Flower of Evil till the end
I don't even know where to start, I followed Flower of Evil since the day they announced the cast. I have been there since the day the launched the stills, teasers, and the trailer. I really cherished this drama. I ate this drama well. From episode one to sixteen, the whole drama was a perfection. The acting of Moon Chaewon and Lee Joongi was flawless. They looked like a perfect couple with the kid. I really wished there were more family scenes with Baek Eun-Ha (their kid).Flower of Evil tells us the story of Cha Ji-Won (Moon Chae-Won), a detective who is married to Baek Hee-Sung (Lee Joon-Gi) and they have a daughter. Baek Hee-Sung is a devoted husband but he hides a dark secret from his past and is living under another person's identity. His wife has no clue about his past but here is a thrilling part, she is a detective. Cha Ji-Won discovers his secrets and chasing his past.
Overall, Flower of Evil is one of the best dramas of 2020 and it's to be treasured forever. It was not too much nor too little. The story could have been stronger I felt but they never missed giving us the thrilling feel. There are so many scenes that kept me on the hook and scared. The ending is beautiful.
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This review may contain spoilers
Without doubt one of, if not the best k-drama I ever saw.
I’d like to erase my memories so that I can watch it once again for the first time. It caught me from the first episodes and I watched it like crazy even though I have an exam on Friday.The acting was extraordinary. No words to describe. I have watched Lee Joon Gi before so I knew it will be a good drama but man! This was brilliant. How he managed to make me feel the frustration of not being able to understand what people are going through because he just cannot relate, of wanting to feel and give all this emotion that he receives but he’s just unable to do it. He didn’t realized what he felt but God, just looking at the way he interacted with his daughter made me want to have kids asap. He worshiped the ground his wife walked on and made his life’s purpose to make her happy. I never understood the narrative about him using her. He tried his best to keep her away, he pushed and fought this feelings because he knew the risks!
What I most admired about her was the fact that she never give up. She had her doubts, yes, but when it really mattered she was his shield and defended him continuously. And you know what, this is what a marriage should be about; loving and trusting your other half even when the world turns against you.
Some of my favorite scenes:
When she kneeled and begged her colleague to spare her husband…
The bridge scene, when he had to go but he didn’t want to! How can you say he never felt a thing when he prayed with all his being that she’ll pick up because he couldn’t, he just couldn’t leave her! Not after everything!
The rain scene on the last episode…when he looked at her like it was the first time and his eyes sparkled…
The „relationship” problems scene, when Moo Jin and his sister thought something big happed and it turns out he just wanted relationship advice!
When he didn’t know what to do to fix things after the big fight…because he couldn’t imagine his life without her
When she came to rescue him and he has tied on a cabinet…there was a big chance he could’ve died but didn’t struggle that much to break the rope around his wrists…but when she came in the room and that guy touched her, Lord! He was so angry he could’ve cut his hands off and leave them hanging just so he could reach her…
The bed scene after the confession when he realized what love actually means…
The scene from the hotel when she cuffed them both and started crying because she didn’t know what to do, what to think…and he has so patient…always waiting, always explaining. Yes, he lied again and yes, she jumped to conclusions…but the way they dealt with it was so good.
I remember how surprised he was after the reveal, when she said something like „yeah it sucks and I’m angry but I love you, you are my family and I’m not going to give up on you”. I don’t think he really expected to see her take it so well, willing to bear the weight with him. Like see, you’re not alone! I’m going to take part of this on my shoulders and we’re going to make it because we’re a team, no matter what.
When he thought she was gone…I lost it with him! The one thing that centered him was gone…I would’ve gone mad too.
The cliff scene when I thought things were going south…I was seconds away from throwing my remote into the tv! No kidding, I was like „I’m gonna sue them for emotional damage, dammnit!” But when she trusted him and opened her arms…and how he walked to her, broken like never before…
The last ep was a bit cliché, I won’t lie! Like damn he nearly died like four times already just give them a break! But noo, it had to be f-ink amnesia…
Anyways, the car scene from the last ep when he told her that he couldn’t give her what she wanted! Those tears leaked from his soul…it burned him from inside but what can he do with these feelings he never felt before from a body he didn’t recognize…
There are some negative things I could say but they are only related to the fact that this should have been a 20 ep drama so that we can understand the whole story, because there were some things left unsaid. But other than that, no reproach!
