[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Nevertheless" Episode 8

Last time on "Nevertheless" we saw Na-bi deciding, against her better judgment, to accept the romantic embrace of Jae-eon. It's quickly confirmed that Do-hyeok is en route, seemingly confirming the cliche of the two men in Na-bi's running afoul of each other. But Jae-eon makes an explicit aversion of that trope, asking in his typical concerned considerate boyfriend manner if Na-bi really wants to consider making out of him.

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"Nevertheless" really nails how Jae-eon can seem like a considerate partner despite all his actions clearly being so self-interested. The reason Jae-eon doesn't want a confrontation with Do-hyeok isn't because he's concerned about Na-bi. Rather, Jae-eon simply hates any kind of outright confrontation, for any reason. Passive-aggressive behavior is his modus operandi, as we can see when Jae-eon smugly interacts with Do-hyeok both of them knowing full well that given the choice, Na-bi choice Jae-eon over Do-hyeok.

The situation is deeply uncomfortable largely because Na-bi herself is terribly confused over what she wants. The scene where she starts crying at Do-hyeok's romantic gesture, as well as the later internal monologues, confirm that part of this is just due to self-loathing. Indeed, Na-bi's explicit rationalization for pushing Do-hyeok away is that he's clearly too good for her. It's a messed up thought process that's borderline self-destructive, but also clearly influenced by Na-bi confusing her passion for Jae-eon as a meaningful emotional connection. She knows him well enough to know when he's feeding her lines.

Despite this, there's not quite as much emphasis on Jae-eon's apparently successful career oppurtunities as I was expecting. Truth be told, most of the subplot action takes place with the side characters, who are deliberate foils as usual. Bit-na gets a hilarious scene where a past male acquaintance asks the very straightforward question of what she thinks it means to have a boyfriend. I noted with some irony that gender stereotypes notwithstanding, Bit-na's answer was the one built around sexual intercourse.

But a lot of "Nevertheless" is clearly built around questioning stereotypes. Jae-eon, stereotypical pretty boy that he is, engages in quite a bit of toxic behavior. The fact that he is so pretty, and not especially masculine, works really well to hide his emotionally abusive tendencies, and Na-bi struggles to accept the fact that his behavior is manipulative even as she "Nevertheless" acknowledges it. Contrast that with the cute spontaneity of, say, the scene with the tiny adorable kitten.

Review by William Schwartz

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"Nevertheless" is directed by Jang Ji-yeon, Kim Ga-ram, written by Jung Won, and features Han So-hee, Song Kang, Chae Jong-hyeop, Lee Yul-eum, Yang Hye-ji, Kim Min-gwi. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2021/06/19~Now airing, Sat 23:00 on jTBC.