watch this to have the closure for the nonsense first two season served
●Since I had binged THE PENTHOUSE season 1 and 2, its but obvious to go for season 3. without watching this how could I even sleep after all the mind f**king bombs dropped in. I had to complete this to give my mind a peaceful rest.●once I felt as if I was watching an Indian drama with all the nonsense plot, but Kdrama eventually did better and wrapped it up in 3 seasons {48episodes}. it was a complete masala {spicy full of entertainment}
●Starting with the prison life it was full of a roller coaster ride with bitter truths unveiled. But this truth didn’t make my heart melt, because these criminals did so many bad things that it is hard to forgive them and feel pity.
●LIKED
-I loved the 3rd season for giving a complete closure but I hated how some of the characters had bitter endings. Yeah, I knew from the start that makjang tends to give bitter endings but the way it was cinematographed it was painful, the scene turned out beautiful yet painful.
-Everyone got what they deserved except some, who decided to go again make their own fate. I felt they were selfish, and when they were punished they want to run away from it.
-Shim Su Ryun fought for her kids but why would you make her that in the end.
-Come on Alex could have been a doner for Logan he could fight cancer, but losing love is really painful. I never really thought of them as a couple but the story flow made Shim Su Ryun and Logan Lee union a match made me heaven. Their union was poetic to me.
-Jincheon was the winner of all the 5 families of the Hera Club, and I think she deserves it, she took the right decisions and had regretted all the wrongdoings.
-All the kids have now excelled and chosen their path, I was really happy for them as they have realized their potential and didn’t take their parent's path. They are calm, hardworking, and good-hearted. They have really got a very great character growth since season1.
-From the start, I rooted for Seok Hoon and Ro Na, so it was the best thing in season 3. Their performance in the last episode.
-Everyone acting was extraordinary. Cheon Seo Jin's last scene was breathtaking.
-Actually last episode was really special, all of the scenes gave me major tears.
●DISLIKED
Joo Seok Kyung was one of the stupidest characters throughout the 3seasons. She thinks she knows all but she really knows nothing about the kids around her or the adults. She was like a caterpillar in the cocoon, who thinks it can scare people, but the world outside is way cruel.
●AFTERTHOUGHT
●This drama is not for everyone, you have to keep logic aside and see the depth of greed of humans which sometimes eat up your soul turning you into a monster.
●Thanks to the writers for cracking up my head with this mad story which TBH entertained me too.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Penthouse both literally and figuratively collapsed this season...
I first watched the Penthouse years ago and it was one of my first K-Dramas. I binged all of the seasons in under a week because of how much I loved it. I didn't make reviews for the first two seasons but know that I thought they were SIGNIFICANTLY better than this one. I actually enjoyed them and they were FAR more coherently written. But season 3? Disrespectful to the legacy of the prequels.The budget was still high and the show at least LOOKED fantastic. The music was great and one thing that disappointed me was that there weren't as many opera songs as I was hoping for. I really liked the singing in the previous seasons, but it was sparce in this one. The sound design is pretty good except for that one stock boom that happens during a "shocking" moment that sounds straight out of vine. The acting is still above average, but it felt weaker from Cheon Seo Jin and Joo Dan Tae; probably because their character writing suffered. A lot of actors had a glow up; especially the Cheong-a graduates. Bae Ro Na looked especially beautiful this season.
I think the premise of the first episode already set up the season in a way that was doomed to fail: all of the villains got out of jail within a YEAR and somehow all of them regained their wealth and status as early as episode ONE. It really bothers me when a new season decides to haphazardly retcon something from a previous season just because the writers want to completely change what happened instead of building off of it. Season 2 was at least respectful of the season before it, but season 3 was not. I heavily question if the writers changed this season.
