Summary
Heavenly Ever After continues to exhibit plenty of charm and eccentricity in Episodes 3 & 4, but it could do with a more cogent narrative throughline.
There’s a popular Kierkegaard quote about how life can only be understood backwards but must be lived forwards, and this popped into my mind during Episodes 3 & 4 of Heavenly Ever After. One of the key components introduced in this quirky vision of the afterlife is a reflection room that allows a life to be reviewed in hindsight, which proves to be a useful narrative tool that fits right in with this show’s eccentric idea of life after death.
But there’s a fair bit more going on besides, with some tension introduced in the form of an unexpected arrival and some personal revelations for Hae-suk that help to add texture to the character (no pun intended – that’s not a joke about wrinkles, honest.) The K-Drama remains highly original and blessed with unique ideas and strong, resonant themes, but it’s reaching a point now, I think, where it really needs to start surging ahead in a coherent way.
The reflection is nice, though, as it gives us a little kick-start in exploring Hae-suk’s familial history. By all accounts, she has had things pretty tough, but her mother is central to her identity, and more of this relationship will be explored later. In the meantime, though, Hae-suk’s in some pickles. An amnesiac woman recognises and hugs Nak-jun, introducing some tension for Hae-suk, and to make matters worse, her various infractions are piling up, inching her closer to being demoted to Hell.
Speaking of Hell, this mysterious woman, Som-i, may be a runaway from there. That could be the cause of her heavenly amnesia, and the punishment for escapees is worse than death – it’s simply to be erased from existence entirely. But Hae-suk isn’t exactly moved by Som-i’s presence, and when she returns home to find her still knocking around, she instead leaves to try to reunite with her mother.
Despite heaven’s draconian rules meaning that Hae-suk can’t meet her mother without the consent of both parties, it takes a personal favour from the president and a ride on a special bus back to ‘50s heaven to facilitate the meeting. But it’s fruitful. Hae-suk learns that the woman she always thought was her birth mother was actually her adoptive mother, and that both of her biological parents died. However, despite the lack of a DNA connection, Hae-suk’s mother very much stepped into the role, looking over her throughout her entire life. It’s a lovely moment, reinforced by another one with Nak-jun the morning after.
Episode 4 of Heavenly Ever After takes on a more comedic vibe, with a mistaken identity subplot – Hae-sook becomes convinced that Som-i is Young-ae – and a lot of animal-focused stuff that on some level feels like low-hanging fruit, dramatically speaking (I say that as a fervent pet lover who agrees with the notion that there should be a separate, special Hell for people who hurt animals). These are fun diversions, but the real mystery of Som-i’s identity is tabled for later.
That approach is reflected quite broadly across the show in this episode, and one does wonder if the eccentricity and charm will be enough to sustain interest long-term without a more cogent narrative throughline. It’s perhaps too early to wonder this, since I’m still very much enjoying the characters and setting, but it’s kind of my job.
Anyway, the main thrust here is Hae-sook coming to believe that Som-i is Young-ae, with a lot of behaviours being paralleled between the two. But it’s woven into the animal subplot, with the dogs suspecting Som-i of being one of Hell’s runaways thanks to her unusual scent, like how a police dog sniffs out narcotics. Even in the afterlife, man’s best friend keeps busy. But this becomes complicated as Hae-sook, upon learning Young-ae is dead and was sent to Hell, fixates on the idea of Som-i being her, even to Nak-jun’s chagrin.
The episode eventually confirms that Som-i is neither the runaway nor Young-ae. The former turns out to be the old man Hae-sook keeps encountering, who was consigned to Hell for driving himself and his wife off a cliff. That wasn’t as cruel a gesture as it sounds – he developed cancer and was scared of dying and leaving his sick wife alone – but you can see why it’d weigh heavily on the moral scale. Luckily, Nak-jun is able to reassure him that his wife made it to Heaven, which helps to defuse a hostage situation that had developed.
Heavenly Ever After Episode 4 ends with a glimpse of the real Young-ae in Hell, so Som-i’s identity – and indeed Young-ae’s fate – can be dealt with down the line. It’s enough to be going on with for now, but here’s hoping plenty more will reveal itself as we go.
RELATED:
