With a 4/5 star rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an extremely loyal fanbase, it is evident that the Netflix Original Love Alarm is a wondrous show. Viewers are constantly raving about the show and asking for a second season. So what makes Love Alarm such an amazing and alluring tv show? The characters, storyline and editing are all factors. However, it is undeniable that suspense techniques are effectively used to create suspense and keep the audience hungry for more. This is shown through the multiple twists in the storyline, the use of foreshadowing, and the loved and flawed main character.
Since I will be focusing on episode 7, in particular, I'm going to quickly give an explanation on what Love Alarm is and a brief summary of the previous 6 episodes, just to give some context. So basically, Love Alarm is an app in which it can tell when you're in love with someone and when you come into a 10 metre radius of them, their app will beep and tell them that someone is in love with them. Obviously, this works both ways and someone can have more than one person in love with them. In the show, Love Alarm is huge and released when the main character, Kim Jojo, was in high school. Over the years, it has become even more popular, and a way of life. There are specific clubs, such as the Badge Club, for people who have a high number of people in love with them. The storyline of the show revolves around Kim Jojo, an orphan who lives in Seoul with her aunt and cousin, both of which aren't characterised as good people. Jojo falls in love with former model, Hwang Sun-oh. He falls in love with her as well, and so does his best friend, Lee Hye-yeong, but Hye-yeong gives up Jojo. Long story short, Jojo gets an unique shield that no one knows about that doesn't let her ring anyone else's Love Alarm, which can only be removed by the developer of the app, and lets her insecurities take over, causing her to break up with Sun-oh. This is from where episode 7 starts.
First of all, this episode did not develop the storyline in ways viewers would have expected. Two big surprises happened in this episode. One; Jojo and Sun-oh broke up and didn't get back together and two; Hye-yeong decided to start pursuing Jojo (Lee Na-jung 2019). Due to the fact that Hye-yeong is now a factor in Jojo's love life, viewers are no longer sure of who Jojo will end up with. What viewers expected to happen, no longer is. Jojo and Sun-oh are no longer together, and with the addition of Hye-yeong, they may never be together again. The 'plan' viewers had in mind about what was to come has completely gone off track. These two surprises have left viewers uncertain about the future and in suspense.
Next, the use of foreshadowing creates suspense in the episode. Upon watching the episode, viewers hear of the Love Alarm 2.0 Launch several times, with both Jojo and Sun-oh (Lee Na-jung 2019). With the amount of times this launch has been brought up, viewers realise that it has some sort of significance, that it is foreshadowing something to come. The fact that viewers do not know what it is foreshadowing creates suspense. Eventually, in the next and final episode, viewers will realise the significance of the Love Alarm 2.0 Launch and how it affects the plot.
Finally, suspense is effectively shown through the likeable, yet flawed main character. Jojo is an extremely likeable character. Jojo is an extremely hardworking, kind, and relatable character. However, she has several flaws as well, one of them being how insecure she is. This specific flaw increases suspense tremendously. Viewers have already seen how much of a control Jojo's insecurities have on her when she lets them pressure her into breaking up with Sun-oh in this episode and into never telling him the truth about the shield (Lee Na-jung 2019). Because of this, viewers do not know how many of Jojo's decisions will be influenced by her insecurities. We do not know if Jojo will ever be able to go back to Sun-oh or even start a relationship with Hye-yeong because of the power her insecurities have over her. This fact, alone, puts the idea of a happy ending entirely at risk and leaves readers in suspense, wondering how the story will end.
In conclusion, through a detailed exploration of plot twists, foreshadowing, and flaws within likeable characters, it is evident that the suspense techniques are effective in creating immense suspense and bringing viewers back for more seasons and episodes. These techniques are a key factor of why this show is loved so much. Love Alarm is a spectacular show and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to watch it. I'm sure if the Love Alarm app was real, whenever I'd come into a 10-metre radius of the show, it's app would beep.