However, the worst part of this season was DEFINITELY the writing of the characters. So many important characters suffered because of the atrocious writing:
Su Ryeon: She suffered awfully with how they killed her off in SUCH a BS way. Su Ryeon was doing FANTASTIC up until they decided to kill her off in an inorganic way. She was a woman that built a family for herself throughout all of the seasons, yet gives up on it in this one for little reason. Why would she EVER kill herself when she has Hye In, Seok Hun, Seok Kyung, Ro Na, and Logan actively waiting for her? She was torn to pieces in season 1 when she realized she wasn't there for her daughter that was given away, so why would she now abandon her children when they needed her the most? Those kids went through hell and yet they wrote her to be a bad mother by abandoning them in the end when she had a SAFETY NET.
Logan: He was "killed off" yet somehow survived an explosion and was shipped off into the penthouse without anyone noticing? Are you seriously telling me that Su Ryeon wouldn't follow him into the ambulance? Then whatever was happening with that 10 billion dollar check that was just laying around annoyed me since I can't remember it ever going anywhere important. Are you being for real when you tell me Su Ryeon hadn't opened that gift book before BAEK JUN GI???? Nah. But as for Logan, he was keeping things from his family for some reason and even when he was finally going to be happy by marrying Su Ryeon, the writers kill her off and then give him relapse cancer! What?! Why would he allow himself to die even if Su Ryeon had died first? Your entire family that adores you is still waiting for you and would do legit ANYTHING to save you, and Ro Na was needing him in her life more than ever since her both of her parents had died that season. He was also the new Chairman of the Simwoon group, so what happened to his responsibility over that? Who inherited it after him? Also, with the way the writers wrote his randomly thrown in twin, Alex, I have to wonder what they really think Americans are like......why are most bodyguards black and the thugs that beat up Yun Cheol in the previous season were as well. I'm not calling them racist, but I do wonder why that is...
Yun Hui: She wasn't as compelling as season 2, but that was fine since she took more of a backseat this season. I liked her friendship with Logan but of course we didn't get to see it much. I thought it was soo stupid how they went about the cliff car chase sequence. First off, she doesn't call the police immediately. Second off, she ends the call with Su Ryeon prematurely instead of taking at MOST 15 seconds to explain that Seok Kyung is her biological daughter. Third off, when she finds Eun Byeol in the car and instead of DRAGGING HER OUT, she decides to awaken her super strength and push the car from falling off of the cliff. FOURTHLY, when Seo Jin *does* grab Eun Byeol out of the car, she doesn't take the risk of jumping to the side in order to save her life when Seo Jin is CLEARLY out for blood. Yun Hui can be pretty naive, yes, but she is NOT stupid. So why did they write her that way??? I don't see an issue with her dying this season since it would have been weird in *this* show if the murderer of the girl that haunts the narrative gets to be all jolly by the end, but she should've gone out in a more sensical way.
Seo Jin: She stole the show in the first seasons, yet seemed too extreme in this one. It feels like any personal growth she had in the prequels was thrown away in order for her to be more vicious and deserving of retribution. I don't believe she would be so stupid team up Dan Tae again nor act so indifferent regarding Jin Bun Hong literally abusing her daughter. She literally paid 500 billion won with little hesitance to the ACTUAL scumbag Baek Jun Ki, and doesn't consider maybe just JUMPING HIM AND STEALING IT??? This lady literally killed people and nearly killed others, yet is afraid to have a nobody that will not be missed assassinated? I don't believe it. The way she killed Yun Hui also seemed premature since she was actually begging Yun Hui in her head to save her daughter, which she did, but then lets her die a brutal death spontaneously when she was just shouting that she'd save her in a moment. While I do believe she would have definitely killed her in season 1, probably in season 2, but season 3? I have doubts. I think a GOOD writing choice would have been to make her kill Yun Hui in a more heated moment, maybe half accidentally, then make her THINK she's happy about it and that her life will magically get better; only for her to later realize that she doesn't feel happier or more "whole" afterward and that her life actually feels LESS meaningful now that her one true rival was no longer challenging her. I think that would have been a great approach to her character, but they decided to simply make her evil and shameless even when killing her impaired ex-husband that she "realized" her true life for last season. Also, why didn't she get her vocal nodules dealt with last season? Why wait for so long? Did I miss something?
