MovieChat Forums > Black Summer (2019) Discussion > Ruined for me because of the no speak En...

Ruined for me because of the no speak English Korean character.

posted 4 years ago by voltaire2121 (357)
28 replies | jump to latest

Disclaimer here, I'm Asian.

So I settled down to give this zombie show a chance, having stopped watching The Walking Dead years ago. Episode one went okay enough... then.. they introduced the no speak English female Korean character. This annoyed the F outta me. Why the F doesn't she speak English like everyone else? This is an English speaking show, right? So why the F doesn't she speak English like everyone else? They never do this to black characters. The entire show ruined for me.

It's a weird and nasty trend. They did it for LOST, the Jin character over ten years ago. They excused it by saying "oh wouldn't it be wonderful if he (and his English) could progress and develop as the show goes on". It was annoying as F then, and it is annoying as F now. Then there are the mute Asian characters in "Guardian of the Galaxy" and "Suicide Squad". It's racist and nasty. To the Producers and Writers: F you, F you, you racist f'kers.

[–] TrentnQuarantino (8934) 3 years ago

What a refreshing change ... a self-hating Asian.
I doubt you are Asian anyway, just a bad joke.

[–] thenewnexus (1906) 3 years ago

I m kinda shocked the media hasn't talked about the sun character. I ll be honest Sun is a really forgettable character, well actually compared to Z nation they all are but Sun adds nothing imo.

Henry Goulding is playing snake eyes, a character that doesn't speak

[–] BensGirl (590) 3 years ago

You are the problem. Being offended. Cry us a river, Justin Timberlake..

[–] emo_ville2002 (382) 3 years ago

That's why they use Korean. Because a Japanese person would figure things out, and a Chinese person would know English better. (Not necessarily, but statistically; I know this from life experience.) And people of other nationalities from Asia basically don't exist -- I'm being sarcastic; I mean in the American TV world.

But I wonder why the OP says they're "Asian". What does that mean? They're talking about a Korean character, so if they were Korean then they probably would say it, right? So, they're not Korean. And they talk like they are maybe American or Canadian, etc. So... they have some heritage of people from somewhere in Asia that isn't Korean. How is that relevant? I'm an American dude whose dad is Chinese so it matters what I say about a Korean character? Please explain this.

[–] diagoro (487) 3 years ago

How would a Korean person not be able to figure out the language????? Really odd to say that.

[–] emo_ville2002 (382) 3 years ago

"Not necessarily, but statistically"

Patterns of history suggest that compared to (for example) Chinese and Japanese (foreign nationals) in encountered in the US, Koreans encountered are less likely to have facility with English. Chinese in media are often Hong Kongers or others with occasion to have had more English exposure, and Japanese have more emphasis on learning English in their educational experience and/or navigate tech to translate. Whatever the actual percentages, I think my impression accords with the perception of viewers so as to make a Korean a slightly better candidate than a Japanese and a significantly better candidate than a Chinese. It's subjective, but hey.

[–] diagoro (487) 3 years ago

Well, those in Hong Kong know English because it used to be an English territory, and agree about the Japanese. But with all the Koreans I've known (Southern California, so lots), it's very similar to how other nationalities are here. The first generation struggles or doesn't learn English, and sticks with others of the same background. It's always the second gen and later.

[–] emo_ville2002 (382) 3 years ago

Yup, that's what I'm talking about. And Chinese having a longer history in the US. And Chinese being prominent business people settled all over the world (in far greater numbers than others) and developing English skills to interact with local populations.
And so, I said that out of those three, Koreans would be the least likely. And I'm talking about foreigners, not K-Town LA Koreans, lol. Encounter a Chinese, a Japanese, and a Korean in the world. On average, the Korean is the least likely to have facility with English -- or so the relevant impression is. Thus adding a touch more believability.
Now, we could jump down the "list" to other 'Asian" nationalities, but then we start to lose familiarity/recognizability when we have, say, a Laotian.
Similarly, the show _Lost_ (if you know that one) used the plot device of a Korean couple that could not communicate in English with the other survivors.

I'm not trying to make grand factual claims about the world beyond what I intuit "works" for American TV purposes :)

[–] diagoro (487) 3 years ago

"Similarly, the show _Lost_ (if you know that one) used the plot device of a Korean couple that could not communicate in English with the other survivors."

Ummmmm, they were Korean, not living here if I recall. And they both learned English as time went on.......

[–] McQualude (4231) 3 years ago

It worked with Jin because even if you didn't understand Korean, you understood what he meant. The Korean girl on Black Summer has a lot of dialog and often it's just babbling.

[–] whatwazdat (380) 3 years ago

Even Asian people who are fresh off the boat, within 6 months, they can reply, "a little," when asked if they speak English. Lol! This Korean character must be part of another plot we don't know about. The twist will be revealed that she walked through a worm-hole and ended up in Zombie infested America. LOL! This is the only way it's not racist. LOL!

[–] McQualude (4231) 3 years ago

I bet the plane is taking survivors to be slaves or test subjects at Zona.

[–] diagoro (487) 3 years ago

Hahah, one of the funniest and saddest posts I've seen here.

I've had many friends here in the US (California) who's parents never learned the language, from a variety of races. It's not all the uncommon for the first generation to either never learn English, or just enough to get by. It's the second generation that do, and assimilate.

I thought it was a cool idea in a zombie universe, that brings up lots of issues and situations we don't normally see. Racist? Not at all.....

[–] LennyNero (474) 3 years ago

Doesn’t ruin it for me at all. Actually, I think it adds a touch of believable detail that, given the circumstances, I might be stuck with someone in a chaotic crisis that I might not vocally understand. Kinda like the deaf guy in season one.

These things exist in the real world, and I think it was a nice touch that the show included them.

[–] Cranmer (139) a year ago

As a dramatic device it can work well, such as in the war film 'Hell in the Pacific'.
The problem with Sun is that she often seems to be able to understand and communicate quite well without actually speaking English! Anyone who has been in a situation, even a calm one, where nobody speaks their language will know this isn't how it works. You can perhaps understand basic stuff, but complicated concepts like 'we go out the back and you tap on the window as a decoy when I give my signal' is highly unlikely to be understood!