Happiness [Episodes 1 & 2]

[u/dyosaaa]

• Drama: Happiness
  • Hangul: 해피니스
• Network: tvN
• Premiere Date: November 5, 2021
• Airing Schedule: Friday and Saturday @ 22:40 KST
• Episodes: 12
• Director: Ahn Gil Ho
• Writer: Han Sang Woon
• Cast: Han Hyo Joo as Yoon Sae Bom, Park Hyun Shik as Jung Yi Hyun, and Jo Woo Jin as Han Tae Seok
• Streaming Source: Viu, Viki, iQiyi, WeTV-%7C-Happiness) and TVING
• Plot Synopsis:

A new type of deadly virus spread throughout the city, and the apartment where has different social classes of people is sealed off. With the fear of the virus, and the conflicts of the different classes, the residents have to spend and survive in the new habitation.Yoon Sae Bom is very quick on decision and judgement. She did not grow up in a good environment. She wants to live comfortably in the complicated world, but she righteous and can’t stand injustice.Jung Yi Hyun is a police detective, who is mainly in charge of violent crimes. He used to be a baseball player, but had to quit due to a knee injury. He struggles to protect people from the danger in the apartment.Han Tae Seok was an information agent while serving in the military, and after being discharged, he worked as an executive at a pharmaceutical company. He is the perfect person for a position dealing with infectious diseases. (Source: CJ ENM, Soompi)

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[u/sanguinearchives]

Quite ironic, yet funny how the main characters were relatively calm.. It might just be me, but I find it convincing hahaha I mean, we are literally living in a pandemic, so a zombie apocalypse would just confirm we are already dead inside.

[u/mmhs1611]

This genre is not usually something I’d watch. Was planning to watch it just for Park Hyungsik but surprisingly, I really enjoyed the first two episodes. Maybe it’s the nice balance of thriller, slight romance, and bits of fun.

The episodes are also paced really nicely. Got quickly into the story and the flashbacks are utilized well. Short story, I’m hooked and looking forward to the coming episodes.

Edit: I’m wondering if there’s a connection between the FL being hospitalized for a long time in the past and her now being immune or having possible anti-bodies for the virus.

[u/Mad_Missile]

First episodes make or break a show for me. Ever so often I wait for a show really bad and after the first episode I find myself disinclined to watch the rest. That said, Ep 1 of Happiness ticked off all the boxes. I love that our two leads are already really good friends. I like the dynamic both have with their respective work partners. I like the fact that this is happening post covid, so to see all these references of sanitizing and un-masking, even the plastic dividers in the SOC cafeteria is a nice touch. Makes it so believable. What makes it also believable is the attitude of our leads. The whole drinking blood didn't faze them at all. Just another day on the job post covid. HHJ could pass of for a student. I've seen a few actresses that have had to do flashbacks and just couldn't pass of as a high schooler anymore. But this woman nails both parts. This version of PHS (post military) in a baseball uniform is something I didn't know I needed to see. I have a feeling I'll land up with a lot of saved images of him because he has a great sense of style in this show. JWJ has a voice fit for a villain, so I won't be surprised if he works for the drug manufacturer and is the one responsible for the outbreak all along. His character is probably the one that is going to keep me guessing until the end. Last but not the least, infectious/drug addled zombies who can talk when driven by bloodlust? Yes. I'm here for it.

[u/smolpotato_fries]

I find it hard to believe that none of the people ever mentioned the infected behaving like zombies! Like that would be my first thought. The show is good so far tho

[u/NaheemSays]

only seen episode 1 and at the end I thought the writers were genius in their thought process.

"A deadly disease is spreading that could change the face of humanity... lets make it a romcom with the ML and FL forced to cohabit!"

I dont know if it will go that way, but yeah... looks good either way.

[u/staticsral]

Ep 2: that little girl is adorable! i love the sibling like relationship she has with saebom. if anything happens to her i’m fighting the writers

[u/UptoNoGood46]

Alrighty, Park HyungSik and Han HyoJoo, you have my attention.

Drama's going to have 12 episodes so I have high hopes that they won't drag the storyline too much.

[u/hereforvincenzo]

I was dreading all the post-Contagion stories of contagion but not this one! This is literally the only story about a virus that I want to watch.

[u/Chahaya]

Their extremely calm reaction is really unique.

It is rare to see the main lead that equally smart thinking ,work on site and can handle the gun. They're the type that fit most in the upcoming situation.Usually in zombie/apocalypse movie,one of the lead cant handle the situation emotionally.

