Mr. Sunshine (2018)

Quick Take: Mr. Sunshine (2018), starring Lee Byung-hun and Kim Tae-ri.  9.7/10. 24 one-hour episodes

Synopsis:   In the last days of Korean independence, a wealthy landowner has one of his slaves beaten to death because a powerful nobleman covets the man’s wife.  She holds a pregnant daughter of the house hostage with a knife so her son, Joo-yin, can escape.  A reluctant missionary smuggles the child to America, where he grows up as Eugene.  Bullied for his Asian looks, Eugene sees a military career as a way to affirm that he is an American.

 Eugene becomes a Captain in the Marines and is sent to Josean to assassinate an American who is working with the Japanese against American interests. 

The series received critical acclaim for its cinematography and storytelling but was also criticized for inaccurate portrayal of historical facts.  It recorded the 6th highest ratings for cable television with its final episode and overall the second highest average rating ever recorded for cable television.

Review:   The opening scenes coincide with the Sinmiyangyo Incident of 1871 when a US diplomatic delegation went awry, resulting in a quick battle and over 200 Koreans dead.  Weaponry matters.  Korea — still the Josean Empire at that time — had only recently opened up to foreign trade, and was desperately trying to maintain its independence by balancing world powers Russia, Japan, and the US against each other.  In 1910, Japan would take over Korea and occupy it until 1945, so the Japanese are the obvious villains.  Not that the Russians or Americans can be accused of good intentions.

The romantic heart of the story is centered on Go Aye-shin, a young noblewoman who secretly fights for Josean independence with the Righteous Army.  Eugene falls in love with her and gradually comes to support her cause.

Native English-speakers may be surprised by the odd accents that American characters seem to have, including Theodore Roosevelt (!)  English dialogue is usually not subtitled, which is annoying because it’s sometimes so heavily accented as to be unintelligible.  In the moment we ignorant English speakers may not be able to tell the difference between dialogue spoken in Korean or Japanese, but Korean script on the screen is a clue that the  dialogue is in Japanese. 

Warning:  Mr. Sunshine will break your heart, and recovery may take some time.

Recommended.

Rewatchable - 5, Compelling - 5, Plot/ Story/Writing - 10,  Acting/Casting - 10, Production - 10, Bonus - 7.     Bonus for emotional impact.

Notes:

Lee Byung-hun

has an extensive filmography starting in 1995. He also has been through some off-screen drama, specifically blackmail attempts and accusations of illegal gambling. He had some success in the US, appearing in three GI Joe movies and RED2 with Bruce Willis, among others.  He presented Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars in 2016 and even has a Hollywood Star!  Who knew?  Recent television dramas include Squid Game (2021) and Our Blues (2022).

Kim Tae-ri

became interested in acting when she joined a theater group in college. After some work in live theater and commercials, her appeared in her breakthrough role in The Handmaiden (2016). Mr. Sunshine was her first television drama, followed by 25-21 (2022). See her also in films Little Forest (2018) and Space Sweepers (2021).

Yoo Yeon-seok

acted in musical theater while at university. Although he had been acting steadily since 2008, his breakthrough role was in Reply, 1994 (2013). See him also in Dr. Romantic (2016) and Dr. Romantic 3 (2023), and Hospital Playlist 1-2 (2020-21).