[Drama 2021] Happiness, 해피니스- Han Hyo-Joo, Park Hyung Sik & Joo Wo Jin

[frozentundra]

@WANGYEOIt's been a long time since I hated a character as much as I hate that dude in 601! I want to take his wallet and stuff it down his throat. The guy is delusional, thinking he's above any kind of human or natural law. Runners-up for most slimy git include the apartment rep woman, the doctor's mistress, and the revolting lawyer. Horrible people, all of them! 

 

This week was intense and a little heartbreaking in some moments, too. I really like the underlying theme of the storyline, how despite the terrible symptoms, the infected are still people, too. But then how to deal with human avarice and suspicion and  general awfulness when you are faced with a neverending disaster like this? 

 

I get so hungry watching this drama, though. Was the writer on a diet or something? It's like she poured out all her food cravings into Sae Bom's character.

[backstreetboysfan]

18 hours ago, Bejaffled said:

I think Tae Sook lied about Seo Yoons mums condition as a ploy to get her to agree to leave with him and convince Sae Bom to come with them. He was counting on the bond between SY & SB, but the smart little cookie got creepy liar vibes from him and didn’t fall for it.

Yeah I am thinking that as well.

[nrllee]

18 hours ago, Bejaffled said:

I think Tae Sook lied about Seo Yoons mums condition as a ploy to get her to agree to leave with him and convince Sae Bom to come with them. He was counting on the bond between SY & SB, but the smart little cookie got creepy liar vibes from him and didn’t fall for it.

Yeah.  She’s street smart.  Comes with being a latchkey kid.  It sounded like she was left on her own a lot.  Her parents have been infected.   The dad first and now the mom.  Did her dad take the pills too?  To help him concentrate better for work?  This drug sounds like pseudoephedrine.  The cold tablet/cough medicine.  Which crooks use to cook up meth.  I remember some of my friends used to take the tablets during exam time.  It works as a central nervous system stimulant.  They could stay awake longer and study overnight if needed. 
 

So from what HTS explained, the infected get antibodies to LyttaVirus (interestingly, rabies is a type of lyssavirus - so I guess the writer used this as inspiration to pen this drama) but if the virus gets into the brain, they turn.  Because although they have antibodies in their blood, there’s the blood brain barrier that stops the antibodies from getting at the virus if it enters brain tissue.  They took gym trainer’s brain to test for antibodies.  To see if he had any there.  People who got bitten/scratched closer to the brain (their necks) meant that they developed symptoms faster because of the proximity of the viral entry point.  SB was scratched on her hand (quite a way from her brain) so her antibodies so far have kept the virus at bay to keep it from spreading to her brain.  Still HTS said that the others who’ve had similar responses to SB have ultimately succumbed later on.  What’s interesting is that HTS seems to imply that the infected can control whether they turn or not?  

[frozentundra]

1 minute ago, nrllee said:

SB was scratched on her hand (quite a way from her brain) so her antibodies so far have kept the virus at bay to keep it from spreading to her brain.  Still HTS said that the others who’ve had similar responses to SB have ultimately succumbed later on.  What’s interesting is that HTS seems to imply that the infected can control whether they turn or not?

I keep wondering about Grandma. She's clearly terrified that she has it, and doesn't want to hurt anyone. I would almost say it's a red herring, except then they did hear the thumping noises. Is she controlling her thirst? 

 

Every time I see SB drinking something, I get all nervous. 

[twinkle_little_star]

 

hai everyone.   wow.  the series shows how class became more important during disease and discrimination started ignoring people's lives in general. the producation crew members have done an amazing job in creating every scene of the show a must-watch and engaging with responsible for portraying the characters in Happiness drama. nowdays, I couldn't sleep well after watching it and I kept on thinking how people will deal with such a serious issue but also I'm excited to see the most favorite actors such as Han Hyo Joo as Yoon Sae Bom who can stand anything and Park Hyung Sik as Jung Ji Hyun are going to reveal more through it's upcoming episodes.  the series depicts the lives of several people from several class and background which make it exciting to see what each of their faces and what struggles they have to undergo to survive. I believe Happiness drama that gives us different emotions and let us feel that we are on the character's shoes. 

