Black Out

An absolutely beautiful drama

I very rarely write reviews, but this show deserves one. Honestly, I only discovered it and decided to watch because I’m a fan of Byun Yo-han. But the entire cast hooked me in even more each episode. Go Bo-gyeol in particular was amazing throughout, especially in the back end of the drama. Byun Yo-han took the spotlight as he always does. It was my first time seeing him in a deep, emotional role like this, and he just had me mind blown. Such incredible acting from everyone, I can’t stress that enough.
The plot of this drama is interesting, leaves you on edge with suspense and has you racing to watch the next episode. I loved every twist and turn it took. Definitely has a high rewatch value.

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Best Thriller of 2024 - Every Second of Every Episode is Exciting!

“Black Out” is one of the most captivating thrillers I’ve ever seen, in any language. With just 14 episodes, it kept me on the edge with its clever, suspenseful narrative, brilliant acting, and haunting background music. It’s definitely one of my top dramas for 2024! I always say "Life’s too short for bad, draggy dramas" but believe me this one will keep you hooked every second. This is definitely going in my Hall of Fame, and going to be my Top 10 Drama recommendations henceforth!

⦿ Story & Pace:
Clever writing and direction - making you watch every second of every episode with bated breath for the mystery to unfold. The pacing is just right - not too fast or slow, and we see every character, every situation analyzed well, so when all the pieces fall in together - the end result is logical, sad but satisfying. The narrative is of the present, with flashbacks from the past. This could be obvious from the drama title and summary - given this about a man who has no memories of the crime he may have committed, and therefore trying to put the pieces together.

⦿ Acting:
Sheer brilliance - from every character: the good characters will make you root for them and hope that they triumph, the bad ones will you want to slap them from the screen and the grey ones will make you pull your hair, be shocked at the revelation and sometimes sympathize with them & their situation (as you might have guessed some lines are blurred with those good/bad characters, and therefore is one of the reasons this is such a brilliant drama)

⦿ Special Mention:
(1) Byun Yo Han (ML) playing Go Jeong U: I had seen him only in Misaeng: Incomplete Life, a drama which is iconic in itself. There too he had owned the character even though it was a support role. In this drama, he depicts a man who has lost a lot in life, but is still not able to come in terms with what he has been accused of. The frustration he shows is with all around him as well as himself, because he cannot remember whether he is guilty or not. When you watch the drama - as an audience even we are perplexed, half the time making us think he is innocent, and sometimes giving us a doubt - which is something beautifully portrayed by this talented actor.

(2) Go Jun playing Detective Noh: Oh where do I even begin with this man? I think this actor has been rightfully nicknamed "Dirty Sexy" cause he literally embodies it. He is your typical brawny cop who lives by the books, but when he meets the ML and he observes, doubts creep in his mind - on whether justice was really handed, or are there more secrets that need to be uncovered. From acting as a tough cop, to be sarcastic to his seniors, to getting his way cleverly in order to get to the bottom of the mystery - he shows a diverse range, and along with the ML, their subtle bromance/camaraderie is really great. This is my first drama technically in a main role and I can't wait to binge his other works - for the looks and acting both! (I saw him in Misty last but that was a support role, but totally sexy ;)

⦿ Overall:
If you like such genres - I'd highly recommend this show. I never waste my time in a drama if it doesn't grab my attention in first 10 minutes, and drop it no matter what if it wastes even a single second. Since Life is Too Short to Waste on Bad/Draggy Dramas. Therefore, take my word - every second of this drama is worth your time - and be warned, you'll not be able to keep it down until you complete it.

⦿ P.S.: Why 9.5/10 for some aspects in MDL Rating?
In my ratings break-up - the music and rewatch value are not 10/10 only cause - honestly I was not focused on the music as the story was enticing. So after completing the drama I just know that it supported it well, landing it during the suspense/thrills and twists as needed from a background score for such a show.

The other aspect of rewatch - this is a personal opinion, I usually never go back to watch crime/mystery/thriller/suspense shows - cause I know how it all unfolds. And since I know the ending I will never rewatch it completely. But otherwise, I would definitely watch some of the best scenes from in between.

Therefore overall the drama is 10/10, but these are some minor aspects which can be overlooked, but I thought to add cause MDL ratings ask for it. And in case anyone wonders why some factors are less than 10 but overall the drama is a 10/10 score from me.

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Taking out the trash

This is a great mystery but almost every character made my blood boil.

