TV 드라마의 성 담론 변화 연구 ─혼외관계 소재 드라마 『공항 가는 길』의 서사전략을 중심으로

Abstract

This research deals with the theme of ‘extramarital relationships,’and it will examine the changes in Korean society’s perception of ‘sexuality’through the TV series On the Way to the Airport. On the Way to the Airport is about a love based on comfort and empathy that develops between Sooah Choi (played by Haneul Kim), a mother of a 12year old girl and an experienced stewardess of 12 years, and Dowoo Seo, a professor of architecture who sincerely cares for his stepdaughter Annie. Both Sooah’s and Do～woo’s families are bereft of familiarity, and they both have partners who lack the ability to see other peoples’perspectives. So they find sentimental communion in each other, which makes up for the emotional deficiencies in their marriages , It is noteworthy, however, that their relationship remains platonic. In other words, their relationship could be described as an ‘emotional affair.’Interestingly, Sooah and Dowoo, who try fiercely to preserve their own families, become attracted to each other through paternal and maternal affection, which is the very thing their partners lack. The ending of On the Way to the Airport where Sooah escapes the patriarchal family structure and finds her own independent life aims to express a post～modern value; however, the TV series simultaneously reflects its modern paradigm by pining for a stable familial structure in its portrayal of the familiarity and empathy between Sooah and Dowoo, and also by portraying Hyewon and Jinseok, who reject the archetypes of maternal and paternal affection, in a negative manner. This enlightens the ethical values of the show’s viewers, while making room for viewers to accept Sooah and Dowoo using those enlightened ethical values. The sentiment between Dowoo and Sooah, whose mutual attraction results in an extramarital relationship, is founded on familial love rather than sexual lust, which prevents their relationship from being condemned either as extreme good or extreme evil. This moral ambivalence is a key factor in On the Way to the Airport’s popularity with its viewers. Furthermore, On the Way to the Airport uses the beautiful natural environment to construct metaphors for the relationships between the characters and increase viewer empathy. This technique creates a ‘Sense of Place’ the landscapes that metaphorically represent individual characters form the necessary conditions for the love to cometrue. This evokes a sentimental response in viewers, affirming the relationship of Sooah and Dowoo in the TV series.