This review may contain spoilers
I'm not big on sci-fi dramas but was highly impressed with Uncanny Counter. That series was truly excellent. So when I saw this on my Netflix I ignored it for a few days but decided to watch after binging on Hello Monster.I recognized the main character from Stranger 1 & 2 and was impressed with that series so I gave it a try. The first 10 episodes had me rushing to click 'next episode' but the last six left me seething in some way.
I'm almost coming up on my 1 year anniversary of watching Kdramas and I have come to dislike the romance dramas because of how sappy and cliche they are. The last few episodes ended that way. It's always about a girl!!
I'm not too fond of Korean actresses and I have said this in just about all of my comments but there are a few that stand out for me.
I did like the main FL and I think that was because she was able to do protect a 'guy', ha! She wasn't whiney like most Korean female actresses and her combat skills was good.
The main ML was great. He couldn't fight but he did have some serious MacGyver moments in several episodes. Who knew you could take out armed military men with coke bottles with some type of special liquid that will turn into a torpedo when you spill the liquid?
My favorite character was the father. I don't do names so for those who've seen this series you know what I'm talking about.
Another aspect that had me seething was the fact that how the downloader and uploader came into existence was left dangling in the air. We know the main character made the machine but how? That subject was left dangling along with some other scenarios.
I will say that since watching Kdramas for over a year I have to now get use to the very last episode being a huge let down. Only a few dramas that I've watched ended good and this one didn't. I don't know if it was because something was too short and they needed to extend the time and just threw something in there or they didn't know how to end it or they were just too tired and just ended it way they did. Either way the last episode had no closure for me.
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Almost worked
The cast was amazing and I've always loved Park Shin Hye. She's so talented with her singing, acting and she can pull off badass stunts convincingly!! That being said it took me a while to finish the series even with quite a few characters I loved:1. FL lead's dad
2. Asia Mart Boss
3. Agent with an obsession to kill FL
4. ML's bodyguard
What worked?
1. Cast / Acting solid from supporting characters to even the young girls that played earlier version of the FL
2. Action packed - stunts were solid (minus some CGI background)
3. interesting characters - could've been more though
4. Set - Beautiful set from the home view of the city to the bunker. High budget
What didn't work for me:
1. Story telling - somehow didn't captivate me. The never ending circles didn't really work
2. Romance - between the leads, am I the only one that felt like they didn't have much romance chemistry? Don't get me wrong ML is a great actor and I loved him in "Stranger" but I didn't feel them 2 worked.
Happy I finished it finally.
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This review may contain spoilers
✒Time To Defend The ⏰ Or Regret Tomorrow °8.5° °Outstanding°
[Any spoliers are are the very end and clearly marked]Sisyphus is the show that escorted me through the looking glass into the wonderland of Korean programming and Asian dramas, in general. It explores the claim: "Just because you could do something doesn't mean you should." It's got action, fantastic romance, time travel, & a brainiac who can Macgyver anything. Though not issue free, Sisyphus is an insightful commentary on humanity: We make the wrong choices & then we live with regret the rest of our lives once we are finally honest with ourselves.
Themes explored are selfishness (if we only care about ourselves & what we want, it's radiation poisoning that will destroy society). Also featured are corruption, hate, revenge, & pride - forms of selfishness, all. Messianic imagery is a major player, as are regrets - they follow selfishness. Kindness to those less fortunate is critical, or we will create the monsters that rip into us. Hatred against immigrants & xenophobia is depicted. Sisyphus also examines the False Dilemma argument: Just because someone (especially a bad guy) says you have two choices, doesn't mean it's true.
The title is based on the Greek God Sisyphus. Per Wiki: he "was punished for cheating death twice by being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll down every time it neared the top, repeating this action for eternity. Through the classical influence on modern culture, tasks that are both laborious and futile are therefore described as Sisyphean."