The beginning is genuinely so sad. We see Joung Woo getting arrested, mentally tortured and blamed for two murders he very obviously didn't do. He suffers in prison, he suffers when he gets out of prison. Everyone hates him, everyone blames him. No one is on his side.

He gets almost murdered every episode and he is reckless and naive but I like that about his character. In the shitty town where everyone betrayed him and his family, he was holding onto hope that they are his friends. But with friends like that, who needs enemies?

The shitty characters ranked:

1. Fake detective friend - super shitty bastard. I can't explain how much he annoyed me. THE ENTITLEMENT, THE AUDACITY. WOW. He thinks he is the victim. He hasn't apologized even once to Joung Woo. I'm glad he is suffering and his life is falling apart but I wish we saw more. For example, his life in prison should be hell.

2. Chief's minion/lab rat - everytime he opened his mouth I wanted to slap him across face. He should be a fantasy novel writer, not a detective. He acted all righteous and mighty ignoring he put an innocent man behind bars. Also a coward.

3. Chief - this man never stopped and tried to reflect on his actions. He never apologized, he never admitted his mistakes. He just manipulated people and tried to save his own skin. He might say it's for his son's but it was never for them, only for himself. Absolute human garbage. He tried to die but he doesn't deserve that, he should suffer living with all the things he did.

4. Actress stalker - she is insane. Just because she couldn't have Jeong Woo in a romantic way, she decided to destroy his life. If he said he doesn't like her, he doesn't like her. That's it and she needed to accept it.

4. Father duo - they were the ones that killed the first girl but they tortured Jeong Woo and his family and pretended like they are the most righteous people in the world. The most important people. The best. Their son's are precious while someone else's son and daughter can die and go to prison. THE ENTITLEMENT with every word they say. The fact one father asked Jeong Woo to write the appeal letter. I couldn't believe what he was saying. Absolute trash.

5. Min Su/nurse - coward trash.

6. Doctor - a creep sleeping with minors. He can't yell at his rich, successful wife so he yells at every other woman that he thinks is below him.

7. Congresswoman/Doctor's wife - she is super fake.

8. BY mother - hypocrite. They are all hypocrites. When it's about them, it's one thing. When it's about someone else, it's another.

Decent characters:

1. Joung Woo - they set him up because he was loved, rich and successful. They were jealous.
It was super satisfying to see him get a not guilty verdict at the end.
A cutie pie.

2. The detective - awesome character. Very smart and cool.

3. Med intern/girl - nosy but cute.

4. Why did the wife beater turn out to be the only one to feel guilty, apologize and reflect on his actions?

5. Geon Oh - he was a coward, he came too late but he tried his best and he was the only person to show some remorse, guilt and to apologize sincerely.

6. Jeong Woo's parents - the fact they hid his car and believed in him till the end.

Best line: Why does everyone keep dying without saying anything?

The best scene in this drama is the ending of ep 3 where Jeong Woo finds the first girls corpse. It's so sad.

Overall, very interesting, very stressful, everyone sucks.

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Will you kill for your kid?

I was watching an insta post about that question, and people were shocked someone would say no
but it's all about the context right?

would you kill for your kid,

as the drama starts, a boy is accused of killing two of his friends, he goes to prison for 10 years and comes out hoping to find the truth and try to live happily with his mom

Sim Bo Yeong's dad, seeing that, got angry, and tried to kill Go Jeong U's mom.. is that revenge? no
as the drama goes by in a spiral of continuous draggyness, Sim Bo Yeong's dad does find out the truth and in a fit of anger goes to shoot that person, is that revenge? yes


Sim Bo Yeong's murderers, in a raging revelation, it turns out she was raped by two of her friends, she falls after the third friend tries to help her cuz he's another guy and she feared more
Choi Na Gyeom walks in, and instead of being scared it’ll happen to her or be fully sick beyond words, she says.
“Hide the body or your future will be ruined”??
The f is that? It’s not even about girl supporting girls but it’s a plain a human protecting humanity?

