson misery-laden saga from which this kdrama clearly borrows its name, Giant is about the putrid side of ambition, one that spans generations. The drama is not an adaptation of the iconic U.S. film, which was about cattle ranching and oil drilling in Texas, but technicalities aside, both are about people fighting a bitter war for their own selfish desires through war and political corruption. It is about the growing pains of a nation as seen through the individuals that were bled and broken for that dream.

Yeo JinGoo/Lee BumSoo and Park HaYoung/Hwang JungEum lose their entire family almost overnight when they get caught in the crossfires of military corruption. National Security Chief Jung BoSuk has an appetite greater than his pay grade and will stop at nothing to satisfy that hunger, including murder. When one family stands in his way, he barely blinks an eye in his efforts to destroy them. Similarly, the young survivors will stop at nothing to avenge their family.

Contemporary South Korea has one of the fastest growing economies in the world and that accelerated growth kick-started in the 60s. Following the events of WWII, the Korean War and the split between the North and South on their peninsula, the latter experienced great political upheaval during the years that followed, but the country also underwent rapid industrialization. Obviously, in that regard, construction companies played a large part in the landscaping of that development period. Giant’s story focuses on one particular construction company and its aim to develop one specific area: Gangnam. Today, Gangnam is the Park Place of the Monopoly board in ROK, the most affluent district within the city of Seoul. Giant wants to share with you the [fictional] story of its birth, from the very beginning—starting with the initial [fictional] drop of blood spilled over money for that land.

First impressions
This period piece is heartrending stuff. I’ve yet to meet the adult versions of the characters, but having seen most of the main actors billed—including Lee BumSoo, Park JinHee and Hwang JungEum—in previous dramas, I have little doubt that they will deliver the goods.

The younger cast who established the main conceit for this fictional tale were all truly remarkable. This wasn’t surprising as casting directors always seem to do a good job finding young talent. The young’uns rarely do a bad job in these types of shows. When these cumbersome generational ones go bad, it’s usually the fault of the adult actors that come later. Here, the young lad Yeo JinGoo, the clear principle for which this story is built around, is growing up in the biz rather nicely and gave a great impression of a young man on his way to becoming a really intriguing kdrama lead. He’s both strong and vulnerable in the way he managed his character.

Kim SooHyun, who played his older brother, was also a study in acting power. He’s definitely a star in the making.

I am beginning this drama in September, although it has been going since May. It is nearing the conclusion of its live airing (after gaining an extension), and while I am not completely marrying myself to this tear-soaked story yet, I do find I am curious enough to see how this revenge thing plays out. It’s doing well in the ratings—in fact, this sucker has been steadily improving its numbers, so that indicates to me that the story is getting better as it grows older, not worse, which is a great motivation for me to continue on. It may take me a while, but I hope to see this to the end. The turbulent historical context with which this drama buries itself almost assures a rich epic.

But the catch is this: it is just sooooooo miserable! Every minute of it! I’m finding that I need to alternate its episodes with ones of Life is Beautiful, another saga about generations, but a Jeju island comedy which is about as polar opposite in tone as one can get from Giant! To watch a drama with this much suffering, I think I’ll be needing lots of medicine along the way.