I’ll stop here. I wrote this for myself because I just finished the drama and I can’t stop these feelings, for those who watched it and wanted to relive bits of it and for the brave ones who aren’t afraid of spoilers! I hope I didn’t give away something too important! Enjoy!
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Love this drama in so many ways.
Love this drama in so many ways. The intricate and well-thought out plot, the complex characters with excellent acting portraying them, and the beautiful directing behind the scenes. Also had amazing OST throughout.It is truly a masterpiece that had me intrigued the whole way through and never failed to deliver on quality.
Definitely not a typical drama, and I love it for this.
Has Voice, Signal, Healer, City Hunter, Mr and Mrs. Smith vibes all together, and packed nicely with a bow.
The power of love to heal and support and overcome such formidable obstacles. And the continuous search of self-discovery that the characters go through. It's definitely a crime mystery psychological thriller that was done well.
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What to do when you know the love of your husband for 5 years is just a lie?
Flower Of Evil is a cross mix of dramatic actions, psychological, emotional,a little horror and humor..However the film still balances everything ,the lenges of the story gradually peeled smoothly, full of logic.
I watch the whole series n it was soo awesome..some of the scenes will make you lOse your heart... each characters acting is on point .. team did a great work .. that female lead i loved her...respect his wife even though she feels like her husband is broke trust but she still tries to trust him by any means that's why she decided to investigate herself .. the chemistry between lee joon gi and moon chae won is really strong and loaded with various emotions ...
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An intense, emotional and thrilling drama
https://www.soompi.com/article/1422955wpp/flower-of-evil-screenwriter-talks-about-her-inspiration-for-the-drama-and-explains-meaning-of-titleCheck the above link to see what the scriptwriter said about her choice of the title, 'Flower of Evil'. I searched it out of curiosity because I was wondering what the title meant after watching the drama.
Already the first episode was filled with suspense. There was no slow start at the beginning of this drama, the first episode literally put viewers right into the plot. Every ending would make you look forward to the next episode. The background music also helped in building up the thrill and suspense.
And yes, as other reviewers have commented, both Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chae Won acted very well, though I personally think that Lee Joon Gi performed better. His role was the prime role filled with a roller coaster of emotions he had to display; love for his wife and child, utter disbelief, tortured feelings, feelings of fear, absolute hurt, sadness, brink of collapse, etc. Their chemistry with each other was also exceptional and their love for each other was convincing.
Overall, if you were to look into the minute details, there would be illogical parts in the drama, I did question some parts as I watched, I think most dramas have all these illogical and unexplained parts, otherwise, they can’t produce a drama out, but one or two illogical parts, they did try to explain in a subtle way in the drama why they happened.
Despite illogical and unexplained parts, the overall production was of good quality, the plot was thrilling and exciting, after the second or third episode, you would definitely want to watch continuously to the end, the main leads and the rest of the cast acted well, they had strong chemistry, the emotional scenes of the two lead couples were well-executed. Well, and Lee Joon Gi did have some charm, his looks grew on me, I wasn’t quite used to his small eyes and single eyelids at first, but after a while, I saw hey, that was his charm. And I have to mention, the kid was adorable, I always looked forward to the scenes with her and Lee Joon Gi playing and talking to each other, the bond between them felt so precious. I could feel the love he had for his daughter in this drama.
This drama is definitely worth a watch.
ENDING: a little spoiler
The only slight negative comment I had to make was the last episode, I rather wish that Do Hyun Su could regain his memory of his deep love for Cha Ji Won, instead of continuously being in the state of memory lost and searching for his love for her. It felt a little forced and unnatural. Or perhaps the time from his rejection of Ji Won to the time he decided to accept and continue searching for his love for her was a little short in the drama, probably the director had not enough time? so it felt like he suddenly recalled having some sort of love for her, and since so, ok, decided he would accept and love her, which I felt wasn’t as touching as I had hoped it would be. His 'previous' love for her was just so deep and touching that I really wanted that love to be 'recalled' instead.
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This review may contain spoilers
A dark and layered tale about love, lies, and legacy – with a bit too much story
Between fake identities, serial killers, and buried traumas, this drama delivers a packed plot — just not always at the right pace.Disclaimer: This review is 100% my opinion — I’m not here to hate, just to share my thoughts! Also, SPOILERS AHEAD, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet. Watch it, come back and let’s see if you agree. Let’s keep the discussion respectful and fun! 💕
The Good:
Suspense On Suspense On Suspense
This show was thriller galore! Every time the story jumped to a new case, it was so engaging. I think the key was that, aside from the little boy’s arc, all the cases ended up being connected, making every twist feel intentional rather than random. The pacing was so well thought out.