And they all listen to her? to call their dads, so 3 adults walk in
and protecting their sons’ future is more important than protecting the truth?
Honestly they could’ve been proven innocent anyways cuz yeah humanity sucks and would’ve said it’s consensual and she slipped and died anyways
Cuz a boys future is worth more than a girls

but, she didn't die, so one of the dads kill her cuz they're in too deep now...................
and gang rape and they’re like “she was bound to marry one of them”




Park Da Eun, the snowwhite. she's cheating on Go Jeong U with an older guy, Choi Na Gyeom who's obsessed with Go Jeong U, after witnessing the rape and murder of another girl, stays silent and films the murder of Park Da Eun
becasue once the two girls are out of the picture, Go Jeong U would be hers...............

honestly revealing that Park Da Eun was a cheater was enough.. so yeah all are crazy but Choi Na Gyeom was worse.....

anyway, she stays quiet for 10 years because she didn't think he'll be convicted, but I'm sure she just enjoyed him being so outcasted and out of loop thinking he'll run to her once she shows kindness
she literally also used the second murder to blackmail the murderer's wife to gain a chance at fame....




anyways, if that isn't enough melodrama, Hyun Su O and Hyun Guno are, twins, and each one is involved in 1 of the murders..
guno, in 10 years didn't tell his dad "you crazy old dude covering up for 4 psychos, cuz you thought i was involved for standing there, but i wasn't", he didn't say he wasn't involved, but he had time to go and collect evidence, the evidence that would've proved his innocence and made his dad stand with him....................... agh...........


suo, had a disability, and once he saw the beautiful "snowwhite", Park Da Eun, die. he carries her to his "hideout" and preps her grave...
now literally, no one knew about that hideout? that was on their property.. where he'd go to draw, and the dad never knew about it? but the snowwhite murderer knew







so yeah, even now, writing all of that out, it's so basic, so simple, and that's to say, Go Jeong U and No Sang Cheol, trying so hard to detective, they were so slow and so dumb
they didn't find any clues without guno's confession, they didn't know where to look without someone spoon feeding them
and, it goes to the point, "nobody knows" the whole truth, but the first case had 7 people involved, and the second had 5, so eventho a couple were involved in both cases, it took a whole village to hide the truth, but that was one too many people in on the secret that they had to go spilling it out
it's a surprise it lasted 10 years
if that wasn't enough suo/gunho's dad was cheating with Sim Bo Yeong's mom.................. like "yeah I hid your daughter's 7 murderers. but like you"
and Go Jeong U's dad just happen to die, when the 4 fathers of the real murderers were happy knowing what they did




would you kill for your kid?
even if your kid is the rapist and murderer?

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Interesting premise and great acting; awkward characters and flawed story

The story itself had a very interesting start, opening up with a gruesome case with a mysterious perpetrator, with all clues pointing to the main lead as the culprit. The drama did a great job of peeling apart the layers of this event, starting off by presenting us with a colorful cast of villagers and close friends of the ML, but slowly melts off their facades to reveal the gruesome truths of that night and the evils within them. I have to give Kudos to the actors/actresses as they did a great job of playing the roles of innocent, friendly villagers at the start, to transforming into some of the most hatable, blood-boiling characters I have seen on the small screen.

Along with the acting, I also thought the pacing was pretty good for a 14 episode drama. While there were moments that could have been sped up here and there, the writers did a good job of revealing the truth piece by piece throughout the story, keeping me invested without making the truth easy to guess until the final episodes. The atmosphere of the setting was creepy and keeps us at the edge of our seats. Dark lighting and multiple camera angles of the same scenes kept suspense up and truths hidden. These were a few of the things I liked about this work and kept me watching until the end. Now for the negatives.

The main character was not interesting... I think his acting was fine, but he didnt have much to work with. He doesn't really have any standout moments for me throughout the story. The ML gets trounced on over and over and over again the whole show, and while this did drew pity from me and made me root for him, I don't think the resolutions the main character reached in the latter parts of the show are satisfying in comparison. In moments where he is supposed to stand out, like when he approaches the people who framed him, the lines are neither memorablr nor impactful. This mostly ammounts to something along the lines of "Don't you feel sorry to (victim name)?" or "why did you do it? which gets pretty old when you see this sequence repeatedly for each person who framed him (which happens to be almost every character). I think this ended up making the main character a kind person with a really uninteresting personality that could've been much more interesting if they had either more badass in his scenes like the second main lead, or made him a more flawed complex character. As he is, it feel like he doesn't add too much to the story other than being a plot device for finding the truths of the murders.

Go Bo Kyeol, while she acted well, I felt like her character was not fleshed out well enough to be worth including in the story. It seemed a little awkward how they spent the premise developing her as this superstar who was the only one to stay by the MLs side at the start, but then stopped really developing her as a character until later, where she is revealed to be some psychopath mastermind who had planned out for the ML to be put in prkson. I don't think they explained her backstory well enough for me to fully accept that she went from having a simple, albeit jealous c
Highschiol girl crush for the ML. to becoming a sociopath lover of the ML, framing him and happily visiting him in prison for 10 years. Even when her truths are revealed to the ML, the resolution for her seemed forced and really unnecessary for the overall story.

