Snowdrop First Impression: Jisoo and Jung Hae-in set the tone for a consuming romance in tedious premiere

From the premiere, Snowdrop doesn’t quite have the fresh charm of Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin’s star-crossed romance, though one or two scenes seem similar. It doesn’t possess the frantic energy of Doctor Stranger either. But in those dramas, the boundaries were clearer, and neither chose a sensitive and politically charged context. Instead, Snowdrop seems to be hovering awkwardly on a plain of its own. Keeping in mind the controversy as well as the justifications, its choice of historical backdrop is what is rather perplexing. Snowdrop walks a difficult and treacherous path — a love story of a North Korean spy and a university student — all in the backdrop of 1987, a year where many protesting students were accused of being North Korean spies and were brutally suppressed by means of arrest and torture.

After the hurt and outrage expressed by domestic viewers as they felt that such a storyline would dishonour the efforts of those who got them their freedom, the network insisted that people should watch the show before they make a judgment.

Coming to the episode itself, the showrunners have worked hard to convince us that this is the past, as frames are imbued with warm lighting and detailed set designs. The premiere lays out the characters and connecting storylines, all set against the turbulent backdrop of 1987 — the year protests and demonstrations forced the government to institute democratic reforms in the country. We meet the cheery girls from ‘Room 207’ in Hosu University, and the vivacious protagonist, Young-ro (Jisoo). It’s all about giggles, roll-call catastrophe, and cafeteria jibes, interspersed with discussions about boys and a thriving social life, while avoiding formidable matrons. In short, typical bustling university life, that is actually the shining aspect of the excessively long episode.

Young-ro runs into Im Soo-ho (Jung Hae-in) and is already enchanted by his strong and silent persona, while he is enticed by her bubbly personality. Under the impression that he is a protestor, she saves him from a couple of police officers. In a trademark romantic moment, they embrace to evade the police, and you can see, Young-ro is completely sold on him. He, on the other hand, has issues bubbling within. She asks him out for coffee, and he never shows up. Six months later, he turns up bloodied and unconscious on her doorstep. You know it’s going to go downhill from there.

The sunny university scene is juxtaposed with the raging protests, and we are given an insight into politics bubbling beneath the surface, which gets more twisted as the episode progresses. A North Korean spy is on the loose, and the ANSP is determined to catch them. The ANSP leads have backstories, another factor to the building fuel to the already growing resentment surrounding Snowdrop, as they are the ones that the viewers are expected to root for. This is despite the fact that their real-life counterparts were known for mercilessly suppressing student activists.

On the other hand, the ruling party, called Aemin, is desperate to frame the opposition by abducting their mastermind, so that it appears that they’re colluding with North Korea. So there’s a lot happening—romance, ugly politics, protests for freedom. It remains to be seen whether the show weaves these elements together for a coherent storyline.

In her first official role, Jisoo is quite a joy to watch, as she traverses dorm life and her growing romantic feelings for a man she just met. She sets up her distinct character traits well and ensures that she doesn’t fall into the manic-pixie trap that other K-drama heroines can’t avoid. Jung Hae-in is always a pleasure to watch — whether it is While You Were Sleeping, or a man in love with an older woman in Something In The Rain. There’s some hope that even if the show flounders and gets tedious, the duo’s chemistry and romance will not disappoint.