[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Melancholia" Episode 1

Teacher Ji (played by Lim Soo-jung) is a mathematics teacher who has been lauded for her excellent results in terms of improving math scores with her students in Cheongju. Headmistress No (played by Jin Kyung) runs a prestigious school in Seoul that's trying to rebrand, and so hires Teacher Ji. In 2017, a disgusted Teacher Ji confronts Chairwoman No at an official event where Chairwoman No brags about her school's innovative pedagogical approach. Flash backwards four months, and "Melancholia" begins to unravel the backstory of this hostile encounter.

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The main immediate outstanding question is about Seung-yoo (played by Lee Do-hyun), a teenage math genius who adamantly tells Teacher Ji following her arrest that he will find proof. It's unclear what Seung-yoo is attempting to prove. What we do know is that Teacher Ji has been accused of molesting Seung-yoo. This seems unlikely, not just because Teacher Ji seems like a good person, but because an unwelcome flashback suggests that Seung-yoo is no stranger to abusive behavior.

That's a bit far ahead though. In the immediate sense, "Melancholia" is mostly just about math. Teacher Ji's approach is to ask questions with nonintuitive or even nonexistent answers to try and provoke students into engaging with lateral thinking. For screenwriter Kim Ji-woon-II there's a clear labor of love as far it goes to arcane mathematical theories. I tend to think of myself as good at math but could barely follow half the explanations.

This is to help emphasize that Seung-yoo truly is a math genius, but "Melancholia" is far from inaccessible. We're introduced to Ye-rin (played by Woo Da-vi) in short order. The teenage girl, a former childhood friend of Seung-yoo, is genuinely curious about the logic behind the math. Yet Ye-rin is apprehensive because she's not a genius. Ye-rin is being bullied into prioritizing clear measured performance above all else- despite the fact that Teacher Ji's entire teaching style is to deemphasize the notion of right and wrong answers to focus on more creative mathematics.

The clash between Teacher Ji and Chairwoman No is already easy enough to explain. Chairwoman No hired Teacher Ji for her strong performance in regards to mentoring students with high test scores. Chairwoman No doesn't know or care what Teacher Ji's pedagogical technique actually is, and is perfectly happy to promote the exact same toxic academic culture she claims to be wanting to solve. "Melancholia" features a lot of intense social commentary along these lines about education- yet possesses a sharp storytelling knack even bearing this arcane premise in mind.

Review by William Schwartz

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"Melancholia" is directed by Kim Sang-hyeob, written by Kim Ji-woon-II, and features Lee Do-hyun, Lim Soo-jung, Choi Dae-hoon, Oh Gwang-rok, Jeon Guk-hyang, Han Ki-joong. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2021/11/10~Now airing, Wed, Thu 22:30 on tvN.