Forest of Time 1
Jun-Woong joins Ryeon’s team in Episode 3 of Tomorrow. First up is a crazy elevator ride, all the way to the Risk Management Team office. It’s a complete mess, although it used to belong to the Special Crimes Unit. They were responsible for escorting souls to Hell. It used to be led by Ryeon too, which explains why she’s so comfortable here – and how she’s come across to work with the Death Angels. ..
Jun-Woong is going to be a part of the team and he needs to follow a code of conduct. He’s going to be given a new name (imaginatively titled Wun-Joong) and he’s told not to use his powers in the wake of humans or intervene in human affairs. Except to stop suicides I guess?
Jun-Woong is put in a tough position when he learns his next case is linked to someone called Jae-Soo. This happens to be his best friend, whose levels have spiked dangerously high. Jun-Woong must find out what’s going on and how to stop it before it gets too dangerous for either of them.
The friendship between Jae-Soo and Jun-Woong started by accident. Jae-Soo was bullied and Jun-Woong tried not to get involved. Eventually though this led to the pair becoming good friends, looking out for one another.
Jun-Woong, who had been living as a new person under the name of Ryung, came bursting into a police station claiming to be Jun-Woong. When he tried to get help for Jae-Soo, it was Ryung who saved his skin. He apologized to the officers and spoke sternly to the new Reaper. ..
Jae-Soo has been missing for a while now, and the police are starting to worry. They need to find him before he can do any more damage. Dressing as cult members doesn’t work, so Jun-Woong messages and encourages his friend to head outside. He does just that, suddenly charging through the streets.
Jae-Soo is eventually found at the hospital after receiving a message from the Reaper. He believes that the message was actually sent from Jun-Woong, but of course it’s actually the Reaper’s version and not this comatose body. ..
Jun-Woong, who was only a few feet away from the patient at the time, collapsed and went into cardiac arrest after trying to help. ..
Ryeon and the team show up to explain that if Jun-Woong gets too close to his actual body, it could actually cause him to die. All of this is in the contract he didn’t read, as Ryung-Gu explains that he reads everything properly – and Jun-Woong should have done the same thing. ..
Jae-Soo’s depression is not helped by him deciding to get drunk, given alcohol is a depressant. As he sits outside, Jae-Soo reflects back on how hard he worked and the sacrifices he made to try and make it into the academy. Unfortunately all of this counts for nothing as he fails the exam three times.
Jun-Woong is desperate to help his friend, but in order to do so, he believes they need chicken to rekindle those old feelings of joy and empathy. Speaking to the King of Heaven, Ryeon tentatively broaches the subject of heading back in time, which is something these Angels can do. Anyway, they’re only going back to pick up chicken so because of this, the King agrees to let them go. ..
Jae-Soo and his friends decide to time travel in order to follow Jae-Soo’s father. They are unsure of what will happen next, but they are determined to find out.
Jae-Soo’s family is struggling to pay for his wife’s hospital bills and Jae-Soo’s tuition fees are taking a battering too. Eventually, they have their things taken away, as Jae-Soo watches in horror as his life spirals out of control. It seems this was the start of his depressive downturn. ..
Ryeon is reluctant about staying in this timeline, incase they change anything, and decides to head back to the present. Before they leave though, she allows Jun-Woong to say goodbye to Jae-Soo. He listens as Jae-Soo’s father decides to drop him off at the hospital, promising to bring him fried chicken. Hearing this, the pair follow on from behind.
Just before he hit the oncoming truck though, Ryeon and Jun-Woong suddenly charge in front of them and manage to stop the car. Jae-Soo’s father swerves but we don’t see if he actually hits the truck or not.
The Episode Review
Tomorrow is a show that suffers from tonal whiplash. This occurs when the tone of the show changes abruptly, often without warning. This can be a problem because it makes it difficult to follow the story and makes it difficult to appreciate the jokes. Additionally, this change in tone often leads to comedy moments that are not well-timed, as they come out of nowhere and diminish the impact of what was previously happening on screen. ..
Taxi Driver was a great comedy because it played on the emotions of its characters and leaned into the absurdist angle. It also knew when to tone it right back and not put a slapstick comedy moment in. Tomorrow doesn’t do that and instead decides to try and spring slapstick comedy alongside very real issues surrounding suicide and death. The result is something that works as well as yoghurt mixed with kimchi.
The Reapers are a great addition to the show and their dynamic between Jun-Woong and the rest of the characters is fantastic. This is easily one of the best parts of the show and I hope that it will continue through the series.
Either way, it’s too early to tell where this one is likely to go next. However, it appears that we’re into the realm of time travel and changing the past. How will this story be resolved? We’ll have to wait and see. ..
