Beyond Evil

impeccable and *muah* chef's kiss

OK, let's go.

This drama is really going to be one of the best of the year.

First of all, I just love police dramas, police investigation and even more, police dramas set outside of seoul. I think my favorite dramas aren't set in seoul.
I admit I started this series just for the sake of it, I didn't think it was going to be really that great.

The setting and characterization of the characters was something that really got to me, throughout the drama I kept asking myself "why is he protecting them like that?" "why do they do that?" and that made it all that much more meaningful. At first you are a foreigner watching from the outside, but then you become one of them.

Speaking of the characters, Lee Dong Sik has all my love. I never distrusted him, not even when he was really suspicious LOL, I really trusted what he was doing and feeling, he's just my protégé. Now… Han Ju Won, he really pissed me off. In the first few episodes I really questioned why they chose such an annoying protagonist, he was unbearable, but after a while... he was still annoying as hell. I admit that I only stopped hating him in the last three episodes, but I started to understand why he was so annoying.
Dong Sik's friends, each of them was significant in their own way, Nam Sang Bae, Ji Hwa, Ji Hoon and Jae-I were my favorites, although I liked Park Jeong Je.
I managed to get attached to the characters but was still able to let go a little bit when something bad happened. And the complicity of all of them was very interesting.

I should also say that: even though Ju Won bothered me with his inconvenient ways, I thought it was very good how he, even upset, stood up against his father when necessary and did not get in the way when Dong Sik pointed out that there was something strange.

Cop dramas make me itch with anxiety, but I really enjoy it.

Now, about the plot, I thought it was really cool how they showed what happened several times, but every time with new details. Besides, even if the objective is "who killed Dong Sik's sister?" they still put it in a way that it didn't get tiring from it. All the deaths, all the connections were really surprising, all the ends were tied up nicely. I found the "villains" really motivated, they had a goal and that's what they wanted.

In the end, I liked how they all received punishment for their actions, even Dong Sik who didn't "do it out of malice" and Jeong Je who wasn't entirely guilty. I thought it was really cool how they didn't solve all the problems with suicide and how all the characters had a direction.

I really loved the experience of watching Beyond evil, each episode was emotional and the feeling of existential emptiness will take time to leave me ( ಥ⁠_⁠ಥ)

Oh, I need to add that Shin Ha Kyun's acting really was one of the most impeccable things I've ever seen. He really shows several performances with mastery, really a perfect actor.

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Had its Moments, But Too Much Tell and Not Enough Show

This series had potential, and it does have some great moments, but overall it’s far too much tell and far too little show. Too much of the show is explained by what the characters say as opposed to what the characters do, and because of that, I am never really convinced of the things I need to be in order for the show to have real stakes and be satisfying. It’s said that one should show and not tell, and this show too often forgets that. The first half is also glacially paced, to the point that I wanted to put my head through a wall at times. But even that’s a bit uneven until the last quarter.

I will give that the show is well acted and that the OST is fabulous. Those things really help to punch up something that I might otherwise have dropped.

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Mixed feelings

I just finished the series and I truly don't know how to feel about it.
I'm going to start with the positive stuff - the cast, acting and soundtrack are all perfect. I especially applaud the actors, who played Juwon and Dongsik - outstanding performances from the both of them. The soundtrack flows beautifully and is just perfect for this series.
However, the story is quite messy and I questioned a lot of the characters' actions. The show falls flat after episode 8, but gets better again after episode 13. Episodes 9-12 were painfully boring to watch. The plot in general is quite hard to follow and confusing, that's why I'm rating the rewatch value at a 10, because then you can rewatch it and try to piece this confusing story together with the context of the characters' motivations and goals. The plot got predictable at times to the point the plot twists could be seen coming from a mile away. The show also left me with some questions, but the most common word in those questions was why. Why did dongsik say nothing when he realised who killed minjeong? Why do none of the characters trust each other? Why did kihwan not stop when he saw yuyeon on the road?
And most importantly, how did they get yuyeon's body in the wall without dongsik knowing? (not a why question but still).
Although this series was frustrating to watch at times, I will happily return to it to give it another chance.

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Came for the actors and stayed for the characters!

I watched the entire show in 2 days. That says a lot for me because I take my time when I watch Tv shows. I mostly just let the story unravel itself as the characters slowly weave their way into my heart but with 'Beyond Evil' I couldn't bring myself to wait.


1. ACTING- The actors are the biggest strength of this show and I don't just mean the main leads.
The MLs though, on top of being ridiculously handsome, the way they played their roles is what made me swoon over them and excitedly wait for them to appear on the screen. I would smile wide everytime and then when they were on together, don't get me started! The tension and vibe *everytime* (which is kind of the key word here) got me jumping and clapping like a seal. (No exaggeration).
Every character holds a place in your heart and all the credit goes to the casting! It really was an amazing bunch. Their "FRIENDSHIP" is really heartwarming to watch, the way they care for each other and come together, you cannot help but fall in love with them.

2. BROMANCE- It's kind of all that I need in a show sometimes and this show gives you all kinds of feels. The relationship between the two MLs starts off as a storm, definitely makes you question your choice and wonder whether there is any bromance in the show at all but as the episodes progress, its unravels very beautifully and then makes your heart melt. It easily was one of the most angsty bromances I've watched and I cannot explain the emotional rollercoster they put me through together.
There is one more pair in the show, mostly in the background, but it surely pulls your strings in a different way.

3. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT- I REALLY loved the characters- if it isn't already obvious. And I'm a sucker for character development and this show definitely gives you some major turns. It kind of becomes the base of the show.

4. MUSIC AND PRODUCTION- It's very believable and really pulls you in, especially the parts where the puzzles start to fit in place.

5. STORY- It's not particularly the best story, sure there's suspense and some emotional and shocking components but it's not that unpredictable. The serial killer trope is what I came for but the show halfway through loses that concept. I'm not complaining. I don't even consider it as a big disadvantage, like I said the characters totally manage to make you forget all about the plot issues and just make you want more.
A few episodes are messy- not the best but no show is ever perfect. There are no filler episodes though, each moment is important to the story but it gets a little messy half way through. Maybe 2 episodes somewhere in the middle but it's still enough to keep your interest hooked.

6. Shin Ha Kyun. His eyes. I'm just putting it there. You'll know when you watch the show. His character is extraordinarily selfless.

SO, YES! It's an amazing show. Definitely worth a watch. Just continue watching even if it feels slow because the characters really don't let you drop the show and just make you want more.

Have fun!

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Deserve the Baeksang Award

I can't asked for a better crime thriller drama. Beyond Evil, honestly exceeded beyond my expectations. Both Yeo Jin Goo and Shin Ha Kyun gave their best performance. Not only that, I love the flow of the storyline. The show had two parts divided equally and perfectly. Episode 1 to 8 contains the first part while episode 9 to 16 holds the 2nd part. And how they relate both parts so perfectly is really amazing. Would have give them a 10 if only they didn't hinted the loveline between Han Ju Won and the girl (can't remember her name) towards the end. I just think that it wasn't necessary for them to put it in but nonetheless it was really good and amazing.

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✋️The Hoods in the Hood °7.4° °VG°

BE flies in the face of the concept that time heals all wounds. Sometimes time merely allows wounds to fester into a gangrened mess. A 2021 release that is rated 91 on AWiki, it is1 season consisting of 16 60-minute episodes.

Back in time we see Lee Dong “Shik”, who is the older twin by a minute, but only half as accomplished as his younger sister. The priggish church lady readily points that out. Two decades forward he's a cop. Known for his temper, as we first see him 20 years hence, he's busting up an illegal gambling ring - of old ladies at the beauty shop! Shin Ha Kyun (Evilive) is perfect as Shik. He's crazy, alright… but does that make him guilty? His sister died 20 years ago. She wasn't the only one. Now, people are dying again.

It's good to see Yeo Jin Goo in a highly rated production. He's marvelous in Hotel del Luna-8.4, but My Absolute Boyfriend-6.5 has some problems, as does Link: Eat, Love, Kill-6.7. Both of them are (arguably) good enough for a one-time watch. He's the primary reason why. I haven't gotten to the popular Circle nor The Crowned Clown yet. Here, he's born-to-privilege Han “Joo” Won, son of the next police commissioner. His dad's making him do the rounds of small town police stations to get the feel of the force. That lands him next to Shik. The chief notices their distaste for eachother and pairs them up. Mr. Yeo always plays someone slightly fussy or high maintenance. In BE he's a germaphobe.

Shik and Joo are a good iteration of The Odd Couple. Manyang is a small town, and the small town feel weighs heavily on the production. Shik is from Manyang, but Joo is from Seoul. Shik is from a humble family while Joo's family is the furthest thing from that. Shik's no germaphobe! We'll see him touch things that'll make the average person squeamish. Joo is a rule follower. That ain't Skik! As the body count mounts, almost everyone is suspect. Shik, having suffered his own share of loss and trauma, might just be the most suspicious.

The acting really is superb. It seems like many of the side characters get their Oscar worthy moment. Choi Dae Hoon (Flower of Evil-8.9, Extraordinary Attorney Woo) plays Park Jung Je. Kim Shin Rok plays violent crimes officer Oh Ji Hwa. Her resume isn't long, but wow. She's excellent. She has a small but pivotal part in The Cursed-8.3, and she slays it. Choi Sung Eun (The Sound of Magic) is Yoo Jae Yi. Choi Jin Ho (The Heirs-7.3, Oh My Venus-7.4) plays Han Ki Hwan, Joo's father and Deputy chief of the National Police Agency. Kil Hae Yeon is Do Hae Won, Congresswoman of Munju City. She gets alot of work. She portrays the mom in both Something in the Rain-8.6 & One Spring Night-7.8, shows that echo eachother like two volumes of the same book. . Nam Yoon-Soo plays the youngest cop we see. He was fabulous in The King's Affection-8.3. Yoo Jae Yi is played by Choi Sung Eun from The Sound of Magic. She is amazing, particularly in ep7. Jang Sung-Bum (Call It Love-8.4, Stranger) plays Shik's former partner. He gets a brief but excellently acted out death scene in flashback. He can sing beautifully, btw. He shines in Call It Love-8.4.

Let's not overlook Lee Gyu-Hoe as Kang Jin-Mook, the painfully shy and stuttering father of one of the victims. After I looked up his bio I noticed that I've already seen him in Crash Landing on You-9.1, Link: Eat, Love Kill-6.7, Daily Dose of Sunshine-7, and DP-8.4. I didn't recognize him at all! It's a testimony to his superb skills, as he is most definitely superb in BE. Screenwriter Kim Soo Jin gave us Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Jook & the excellent comedy, My Only Love Song-8.7, and Shim Na Yeon also directed The Good Bad Mother.

⛔Mini spoiler⛔
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The most painful death is Kang Min-Jung's. Her demise seems to break Shik's heart. They have various suspects locked up that are, at the time, believed to be the last person to see Min-Jung alive (she's marvelously played by Kang Min-Ah from True Beauty). They managed to surprise me when the culprit is finallyrevealed.
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Do most of Shik's moves make sense? I'm not sure… I can't adjust to the 💅 finger thing. They do explain it, but I can't fully board that car and ride along. Do they reach alittle far? Go to the border of nonsense? Sure, a couple times they get dangerously close and it isn't always a smooth ride. But they get away with it. Overall, BE is very good. Not everything that happens helps the plot along, and it was slightly dragged out at the end, but it is still a quality crime caper that is worth watching. Ep7 is magnificent.

Overall, the cadence and filming are good. The palette is dark and most scenes have a grimy feel. That takes skill. In one scene, they are searching in a cornfield at night. Aerial shots show black trails between the stalks where other wanderers have trod. I don't know Korean or Mandarin, but I have to wonder if, from an aerial view, the trails make any kind of character? It looks possible.

Manyang's past and present will collide before the end. Long standing corruption is at the seat of many of the issues, but not all of them. Not only are there crimes to solve, but the biggest mystery is if Skik & Joo will be able to work together without killing eachother before the end. One can't figure that out early on. It remains a question to be answered until nearly the last frame.



QUOTE📢

Can't you tell that nut-job is 100 times more rational than you?


〰🖍 IMHO

📣7.4 📝7.6 🎭8.3 🎨7.7 🔚7 ▪ 🌞4.5 ⚡5.5 😅2 😭7.7 😱5.4 😯3.8 🤢5 🤔4 💤2

🎵/🔊7.5 Shazams: The Road, by sunwoojunga & Empty by car, the garden

Age 16+ Murder, violence, gore. Rated TV-MA: Mature Audience Only.

Re-📺? Doubtful



In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

Modern Day -
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Oh My Ghost 10,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
My Mister 9.5,
The King's Affection 8.3,
Mr. Sunshine 9

Action/Crime/Sci-fi -
K2 8,
Private Lives 8.1,
Inspector Koo 8.4
When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Law School 8
Sisyphus 8,
Tunnel 8.5,
Signal 8.6,
D.P. 8.4,

The Cursed 8.3,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
The Man from Nowhere 8.9,
Parasite-9
Black 9,
Squid Game 8.4,
Kingdom 8.3,
Sweet Home 8.4

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Joo-won, your husband misses you.

For a show with a great potential like this, i was kinda dissapointed. It started out pretty good, the suspense, distrust between main characters, finding out who's the killer.
The middle half though, after identifying one of the killers....dragged out pretty badly.
If only they've given more screentime to Joo-won and Dong-sik, instead of trying to share it equally between other, secondary characters, it wouldn't been so bad. But instead, what i got was boring characters i didn't care about chewing the same sentences over and over again. Those politicians, wannabe puppeteer manipulators, felt as bland as a piece of paper compared to the main serial killer. Watching them waste precious air over and over again almost made me snooze in the middle of every episode starting from the eight one.
But regardless, the final two to three episodes were pretty good. The focus shifted onto the main characters once again, as if they tried to fit all of the plot holes and the rest of the plot into the last three hours. Honestly, i wish there were less episodes, maybe then plot wouldn't feel so draggy. The chemistry between main characters and their charismatic allies is the only thing that saved this show.
And really, there's a lot of negative things that i can say about....pretty much everything, but there's two phenomenal points that i can't criticise: 1) Music 2) Acting
Even when i didn't care about the characters, or found them boring, i could tell that every actress and actor put their whole souls into their roles. The slow build between Shin Ha-kyun and Yeo Jin-goo's characters is mwah, chef's kiss. THE slow burn that ever slow burned, as my loml would put it. You can feel the loving touch of a woman in this show.
Music is just....no notes. You can feel the atmosphere without anyone saying a word, and it WILL touch your soul.
Did i enjoy watching it? Even with all the negatives, yeah, i did. Is it rewatchable? If you can put yourself through the torture of repeatable situations and scenes, then yes, but i can't. Maybe later. Maybe in a year or so, two, even. Maybe i will watch the first eight episodes and the two last ones, then.

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Superb thriller drama of 2021!

After all the cheesy romance kdramas, this one feels like a breeze of fresh air.
The story can be divided into 2 parts: part 1 is who-done-it type of show and part 2 is about how to catch the culprit(s). I find part 1 is wonderfully made with slow pacing at first and then when it hits climax it's perfection, like a symphony. Part 2 is when the "teamwork" (which is build up in part 1) is finally paid off and it's beautiful to see these stubborn characters work together. However, I find part 2 leans a bit much on stereotypical tropes of evil chaebols/people in power and therefore predictable as well. Moreover, the drama also sometimes heavy-handed its message that bad people must be punished by the system (even if it's the same system that enables them, in this case they only point out the "few bad apples" in the Korea justice system w/o seeing the pattern of abused power). Overall, there was storytelling magicality to the screenplay, the choice of music for each scene makes it more whimsical. Suspense builds up at the end of each episode. There is subtleness to the dialogues spoken by characters which is crucial to the plot & overall aesthetics. It was aesthetically pleasing drama with black, gray & brown color schemes mostly.
The acting of all characters are amazing throughout, of course especially Dong Shik (now I understand why he won best actor). Yeo Jin Goo surprises me because he's so young but very talented as well and doesn't get outshined by Shin Ha Kyun. The characterisations of the 2 main leads are wonderfully executed with satisfying conclusion arc, when they finally find peace within themselves (I'm so glad none of them die). However, I wish we got to see more of Joo Won backstories which hopefully explains his strong moral code (because it's the main drive of his character but he definitely doesn't get it from his parents). I also find it a bit unrealistic that the show implies that both of them seems to do fine (mentally) after the culprits have been caught which is kinda unrealistic with how erratic they behave throughout the show for a long period of time (they should both get therapy tbh).
The music is memorable which is rare for me with a thriller kdrama. I'd def rewatch my favorite scenes sometimes.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Beyond Evil '' is a psychological thriller with a duo of detectives that aid the success of the drama.

The two main leads are great, nailing their performance, and their chemistry was enjoyable. It was also nice to watch their relationship changing from enemies to friends.

The criminal case was, in addition, interesting to follow, even though it got predictable in the end. The final episodes actually weren't as good and as strong as the first part of the drama.

Finally, the action scenes were nicely handled and the side characters were also entertaining.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

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Brilliant crime/mystery similar to "Broadchurch"

I watched this series after watching Flower of Evil. I thought Lee Joon-gi was superb in the series but was puzzled that he lost to Shin Ha Kyun. So I watched Beyond Evil to satisfy my curiosity.

Beyond Evil is highly recommended if you are looking for crime/mystery with brilliant writing and phenomenal acting. This drama is in my top 5 kdrama list.

What I like:
1) Sublime acting by Shin Ha Kyun. I was mesmerised by his performance (various facial expressions - he even once fooled me!) and and handsomeness. I sound silly but my gosh, he was very handsome in this series.
2) Brilliant writing - there were many twists & grey areas. It's hard not to side with Dong-sik despite some of his dubious decisions. This series reminds me of British drama series called "Broadchurch" because of the similar premise (murder in small town). Supporting characters were well-written too,
3) Han Joo-won's characterisation - I enjoy seeing his character development and conflicts that he faced,
4) The score - one of best scores for a drama series regardless of country of production. I love 'Who is Monster', 'Beyond Evil opening theme', '2000 Mayang' very much that they are in my music playlist.
5) I love the interrogation scenes. Interesting to see strategies deployed to get statements or info.
6) I learned about makgeolli from this series. When I travelled to Busan in 2023 and saw makgeolli, I thought of this series.

What I dislike:
1) I think at one point, I thought there were too many red herrings that I was slightly lost in the plot.

Favourite scene:
The arrest scene in the final episode remains my favourite scene. Emotional punch!

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Amazing :)

I don’t often use my time to write a review because I’m not really good with words but it will be a shame not to write one about this show.

First, it’s amazing! The actors really did great in portraying the roles that I always want to go inside the screen and stab them myself lol

I also like the way they drop the twists at the end of the episodes. They always caught me off guard, I was like “ohhh so he’s the one” THEN WHAT THE FUCK HE ISNT!?????!!!??

The music was good too!!!

One thing I dislike about it tho is sometimes they go in circle and like they are dragging it too much to reach 16 episodes BUT THEY WERE ABLE TO GIVE JUSTICE TO THAT. Actually on the late episode my thought was, please dont end 😭

overall this is one of the shows that is really worth your time so please go and watch it!

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A profound and poignant series.

I have to say that Korean series excel in thriller, suspense and detective genre.
Here I must say that this overall has a superb production, direction and themes are dark which goes in line with the story being told.

We discover a small town supposedly quiet but with a name attached to a bloody and heavy history.
This story goes back to a series of disappearances and murders that happened 20 years earlier.
I must say that the direction is great, we got flashbacks at the most critical moments, the tension is at its height and these flashbacks not being omniscient, they can be misleading and leave us with lots of questions for the future.
So we have a narration of the facts of 20 years ago in parallel with the resurgence of this case which has never been resolved in current day.
A young detective, not so innocent as that, takes the initiative to continue this case, which leads to an unfortunate situation and the plot becomes more complicated. Especially since it turns out that one of the suspects from 20 years ago is now one of the small town police, and he's as dark and deranged as his reputation suggests.

I'll leave the plot here, without saying more, but I must tell you that the story and script were very well written, especially to highlight the acting of the characters.

Having dark tones, the main characters are just as dark, especially those of the small town, who carry a heavy sadness, a lot of pain due to the disappearances and the questions that have never been answered.
Over the course of the series, we begin to suspect everyone - which often happens in detective series - and sometimes with good reason.

The character of Shin Ha Kyun is overwhelming, he is very complex, intelligent and raw, we can feel his pain, his hopes and doubts. He definitely deserves his Best Actor - Television at 57th Baeksang Arts Awards. His character is striking, and it is difficult to forget such a performance.

He is joined in this series with a young actor, Yeo Jin Goo, who plays the young detective ready to stir up the past. Who also delivers a beautiful performance, his character struggles a lot in the series, to know who to trust, but above all how to discover the truth. He has amazing chemistry with Shin Ha Kyun.

For the secondary characters, they are all equally mysterious, complex and their characters have been well written and acted.

To sum up, if you like good productions, plot and character driven, in very dark, mature and complex police and human tones. Then this series is for you.

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