[backstreetboysfan]

Quote

Meanwhile, tvN’s “Happiness” remained first place in its own time slot across all cable channels with an average nationwide rating of 3.3 percent. The apocalyptic thriller also held onto its spot at first place in its time slot among the key demographic of viewers ages 20 to 49, with whom it scored a nationwide average of 1.9 percent.

“Now We Are Breaking Up” Increased In Ratings + “The Red Sleeve” Hits Another All-Time High | KdramaBuddy

[frozentundra]

Just want to add, I am already a fan of Han Hyo Joo, and I like Park Hyung Sik, too. But what a fine performance Jo Woo Jin is pulling off. Sometimes you want to punch him and sometimes you are horrified at his actions but then he'll turn around and do something that just hits you in the heart (like when he was talking with Sae Bom or at the very end of ep 8, talking to his wife). It's not just anyone who can walk in and play all those sides of the same person. They got exactly the right actor for this role, 100%.

[silentlydreaming1209]

I like it more here that MDL because they keep bashing our leads there. 

[nrllee]

7 hours ago, frozentundra said:

Every time I see SB drinking something, I get all nervous. 

Me too.  In fact every time anyone in this drama grabs a bottle of water or sips something my mind goes, “now…is that excessive thirst?  Or just normal?” 

 

7 hours ago, frozentundra said:

I keep wondering about Grandma. She's clearly terrified that she has it, and doesn't want to hurt anyone. I would almost say it's a red herring, except then they did hear the thumping noises. Is she controlling her thirst?

I wonder about that too?  Her scratch was on her neck which was pretty close to her brain?  And it had already turned color (like bruising)?  Unlike SB’s which is still just scratches with no discoloration?  I wonder if controlling the thirst is one of the major deterrents for them turning?  
 

5 hours ago, silentlydreaming1209 said:

I like it more here that MDL because they keep bashing our leads there. 

Err…sorry but what’s MDL?
 

Also any thoughts about this?

- why did the infected bail on religious hubby?  When he flashed the crucifix?

- why did they just obey Andrew when he told them to leave the rooftop?  HTS was flabbergasted when Andrew told him that.  Andrew had a hammer?  And he wears those glasses.

 

Something metal?  Or is something reflective?  So the infected see a reflection of themselves and it scares them off?  Is that it?  Hmm…

 

I need to watch Ep8 to see if it gives me any answers.

 

[kRoNix]

MDL is mydramalist.com

[larus]

Happiness: Episode 6

by quirkycase

https://www.dramabeans.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Happiness06-00652.jpg

 

While our lieutenant colonel handles the bureaucratic side to buy more time for research into a cure, our residents face their first big decision as a group. Some very questionable choices lead to unnecessary danger as things begin to spiral out of control. Our couple can’t be everywhere at once, which is bad news all around since they’re the only ones who seem capable of keeping everyone alive.

 

EPISODE 6 RECAP

 

We flashback to six months prior when Tae-seok meets Chairman Choi for dinner. They’re excited to receive government approval for Next as an ADHD medication. Tae-seok hasn’t taken Next, but Chairman Choi and some of his associates have already been popping it for concentration boosts.

Shortly after his wife arrives, Tae-seok excuses himself to take a phone call and learns about Next’s strange biting side effect. His only concern is that this doesn’t get out, so he orders the patient be compensated and kept quiet.

 

Tae-seok hears a thud and goes back inside the dining room. He’s frozen in horror to see his wife lying bloody on the floor with Chairman Choi biting her neck.

Now, Ji-soo informs him the prime minister is asking to meet. Outside, Ji-soo asks where the refrigerator trucks are being taken. “The landfill,” Tae-seok replies. They need the space.

He knows Ji-soo doesn’t understand, but he’s had to make hard decisions based on what will cause the least damage. She’ll need to decide how much blood she’s willing to get on her hands soon, too.

Tae-seok asks about treatment progress. Ji-soo reports that all the patients injected with the treatment died. He orders her to keep trying while he stalls for more time.

At the apartment complex, Yi-hyun holds another meeting, although few show. Hak-je wants to break out since the authorities aren’t coming to help them, but Yi-hyun argues it won’t work. When Hae-sung again starts questioning whether the lower-class residents are telling the truth (none of the other rich residents came), Sae-bom quips he could go out and see for himself.