The question of whether the future is static is very much alive in the show, Asia Mart's Mr. Park says: "Do you believe you can change things?" He laughs. "You know you can't change anything, right? You can try all you want, but nothing will change." At the same time, Sigma & his minions make references to alternate timelines, hinting at the many times the end-of-the-world drama has played out.
The main protags are the time machine inventing genius, Han Tae-sul (HTsul), & Gang Seo-hae (SHae), who travels back in time to save HTsul & thus, the world. The world needs saving because the time machine will usher in nuclear destruction of the Korean Peninsula.
By the time SHae travels back to present day Korea, the country has been taken over by thieves from the future. They were in prison when war broke out, which served as a bomb shelter and ensured their survival. Volunteering as the 1st test-group that travels to the past, they accumulate massive wealth due to their prescience of lottery, sports & stock outcomes. Soon, they take over all the power positions in the country & set up the Control Bureau, an immigration enforcement agency that prevents others in the future from gaining the advantages they themselves enjoy. CB officers have very few restrictions & are allowed to kill on sight. All of this was crafted by the mysterious Sigma, traveler & villain #1, who is rumored to be the person that starts the war. Everyone in Sigma's circle is controlled by a desire to protect loved ones, or a desire for power and selfish gain.
➡️Don't give up! S takes off to a confusing start.⬅️ Ep1 is a tough one to get through, but watching HTsul save a plane that's going down is the biggest reward for watching it. Kdramas often begin by methodically setting the dials & levers that will operate the rest of the show. I first saw Sisyphus before I was doing reviews, so I decided to watch it again before writing about it. The beginning is entirely different in the 2nd go-round.
Both leads are on the Crazy Train, but they each have their talents. When we meet SHae & follow her trail, we see that she's a cool customer. From age 7 she rode out the apocalypse with her policeman father. He trained her in all kinds of combat as hunting for scarce food & water is very dangerous in the anarchy of the future. When we meet HTsul we see that he's pretty cool, too. Pretty bada$$ cool. HTsul does something amazingly clever in most eps. HTsul is also a pathetic pill-popper, ridden with guilt over the way he treated his brother, HTsan, the last time they met, just prior to HTsan's passing. HTsul's ex is his psychiatrist. She dumped him, but only after he cheated on her. What could go wrong here?
Trains & train stations are featured frequently, & appear to represent fate. Right from jump when SHae arrives in the past she sees a bright light & hears a bell. There's a train coming down the tracks right at her: Foreshadowing. Later, HTsul & SHae see each other at the train station while a fast train screeches between them. It's a metaphor for the onslaught of events headed their way that could separate them. HTsul hears the train on the way to the Control Bureau, which helps him locate it later. A train station is where the seat of power is in the future. There's also constant foreshadowing broadcasting HTsul's end of show options, like a train coming at the audience. They are always brought to the forefront.
Almost everybody we meet in Sisyphus is selfish, even SHae's father. Exceptions are SHae & HTsan. They will bring about change to those around them. Early on SHae tells HTsul: "You're really selfish. You'll do what you want & not care how many people died because of it. You selfish jerk." HTsan said it first to SHae: "You just care about saving the world, not my brother. I'm just the opposite."
Initially, HTsul displays corrupted values, thinking he can solve any conflict by throwing money at it. He founded his company, Quantum & Time with grad-school friend, Eddy Kim. Eddy does all the work. HTsul does whatever he feels like, and completely takes his friend for granted. Throughout the course of the show, jealousy & resentment, cause conflict in Eddy, due to HTsul's neglect.
Sigma & HTsul are contrasted. The series delves into the concept of families, struggles, abuse, & ostracism. HTsul lost his parents to an accident, but he had his brother, HTsan, to care & provide for him. Growing up, Sigma suffers severe abuse at home, underscoring that no parent is better than an abusive one. Sigma clearly isn't stupid, but almost nobody in the world is on HTsul's level: His perception that HTsul had it easy in life introduces jealousy.