Dan Tae: A man of pure evil with a kill count that beats any others' in this show. He deserved to suffer immensely, yet I think he didn't get his just desserts this season. He dies, yes, but it was basically an instant kill and he dies still somehow viewing himself as the martyr. Is it actually possible for him to press the switch even with a bullet straight this his brain? I question it. I did enjoy learning his backstory, but I think it made me hate him even more because he went through a similar situation as the abused in this show, yet showed no remorse over it. I know that Jun Ki explained that Dan Tae copied his father's lifestyle after killing him, but it was harder for me to believe. They made him dumber this season too by letting Jin Bun Hong hold crucial evidence in her hand and demand 500 billion won from him after insulting him to his face. Why wouldn't he just get his botched Secretary to kill her and steal it? Speaking of his secretary, Cho was just awful as a righthand man. I've thought it since season 1, but I bet Dan Tae regrets losing his first secretary in the first 5 episodes since Cho is always fumbling every assignment and gets beaten so much, yet maintains his "loyalty" even when Dan Tae has nothing anymore. He someone weasles himself out of every cell he gets caught in, but it reaches a point of absurdity when he manages to always avoid police and get out prison with his criminal record. He somehow stole a rich man's identity after being a wanted criminal in Japan, and no one ever catches on??? Also, how did he manage to throw the real son into an insane asylum whilst being a wanted man??? It just doesn't add up. I also wanted more of his backstory with Na Ae Gyo in it. One scene of her at the tattoo parlor isn't enough for me to understand how a cold blooded man like Joo Dan Tae ended up adoring her and wanting to have children with her. They seemed so sweet back then, so why did they turn so cold in the future? They should've explained it better.
Yun Cheol: He felt pretty bland this season. I didn't like the way he died. I don't have an issue with him dying, but the way they went about it felt weird. I wasn't a big fan of how neglectful towards Eun Byeol he was despite supposedly "loving" her, either.
Ro Na and Seok Hun: Ro Na only really seemed relevant for a few things this season like tormenting Eun Byeol a bit and giving Seok Hun reasons to fight his dad. I liked seeing her succeed, though. Seok Hun was at his best this season and I enjoyed him fighting on his mom's side and not enabling his sister's bad behavior for once. I find him developing more believable than a lot of characters since he was showing signs early on into the story, but they still should have focused on it more in season 1. It's also a hard sell for me to support their relationship in season 2 when you realize he most definitely knew about her being bullied relentlessly for something that wasn't her fault, yet did nothing about it. He only showed up when it was revealed that his mom's killer was someone else. That makes him look reeeeally bad as a significant other. Red flag behavior; especially after his supposed growth up until that point. However, if I look past that, they were a pretty cute couple in seasons 2 and 3; a lot cuter than I remembered them being from my first watch years ago.
Seok Kyung: She was a raging bitch in 2 and a half seasons, yet they throw in a sudden redemption arc in the middle of this one since they must have realized they wrote themselves into a corner with her character. She was extremely selfish, entitled, and apathetic for YEARS, yet gets almost entirely humane after one orphan camp weekend trip and finding out about bullying her biological family? I don't believe it. The whole plot of her being Su Ryeon's biological daughter was nonsensical since you could TELL there was not intent for it in the previous seasons AT ALL. Nothing indicated that she wasn't Na Ae Gyo's daughter, but that added it in just to justify Seok Kyung suddenly becoming a remorseful person and "atoning" for her sins. Her working odd jobs and dressing plain at the end whilst refusing help from her brother doesn't really make that much sense for her character either. I also didn't like how this season seemed to have some weird dichotomy on whether being blood related to someone was more important in a family or not. It didn't rub me the right way.