After the meeting, Sae-bom worries that the zombies will find some way inside. They could break through the doors or … she suddenly realizes they haven’t secured the rooftop, so she and Yi-hyun rush upstairs.

more

https://www.dramabeans.com/2021/11/happiness-episode-6/

[nrllee]

7 hours ago, silentlydreaming1209 said:

I like it more here that MDL because they keep bashing our leads there. 

Not everyone will enjoy what you like so just ignore the negativity and stick with watching it with likeminded people.  I have to admit I was one of those that wasn’t sold on SB’s act-before-thinking-it-through attitude but I just accepted it after a while and went with the flow.  Both leads and everyone else seems to be doing a fine job of portraying their characters so I have no problems there.  I think had it not been the current pandemic I would probably have watched this with a different lens.  But now having experienced how people en masse seem to behave during COVID when all their securities in life are removed, this drama seems almost believable.  That there are actually people who behave exactly as depicted in the drama when the chips are down.  I would never have thought hoarding was a thing, and then the pandemic struck and despite the government trying to tell people just to buy what they need, they didn’t.  And bought in excess and hoarded.  But in amongst all the avarice and self preservation, there are glimmers of hope.  Andrew showing kindness to the management cleaner lady by giving her an apple as she left the apartment.  It’s amazing that someone who has been mistreated so much by society still has the decency to be kind in these circumstances.  The cleaner lady just packing up and leaving to sleep downstairs when the other cleaning couple kicked her out.  Their (cleaning couple) initial kindness replaced by bitterness and selfishness.  Annoying brother of the writer has surprised me with his selflessness after being bitten.  I guess his heart found the right place after all.  I wasn’t happy that YH took offense at Andrew drinking some of the water they collected on the rooftop?  It wasn’t like he was drinking all of it?  What was so wrong about sharing?  .  I am glad SB put him right by telling him it’s okay to drink it.  Although…could it be the bottle that was what drew him to guzzle down some water on the rooftop?  I noticed that the bottle had a special emblem on it?  Was it SB’s anti-terrorism water bottle?  Andrew gives me vibes that he wants to be a superhero.  So he sees YH and SB just acting so calm and collected, he too wants to be like them.   A bit like how the Penthouse guy wanted the Tshirt.  

Thank goodness YH swapped out his pills for the real Next pills.  I kept trying to keep track of who sipped the water in the gym .  False alarm thanks to the quick thinking of YH who averted disaster.

[frozentundra]

Not every drama is for every person, and that's fine as there are more excellent dramas out there than one person can watch anyway. But generally speaking, yeah, I'd rather you told me about what you love than what you hate. (Just quit watching if you don't like it, you know? Why waste that time and energy when you could use it for something else?) Anyway, I think people are mostly here because we're really enjoying the show. I love the leads; they have just a quirky, different kind of relationship, and honestly I find that kind of teamwork refreshing after so many dramas full of dramatic wrist grabs and couples who won't tell each other what is going on. I think the two characters complement each other well and that the actors are doing a great job. As for the other characters, after living through covid I can 100% believe there is someone out there just exactly like each and every one of them... You would think people would be smarter, but nope. Disasters seem to spark the worst kind of thinking in our species, sigh. 

 

I'm so curious about Andrew. He just told the zombies to leave and they did? What? And why does he never show his face? Is this just another quirky character? Is he going to be important to the plot? Sometimes viewers can create hypotheses around things that never were meant to be important, but still...there are serious questions about him! 

 

It's so weird to see Penthouse Prepper's face after all of this, lol. 

[Latte_Anyday]

Yup the building rep. couple just stoop to another low in this ep. And yet the lady claim she's better than Ju Hyung LoL. This time they used religion to turn an already weak willed individual as Yi Hyun's colleague to turn against him and Sae Bom. This is why I have my own reservations on religion. No I'm not an atheist either, though I was surprised to know that of Sae Bom. But it sort of fits her gung ho character LoL.