Sigma's descent leads to madness. He falls in love with fire & death. He's smart, but a sociopath, arsonist, narcissist, & likely a fetal alcohol syndrome sufferer. Killing 50 million people with a nuclear bomb is just a game for him. He brags incessantly about what he truly cares about: Outsmarting HTsul. He loves to taunt him, beckoning: "C'mon out and play," to him.
The backdrop for all of this is the thrills, action, & the wonderful romance between SHae & HTsul. There's a GREAT scene showing how she looks out for him. He's desperately trying to call by rigging a trashpicked office phone into the phone lines. He's shocked when she says she's a little busy. She next yells: "Duck!" He does so quickly while she eliminates the threat right behind him. In shock, he steps away & sees more than 15 bodies on the ground between him & the overpass, where she's standing with her rifle. He hadn't noticed any of it, to the viewer's amusement.
"The girl or the world." He is constantly threatened that he'll have to choose the girl or the world. HTsul will figure out for himself what options he has. He knows he must outsmart Sigma or lose everything.
Some people don't have the capacity to enjoy fantasy. It can be too intellectual for some, or not logical or real enough for others. Sisyphus is fantasy based on an intelligent script, & it's directed smashingly well. The condescending "1" ratings have no basis whatsoever. If one hates some of the logical quagmires or the pacing, a rating of 5-7 is fair, but Sisyphus, in any timeline, doesn't deserve a rating under "5." So leave Sisyphus alone!
We get a clear sense that it's not over yet. Hopefully they won't take their ~time~ putting out season 2.
~Quote~
Gibson: The future is already here. It just hasn't been evenly distributed yet.
IMHO〰🖍
Directing 9
Acting 8
Romance 7
Flutters 6
Art 8
Sound & music 7
Action 8
Thought provocation 7
Ending 9
🎬9 🎭8 🤔9⚡8 💓8 🦋7 🎨8 🎵7 🔚9
Age 14+.
⛔️SPOILERS FOLLOW❗️
I prefer to not give away many spoilers, but some things are worthy of noting as follows:
Resentment festers in Eddy until all he can think about is destroying HTsul. Sigma, who went to grade school with HTsul, has a similar arc. They each have an obsessive hatred for him.
At the same time, HTsul has been in deep emotional pain over mistreating his brother, HTsan, who raised him after their parents died. Under SHae's influence, HTsul evolves into a better human. There's a Scrooge-like sequence where they look at themselves earlier in life. HTsul watches himself w/ commentary: "What a crazy Jerk. It's not Sigma's fault. This jerk caused the war," speaking of himself. He's growing. The thinking pattern that leads to his messianic sacrifice has sprouted. What's funny is how people will, w/o self-reflection, watch & think: Good for #him. I've learned the hard way that none of us can see our own stuff unless we have a major wake-up call.
HTsul had defended Sigma from bullies at school a couple times. As a result, Sigma is happier for a brief period. He claims that all the pictures he draws come true. (Hmmm...). He colored a picture of HTsul floating over the earth (is it HTsul or the world?). After HTsul rejects a friendship, Sigma hates him, like he hates everyone else - Perhaps more. HTsul's journey leads him in the opposite direction of Sigma. Insufferably arrogant HTsul is bolts loose at the show's start. Love for SHae makes him sane(ish) & enables him to make a selfless decision.
S's biggest flaw is a failure to sufficiently explain how saving HTSul will save the world. There's frequent foreshadowing of his final solution, like a train coming at the audience. Mr. Park asks SHae why she doesn't just kill HTsul? That would fix everything... "You're making it too difficult on yourself," he points out. Jae-sun, SHae's first present day contact, declares to Bing-bing that if HTSul doesn't exist, the war won't happen b/c the uploader hasn't been invented yet... They reference it over & over again. HTsul says: "I'm going to find Sigma. I don't care if I die.”
