[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Who Are You - School 2015" Episode 4

This episode mostly takes a shift toward premise building. Something of an odd narrative direction given that this is the fourth episode, but "Who Are You - School 2015" makes good use of it. Once Eun-bi figures out what has happened, all that's left for her and Mi-kyeong to do is admit that there isn't actually going to be a happy resolution after all. Now they have to return to their real, mostly heartbroken lives.

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Obviously there would not be much of a drama if they actually did this, but "Who Are You - School 2015" still manages to wring some impressive dramatic tension from the proceedings by making the whole process so emotional. Mi-kyeong realizes that, even if Eun-byeol is dead, Eun-bi is a living reminder of a possible other path. Of what might have happened to Eun-byeol had Mi-kyeong not come along. From this perspective, Mi-kyeong can't just let go and admit that it's all for nothing.

Other important exposition comes up regarding the male characters. First and most prominently is Tae-kwang (played by Yook Sung-jae). Up until now he's just been the wacky friend character. It's only here that we finally realize why Tae-kwang has such a powerfully rebellious personality- and I must say, it's a good thing his story is buffered by the revelation of what happened to Eun-byeol, or the whole birthday sequence might have come off as unnaturally gloomy.

Then there's I-an (played by Nam Joo-hyuk). He's in the debatedly most tragic circumstance of all. The girl he's loved since he was a little kid is dead, and he doesn't even know what's going on. The way Eun-bi carries on with Tae-kwang in this context comes off as horribly cruel. It's hard to imagine how I-an is going to manage the situation once the truth inevitably comes out. Right now, aside from I-an himself, no one really even knows what's going on in that dimension.

And just to heighten the tension all the further, the cliffhanger introduces another startling dynamic that will give Eun-bi even more trouble- as if the ominous text messaging wasn't enough of a problem. A wise decision is made here not to potentially ruin anything via preview. "Who Are You - School 2015" benefits chiefly from its sense of fresh surprise. The production team has outdone itself in terms of making a crisp, slick production even if most of the actual plot points were predictable, or even cliched. That's the beauty of effective presentation combined with emotional performances- it's enough to make anyone willing to ignore certain absurdities.

Review by William Schwartz

"Who Are You - School 2015" is directed by Baek Sang-hoon and Kim Seong-yoon, written by Kim Hyeon-jeong-II and Kim Min-jeong-II, and features Kim So-hyun, Nam Joo-hyuk, Yook Sung-jae, Lee Pil-mo, Lee David, Kim Hee-jung-I and more.

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