[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" Episode 2

So Hye-jin hasn't quite managed to actually open up her dentist's office in Gongjin yet. But despite there being a large number of potential customers in the seaside hamlet, Hye-jin experiences a bit of culture shock when it comes to actually getting new patients. The fashionable Seoul woman accidentally offends nearly everyone she met in the first episode without really meaning to. Then in a very contrived accident, she manages to fully solidify this impression of poor social graces.

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"Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" is structured interestingly in that Hye-jin is the central character, yet not the perspective character. We see Gongjin characters react to Hye-jin more than we see Hye-jin actually acknowledge their reactions. This results in weird scenes like Hye-jin refusing a cut of meat wedged between kimchi for reasons that are entirely unclear. The nearby grannies assume that Hye-jin thinks their hands are dirty. I thought it had something to do with meat wedged between kimchi being a bit of an odd way to eat it.

The actual explanation ends up being even more silly than either of those, and a perfect illustration of the cultural gap between Hye-jin and the seaside community she's trying to join. Enter Chief Hong. Enigmatic as ever, he tries to nudge Hye-jin into the position she needs to actually make social progress without explicitly telling her what to do or condescending to her. But even with these caveats, Hye-jin is as proud as ever, and reluctant to admit to personal fault.

"Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" treads a fine line in that it's easy to view Chief Hong as domineering, or even patriarchal. His odd characterization is what works against this fairly straightforward interpretation. Chief Hong always explicitly frames himself as being subordinate to the people he does business with, no matter how obvious or important his expertise. But even more weirdly, he obsessively demands the legal minimum wage for his services, plus expenses. Nothing more, and nothing less.

This weirdness was also the principle charm behind "Mr. Handy" on which "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" is based. But I find myself wondering whether this dynamic can work for a full sixteen episodes. Already "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" is resorting to romantic cheesiness. The final flashback trots a rather played out first love trope. Yet that scene also features explicit dialect, hinting at a genuine affection for...well, Gongjin isn't actually a real place. But some specific region anyway, most of which don't like being looked down at by people from Seoul.

Review by William Schwartz

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"Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" is directed by Yoo Je-won, written by Sin Ha-eun, and features Shin Min-a, Kim Seon-ho, Lee Sang-yi, Gong Min-jung, Seo Sang-won-I, Woo Mi-hwa. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2021/08/28~Now airing, Sat, Sun 21:10 on tvN.