Eun Byeol: I think she benefitted the most from this season writing wise. She suffers waaay too much though and it felt like the writers had it out for her. The plot with amnesia pills was extremely aggravating to watch, too. But I did like how her story ended. She was finally free from her mom and her expectations and could live a life for herself for once. She stopped looking away from her mom's crimes she committed in her name and decided to finally face them. She decided to accept the punishment on her mom's behalf by sacrificing her ability to ever sing again. It was sad to watch, but that would probably be the best for her in the long run. Soprano singing is what contributed to a lot of her mental anguish, after all. I'm just sad that her and Ro Na never got to reconcile as sisters. However, forgiving someone after they nearly murder you isn't exactly easy, so I get it.
Ma Ri, her husband, and Je Ni: They were pretty cool this season; especially Ma Ri. I loved how she was a strong woman and that she grew so much as a person. My only issue is that they made her so one note in season 1 that if I were to directly rewatch her harassment of Yun Hui and Ro Na after finishing season 3, I don't think I could tell they were the same person. If they wrote her with subtle depth from the beginning, especially with the backstory of her husband in mind, she would have had a more believable character arc. But all things considered, I did adore her joining the squad and how Je Ni is far less of a bitch this season and has a realistic friendship with Ro Na. Her husband that I forgot the name of was pretty much a background character and didn't really do much of anything that any other character couldn't have done themselves. I liked his start, but he fell flat; especially when he went to jail again off-screen.
Gyu Jin, Sang A, and Min Hyeok: Gyu Jin was somehow more annoying this season than the first two combined, but Sang A actually had a little bit of development. She tries to have more agency, but she reverts back to being one dimensional anyway. I only really liked how pretty she looked with long, wavy hair. Min Hyeok was most relevant in this season out of all of them, but he still wasn't that important. I'm biased into liking him because I like his actor, Lee Tae Vin, but his character development this season seemed out of nowhere considering how he was in the previous seasons. It seemed out of place for him to suddenly feel remorse and not thrive on watching others being bullied and harassed. His grandma was really annoying, too. I just thought I should add that there because where else am I gonna add it?
Other thing I wanted to say is that I really liked how they didn't chicken out with making Yun Hui the murderer in season 1. However, they seemed to have chickened out a bit in season 2 by making Dan Tae the killer instead of Eun Byeol. I understand they were just recreating the scene of the awards from their mothers' time at Cheong-a, in which Seo Jin didn't actually kill Yun Hui, but it would have been more shocking and respectable if they followed through with it being a teenager. People can be murderers and borderline evil even when they are as young as teens, after all.
There was also a lot of nonsense like how Su Ryeon just kept her phone alarm on and on her person even when she was walking down the aisle. Who does that? Then there was how Baek Jun Ki just escaped without returning, Joo Dan Tae somehow escaping a guarded mental facility in Japan, the fakeout of Logan's death at the end, and the confusing nonsense pertaining to the amnesia pills that I still can't wrap my head around. Why would Su Ryeon hang up the phone on Yun Cheol when he is impaired and SEES the crazy Seo Jin behind him?!?!? That is craaazy work on her part. I also hate the overused trope of "phone call or someone knocking prevents important conversation" that this show LOVES to abuse. I was so annoyed when Yun Hui was "blocked" from telling Su Ryeon about her long lost daughter just because someone knocked on the door at the prime time. Like, just tell her first before she is preocuppied??? The only kudos I give on something they overuse is recording threats people make. I usually get aggravated when stories don't utilize that cheat more, but this show made prime use of it. An issue this show has is never explaining how bodies are stolen or removed in order for characters to "revive." How is no one saying anything when there isn't a corpse around for a funeral? I don't get it.
Honestly, I'm disappointed with the writing team. ಠ෴ಠ
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This review may contain spoilers
I didn't like season 3 as much as I liked the previous two seasons (I rated them both 10/10). I was sort of watching if when it was still airing so basically just one ep a week but I didn't mind that much since it wasn't that good and this way I could take breaks between the eps instead of watching them in one go. So many things has changed, many characters has come and gone (this time without coming back) and at the end I was legit sad that it was ending. This is the longest Korean series I've ever watched with the three seasons and I was at the edge of tears when letting go and finishing the last ep.