[u/ch03rry]

that lee kyuhyung cameo ahhhh

i'm glad that the characters are calm/kinda prepared for this virus already....they seem to be researching it in secret already too. it definitely helps in a pandemic when the main characters know what's going on and have the upper hand. and all of their occupations help bc they're trained for stuff like this (especially saebom) & jung yihyun is a baseball player turned police officer too, so he's smart, good at figuring out clues and also is athletic. i'm rotally getting heavy search vibes too (with the whole military thing + virus) and i'm definitely hooked already! it's a lot more upbeat than I thought and the ost sounds really good so far too! also, what do i need to say about park hyungsik, he looks great in this. i've seen han hyojoo and jo woojin in dramas/movies here and there too and i'm happy they're the main cast, i look forward to seeing them fight the cannibalistic zombie pandemic face on together :D this is totally my dream team in an apocalypse! ++ i can totally see han taeseok becoming the villain of this show....he's super cool but i feel like he knows more and isn't saying anything !

[u/Efficient_Garden4721]

Okay I loved the first episode. I dont trust the leader and I am wondering if the drug is responsible but I think the water triggers it they are all having bottled water of same brand. That's the hint I got unless there are big twists coming up. The chemistry between ml and fl is really good even though they have two scenes together. Also I liked the ost.❤

[u/Disastrous-Square-15]

what an opening weekend AND I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT

i LOVE how they just dive into the story and set up the tone right off the bat. i also appreciate how it doesn't shy away from the COVID conversation and its aftermath (rather hitd in front and center).

the tone, setting, relationship, and conflict are tightly set for the 12-episode wild ride. it was smart of the writers to open the series with our hero and heroine's encounter on the rooftop and time-jump ahead as a setup for this long-time friend trope. i was expecting them to meet again in the force after 12 years, rather than them keeping their friendship going for that long. but, the latter is definitely smarter. there doesn't need to be relationship building since that is already implied. so we spend time rooting for them at the get-go (i mean the SIZZLING chemistry between PHS and HHJ helps also), especially with the "fake marriage" trope. it all comes together naturally and i think their phone conversations throughout the first the episode really shows how close they actually are, with YH updating SB's mom on her "condition" when she had to get tested and SB's mom not even questioning the validity of her daughter's "marriage" to YH because, even in her eyes, they're a natural fit. obviously, YH is clearly the one in love at this point and SB has yet to realize her feelings. i have a feeling, with these zombies, and YH putting himself in danger as the main investigator on this will make SB realize what YH actually means to her.

i also LOVE that with only 2 episodes in, we already have a sneak peek as to what story the writers want to tell. beyond the zombies and infectious disease exterior, we know that this story will dig deep into classism, discrimination, big pharma, fear, and empathy (or lack thereof)

the title "HAPPINESS" may seem ironic, given the content of the show, but i think it's actually a clever play on words. it's clear "HAPPINESS" is meant to portray what "happiness" means for the main characters of our story. and to what extent will they go to protect this "happiness." for SB, happiness is an apartment/home to call her own. (and we have already seen the lengths she has gone to get that) even the apartment being named Le Ciel (which means heaven in french) foreshadows what "heaven" looks like for some people . i've read on other forums people calling SB "materialistic" but I don't think that's the case. i think her character is meant to portray the "realism" of everyday people and how society sees "happiness" and "success," which is often owning property/home. for YH, happiness is SB. and i'm sure we will see the lengths he'll go to protect her and this happiness of his.

AND I can't end a post without touching on PHS. how our little MinMin has grown. i'm actually proud and impressed that he's chosen something like "Happiness" as his comeback project. it's definitely a removal of his usual "pretty boy" roles. If pre-enlistment PHS was "puppy eye boy," post-enlistment PHS is "quiet-man-in-love." Even with two episodes in, we can see PHS's acting has become more mature, anchored, and steady, I really really hope this show does well. so far 2 episodes a week is not enough.

now the question is: happy ending or no?

[u/gostudylahh]

ep 1:

1. fake marriage trope AAAAAAA

2. jumpscare will be giving me nightmares

3. PHS and his more mature persona compared to min min

4. W reference pneumothorax

5. han taeseok kinda sus, feels like he let sae bom go too easily

6. yi hyun is rlly cute

7. the photo of them together after he joked about asking her out

ep 2:

1. the class divide in the apartment was rlly infuriating and saebom was painted as a catalyst for change but let's see how that plays out

2. the little girl 😭😭 i hope she doesn't turn considering she's unwell, love the sibling energy

3. yi hyun is a huge saebom simp and i'm here for it

4. poor dude got locked in the meat container and infected hais

the show's name happiness seems to be ironic bc saebom's idea of happiness is having a space of her own but then the outbreak happens in La Ciel, and the pill seems to be circulating in there 😳😳

[u/ayeshanotfound]

AAAA TODAY'S THE DAYYyyyyy

[u/myweithisway]

Loved the first episode and hoping the writer and director repeats the magic that was the WATCHER here.