A surprisingly wholesome love story (minus, you know… the crime)
I loved that Hyun Soo and Ji Won were genuinely in love. Their family dynamic was so sweet, and it was refreshing to see a K-drama couple that wasn’t secretly miserable or hiding petty resentment (outside the whole serial killer thing, obviously).
Watching Ji Won battle her feelings as a detective vs. her love for Hyun Soo was so compelling. And the fact that they kind of worked together to uncover his true emotions? Heartwarming. I liked seeing him realize he did love her. It gave their relationship more emotional weight.
The Bad
Dragged Out — Especially Towards the End
As much as I loved the suspense, there were definitely some dull moments, particularly near the end. If a show could function perfectly fine without a full hour-long finale, did it really need to be there?
When a show is highly rated/recommended, I tend to hype it up too much, expecting flawless storytelling but this made me realize maybe I set the bar too high. It was good, but there were definitely noticeable slow parts too.
They Made Him Seem Like the Bad Guy… But He Wasn’t
Look, I love a good fake-out — the kind where the story has us side-eyeing someone only to flip the script. But here? It felt excessive. Hyun Soo didn’t just look like the bad guy , he acted like one. I mean, tying someone up in your basement and trying to force pills down their throat when they ask a question you don’t like, isn’t exactly giving “wrongly accused soft boy.” The show wasn’t hinting at him being guilty, it was straight-up telling us he was the killer, only to swerve at the last second and say, “Surprise, he’s completely innocent!”
Why Did Hae Soo Let Him Live Like That for YEARS?
Why did Hae Soo let Hyun Soo live as a fugitive all those years? She clearly cared about him when they were younger, so it doesn’t make sense that she let him take the fall for something he didn’t do. I get that she had trauma, too. But even if she couldn’t face things for herself, why not do it for him? Instead, it felt like she chose lifelong guilt over taking any real action to protect her brother. (Glad she got justice, though.)
He Lost His Memory at the End… Why?
I have a soft spot for drama, obviously, but Hyun Soo losing his memory at the end felt like pure filler. It didn’t add anything meaningful to the story, and in fact, it robbed us of closure. After everything he went through, clearing his name, his emotional journey with Ji Won, facing his trauma, we’re supposed to accept that he doesn’t remember any of it? That he finally earned peace, only to lose the memories that gave it meaning? The ending only left me feeling the same kind of pity for him as I did throughout the show.
Ji Won Gave Up on Hyun Soo?! LOLL
This one made me chuckle … but like, in a sad way. Ji Won really went through everything with Hyun Soo, risked her job, almost died multiple times… and then was ready to bounce to Busan the moment he lost his memory? I get it, she was probably done emotionally, but it just felt off. She knew how much he suffered, how isolated he was. So to be ready to leave him behind right when he needed her most? It didn’t sit right. If there was more depth to her decision, I’d be more understanding. But I’m not gonna read between the lines for hidden meaning that wasn’t there. So, yeah… it was giving “I tried” energy, but also “girl what?”
Final Thoughts
This show was really good when it was good. The suspense, the twists, the acting — top-tier. But when it dropped from mountain-high excitement to deep-sea slow, it was painfully obvious. I get that shows need slower parts to give context and build up to the next big thing, but there’s a fine line between slowing down for effect and slowing down to a near-complete stop.
Unfortunately, those dragged-out moments ended up sticking with me more than the parts that had me on the edge of my seat. The emotional whiplash just didn’t balance out in the long run ; which is a shame because when Flower of Evil was thrilling, it was REALLY thrilling.
At the end of the day, I get why people loved this show. If you’re into thrillers, twists, and a touch of psychological intrigue, this drama has a lot to offer.
~~~
What did you think of the show? This wasn't even all my thoughts haha! I just summarised the most relevant bits but I still think you got my point (hopefully) 😊
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Enjoyable but not perfect
Overall very enjoyable despite a few plot holes and the pacing losing its grip around ep 10. It would have been perfect as an 8-10 ep drama. Plot wise the biggest twists were revealed too early and it made the latter episodes a bit boring and drawn out. The acting was a bit meh from the ML in the final episodes. But my biggest gripe with the drama was the poorly written FL (and a few other characters like the reporter and the sister) and the way the relationship of the leads was portrayed in the flashbacks and pre-drama (it was too unrealistic and lacked chemistry).Was this review helpful to you?
