Suspensefully Good
This series is finally finished and though I am not an advanced writer I just like to express thoughts of how I view a show so hopefully it can help someone else trying to decide.Cast:
Lee Yoo Ri (EunSoo) well known from her stellar acting in Father is Strange (great family drama if you haven't seen it) is the protagonist here. Her character here is really different from other one so its kind of hard to compare. My takeaway of common tropes in kdrama is the trance look/slow moving and it bugs me when it's overdone. Other than that she delivered well as a woman that is wronged. Yeon Jung Hoon (Kang Ji Min) as a loving father and persistent journalist is a polished actor and male lead. We can't stand most antagonists and you'll hate Lee Hwa (Kim Ho Ran) as the mother in law who is infuriatingly evil but man she is good. Go Na Hee (Woo Joo) is the little girl who is adorable and the heart of the storyline. The rest of the cast are excellent though if I could make adjustments, I would of given more family support scenes to Kwon Hwa Woon (Yeon Joon), the pro golfer, (EunSoo's childhood "brother") to add substance to her role of not having any family.
Storyline:
Maybe because I'm a fairly new "adoptee" of kdramas/asian dramas, I find this plot really compelling and interesting.....framed for murder, giving birth in jail, etc. I won't give more away. The thing is, the writer and production team did an excellent job weaving the story through from present to past and then gradually connecting the dots, keeping us in suspense but hungry for next and next. After all is done with the "who done it" and "why", in the heart of it is a beautiful love story of a man and a woman and a little girl. This is a well rounded great series (in my opinion) so if you are looking for your next drama binging, this is the one.
Overall: easily a 10 for me but I'm a novice..Let me know if you liked it afterwards. It might help me as an aspiring writer. Thanks.
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Suspenseful and Heartbreaking story of redemption and second chances
Likes:1. Non stop thrills from the first episode all the way to the end. Although some of the plots were cliche and I was able guess the who is the killer and the ending, it was still intriguing to watch every episode.
2. So many memorable characters. Jimin should be crowned as father of the year. And the Evil mom in law as the worst EMIL!! Also loved Woo Joo - she reminds me so much of a younger Kim Yoo Jung.
3. No filler episodes, every scene was jampacked with details and information. The soundtrack was on point. I thought that classical music BGM from AWOTM was scary but every time I hear that violin sounds i just know something bad will happen to Eunsu.
4. Lessons learned - hell hath no fury like a "mother" scorned. The lengths parents go to to protect their family. And even at your darkest point, you can get up and move forward, and find someone who will accept and love you as you are.
Dislikes:
The weakest link is Semi. She was annoying for the entire show, doing nothing but put her anger and blame on Eunsu without taking a look at herself.
Rating: 9.5/10
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This review may contain spoilers
If you want to cry, cry for kdramas...
If you want to cry, cry for kdramas ... I think this is a good phrase for those who like me are adept at melodramas (makjangs). And that is what happened to me (I cried a lot) when watching Lie After Lie, which I think is my first drama since it was aired by Channel A. Drama that from the beginning caught my attention by the casting and the plot. After all, how can you not get excited about a drama starring Lee Yoo Ri (from Father is Strange, Yellow Boots and Jang Bo laughs), Yeo Jung Hoon (who appears completely different from Mask's villain) and having Lee Ill Hwa as antagonist? I think this is almost impossible. And in addition, we have a synopsis that gives a sample of how far a mother can go, making me ask, how far can a lie take us? Is there a lie that is not entirely questionable? Is everything that we see that is established as truth really true? Questions that for me were gradually being answered with the plot of a mother who, due to her mother-in-law's selfishness and greed, had to serve the sentence for the death of her abusive, beating husband.Reading the synopsis, some may think that the drama has exaggerations, super dramatic situations, but despite any impression that the script may cause, we have scenes that are far from representing any exaggeration, because even Lee Yoo Ri's cry is painful, but at the same time, restrained and the pain is not shown through scandal, but through a facial expression that denotes through the look, a look associated with an almost shaky voice shows in a subtle way the protagonist's suffering. And this mother is joined by a father, a male protagonist who represents in an exemplary way the notions that have developed about what it means to be a man who is whole, generous and welcoming, in a non-caricatural way, because Kang Ji Min also hates, he is also upset, he also gets angry, however, all these feelings are expressed in a non-violent way, in a way that does not hurt and that demonstrates the respect he has for human beings.
We see in both protagonists a sense of justice in the terms established by that definition, more than anything, what Kang Ji Min and Ji Eun Soo seek and protect what they have most precious, that is, their daughter, without resorting disloyalty nor hurting other people. And all this fight for justice we see in 16 episodes, with an agile script. Perhaps some technical flaws and use of another cliché? Yes, but these are details ...
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A masterpiece in dramaworld
Well what can I say about this drama, it was wonderful.The story was catchy and all actors were amazingly good in their role.
I was a little restrained at the beginning about the reason of the romance start but because of that you want to see how it ends.
Even the romance was present it was not the primary subject of this drama, lot of suspense mostly.
You will got through many emotion during this drama, happy! angry! sad!
That's what I like about drama. And that's what I love about this drama.
I recommend you to watch it, in order to see it.
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Turn off Critical Faculties sit back and Enjoy!
This is an awkward one to rate, it's cheesy, has plot holes and little logic. Makjang enough that you know every episode will have a 'twist' and some tears.And yet I thoroughly enjoyed it, the baddies were so bad the goodies were so good. I laughed at the humour both intentional and accidental, got angry where I should and teary where I should.
Still it isn't actually very good just... enjoyable. Props to Lee Yoo Ri for a large part of that enjoyment.
Well worth a look if you want something fun to watch. I skipped some of the first episode setup bits the broad picture was enough. The last couple of episodes are a bit the same skip the tying it up parts you guessed or don't really care about watch the bits you want.
The Music was what you would expect.
The cast are really what keeps you watching and they all do a solid job with what they are given. Go Na Hee is cute as a button which always helps.
I probably won't watch this again for years.
Edit: August 2021
So I lied!
I'm rewatching this at the mo' and revelling in it's trashy airport novel marvelousness! Such fun! I like the homage to Yoo Ri's Fun-staurant turn - he likes wine so...
I think part of the enjoyment for me is knowing Yoo Ri is as mad as toast IRL it lends a whole new shine to her character's vulnerable, Stepford Wife routine. When those big Puppy Dog eyes fill with tears or she does that blank eyed smile I'm totally convinced no matter how barmy the plot is.
The ML talking to everyone like they are moron's though is harder to handle. If I spoke to my 10yo like that I'd get short shrift.
Watch it - it's pants, but.. they are made of shiny purple velvet with yellow satin stars sewn on by hand.
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love that exists between mother and daughter
As soon as I saw That Lee Yuri has a new drama I knew I would watch,It is a drama that describes the intense love that exists between mother and daughter,
a love that is impossible to separate
And when someone believes in you, you can do anything, even transform the world
My heart crashed to pieces in every episode, and I found myself crying non-stop
The emotion that the actors conveyed to the viewers was simply to stand and admire
For me this is the best drama for 2020 without a doubt
And this time too I fell in love with Lee Yuri again, she was stunning and mesmerizing
I wish her lots of success and all the best in the world
If you have not watched yet, run and see, come on marathon !!!
PS. I saw the drama, and also translated it into another language
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A mother can do anything for her child
The setting/plot of the story was really good something new.Intended only for mature audiences.
The FL did a banger on this role.
For me personally ML's acting could have done better,
Reasoning of the negative main role was pretty bad (or is that how bad people are? Do bad stuff without any major reason).
Child actress did a really good job, to be frank instead of being too cute like other drama's her acting felt real.
Overall just watch and understand that most of the time parents don't even let us know of their difficulties to keep us happy.
Lets just hope that we can give some happiness back to them.
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After "Flower of evil", I started to look for some dramas with tension and action, and this is a good example of this. The story of "Lie after lie" is so absurd that makes you attached from the beginning. The ups and downs in the process made me so upset and immerse that I need to take a break in many episodes because I just couldn't stand the tension. The way how the things were resolved also was very instigating, and the few things that I thought a little off weren't related to the plot, but with the involvement of some characters, what I'll describe in the next paragraph. The ending also wasn't so remarkable for me. I think everyone knows that they will put a big twist in the final episodes to explain all the process between Kim Ho Ran and Ji Eun Soo, and this was what happened, but I guess that all the process was so intense that in the end, the plot twist was just too soft. It was unexpected and exciting to me, but it didn't make me vibrate in surprise.
Well, the actors! Ji Eun Soo (Lee Yoo Ri) was a little annoying to me. It was my first time seeing a drama with Lee Yoo Ri (and I guess that will be my last one, considering her age and the preferences of this industry), and I thought her lovely. Her expressions, voice, eyes... Everything was so cute and fragile, and this was my major issue. The character of Ji Eun Soo, from my perspective, needed to be a strong and suffering character. I could see the suffering of the crying, but I always saw Ji Eun Soo as a fragile woman, and this got worse when she started to get close with Jin Min (Yeon Jung Hoon). I know she was a fragile woman, who was hurt so much by many people and circumstances, but after pass 10 years in jail, faced so many evil by Kim Ho Ran (Lee Il Hwa), she could show to us a little more intensity, and every time that I saw her I just couldn't feel the weight of all these problems. The chemistry with Kang Jin Min (Yeon Jung Hoon) also doesn't make me flutter. I thought them cute sometimes, but in a couple of moments, I just felt like they were too forced. Besides that, Yeon Jung Hoon was pretty good as a reporter and dad, I really enjoy his character in the process. The high point for me was Lee Il Hwa as Kim Ho Ran. Oh my gosh, I hated this woman so much! I think that a good actor needs to pass this feeling to the audience, and she seriously did this. Go Na Hee as Kang Woo Joo also did a great job! I like so much to see little actors and actresses doing so well on this path... I hope that she receives a lot of opportunities.
I enjoy all the process of this drama, and the little things that disturbed me don't enough to fade with all the great processes. Because of this, I'll put this like a PRETTY GOOD ONE! (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★) If you are looking for something thrilling and full of conspiration and twists, go for it!
See you soon!
XOXO, Mari.
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Really enjoyable
If you are able to withstand the initial. Cringe from the first few episodes you will really enjoy this drama... the male lead was surreal, the child actress was super, the ml family was so cute and understanding.... only thing that was lacking was the motive of the ex husbands mum...... why did she hate the female lead so much to want to ruin her life that part of the plot was mediocre and also the punishments dished at the end didn’t really satisfy my spirit. But this was a good binge watch for me.Was this review helpful to you?
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Great Show but..
Don’t watch this if you like closure after having watched a drama.Lie after Lie started off with a bang. From the first episode, i was immersed in the story and couldn’t wait to see what was next. The show continued like this for a while and fell off a little later. It was a good story but story cannot be considered great if the ending isn’t as well. If the show had wrapped up the story well, I would have had no complaints.
From the first episode, they established the villain and throughout the drama, we all hate her and are outraged at her behavior and cavalier treatment of human lives. The wrote the character well and the actress portrayed her even better but her fall was the most lackluster thing i have ever witnessed in television ending. She didnt put up much of a fight and it all wrapped up too smoothly-it made no sense.
The worst part was her motivation behind her actions. The amount of hate that she had for the female lead and the way she worked tirelessly to make sure the FL lived a life filled with suffering and misery, i expected her to have a relatively valid reason in the end. I couldn’t help but ask, in every episode, “why’?. Why does she hate her so much? What did she do to her? At first, i thought, maybe she’s under the assumption that the FL truly killed her son-if so, i could understand her wanting her to suffer. But that didnt make sense either because her behavior during and after the trial was not that of someone grieving their child and wanting the murderer to suffer but of someone wanting to make sure a certain person suffers for the crime regardless. So i thought, maybe she genuinely believes the FL killed him and she’s just blinded by that belief and refusing to see other possibilities and with this mindset, I expected that after the reveal, she was going to feel remorseful and apologize or repent or whatever. But that belief, was also false.
Then I thought, maybe she did kill her own son, but in that case, her contempt for the FL makes absolutely no sense. If she killed her son and pinned it on the FL to get away with it, the FL already served 10 years in prison for a crime she didnt commit- why didnt the villain leave it there? Why go as far as to have her followed, and try to ruin her life repeatedly? It made no sense.
So i decided to stop guessing at her motivations and wait for the reveal at the end. Towards the end, when it seemed like everything was wrapping up, they still hadn’t revealed her motives so i began speculating again. I thought, it might be ridiculous but it would offer some reasoning behind her actions if the FL was secretly the villains child and she hated her because she got to live without having suffered abuse or something idk. Or she wanted her to suffer and be broken because she didnt want her daughter to inherit everything. This was not the case in the end.
They finally revealed her “motivations” in the end and it was the most anticlimactic thing i had ever heard in my life. That is not reason enough to have killed so many people and cause so much pain. That is not reason enough for sane person to try and murder and baby. It did not fit with her actions or the emotions that the villain had been portraying throughout the drama. This woman was wrought with hatred and you want me to believe that this minuscule, this little thing was what caused it? The ending ruined the show.
Also the ML’s sister should have faced consequences for a lot of her actions and it upset me that she never did. I know she’s supposed to be quirky but she is also an adult who has been entrusted with the safety of a minor and as such, she should have behaved accordingly. Not to mention the lack of respect that her actions showed towards her brother. I feel this character was unnecessary and her never getting reprimanded for the things she did, did not sit right with me.
I loooved the second male lead. I don’t normally get “second male lead syndrome” because i believe that no body is entitled to another person’s love simply because they love them or they’ve done good things for them. In fact, I typically tend to dislike a lot of SML, especially if they do not reconcile their feelings early and become a pitiful, annoying, clingy person but this SML understood that despite his feelings for her, she has feelings for another person and if he truly loved her, he would not try to ruin her happiness for a chance at his own. So he chose to love and support her as a brother and i really appreciated that.
This was a good but incredibly flawed drama. I would recommend it, despite my displeasure at the ending because the familiar relationship that were established. The love between the father and daughter, mother and daughter, mother daughter and father, brother and sister(although they do not share blood). It’s not an entirely romantical drama but it showcases other aspects of life and love that I appreciated.
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Anticlimactic ending
After watching Flower of Evil, I was ready to start another thriller/romance K-drama.The premise of this story was actually very promising. Admittedly, I cried several times because of the hardships the FL experienced.
With regards to the casting, for me, didn't feel that there was much chemistry between the two leads. When they fell in love and were about to get married, I found the timeline for this too rushed. The FL also didn't feel like she was actually in love with the guy. Even during that part, I felt that she was still using him to be near her daughter.
The mother-in-law's acting was great. The fact that she looked exactly like my ex-boss made me hate her even more LOL.
The golfer's character was something that the story could have done without. Not much substance
Anyway, the ending was a bit of a big D-U-H ??? for me. It was as if the pressure had been building up to burst and then POOF.... it fell flat. The motives, the unanswered question as to why the mother in law had a secret son, why the need for a fake son.... these were questions that were left unanswered.
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Masterpiece , Good beyond belief
Honestly , I don't write reviews much , but. .this drama is worth it. The mix of mystery , suspense , love , romance had me loving every moment of it. I felt every emotion the Eun felt. And truely they were real beyond belief. After Itaewon class , this is a drama deserving the top 5 spot amongst thousands of mediocre ones .Good beyond belief. I felt every emotion the Eun felt. And truely they were real beyond belief. After Itaewon class , this is a drama deserving the top 5 spot amongst thousands of mediocre ones .
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