#2: Binary Oppositional themes

The binary themes that interested me the most when it comes to consuming media texts:

The binary theme between good & bad is one that has always intrigued me...
And one of my favourite TV series that featured this was Nobody Knows (2020).

 The hero here of the series is Cha Young Jin; who lost her friend because of a serial killer, later revealed as Beak Sang Ho.

A context-insight on their complicated relationship:))

   
    The series starts with the murder of Young Jin's friend, Choi Soo Young. On that fated night, however, tired of hearing nonsense from her friend, young Young Jin unknowingly, has ignored her last life-saving call. After Choi Soo Young's death, self-blame (Young Jin believes things would change if she have listened to that call) and torment lead Young Jin to decide to become a detective to pursue the killer.

    And Detective Young Jin has a special little friend, Eun Ho. Eun Ho lives next door to her and was neglected by his mother at an early age. Young Jin took care of him. I think the earlier event - the death of her friend explained part of the reason why she chose to help Eun Ho. She was afraid of the consequence could be if she ignores things this time. With her help, Eun Ho grew up to be a kind teenager.

    Interestingly, Sang Ho, the villain, was also abandoned in a locked room by his mom when he was small. However, unlike Eun Ho, he was rescued by the psychopathic murderer who abused him and taught him to kill. In the end, Sang Ho becomes the same person as his rescuer, a murderer.    

    The plot of the series follows the same path as many media products that featured this theme of good and bad: there often are background stories to justify their behaviours, it emphasizes how their choices and circumstances affect who they become - and that's why I often find them intriguing. Differences in circumstances, choices, and events in the lives of two characters lead to two extremes between good and bad.

    The series did intentionally highlight the different fates of Sang Ho and Eun Ho though they both are abandoned children by their parents. There is a scene when Sang Ho imagined that the person who rescue him that day and take care of him was Young Jin just like what she did for Eun Ho, and thought "Would his fate be different?". Maybe he still makes the wrong choice but undeniably circumstances did exploit the evil inside him.

The binary themes that I want to explore in the final video project and the reason behind it

I personally want to explore the binary theme of rich- poor. 
    I once watched a Chinese TV series called "The Bond".

    The series featured the story of 5 siblings of the Qiao family struggling to live after the death of their mother, leaving them with a selfish father. My favourite character in the series is Qiao Yi Cheng - the oldest brother of the Qiao family. 
    The Qiao father, Qiao Zu Wang, when his wife died giving birth, was still playing mahjong until he was dragged away by his sister-in-law. Needless to say, with such a father, Qiao Yi Cheng has to shoulder the responsibility of raising four other sisters and brothers. He took the role of being a parent - went to the parent-teacher conference for his brother and even begged the principal to let his sister retake the exam when she failed her secondary entrance test. 
    Such growing up circumstances make Qiao Yi Cheng a character with a very complex personality. This is most evident in his relationship with his cousin. Indeed, he was never kind to him, Qi Wei Min, who was blessed with a good father, and a happy childhood. Being forced to grow up and take care of the whole family is cruel, especially for a child. Qiao Yi Cheng hates his difficult life, but deeper than anything is his love for his brothers and sisters. However, each time he was exhausted from the burdens he had to carry, he hated Qi Wei Min more and more.
    Through the character Qiao Yi Cheng, I deeply feel the impact of life circumstances on each person. A lot of people like Qiao Yi Cheng, even after being lifted out of poverty, it will still affect them somehow, as their behaviours, characteristics and way of thinking have been formed since the beginning. Like Qiao Yi Cheng, it's not his hate but his inferiority feeling toward his cousin that lingers deep within him. And I found this to be an interesting topic, that rich or poor, our social status would actually have an influence that define who we are, and the person we become - though none of that was our choice.