Premiere Watch: Notes from the Last Row
by stroopwafel
Time slot: Friday (single drop)
Broadcaster: Netflix
Genre: Drama, suspense
Episode count: 6
Reasons to watch: Netflix is heading back to the classroom once more in its adaptation of a Spanish play, Notes from the Last Row. Choi Min-shik and Choi Hyun-wook star in this dark tale of admiration and ambition gone wrong.
Choi Min-shik teaches literature at one of Korea’s most prestigious universities, and he epitomizes the saying, “those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” Some may be jealous of his professor job, but he’s jealous of the many writers who have succeeded (such as his rival, played by Heo Jun-ho) while his one and only novel flopped. His lectures are monotonous and his students are a bit of a blur until Choi Hyun-wook pops up in his classroom.
Choi the Younger is a bit mysterious and rubs Choi Min-shik the wrong way, but the young man’s writing grabs his attention immediately. Enamored of his student’s raw talent, Professor Choi proposes private lessons to help hone s skills. The writing lessons quickly become a source of joy and frustration for the professor, and his obsession with Choi Hyun-wook’s writing may lead both men to ruin.
This is shaping up to be a dark, cerebral story, so watch if you’re in the mood for a thriller that will make you think about the ways art and life can blur. I am especially excited about this cast, as Choi Min-shik is one of my favorite actors and his appearances in dramaland are so infrequent that each project feels like an Event. I’m excited to see him and Choi Hyun-wook together, especially as he first came across my radar when I saw him play a bad boy teen in Taxi Driver. He was brilliant there, so I’ve been waiting to see him play the antagonist ever since.
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