    Good on Yi Hyun to swap the pills. Again it's K-Drama logic that Yi Hyun's indigestion pills happen to look similar to the Next drug LoL? Okayy~ And they side step Andrew with Seo Hoon. These two seem like afterthoughts. Maybe they'd come in handy later..? 

    Not surprised that cowardly old couple's useless son to bail on 'em when he found out his mom's possibly infected. Good on Bo Ram to give him a sort of tough love Ted Talk though it didn't do much (sigh) The ugliness of humanity is far worse than the zombies. 

    Tae Seok is unbelievable. Everyone's considered collateral as long as his wife is safe dear God.

 

@kRoNix

Sweetie it's no better here LoL. This thread however is fine thank goodness so no worries. 

    I had a nasty experience at the "Now, We're Breaking Up" thread. Dear lord it's like a viper's nest in there & the thread count is the fastest one I notice out of the entire drama threads here LoL. 

    I get the passion for a actor... Just don't get too obsessed HELLo!? Like these people don't know you LoL and they're "actors". Lord the way they pounced on me over a critique. Like who are they? The manager? The PR team LoL geez. Idk whether to admire their dedication or feel sad they waste their energy like that LoL. I hope the actor's co.  rewards them 'cause otherwise it ain't worth it y'all.

 

Honestly the characters here mirror people I run into daily and I'm disappointed as well. It's like Covid doesn't just attack the lungs but brain cells apparently. With so much stupidity I see aish tsk. Now there're new variants LoL wth is goin' on?! Stay safe y'all, may God help us all..

[Paperx Atelier]

The e in the happiness title got adjusted in ep 8 ending. Anybody notice?

[Hopeful fan of jjc]

Happiness is a perfect kdrama to wrap up this year.aside from the unique plot which is very relevant because the pandemic the characters were miticulously choosen aswell each actors and actresses fit thier roles perfectly..they succesfully tickle every emotion i have from rage to that selfish and evil doctor and rep.to cuirosity about han tae suk and andrew to heart shudder delight when hyun-ah held saeboms hand during thier candle lit diner..im mezmerized and hooked up..pjs said that the shooting was really physically draining..he was thankful to hhj for supporting him all through out..they have really worked hard to make this projecr work and im sad that ratings are doing not so well episode 8 have had a slight decrease..i hope this drama will not be underrated and people will see how nice it is

[nrllee]

2 hours ago, Paperx Atelier said:

The e in the happiness title got adjusted in ep 8 ending. Anybody notice?

Yes I noticed that too?  Possibly because there seems to be hope in a cure/vaccine?  SB’s colleague seems to be responding to treatment?  Fewer “rabid” signs but he’s taken to eating meat (quite rare) when he was vegetarian before.  And he reports he’s feeling less thirsty?  So perhaps like vampires who opt to drink animal blood instead of human blood? 
 

And the ep ended with HTS taking his wife’s hand and talking to her.  He hesitated to do that earlier.  It humanized her and him. It signifies a change.  The closing credits with the “e” flip in Happiness

 

 

3 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

Good on Yi Hyun to swap the pills. Again it's K-Drama logic that Yi Hyun's indigestion pills happen to look similar to the Next drug LoL? Okayy~

Yeah a bit of a stretch and they could’ve done it so that the pills looked different?  Dermatologist guy has never seen the pills himself so he’s not to know they are fake?  He’s just seen his wife taking a pill of some sort.  Or he would’ve noticed that mistress’s pills weren’t blue capsules and not freaked out.  Still writer/PD had to fool us into thinking that so I guess the indigestion pills had to be the same blue pill or we would’ve picked it up 

 

3 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

Sweetie it's no better here LoL. This thread however is fine thank goodness so no worries. 

    I had a nasty experience at the "Now, We're Breaking Up" thread. Dear lord it's like a viper's nest in there & the thread count is the fastest one I notice out of the entire drama threads here LoL. 

Off topic

Spoiler

O so you wandered in there?   That thread is full of the FL’s fans so any critique of anything is quickly hosed out.  I am all for healthy critique of a drama.  I think we’ve done that here?  By calling out foolish actions eg SB heading into that trailer full of zombies alone to save her colleague?  And also healthy critique of the craft of acting.  It’s a performance appraisal yeah?   And for some certain actors/actresses are just not your cup of tea?  Likewise for those who enjoy the drama, you can always choose to skip over posts which hinder your enjoyment.  But yes it does get a bit much when you find every post is littered with criticism or you feel threatened by daring to post anything further because you’re blacklisted by fans.  And when it gets to that point it’s time to leave for greener pastures or watch alone.

