“As if we were never apart” is the clunky name of an extremely sentimental Vietnamese TV show. I believe this is a show that can only be made in post-war countries. Korea has a similar show. The entire premise of the show is to find the missing relative of some poor soul; thanks to the prodigious war-making ability of the Americans, the Vietnamese franchise of this show ran for 151 episodes. It’s hard to watch any of these episodes without shedding tears.

It’s excruciating to watch, in a good way. Almost all of the stories are due to the Vietnam War, though that fact just floats in the background. We are shown mainly how life has been for the relatives since they were pulled apart. Some moved to a different country. This show is humanism at its finest. Truly compelling television.