Little Women: Little Women (2022)

September 28, 2022 2:49 PM - Season 1 (Full Season)

This is a loose retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, set in modern day South Korea and wrapped in a murder-mystery-thriller. 12 episodes; episodes drop Saturday and Sunday on Netflix; Sep 3 through Oct 9, 2022. Director: Kim Hee Won (Vincenzo); Screenwriter: Jung Seo Kyung (Handmaiden, Mother).

IMDB

MyDramaList show page

DramaBeans show page

RadioTimes 9/16/22 Discussion - Netflix's Little Women isn't just another adaptation: “. . . Little Women transports the basic tenets of Alcott’s novel into a cynical, money-driven Korea. All the better to fit the typical themes found in Korean thrillers: the division between rich and poor, and the corruption of government and business (which are never as separate as they should be). It may feel like a betrayal of Alcott’s intentions, but it’s the show’s greatest strength. One that Alcott may well have approved of. . . This is a show about justifiably bitter women who, no matter how hard they work, cannot break the cycle of poverty they’ve been forced into. It’s a theme fans of Parasite will recognise, and a staple of Korean thrillers. It’s in this that the show improves upon previous iterations: it’s relatable. Not intended as a glimpse into sacrificial poverty but as a window into our own lives amid an ongoing economic catastrophe not of our own making.”

The Daily Beast 9/14/22 - Netflix’s Take on ‘Little Women’ Is Beyond Anything Alcott Could Have Dreamed of: “In this series, money rules lives and determines fates. . . The series’ pointed commentary on class calls back to the economic struggles of the March family and their relationships to richer households. But it takes the March family’s poverty to another level, pushing the sisters into desperation.”

NME 9/24/22 - ‘Little Women’ review: a gripping tale of family, struggle, and personal growth: “Against the backdrop of contemporary capitalist society, the Oh sisters are not only clawing against their insignificant place in society but also trying to protect what is currently a veneer of a filial bond. Each wants to protect her family from the darkness of the world, not knowing that their actions extend an open invitation to it.”

posted by kbar1 (8 comments total)

The trailer on Netflix didn’t appear to have anything in common with the novel, but I knew the show was written and directed by women and that three of the main leads are women, so I wanted to give it a chance. There are still four episodes remaining, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t crash & burn, but so far, this is at or really close to the top of my list for favorite shows (not just favorite kdramas). The written and visual storytelling is impressive: camera angles, color palette, lighting, pacing, plus the motifs, themes, and acting all seem (to me) to be more akin to a movie than to a TV show. I think the reference to Parasite in the RadioTimes discussion linked above is fair regarding both the themes and the quality of this production. Fans of the book might be offended by the liberties taken in this adaptation, but if they’re like me they’ll enjoy spotting the easter egg like similarities between the show and the novel. I was going to hold off on posting until all episodes aired, but after the episode 8 cliffhanger, I just couldn’t hold back.
posted by kbar1 at 3:02 PM on September 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

I'm glad you posted the thread - I haven't been keeping up with the weekly drops and am only through episode 6 now, and may still be behind on finale night. It's not that I don't like it, but, I don't feel fully engaged by it. Maybe just a timing issue; I keep starting episodes and getting too sleepy to make it all the way through and having to quit and start again another night. It's a good cast and good cinematography, not sure why I'm not fully hooked.
posted by oh yeah! at 4:41 PM on September 28, 2022

Well, Wi Ha-joon's in it, guess I'm gonna have to watch this one.
posted by rednikki at 7:07 PM on September 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

Wi Ha Joon is so perfectly cast in this – he's protective & dangerous, playful & threatening all at the same time. He’s a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma snack.
posted by kbar1 at 2:56 PM on September 29, 2022 [1 favorite]

The last episode of Little Women aired over the weekend. For me, this show was close to perfection and I hope it will be watched by a wide audience; not just those of us who are fans of kdramas. In addition to being a beautiful work of art, it’s written and directed by women and most of the lead characters, good and bad, are women.

Here’s a link to the final recap of Little Women on Dramabeans – I thought it was especially well written and insightful.
posted by kbar1 at 12:55 AM on October 11, 2022 [1 favorite]

I did warm up to the show somewhere in the midpoint. The plot twists were so twisty!
posted by oh yeah! at 3:50 AM on October 11, 2022

This is one of those shows that should come with a warning before the last three episodes. Like for real, do NOT start ep. 8 after 10 pm. You will be up far past your bedtime and exhausted because you cannot stop until the whole thing is done at this point.
posted by teleri025 at 12:54 PM on October 27, 2022 [1 favorite]

Just now getting into this show, and I love how it takes inspiration from Alcott's most famous work, while also drawing inspiration from the works that Alcott actually loved to write. She was a master of the scandalous potboiler. She made a living for years on the sort of work she later had Professor Behr denigrate. It feels to me like this fusion of personal history and thrill ride is what Alcott would have written if she'd had the freedom to at the time.
posted by rikschell at 6:24 AM on January 23, 2023 [1 favorite]