Bullet Point Review: The Package
Published in
4 min readJan 4, 2021
- The Package had low ratings when it aired, but it really is the perfect show to watch during the lockdown. Following a group of tourists on a package tour through France, the drama takes us from Seoul to Paris to Le Mont Saint Michel to Honfleur to Deauville, shepherded by our protagonist, a cheerful tour guide by the name of Yoon So So (the lovely Lee Yeon Hee anchoring the drama). Not only does the show boasts of gorgeous locations, but it also includes (or rather doesn’t subtract) So So’s explanations of the history, myths, beliefs, behind each tourist point, making us feel as though we too were sightseeing along with our characters.
But of course, just beautiful locales aren’t going to cut it. This is after all a drama, not a travel show, and thankfully The Package is supplemented by a fairly interesting plotline and an intriguing set of characters.
- Vacations, primarily set in a foreign location, act as a catalyst for change — breakups, making up, confrontations; it’s where the isolation from one’s home, language, and culture, forces the spotlight on the problems one might have been avoiding till now. This works to a greater effect in a package tour, where travelling with a group of strangers pushes you to spend more time with your travel companion, thereby accelerating the process of opening up to one another. This is important because unlike most dramas that usually thrive on some secret to be discovered, some mystery to be solved, The Package revolves around very normal people, with very normal problems, who just need to talk things out. This is where the voice-overs, flashbacks work well as the characters are exposing their inner thoughts, vulnerabilities to us and even, in the end, none of the other group members are wiser about the others’ problems. But it teaches you to empathize with one and another without the need to know about the reason for their suffering, except for the fact that they are also hurting. We see this in how the characters slowly open up to each other, (but well into the second half of the runtime), again not by exchanging personal details but in the simple acts of taking photos of each other or drinking coffee together. These moments never feel contrived but organic, as characters are never pushed into interacting with each other. This ties in with another motif of our (you, me, and the characters) perceptions of strangers. If a guy is chasing after a girl, we assume it to be toxic ex. If a girl is posing in a swimsuit with a guy, we assume them to be lovers. A man travelling with a younger girl is assumed to be having an affair. Just upon seeing people, we seem to assume the worst (I am guilty of it too) but instead of presenting the truth as a twist, the writers just seem to say, there is always more than what meets the eye.
- The foreign setting is also used to highlight the cultural differences — though we don’t see much of it, as much as we hear about it. This aspect was quite personal for me, as I had lived and worked in Budapest (and traveled through Central & Western Europe) just until a year ago, and some of the cultural differences they mentioned were also what I found difficult to get used to as well. But one particular moment that brought out this difference in a bare manner was the scene following So So and San Ma Ru’s (CNBlue’s Jung Yong Hwa) kiss on the island of Tombelaine, whereupon learning that Ma Ru is not carrying a condom, So So looks for one in her bag. For one, I loved that this drama broaches on the possibility of sex after a make-out session, on screen, and two, it was refreshing to see two consenting adults discuss sex and sexual freedom in an open and truthful way. It again presents Ma Ru’s (and by extension our) preconceived notion of seeing a girl as ‘easy’, if she is carrying a condom with her.
- The Package isn’t made to be binged watched. I think I would have enjoyed the show better if I watched it as if it was on-air, one or two episodes a week. The show is meant to be indulged in as if you are really on a vacation in France. So, take your time with it, and enjoy the trip!
