Misty: An engaging drama, detective story

A male detective gets out of a car and his feet bring him to the crime scene. There lies the car that hit a metal post (located in a steep road, says an officer, and the weather is snowy). Near the area is a tunnel, with a passing train above. Peering through the damaged driver’s window, he has seen a possible lead to the crime, someone else’s brooch.

Meanwhile, a woman goes to a police station for questioning. The conversations behind the two-way mirror and inside the interrogation room reveal that she is a TV newscast personality, known for upholding the truth. This is contested since the detective finds her connection to the sole casualty (the male professional golfer) of the vehicular accident.

Misty, aired weeknights on GMA Heart of Asia after Meant To Be and available on Netflix (with 16 episodes to follow), has established well the suspect, the suspicion and the conflict at the onset. Thus, viewers get hooked with its narrative and are compelled to make Misty part of their nightly entertainment.

The GMA Heart of Asia TV series revolves around the marital life of award-winning TV anchor Arianne (played by Kim Nam-joo) and lawyer Tommy Kang (Ji Jin-Hee, a Korean actor, whom Pinoys are familiar with, seen in such works as Jewel in the Palace, I Have A Lover and Designated Survivor: 60 Days, also on Netflix).

She is the best in her league with a five-consecutive win as Reporter of the Year at the Korea Broadcasting Award and has no intention of slowing down. When individuals want to be on top, some aspects of their life suffer. In the case of Arianne, fulfilling her obligations as a wife like raising a family leaves much to be desired.

Her character is a study about what propels one to dream big. A reason could be improving one’s social standing. Arianne has worked her way up, from a simple, aggressive newspaper reporter to an established, glam TV anchor. She has a former prosecutor husband, who comes from a well-to-do family. Arianne, as implied, isn’t keen on being involved with an Average Joe like Kevin Lee, now a moneyed sports personality. She has tied the knot for convenience.

Arianne, husband Tommy and former lovers like Kevin offer viewers insights about love like having one great love in life, loving someone means making compromises or giving up one’s freedom. Because of passion, lovers could do the unexpected and even surprise themselves.
Given the daily grind of Arianne, viewers get a glimpse into the world of news gathering and news reporting.

Putting aside the female competition between Arianne and her junior newscaster-reporter, the narrative also touches on gender-equality and stereotypes in the workplace. Viewers may have question Arianne’s intentions as a wife, but her professional dedication to telling the truth is admirable. She has shown her potential in becoming a mentor and her ability in delivering the goods (securing the Kevin exclusive interview). That’s why she, for a while, has remained irreplaceable and eventually become more relevant. It is up to her whether to continue the documentary program being offered to her or to pursue a talk show.

Misty also shows the societal roles (such as being a watchdog) mass media play and the ways they deal with the powerful few. When Arianne’s connection to the crime has been made clear, the drama is heightened. The News Nine anchor makes a good copy and the element of news is prominence. Her truthfulness will hopefully help her survive all this.

The detective character may be compared to Javert of Les Miserables. He unceasingly intends to locate the real culprit and render a justifiable end to the crime. The relationship of Arianne and Tommy is somehow similar to that of The Way We Were lovers (Hubbell and Katie), whose marital bliss is destined for a short time due to personal differences and circumstances.

Viewers will enjoy Misty for its being an easy-to-navigate tear-jerker or detective story, even if it is laced with flashbacks. They are also given the liberty to deduce what is next. Since it is framed within the drama genre, they get teary-eyed or misty but need to refrain themselves from it. So, the drama may not blur their vision in understanding the story and the characters.