Drama Digest
In the future, no one dies anymore mentally. Instead, part of the human brain can be interconnected with AI to create a second consciousness, giving the person another chance at life, in an android’s body.
Hye Ra’s son, Young In gets involved in an accident. Unfortunately, the injuries are fatal and he passes away. Unwilling to let him go, his mother has him undergo the surgery that would revive him. The operation is successful.
But as he recovers, she begins to find his behavior erratic and deduces that it must have begun after the connection. She is beginning to wonder if the AI has deleted her son’s psyche and is impersonating him.
The Feel-Good Part
There are no feel-good moments.
The Disappointing Factor
The series deals with a heavy subject matter, but the execution is a little sloppy. The episode was boring, the plot was not developed, and it quickly turned into a seminar. When it comes to such topics, the best bet is to show, not tell. The questions could have been dealt with more creatively.
In-Depth Analysis
The episode has a unique approach to death. Generally, there is a lot of controversy and questioning where death is concerned. It tried to answer some of them.
The burning question is this: just how moral is it to interfere with death? As beings that are born, it is only natural to die. Yet, despite their millennia-old experience, human beings are so ridiculously afraid of something inevitable. Yet, because we are human, we are simply incapable of being anything other than mortal. So the ability to stay alive forever mentally in this universe sharply contrasts with our inherent need to die.
In the series, we see the android defend himself, claiming that Young-in, fed up with his dependence and vulnerability, had told him to erase him. There is no way of knowing if he is being honest, so the android is charged with murder.
But is it murder? Young In is nothing more than a data file in the android. So is keeping his consciousness like that akin to being alive? He could have been exhausted from such an existence and maybe his death was what was best for him.
So was his mother right in trying to bring him back? It is not responsible to openly blame her, because losing a child is one of the hardest things to happen to a person. It would literally take a superhuman effort to try and analyze the situation and come up with the best possible outcome for your child.
What about the android’s efforts? The person he was supposed to keep alive is gone, but why was he still taking care of his mother? Was he wrong to impersonate Young In just to ensure that Hye Ra’s heart wasn’t broken?
Hye Ra later goes on to delete the android’s memories and alter his appearance. The underlying motive is to start afresh. But then another question nags at the viewer. Is it right to manipulate another consciousness like that, even if it is artificial? And what kind of effects would it bring about on someone’s sanity? Is it right to play God like that?
Star Power
Moon So Ri and Jang Yoo Sang are eloquent and wonderful in their portrayal of the central mother-son duo. They perfectly capture the difficult situation they are in and their moral dilemma. Abel Ryu, Seo Hyun Woo, and Park Jong-Hwan give noteworthy performances as well.
Overall Opinion
I believe the story was well written but lagged in the pacing and representation. It is unique and powerful regardless and makes the viewer uncomfortable.