The Messiah, HTsul, cryptically asks SHae to come find him in the future, and then sacrifices his life to prevent the doom that's steaming towards them. This time, Sigma never saw what was rambling his way. Everyone from the future disappears, including SHae. Why is HTsul around at the end of the show? They had time-slipped, so right before the end, there were 2 of them. 1 HTsul dies, 1 survives; future SHae disappears, current day SHae lives. She's 7 yrs old.
Originally 📝 10/21
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Sisyphus could've been a top tier series BUT here's my opinion on why it isn't (Coming from a fan)
Well, as long as I remember the first time i watched Sisyphus I was amazed. Overall I don't have any problem with this series, in fact I pretty much love it. But the main problem I have with it is also a key factor: I couldn't even force myself to like Seo-Hae even the slightest bit.Her past felt always the same, hiding, helping her father, sleep and repeat, not only that but her main purpose just seems extremely forced: Who wants to save a random stranger only because a diary that seems yours said it? Also, not only that but the first three episodes I was just... Not interested at all because of Seo-Hae, her character seemed just extremely plain and that is just... Not it.
Another thing I want to comment is how HTS (Han Tae-Sul) and KSH (Kang Seo-Hae) just don't fit at all in a romantic way, they are polar opposites, and I suppose that was the thing the directors were looking for but I just feel it extremely forced. I wouldn't have minded it if it wasn't forced but sometimes I swear you can see how HTS's actor doesn't enjoy the age gap these two characters have.
In my opinion, the series was amazing but the only things that failed for me were these, even if I don't like these points I pretty still much glaze it every day and moment I can since I do loved HTS's lore backstory and character development, I was interested in his character since the first moment, and same thing happens to me with Sigma. Sigma's become my favorite k-drama character of all time.
Not all the things that happen in this series are bad, this is just my opinion and I'm sure a lot of people hated it as much as loved it but I just thought of doing this review because I needed to take my Seo-Hae hate out... I just can't lwk stand her and I hate how a lot of people just overglaze the hell out of her when she didn't do nothing special aside two or three things. She didn't even get to save and stop Tae-Sul in the end lmao. Not doing any hate towards her fans, I just dislike KSH and the poor write they gave her, she could've been EVEN better.
I mostly just blame it on the directors though...
Lucius | Damned.punk... OUT!! 👋
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This review may contain spoilers
Not bad but not good....
This drama started off strong having an intriguing plot line. However the more I watched, the more it just went downhill.There were more cons for me than there were pros. For instance although the plot itself was a good baseline, the background concept and "rules" of time travelling set in this drama was hard to follow, unless you really concentrate and think about each scenes.
The drama's CGI and background sets were pretty good and I was quite impressed with them, as the post war environment for instance really looked like a dystopian era. However, the same could not be said for some of the stunt scenes played by the actors, like the bridge jump scene or the zip line scene. They pretty much looked very fake and you can see how unnatural their falls were.
Further criticism of this drama is that although the drama started strong, leaving viewers hooked on the plot and what would happen next, as you watched more and further into the drama, the less plot driven it became and focused more on the ML and FL's romance. The focus of the drama started with the ML's brother and his investigation on Sigma but this plot point eventually got lost and not much further development pursued. I would have much preferred to explore the plot point of the ML and his brother's relationship and brotherhood and their struggle against the villains than the romance tag. The romance in all honesty was not needed.
Speaking of, this is especially so when the ML and FL don't have that chemistry that lovers do. Watching their romance scenes didn't give me that butterfly in your stomach feeling but left me with the impression that the pairing was forced and they were then quite awkward.
The Second ML (Sun) was also a character that didn't give me much impression either and didn't need to be in the plot point. Although towards the end he played a relevant part of the ML's overall plan, but it was something a different character could have done. For instance the police guy that was seeking revenge against the FL due to his mother. His character could have had so much potential if only the drama gave his character more depth.
Throughout the drama, the romance scenes overall was very awkward for me, even the kiss scenes. Furthermore, usually in dramas that have love triangles, I normally enjoy it when the 2 ML's try to win over the FL's heart. But in this drama, although the love triangle was there, it again feels forced and both ML's are quite childish that it isn't very enjoyable to watch them try to please and win the FL. It instead looks forced and awkward.