@Hopeful fan of jjc it’s not doing badly for a drama slotted late in the night?  I think it starts at 10:50pm KST?  It’s sitting above 3% which I think is pretty decent for a cable drama.  

[NhicarT]

of all the side characters Andrew, Sehoon and the cleaning lady are the ones we don't have a backstory or focus yet. I think Andrew and Sehoon will be key characters in the next episodes. Don't you find it strange that one is dressed in all black and the other in all white (well with his full gear PPE). I wonder if this is an indication of what their character will be (bad and good respectively). 

 

I feel like Andrew might be one of the earlier "clinical test patients" I mean not someone who got bitten but usually when there are new meds they do have test subjects so maybe he is one of those. He's wearing googles to hide his eyes which might be the same as those who are infected. Maybe he's like the hulk...he's always thirsty too but he is just able to control it. And perhaps there will be some sort of trigger in the next episodes to make him show his true self.

 

As for Se Hoon (penthouse guy), he might be someone who will help HTS, YH and SB to find the cure. 

[ferily]

And the "building rep" ahjumma and Oh Joo Hyung continue to be annoying and despicable as the drama goes on. Smh.. Okay I was so worried that the whole building would get infected because Oh Joo Hyung put the pills in the water, but OMG thank GOODNESS for our smart male lead.  That was definitely a twist I didn't see coming AT ALL... I was wondering why they focused on the scene where Sae Beom and Yi Hyun were talking about the indigestion pill. I know it was going to come up later on but I didn't know why they were focusing on it..

 

Seriously, Na Soo Min. Before he got bitten he was pretty not likable but huge props to him these past two episodes and actually being humane unlike many other people in the building and wanting to stay outside. Like seriously... Now he came in because his sister wanted to take care of him so that's no surprise there. I feel like he might be okay for now?? He has a reason not to turn (his family) so maybe that will not lead him to turn? Seems like the drama was hinting that people can CHOOSE not to bite other people if they have the will. I saw someone comment about many what determines if they turn or not is based on their "Happiness"? I thought that was an interesting theory. On the contrary, we got policeman hyung here that turns his back on Sae Beom and Yi Hyun because of the dumb ahjumma and paster -rolling eyes- Sheesh...I think in the next episode (based on the ep 9 preview), Yi Hyun is going to cut his hands to scare off the residents or prove something?

 

It really does seem like Andrew is someone who knows SOMETHING about the virus and isn't just ignorant or oblivious to everything. @NhicarT you do seem to have a good point and maybe he was a test patient or someone who has the virus but knows how to control it.

 

@Latte_Anyday @nrllee I'm not surprised that Hyun's indigestion pill looks likes the Next pills. The Next pills AND indigestion pills kind of look like Advil pills to me. (If you google it, they are the same exact color) or the next pills look like a fish oil pill from Costco just different colors. Basically what I'm trying to say is that there are pills out there that can look the same so it's not really a huge coincidence that the Next pills and the indigestion pills would look the same.

 

@Paperx Atelier @nrllee The "e" also flipped at the end of episode 7 too... Hmmmmm.

[nrllee]

@ferily yeah that twist about the pill switch was good .  I was watching who was taking a sip and thinking, “O my goodness, there’s not going to be many left standing.” Then that switch reset everything again.  
 

Good catch with the e switch from Ep7.  I think I didn’t bother to watch the preview and turned off once the ep finished so I didn’t catch the switch. 
 

Andrew and Penthouse guy feel like the 2 most mysterious so far.  Especially Andrew who “told” the zombie to head to the stairwell and he did?  What else does Penthouse guy have in his stock pile stash?  Will he share?  Lockdown is indefinite now?  People will start to panic thinking supplies may run out?  Water.  Food.  Cleaning couple selling water for $200?  I still remember how masks and hand sanitizers were out of stock (in the early days of the pandemic) and store owners were price gouging selling them for overinflated prices.