Whether you love to hate it, hate to love it, or just plain love it, there’s always that one “drama thing” that you’ll always defend. Call it a trope, an archetype, a plot device, or by any other name — it doesn’t matter — we know them well. The drunken piggyback. The broken shoe. The way characters will stand on opposite sides of a highway and just gaze at each other. And no matter what that drama thing is — no matter how serious or silly — you’ll defend it to the grave.
At present, mine is the “sudden shards of broken glass” plot moment. It’s a device that’s old as dirt, but I love it every time. It’s mostly a way for a tsundere or uptight hero to show his protectiveness towards the woman who’s just dropped something and is in a Very Dangerous Position. And, of course, it’s also used as a romantic turning point, as we’ve so recently seen in King the Land (which took the shards of glass trope up to level 11).
One of my favorite shards of glass moments, though — and perhaps one of the earliest — was in I’m Sorry, I Love You. Despite hating her outwardly, So Ji-sub can’t help but protect his estranged mother when she’s surrounded by shards of a broken dish. This was a fabulously classic melo that used the scene well, but I also love that this trope is about a display of care and protectiveness that doesn’t have to be about romance exclusively.
Is the shards of glass moment a little bit forced? Ridiculous? Reliant upon woman who can’t seem to hold onto their drinking glasses? Yes. But also, it’s totally fun in that it takes a mundane real-life occurrence and injects its drama magic in there. And that is what it’s all about, Beanies.
What’s that one drama thing you’ll always defend?