My OTP Watch Dictionary: 2nd Lead Syndrome
Lol I should have explained this in my previous post...
What’s upppppp~~ Happy Thursday! I started this draft on a chilly cosy Friday in a café and here we are, on yet another chilly cosy day. I reckon it’s gonna be sweater weather for whatever’s left of the year, eh?
I did want to do a post on Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol but seeing as the last episode airs tonight (at 10pm on Netflix!), I figured I’d watch it before writing about it. FWIW, the 2nd last episode was…odd. But imma rant about that next time.
After last week’s post, a couple of you texted me to ask me what 2nd lead syndrome is! I’m sorry I didn’t give you enough context so here’s a primer on the oh-so-painful 2nd lead syndrome.
The usual kdrama setup
Typically, kdramas have one major OTP and writer engineer events such that the pair gravitate towards each other. At some point, they fall in love and dream of a wonderful life together. Sometimes, writers snatch this happy ending away from us but that doesn’t make the OTP any less OTP. Often, 2nd leads would play the role of romantic rivals. This was the case right up to maybe the early 2010s?
(These days, 2nd leads aren’t always assumed to be romantic rivals. Sometimes, they run off together and form a secondary OTP by themselves. Which is great cos hey, 2 OTPs for the price of 1? Count me in.)
2nd lead syndrome is…
Anywho, the audience IS usually primed to root for the main OTP. Romantic rivals are deemed necessary but ultimately undeserving of the hearts of the main OTP. Audiences develop 2nd lead syndrome when they feel that the 2nd lead far outshines the main lead. They buy tickets aboard the wrong OTP ship, fully aware that this ship will sink but they make a choice, you see. They make a choice to stay on the ship, regardless of how lovely the main OTP ship looks as it sails away into the sunset, for the 2nd lead is all alone and the only ones left for (usually) him are the fans.
Boys Over Flowers - Rich brat or Mr Nice Guy?
One of the more famously cited instances of 2nd lead syndrome was in Boys Over Flowers, which took the world by storm in 2009. Based on a Japanese manga, Hana Yori Dango (1990s), which also inspired a Japanese film adaptation (1995) and a Taiwanese drama adaptation, Meteor Garden (2001), it was no secret that Geum Jan Di (Gu Hye Seon), a middle class schoolgirl, was going to end up with Gu Jun Pyo (Lee Min Ho) and not 2nd lead, Yoon Ji Ho (Kim Hyun Joong). Yet, many fans still contend that Jun Pyo was insufferable and that the amiable and reliable Ji Ho would have made a much more valuable life partner.
In all honesty, I didn’t care much for Ji Ho at the time. But 11 years on, the one thing that sticks out in my memory about Jun Pyo is that he asked a schoolmate to lick ice-cream off his shoe at some point and that’s the kind of privileged behaviour that would make me wanna throw a banana at my TV. Hmm. Yknow what this means? I need to rewatch this and reevaluate my stand on the OTP.
The one OTP I could never get behind
Ok, but the one time I came down with a severe case of 2nd lead syndrome was when I watched School 2015. It revolved around a high school girl, Lee Eun Bi (Kim So Hyun), who takes the place of her long-lost twin sister (also Lee Eun Bi) to uncover why the latter disappeared. The writers orchestrated her union with Han Yi An (incidentally also Nam Joo Hyuk from Start Up), the male lead. But he did close to nothing for her. To be fair, he couldn’t because he didn’t know her secret for the majority of the drama. But what about Gong Tae Kwang (Yook Sung Jae), the golden-haired boy who DID help her? The one who cheered her up when she was down, picked her up when she fell and supported her through the entire charade? Stuck in the Friendzone for life. Zzz. I watched the entire show wishing, hoping and praying that the drama gods would listen to my prayers but nope, my OTP ship sank and really, the drama poster foreshadowed the ending so why did I waste my time why why why?? This saltiness that drips from my words is characteristic of all 2nd lead syndromers. The salt will be there forever.
When a whole series is built on setting off shipping wars.
But hey, the fiercer the shipping wars between fans, the better it is for the show. Lee Woo Jung (writer) and Shin Won Ho (director) knew this and they milked more and more in all 3 iterations of their hit dramas: Reply 1997, Reply 1994 and Reply 1988. All 3 series are set in the past and the viewer basically has to guess which guy the girl eventually ends up with. In Reply 1997, the 2nd lead hardly caused a dent in the fandom so there wasn’t much to worry about, really.
But in Reply 1994? Dayum, I remember the screams to this day. The fans took to the streets (aka Soompi and Dramabeans comments section) to declare their undying love for either Trash Oppa (Jung Woo) or Chilbongie (Yoo Yoon Suk), both of whom clearly loved female lead Na Jung (Go Ara). Trash Oppar had been there for her from the start, some said. Ah yes, but Chilbong! Chilbong loves her with every fibre of his being and he treats her so respectfully, cried others.
Yet, it was still a tiny bit obvious who she was going to end up with. The best predictor of the final OTP (and the one I use to figure out whose side I’m on, School 2015 aside) is who the female lead is in love with. And once you found out who Na Jung was in love with, it was also pretty clear that she wasn’t going to her change her mind. So yes, the shipping war was intense but…the ending wasn’t much of a surprise.
Lee and Shin must have figured that out though. In the series that followed, Reply 1988, it was virtually impossible to tell who Deok Seon (Hyeri)’s was actually in love with. And! They didn’t even narrow it down to 2 male leads - there were 3-4 contenders?! Heck, there were probably 3rd lead syndromers out there too. I don’t even know which ship I was on, really. The ending was slightly frustrating. Deok Seon’s point of view was kept from us for so long that the revelation of her choice felt rather inorganic and contrived. I guess I was ultimately on her ship - it was one foggy journey, though.
Luckily, the series wasn’t as OTP-driven as 1997 and 1994 so, overall, it wasn’t bad at all. In fact, the show’s focus on the families which lived in the same alley, made it the warmest of all the Replys and consequently, the hardest one to say goodbye to. (1988 = fav Reply families; 1994 = fav Reply female lead; 1997 = fav Reply male lead - where IS Seo In Gook these days??) OTP-wise, however, I get how there’s always a balance between giving the viewers enough information while maintaining suspense. I just don’t think they managed to achieve it with this time and it was a real shame.
Aaand that’s a wrap for this week! If you’ve ever experienced 2nd lead syndrome, do reply to this email or drop me a message on Instagram (@myotpwatch). I’d love to know which OTP or non-OTP caused it. Have a good week, everyone~ Byeeeeeeeee! :)