Thirty-Nine premiered this week and it hints that fans are in for an emotional ride. Starring Crash Landing On You star Son Ye-jin, the Hospital Playlist actress Jeon Mi-do, and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha’s Kim Ji-hyun, Thirty-Nine revolves around three women who are a few months away from entering their 40s. The first two episodes of the show not only delves into their friendship and woes of being in their late 30s but also a life-changing incident.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead:
Thirty-Nine begins with a funeral, hinting at a character dying at a young age. The first episode doesn’t delve much into the death of the character but instead gives viewers a glimpse into the bond of Dr. Cha Mi-jo (Son Ye-jin), Jung Chan-young (Jeon Mi-do) and Jang Joo-hee (Kim Ji-hyun). Having met when they were in High School, the trio continues to remain friends for over two decades. Though all of them are unmarried, Jung Chan-young is entangled in an affair with a married man, something Cha Mi-jo disapproves of. Jang Joo-hee doesn’t seem to be on the same page either, she tries to be a peacemaker between the two.
As they try to come to terms with that, Cha Mi-jo bumps into a stranger at an orphanage. Call it destiny or the writer Yoo Young-a’s creative mind, Cha Mi-jo bumps into the man again. They don’t get into learning each other’s identity but Cha Mi-jo ends up having a few drinks with him. They meet again and this time, they end up hooking up. Just when Cha Mi-jo thinks of pushing the incident under the carpet as a one-night stand, she finds out that the man is actually Dr. Kim Seon-woo (Yeon Woo-jin), the doctor who is replacing her at her clinic during her sabbatical.
On one hand, Cha Mi-jo is seen falling in love, and on the other, Jung Chan-young makes an attempt to fall out of it. She breaks her relationship with the married man and decides to live for herself. In the meantime, Jang Joo-hee’s likely relationship with a restauranteur is also teased.
Making bittersweet memories together, the women come together as many times as they can to spend time together. Little did they know that their lives were going to take an unforeseen turn that would change. One of the lead characters is diagnosed with a terminal illness. The show even reveals who dies by revisiting the funeral scene.
The treatment of Thirty-Nine seems similar to the iconic Bollywood film Anand. Starring Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan, Anand also revolves around a key character being diagnosed with a terminal illness. His death was already revealed at the start of the movie and fans watched Anand making the most of his final days with his doctor friend. Similarly, Thirty-Nine also reveals the ending in the first two episodes and it seems to be following the journey from the day of the diagnosis to the funeral.
The show touches upon subjects such as abortion and terminal illness. Though the subjects aren’t new in K-dramas (Vincenzo, Coffee Prince, The Hours of My Life), Thirty-Nine is attempting to see them from a different perspective. The show also briefly touches upon mental health illness, with panic attacks and sleeplessness making a passing mention. But, given that there were merely passing mentions, it is to see if the subjects are explored further.
Thirty-Nine is fast on pace, keeping the audience hooked from the word go. The makers plant the funeral subplot at the beginning of the show and instantly divert the attention from the scene by layering subplots over subplots. Given that there are three lead characters and their love interests, the show has enough scope to go in different directions.
But it seems like there’s already a lot on director Kim Sang-ho’s plate and he is struggling to give each character justice. When the show shifts gears from one subplot to another, it takes a little time for the viewers to follow what exactly happened. It appeared like he was in a hurry to pack several cards within the episodes’ time limit to launch the big blow at the end of the second episode.
Thirty-Nine’s biggest advantage is Son Ye-jin. With just two episodes, she has already proved that she is here to deliver a power-packed performance. The diversity in her performance shows that she is going to shine in the series. She leaves you in tears with her intense performance in the final few minutes of the second episode, likely the first of many such intense scenes. Jeon Mi-do has offered a refreshing shade of her acting. Best known for her role as the obedient doctor in Hospital Playlist, Jeon Mi-do takes on a bolder role to shatter the image well.
However, it is disappointing to see that Kim Ji-hyun was given little scope to show her craft in the first two episodes. With Son Ye-jin and Jeon Mi-do presenting such strong characters, Kim Ji-hyun hasn’t shined in the two episodes as much. Here’s hoping that she gets more scenes to show her craft.
Thirty-Nine is streaming on Netflix in India. New episodes premiere every Wednesday and Thursday.
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