Bill Lanier

I was fortunate to stumble upon My Mister early into my foray into Korean TV; I’ve sort of “chased the dragon” ever since and have not been disappointed. Had it not been for My Mister I might never have found Stranger, The Itewon Club, It’s OK, Crash Landing on You, among others, but My Mister remains my favorite series of all time after Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Shtisel, and the only Korean series I re-watch (other than Strager). It’s too long, too convoluted, with too many extraneous subplots, but the writing, acting, and directing are astonishing, so I am a fanboy.

I am re-watching the series, which pretty much sums up my appraisal. Right now it's the best thing on Netflix. I'm not Jewish, but I lived in Israel for nine years and seek out shows in Hebrew in order to retard the rate at which I am losing of the language. There is beauty everywhere, in the acting, the background music, the cinematography, the peek into a community next to which I lived, literally, for two years without ever meeting a member of it. Ushpizin (which is referenced in Shtisel) remains the most authentic portrayal of Haradi culture, Shtisel allows one to dwell there for hours more.