At least my favourite character got (sort of) a happy ending 🥺 I was so emotional when the final scene came up, oh my god.
I give the rating 8/10, some scenes were too much and some characters seemed really unnecessary (eg. Alex) for the plot but overall it got better at the end.
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Still dramatic and so exaggerating
LIKEWhen Ro Na did not want to face Yoon Chul given how he had treated Yoon Hee and her - that scene painful *spoiler* so cannot share
When Yoon Hee appeared getting everyone's attention as she once again beat Seo Jin in another level in her singing skills
Could not remember if it is season 2 or 3 but when Myung Soo left a gift for Seo Jin - that scene my god I cried so much!
DISLIKE
The ending when I was hoping it to be real but...
MUSIC
Nice but not my fav
REWATCH VALUE
Five for now
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The first drama I am fully satisfied with
This is my first drama that I am satisfied with the whole story, acting, music, filming, and how they are mixed into a single drama that is divide into 3 parts. The moment that I finished the drama I felt satisfied, as if I was the person who was writing the story not the reader or watcher (as if person from outside who looks at a world that isn't the world that he lives in). Even though I hate dramas that have emotional roller coaster (not any emotional roller coaster but those who put too much that makes the dramas turn into fiction or those who put too little that it makes it not much than our own lives), I like how I lived the story instead of watching or reading it. I wish those who think that it will be too much for them from just listening about it (either someone told them from their own experience or they watched the some videos that talk about it) to try before they judge because I felt the same way until the end of the third season I felt like I am Satisfied that if I died today I don't mind it.Was this review helpful to you?
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Over the top messy but still entertaining
When i had finfinished s2 i had no plans of watching s3 immediately after while it was currently airing so i waited for the 13th episode to catch up. Over that time i ran into a few spoilers and many spoke on how they didn't see a need for season 3.In opinion season 3 wasnt has bad as people said but everyone is entitled to their own opinion whether you like it or not. But i felt this season closed the emotional roller-coaster of a kdrama that is penthouse.
Throughout this season there have been questionable choices such as logans brother's Alex who i didn't understand his purpose or why his character was mad that way. As a black person i too felt weird seeing that character especially in 2021. But I didn't want that to ruin the show.
In terms of thr storyline all i can say is it served its purpose to the end. Whether you like it or not everyone got a pretty decent ending even if you hate the character their endings kinda suited them in a way that doesn't feel forced like most kdrama endings.
Bae Ro Na star of the show in my opinion. She captured so many hearts and props to the actress for acting her ass off for 3 seasons since it was her first show debut. Bae Rona got the last laugh and succeeded over all the terrible obstacles she had faced. From the bullying , min seol a and her mothers/fathers death she needed a happy ending and im glad she got it and hopefully and im pretry sure it will happen her and seok hyun.I hope to see her in more shows or even the big screen.
Shim Su Ryeon MY MOTHER, this lady doesnt need any more essays about how amazing she is and as much as it hurt seeing her pass away it felt right in a way. Many may say it wasnt needed but her death and Logan's 3rd or 4th death idk went well. Its just the way things play out.
Overall everyone evil got what they deserved and if you hated the season and didn't see the need that's fine but if you one of the few people that did well congrats we made and Its over.
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Plot + review
Plot: The residents of Hera Palace, a luxury penthouse apartment with 100 floors, have manysecrets and hidden ambitions. Shim Su-Ryeon, who was born into wealth, is the queen of the penthouse apartment. Cheon Seo-Jin, the prima donna of the residence, does all she can to give everything to her daughter. Oh Yoon-Hee comes from a poor family background, but she strives to enter high society by becoming the queen of the penthouse, the pinnacle of success in her eyes. A battle for wealth, power, and prestige at Seoul’s most coveted penthouse begins.