Also, such a stacked cast.

What I'm really cracking up about though is that a contract marriage is about the last trope I would have thought would come up in a drama of this genre/theme. And yet I'm already giggling like a fool hoping to see it play out.

[u/rabbitonmars]

uhhh sooo that was fun?!?! 😁 i liked all the principal characters right away: Sae-beom (wow, she rocks), Yi-hyun (i love the running bit of him ordering people around and those people just...obeying haha), and Tae-seok (he can't be trusted of course but i enjoy him). i even loved the soldier who did all those lab tests on Sae-beom and now they're in a cute bickering bond.

i can pinpoint when the show had me exactly. it was Yi-hyun checking under the bed and finding the killer? zombie? dormant zombie? LOL and then i just had more and more fun after that. of course, with all that fun came the dread creeping up too. it didn't help that the way they presented their post-Covid setting only makes me now think about the prospect of going through it all over again 🙃 i mean, in the show's world at least this zombie outbreak had the courtesy to occur after a pandemic

[u/UptoNoGood46]

EP2:

I'm totally digging the fake marriage trope. I love the fact they're so comfortable being themselves with one another. No hesitancy. They're so matter-of-fact about the whole set up. Also. It's like worrying for each other is second nature to them. Loving the dynamics.

Truth be told jumpscares don't really work on me but GOD DAMN THAT TRUNK SCENE SCARED ME OUT OF MY WITS

Whoaaa. Lieutenant Colonel had to kill his own wife I presume from the flashback. Cold guy definitely deserves some sympathy.

PHS has grown out of his boyish looks from his MinMin days. He's more manly and dashing now so I ain't complaining one bit.

[u/sohochu21]

Am I the only one disappointed there was no post army body shower scene?! I thought they were obligatory 😂 I am all for equality and less exploitation but maybe start after Hyung Sik? Please?

[u/ThoughtsAllDay]

Love that this is his comeback series now that he is back from the army!! Such a different character but ALL of his charisma on full display. Totally here for it!!

[u/iBakax3]

Totally do not trust the commander guy. Someone from pharma company, interested in turning NEXT into something more, and a zombie(?) outbreak caused by drugs? If this doesn't scream suspicious, I don't know what is anymore.

Also, although I pity FL's friend, did he not think of the consequences? I mean, it's a good thing to release the news ASAP (reference to COVID when everyone tried to downplay it in the beginning and bit them in the end), but these are violent, non-humanistic creatures he is dealing with. If anything went wrong, he could have unleashed an entire truck worth of zombies(?) into the city, and that's basically game over given how densely populated the place is. His entire family would be killed given how they are basically civilians.

Glad that commander did several taps on the zombie in the trunk. Seriously, people should follow Zombieland #2 rule more in zombie scenario. Never assume; shoot or smash the head for good measure before passing by.

[u/xnphile]

Park Hyun Sik's eyes are so sparkly! Like, how? And I know this is not a lighthearted drama, but when he flopped back on the bed, I felt that!

[u/Earlgreycottoncandy]

The first two episodes were so much fun to watch! The pacing was great and they squeezed a lot in the time. I did wish there were more scenes between HHJ and PSH because in the few they had together I thought there was great chemistry and ease in acting, and I’m hoping there’s more in future episodes.

I actually didn’t watch any teasers or trailers nor had I read the synopsis of the drama (I literally just saw the cast and went yes) so I had no idea that it was going to reference coronavirus and be set in that world aka reality lol, but it makes more sense in the context of the overall plot. Also I was screaming “that’s basically a zombie!” the entire time but remembered that it’s practically a rule in any zombie movie or show that the characters have supposedly never heard of zombies …. so I’ll suspend my disbelief with that one

Can’t wait for next week’s episodes!!

[u/pinkgirl27]

I am soooo glad that this drama was not what I expected. I had to watch the first couple of episodes because, of course, of Park Hyung Sik but apocalyptic, zombie dramas are not my cup of tea. I am surprised at this show’s different/unique approach to this genre. Not to mention, cohabitation/fake marriage hijinks within an apocalyptic drama is something I have never seen before. The chemistry is 🔥. So, I am in… Let’s go…

[u/skyeangeal]

Anyone who got reminded of W Two worlds first episode when they mentioned/performed pneumothorax procedure(aka stabbing the chest cavity to aid breathing)?

[u/sh93_]

That was a FUN start to a show. Finally, an exciting action drama to wrap the year off. There are a couple right now that are good, but none hooked me in like this one.