“Teach You a Lesson” S01 is a provocative and bold drama, which looks at the decaying authority in the contemporary education system. The story follows the creation of a government organization that has the authority to punish and rehabilitate schools and students physically and mentally, called the Teachers’ Rights Protection Bureau (ERPB). The theme reflects the pressing need of society to restore order in the wake of the growing violence on campuses and the diminishing of teachers’ authority. The novel vividly portrays a society which has muddied the distinction between right and wrong, where characters are called upon to make very difficult moral choices, and to uphold justice and peace.
The protagonist of the series is Na Hwa-jin, a hardworking and principled inspector dubbed the “Grim Reaper” for his steadfast determination and tactical acumen. His character represents struggle to maintain discipline in a more chaotic environment. As well as his quirky associates and renegade investigators Im Han-rim and tech wizard Bong Geun-dae, Hwa-jin uses his power to bust school gangs and root out corruption, sometimes on a morally shaky ground. The scenes are shot in a gritty style which suggests urgency and chaos, and the music is not so much violent as tense, setting the tone for power and resistance between the government’s sterile authority and the rebellious students.
Above all, a harsh examination of the fragility of authority and the moral ambiguity of restoring order was what struck a chord in the series. It made me think of how society is organized and the need for justice even if some of the things that are done to achieve justice are not comfortable. Melodramatic at times, the series does stimulate some thought on the need to be disciplined and what part empathy plays in that, but it leaves the viewer with a sense of the constant battle to keep society running in the face of chaos and rebellion.
