MV Monday today takes a look not at an original mv, but at a remake. Following the success of first generation idol shows Handsome Boys of the 21st Century and Where Is My Super Hero? SM have teamed up with MNet to produce the show EXO 90:2014. Where as the former two shows are maybe more aimed at an audience who remember the first generation idols that feature the later uses a current top idol group to draw current Kpop fans into a show that highlights the origins of the genre they appreciate.
The first episode saw label senior Kangta guest, with EXO creating a remake of H.O.T. track Hope. The second episode featured g.o.d’s Son Ho Young, Kim Tae Woo and Park Joon Hyung. Unlike EXO’s remake of Hope which included a vocal track and mv, leader Suho’s remake of g.o.d’s Dear Mother is a little different.
Whether you are an EXO fan disappointed that Suho didn’t record the track for the remake, or a g.o.d fan heaving a sigh of relief to hear the original track – the remake mv shouldn’t disappoint either as it holds true to the original spirit of Dear Mother, and shows off Suho’s acting.
Suho’s mv displays him as an ignorant and juvenile teenager, unaware of the effect his actions have on his mother. Suho acts out, rebels, fights, graffitis – but ultimately when he reflects on his actions he shows remorse, making amends with his mother.
This is a far more positive visual ending than the original, though maybe more befitting of the current climate in Korea, g.o.d’s story, even in lyrics, focussing on the economic struggle at the time, the mother unable to care for herself as she struggled to care for her son.
Throughout the remake are nods to both the original mv and g.o.d. Using items such as chalk and graffiti a tally is made throughout the mv, eventually reaching fifteen, this year being g.o.d’s 15th anniversary.
The mv begins with shots of an older gentleman, though not showing his face, and a wooden box, the title of the song carved into it. Throughout the mv items are collected within the box, the abandoned shoes making a big impact with fans of the original, noting that the final time you see the mother she is barefoot.
The final shot is of the same older man, whether you want to see him as an older version of Suho, or Jang Hyuk the original mv actor, both would fit, but the idea of Jang Hyuk seems a little more appropriate. The final item he finds and adds to the box is a harmonica, seemingly unrelated to the story in Suho’s remake, but central to g.o.d’s. The boy in the original is given a harmonica by his mother, a gift he treasures, and when he lets go of his mother he too lets go of the harmonica.
In the final cut of the mv we see the older gentleman close up, a single tear falls from his eye, and he mouths one of the first phrases we hear in the track ‘I miss you‘.
You can watch g.o.d’s original Dear Mother mv here:
Suho is said to be taking on g.o.d’s Lie for the next episode, he certainly has the hair for it.