The OST is now considered one of my favorite OST. I thought that the OST worked really well with the story
The acting was my favorite throughout this whole show. This cast was amazing and really outdid themselves.
Lee Jung ki was the best throughout this whole show and played Hyun Soo very well and showing us different sides of Hyun Soo.
Moon Chae Won who played Ji Won was also amazing and I really enjoyed her acting she plays Ji Won amazing in making this character come alive and portrays all of Ji Won complicated emotion and made the feel real and raw.
For the romance, I loved it, Ji Won and Hyun Soo had such an emotional journey which makes them feel real, and you can't help but want them to have their happy ending. Also, Lee Jun Ki and Moon Chae Won are great together and their chemistry was solid that I fully believed that Ji Won and Hyun Soo were a married couple.
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I will say, this show is very intense! With every episode it gets more intense. Even so, there will be moments that will make you feel happy and sad.
The actors were AMAZING! They had to show a lot of emotion throughout the show and they did an exceptional job doing so. I'm a huge Lee Joon Gi fan and he was something else in this series. He was so believable. I 100% cried thanks to the cast and their acting and not to mention the amazing story they acted out.
I was shocked as I watched the last episode. At the end of episode 15, I thought I knew how the last episode would go. Boy was I wrong! I did not think it would go the direction it did, but I'm happy it did! It's different and very fitting.
I recommend Flower of Evil to everyone!!
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Unforgettable
I started watching this without any expectations, I knew LJG from moon lovers and I read some reviews that said it was great until the last episode. I didn't know it'll end up being my absolute favorite drama.The first 3 episodes are intriguing but a little on the slow side, and it made me think it was going to be a case of the week kinda show which I don't like, thankfully it isn't and the 3 cases were actually there to introduce the main plot line.
It's one of the few shows that actually gets better with every episode and there's a point were you just can't stop watching.
The romance is top notch and never boring, considering they're married with a kid, I consider it an accomplishment.
I understood what they were trying to convey with the last episode, and I loved that they gave themselves the time to have an actual episode long ending to resolve every loose ends, most thrillers just have them running until the last 5-10 minutes and then slap together an open ending or leave it's audience hanging.
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Heartbreaking but So Full of Love
How to sum up FOE? This drama was a rollercoaster of emotions from start to end , that much is for sure. The story, set-up and actors all pull you in immediately and I remained 100% hooked until the end.The leads definitely make this drama. Lee Joon Gi is an amazing actor who can portray every possible emotion needed and he’s so genuine every time - everything Hyun Su felt, I believed.
Oth I admit I came into this drama with very low expectations of Moon Chae Won. She’s never been in a single drama I’ve liked and I thought all she could do was cry. Well. She’s still exceedingly good at crying.
But holy crap!! She was excellent! Ji Won goes through the absolute most in this story imo. The utter betrayal, the conflict, the rollercoaster of emotions she suffers throughout and MCW portrayed every single moment so well. I was blown away by her every moment and I’m so glad the actress got this chance to show her range and her skill. I love when pure talent can change my opinion.
There are some story choices - especially towards the end - that keep this drama from being a perfect 10 or 9 for me. But even those can’t drop it any more than that. I was emotionally invested in this small, strange family as they navigate the craziest of situations. Ultimately this is a story about true love and despite all the angst, it shows how important it is for everyone to have just one person fighting their corner against the world.
Imo it also serves as a lesson in empathy & responsibility. So much of the ML (and his sister’s) problems stem from the fact that at every turn in their life they were denied empathy and the path it led them down. Oth, the failure of some characters to take responsibility for their choices vs the bravery of others, like Ji Won to never step away from her responsibilities as a cop, mother & wife, shaped the story in huge important ways.
I definitely recommend! Obviously! & for many of you I’m sure those story choices that bothered me won’t even bother you so you might end up finding your next perfect 10 or 9 drama!!
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my first 10/10 drama on here
its amazing how this show is able to connect all the events of the crime and string it all into 1 cohesive plot. ill never forget the satisfying moment in the episode where everything finally clicked together and i was finally able to make sense of it all.there are so many great character personalities and relationships which i think is what makes this show so great and so angsty. i think its perfect how this show's underlying theme is love and how you'll do anything for the people you love.
so many incredible aspects of this drama; the actings one of a kind, lee joongi, the storyline.. its all breathtaking and it made me sad when it ended. truly i've never seen a drama like this with such 5 star qualities.
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