Episode Guide
The first episode of the season was reviewed with a score of 4/5. The second episode was reviewed with a score of 3/5. The third episode was reviewed with a score of 3/5. The fourth episode was reviewed with a score of 3.5/5. The fifth episode was reviewed with a score of 2.5/5. Episode six received a review score of 4.5/5. Episode seven received a review score of 3/5. Episode eight received a review score of 3.5/5 and the ninth and tenth episodes were both rated at 4/5 by reviewers respectively. ..
However, on the other hand, it’s also been criticised for its lack of focus and for being too episodic. Some viewers have even accused the show of being a mess. So, what is Tomorrow going to be like? Tomorrow is an enigma. It’s both a sci-fi thriller with a lot of heart and an episodic mess that some viewers find frustrating. However, it has the potential to be something truly special if it can focus on its main themes and ideas. ..
At the same time, Tomorrow’s worldbuilding is flawed, its characters are awkwardly contrived together, and the central cast doesn’t really have all that much chemistry.
Tomorrow is about a guy who wakes up in a coma after being saved by the team of Grim reapers. He’s part of a team that specializes in saving suicidal people, and his spirit joins the team to help out. The show follows him on his journey to save different suicidal people.
The premise of the show is good, but as the episodes progress, Tomorrow throws up a number of different plot devices that have serious ramifications for the rest of the show. For one episode, Ryeon uses a key to go back in time and stop someone’s death in order to save a suicidal man in the present, but then never uses that again. This is akin to the Time Turner in Harry Potter being thrown in and then completely abandoned.
So, in the interest of making my time travel story more interesting and suspenseful, I’ve decided to add in a time machine that I can use to jump back and forth between different moments in my life. This way, if I screw up or something goes wrong, I can just go back and fix it.
The Reapers have a strict code of conduct that they break, constantly. One of their rules is to “not intervene in human affairs.” which is a contradiction unto itself given they’re stopping people from committing suicide. Ignoring that for a second though, one case is resolved by seeing Ryeon curse a boss by giving him stomach problems for the rest of his life every time he badmouths others. While amusing, it also breaks that aforementioned rule about human affairs. Wouldn’t it be ironic if it actually made him suicidal in the future? But just like the magic time travel device, it’s never mentioned again.
While some of the cases are resolved beautifully – especially one highlight involving a war vet – others feel disingenuous and at its worst, lack a fundamental understanding of different issues. One case sees a bulimic woman “cured” by eating cake with a slightly overweight woman, who claims that “eating isn’t bad, I love my body and you should too!” Look, suicide is an incredibly complex subject and fair play to the writers for trying but sometimes the show feels like it bludgeons its way into a magical solution. Oh and there’s also a suicidal dog that can talk to the Reapers, because of course there is. ..
These parts of the show are frustrating and it’s not helped that Tomorrow’s central cast don’t gel well together at all. There are some really poor attempts at injected comedy to lighten the mood, sometimes right in the middle of a tense or poignant moment. They also almost always fail to hit their mark. Not only that, but when the show finally does show the backstory for these characters, it almost feels like a different story altogether and arrives way too late in the game, with the final 3 or 4 chapters exploring this.
The show has potential but it’s hampered by a lack of focus, inconsistency and a general feeling of unfinished business. There are some great moments here and there but overall the writing is poor and the worldbuilding is weak.
Tomorrow is a bit of a mixed bag. Yes, there are some golden moments, but overall, as a collective whole, this one is disappointingly shallow and could have been so much more.