Both the FL and ML also keep making emotionally driven decisions that it ends up being repetitive and frankly quite annoying and end up feeling frustrated at the scenes.
In all honesty Kim Byung Chul ( who played the villain) and Lee Woo Won (who played the child version of the villain) carried the whole drama and were the reason I even finished all 16 episodes. They both portrayed their characters really well especially with their expressions to bring out the mental issue and psychologically disturbed setting of the character they played, that it made watching the villain the only thing you are looking forward to each episode.
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Stellar Acting, Thrilling plot! One of the greatest dramas of this year
Story-wise, it was very unique, something that makes your mind question the possibilities of this being true in real life ; or make you confused at times what the hell is happening now? That was how I felt the whole time I was watching the drama. I have always been amazed at how these writers and directors never seem to run out of ideas and I should say, they did it again. The emotions, showed how humans react and how a simple act of kindness or rudeness towards one person can affect so many.I really like Park Shin Hye in this action/ thriller genre because I have always watched her dramas when she was younger, and she took on a range of characters from very emotional dramas (aka Stairway to Heaven) and a lot of romantic comedies (You're Beautiful, The Heirs, Pinocchio, etc.). This drama showcased her versatility as an actress and her acting would really show years of experience and it's amazing to see her grow as an actress and taking on different roles. I'm not so familiar with Jo Seung Woo but despite that, with his acting in this drama, it shows how much effort he puts and how hard he worked to pull off his character, so I'm definitely going to look up some of his dramas. Sung Dong Il and Kim Byung Chul, just blew my mind with their acting skills. I guess it's true when they say that actors did a great job if they made you feel angry at them as well. Well, if you watched this drama, you'll probably relate to what I'm talking about.
I like the drama's OST. The vibe is new, compared to other drama's OSTs but I think the only word to describe it, is that the music production was fresh for most of the OSTs for this drama.
Overall, if you want a drama that will make you really think hard and take you to the edge of your seat all the time, you should watch this drama! If you want to cry, get mad at someone and feel so many emotions at once, you should :-)
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A lot of romance and action.
As a longtime kdrama fan, we don’t really get to see JSW a lot, if anything this was my first time seeing him in a drama. As for PSH, what kdrama fan doesn’t know her. Tbh, I wasn’t expecting a lot from this series since it’s exploring a new setting because usually when you hear kdrama and time-travel, it’s usually a seguek-modern settings.As I was new to JSW, I was able to completely absorb his character without other influences like his previous character(which apparently, after researches, he usually plays charismatic and suit-and-tie type of characters), the caster did well with him. As for PSH, Since I’ve watched most if not, all of her main lead dramas, I kind of expected how she would bring out her character, but I should say she had improved on her kissing scenes! XDXD If you’ve also watch her previous works, she’s always been known to be a kissing statue, even partnered with the kissing guru LMH(if your what I mean), but this time, I’m not sure if it’s all thanks to JSW, but she really gave life to her character, not only in those scenes but even during moments with her dad, somehow and most of the time PSH had always given me these idol vibes(where it’s way more important to look pretty and reserved than to act for the sake of the character- just my observation tho)..
As for the storyline, I’m personally the type to really like easy to understand plots and as this is a science time-travel, expect some very deep physics going on, but really, I really commend how it was told rather than on the storyline itself, because I think if you’re a fan of quantum theories, there would be a lot of holes and you’d complain, but if not, I think this drama gives you the balance between drama and science. You know, just enough for you to get your mind going. Plot twist is of course a given, but I’d be giving out tmi if I say more.
Although, maybe being used to big screen quality of post-apocalyptic CGIs this drama might give you a few head shakes, but nothing you can’t ignore. But if you arent really used to post-apocalyptic CGIs, then maybe you won’t even notice.
