K-Drama ‘Hope Or Dope’ Is About Hope More Than It’s About Drugs

Despite the “Just Say No” title, Hope or Dope is not focused on the evils of any particular drug, except to underline the fact that pushing illegal drugs can have dangerous consequences. Given South Korea’s strict drug laws, the web drama actually does little overt moralizing. Instead it presents teen characters who are desperate for cash and look for it outside of a system that renders them powerless to change their fate. The dope they discover is the only thing that gives them hope.

Hope or Dope, also known as Juvenile Delinquency, follows Da-jung, a teen played by Won Ji-an. Da-jung has an after-school job serving as a drug mule for her ruthless mother. When a drug delivery Da-jung makes is involved in a crime, she flees Seoul and heads for the countryside where she knows no one.

There she gets involved with a local teen, Yoon-tak, played by Yoon Chan-young. He’s tending a garden that, unbeknownst to him, contains marijuana plants, foliage that Da-jung immediately recognizes. Yoon-tak is a straight arrow kind of kid. He does well in school and watches out for his younger brothers, yet he is drawn to the mysterious Da-jung. As are a few other students in the school, who feel hopeless to change their fate without an influx of cash. They scheme to care for and sell the marijuana and use the money to affect change.

Although the illegal commodity they choose is weed, it could easily be a caper story involving a robbery or a swindle. The weed seems less important than the fact they are ready to ruin their lives for a chance to escape what confines them.

The characters are relatable and likable enough for viewers to hope they realize their goals without ruining their lives. If only someone would help them, they would not have to resort to illegal means, but who can they turn to that will honestly understand how desperate they are. The adults in their lives have their own priorities

The drama offers some noteworthy performances by actors Yoon Hyun-soo, Yang Seo-hyun and Han Se-jin. Yoon Ji-min does a wonderful turn as a caricature of a terrifying drug-pushing mom, the kind of k-drama character you love to hate.

The series is based on a Seezn original web series also titled Hope or Dope. Won Ji-an was last seen in the series D.P. and Yoon Chan-young was seen in the zombie series All of Us Are Dead.