Main: Shim Su-ryeon is a graceful, elegant woman who is kind and thoughtful, despite her immense wealth. She and her husband, Joo Dan-tae, live in the penthouse of Hera Palace, making her the queen of the penthouse. Learning of her husband's affair with Cheon Seo-jin and his involvement in the death of her daughter Min Seol-ah, she is determined to take revenge against him. Later in the series, she is also revealed to be the biological mother of Joo Seok-kyung.
Cheon Seo-jin is a wealthy woman who would do anything for power, money, and pride. She and Oh Yoon-hee have been bitter rivals since childhood. She pushes her daughter, Ha Eun-byeol, to sing in order to beat Oh Yoon-hee's daughter, Bae Ro-na, who is more talented than her.
Oh Yoon-hee is a woman whose dreams have been stunted by her lack of money and power. She does everything in her power to move up socially and financially so that her daughter, Bae Ro-na, is able to enter the prestigious Cheong-ah Arts School.
Review: This is one of my favorite and lowkey the best kdrama ever! The characters are so relatable. This drama shows us that parents will do ANYTHING for their kids, even if it means becoming evil. We all need to take risks.
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Oscar worthy and beyond.
Thank you to all the professionals who know how to evaluate a show and undermine the entire plot. DO NOT READ ANY SPOILER REVIEWS, I guarantee watching it is the best way to make your own judgement because you will get the best experience. The work done on this show since I've been following from the beginning is phenomenal. I strongly suggest you don't let any negativity cancel out an opportunity to watch one of the best shows of all time.As individuals our opinions may differ, but I must say I find it hard to understand why anyone would label this show as 'rubbish' I myself, am not the biggest fan of drama but the murder mystery was what got me hooked and so did the drama eventually along with elements of humour and themes of family which left me crying so much through season 1 to season 3.
please watch this. you will probably cry at times but there is a good thing in everything that is 'bad' except for the... Villains of course... who you may cry for as well. I'll end this here before I become someone who spills to much myself!
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Good Enough
The third season of the extravaganza of the drama 'The Penthouse: War in Life' was not as good as the rest of the seasons, as it was mostly a repetition of what had happened, with overplayed twists and a thinly stretched main plot.The revenge plan and the conclusion should have come earlier on, however, they dragged it so much that it ended up tiring to watch. At least, this season didn't hesitate to eliminate many of the key characters, but they didn't give the chance to pay for their crimes at the same time. The ending was just too cheesy when it came to the fantasy element, which was unnecessary, and questionable, when it came to the result, but nevertheless, still a letdown.
But it did have some good moments too, like the short exploration of the main villain's past and the raise and fall of Seo Jin. The performances were mostly enjoyable.
So, overall, 5.5 out of 10.
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This review may contain spoilers
Honestly, this is actually my most liked among the three seasons. All the things or events I would've expected to happen in first season to finish it off in one go, was all here. Perfect acting specially from Joo Seokkyung who got a lot of screen time here. I like everything from the flow to the events that had happened. It's just that, why did they have to end like that? They don't necessarily have to kill SSR because she still have JSK. How is that paying her sins when she left her only daughter in the world. They focused too much on "I don't deserve to be happy with Logan because a lot of people died with me getting my revenge" She didn't even mention or think of her daughter (and her son)? And Logan also randomly died?? Ok? Everything was okay except that. Was this review helpful to you?
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Good but a little disappointing
The whole series was really nice. I enjoyed it throughout but I'm a little disappointed with the last season. After giving two amazing seasons of this drama, after captivating us for so long, what they do is give us a sad ending.I feel that the deaths of Sim Su Ryeon and Logan Lee wasn't needed. Although the ending was happy for some characters and sad for some other characters, it was more of a sad ending. They could have made it a little happier by showing Sim Su Ryeon and Logan Lee together. Their deaths is the only reason why I didn't like the ending.
Overall, it is a really good drama and a must watch. It is not recommended for sensitive people.
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