Overall, it was a great ride. Sth I’d recommend for its genre. It has a great balance of romance-science-action going on. Plus of course the dark family background of the villain, it’s a kdrama factor so I won’t comment anything on it.
Enjoy :)
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There is no myth
Story could have been better, started fine until after the third episode, music is not inline with the story, it just one of those good series, the quantum story could have been better.will i rewatch, if you like series that involves physics and engineering you will be dissapointed, however if you like a good series because of the cast, this is a good choice.
there is no myth in the series, just did not attained the full potential of the story. never the less it is a good story.
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Total Disappointment :(
I honestly really wanted to like this drama since I love both PSH and CSW. The overall idea was supposed to be a really cool time travel drama. The execution however was really poor and the cast seems a bit off. PSH didn’t look like warriar (she is more on the softer side) and the leading actor and actress are obviously not in love at all. Their age difference obviously did not help. They were supposed to be madly in love, yet there wasn’t even enough time or drama for that to happen.The drama was really hard to follow and had a hard time trying maintain my interest. Not to mention there were many plot holes that leave me puzzled till the end. I felt I kinda know the message but it was poorly delivered.
Unless you love the main actors snd actress, don’t waste your time. There are far more better Korean drama to watch.
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Very Timey Wimey
This drama really gets your brain thinking. It gets you thinking overtime trying to figure out whats going on. But its a great drama. The acting was amazing and the story line was great too. I think the leads had good chemistry and worked well together. It was all going well until it almost came to the end of the drama. Now if your scrolling through the comments trying to find opinions and possible answers to the ending i have my opinion. Since Han Tae Sul killed himself the war ended. No more nuclear bombing= no one died. Since this happened Seo Hae never had to loose her mother. Never had to live in the bunker. And never had to grow up in a nuclear waste land. Which then leads to the point where she never went to the uploader to save Han Tae Sul and stop the war. And never fell in love with Han Tae Sul. Which is why she disappeared. Han Tae Sul ends up back at the very beginning on episode 1 on the plane, (I don't quite understand why he remembers.) But with all his memories intact from the previous timeline i think he starts to hallucinate Seo Hae since he doesn't want to come to the conclusion she no longer exists (at least that version of her). The younger version of Seo Hae still exists but this is a child version of her that never gets to experience the nuclear war that kills almost everyone including her mother. Obvious;y you dont have to take my word on it afterall its my opinion and im not forcing it on anyone. But overall the drama was okay. I don'y exactly regret watching it but i only gave it a rewatch value of 6 because i hate sad endings. And i'm likely not to return to a drama that makes me bawl my eyes out at the end lol.Was this review helpful to you?
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what the hell was ending ?
the drama started off as really strong .. actually throughout the drama the only question I had was why was this not blowing up ? and how did the writer even manage to write such twisting plots ...the idea was new and thrilling ..the uploaded ...at the very beginning I didn't like the Character of tae sul much but as the story unfolded he became a really good hero ..a rather realistic I would say ...and SEO heo character was also interesting ..a tough girl who protect the main lead unlike many kdramas....I especially loved the second male lead ..he was handsome...now let's come to the point ..the ending ? ..the last two episodes were unleasing new plots and revealing a long plan but .....what was the ending ? why did the writer made the ending sooo Soo vague ? after spending an entire 16 hours on those episodes ..the extreme plots and planning of characters ..han tae sul killed himself cause he saw that as the only solution ? ...it made the efforts of the characters and the purpose of the drama nothing ..it felt like my time was wasted ..and then I thought oh atleast sigma got some care and he changed but na uh ...he was same evil character ...so what was the point of the drama ? the efforts ...everything went to waste ..I just hated the ending ...they gave han tae sul and SEO hee .a happy ending ..made the last episode even confusing ..how did han tae sul survive ...how was he alive ? how was SEO hee with him ? ..what about time paradox...why didn't she disappear ? ..like what exactly was happeningWas this review helpful to you?