I also think there were too many plot holes for me to really ignore throughtout the drama. I think it was weird seeing how conveniently easy it was for witnesses throughout the story to clearly recall small details from events from over 10 years ago, like the details of a random car crash they saw and the exact voice of the killer they heard over a 2g cellphone. But sure, let's say they did recall these events because they were so traumatic; why was it so easy for this to become credible evidence for the police? Especially considering these same police had brushed off other, more concrete evidence from the day of the incident, like DNA samples on the clothing of the victim. This drama is about a case from over 10 years ago, which in real life would be almost impossible to solve, so I understand that these plotholes would exist for the convenience of the story.. .but they did make the story significantly less immersive for me.

Overall, I think the premise and buildup of the drama were interesting enough for me to push along and finish it, but the negatives of this drama did exist and made me give it a lower score than I would otherwise. In the long list of Korean thriller mystery dramas that exist where Signal stands at the top, I probably wouldn't recommend this to others. But if you especially like the cast and have time to spend this was overall entertaining. 6.5/10

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Not a pleasant watch

First of all, this is a copycat of Beyond Evil. In both series we have a small village, a murder of a teenage girl(s), a friend group of teenagers, a young guy who gets blamed for the murder, a corrupt police chief, an involved higher political figure. Sure, there is the difference, that in this series the boy was convicted and went to jail. In Beyond Evil they said, that regarding Korean law, no one can be convicted of murder if there is no corpse. In this series, it wasn't the case. He got 10 years without ever finding the dead bodies. I have no idea which series got it wrong, but that was one big difference. Sure, in Beyond Evil, the one who was accused of the murder became a cop himself, but overall, those two series are very similar. So I knew pretty fast that the police chief wasn't trustworthy at all, and the crime involved adults with higher social status and wasn't done by young boys on an impulse.
Well, my issue with this series, though, and I know this review is a mess, the characters were extremely annoying, even the mother of the wrongfully accused boy. In Beyond Evil they managed to make all the character likable, even the villains and the mentally ill friends. It was such an emotional roller coaster, while this series just got me annoyed.
I liked how the rather brute cop was fair enough to listen to the wrongfully convicted murderer and helped him solve the case. I liked their "bromance", but I also have seen better ones. Nothing really got me attached to those characters or their pain.
The main character did a terrific job with his acting, but that doesn't save much if every other character is just lame. Him crying about his dead friends got me emotional, just to find out later that those two girls were some annoying b*tches. The friends were rapist. The other one was sitting for 10 years beside a decomposing body.
Ugh.
I regret watching this, sorry guys. I still try to be fair with my rating.

EDIT: Apparently, this is based on a German novel. I know the author, since I am German, though I didn't read the book. Still, this is very similar to Beyond Evil in so many aspects that's the comparison is justified. I'm also sure they changed many things to fit the Korean police system and politics.

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A Suspense Thriller At Par With the Best

I started this show with zero expectations so it was pleasant surprise and also shocking!

Adapted from the novel “Snow White Must Die” by Nele Neuhaus, the show dives headstrong into two murder cases right off the bat. Before you gather your wits and question the inadequacies in the investigation, our protagonist is sentenced to ten years imprisonment. Starring an ensemble casting which includes Byun Yo Han, Go Jun, Go Bo Gyeol, Kim Bo Ra in lead roles, the show is a crime thriller which is simply egregious. The show circles around the main lead, Go Jeong U. He as someone stuck by circumstantial evidence, doesn’t remember anything about the murders that he supposedly committed; as he was drunk and the psychiatrists tagged his scenario as a “Blackout”. The show leads us through a journey where Go Jeong U retraces the steps through the murders that he was accused of. Shockingly bizarre truths unfold as he discovers that he was betrayed by his near and dear ones, people he trusted implicitly. Let’s dig deeper and learn more about his story!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/10/06/black-out-series-review/#more-1237

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Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Black Out '' or '' Snow White Must Die '' is a crime mystery drama about a man's quest to find the truth.

The drama is thrilling from start to end, with many twists and many layers of the mystery that keep things interesting and fresh.

In addition, the characters were also interesting, though some of them were too much of stereotypes, especially the 'bad guys'.

Still, the puzzle was well crafted and the result unpredictable.

Finally, the performances were all great by all the actors and actresses of the cast.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

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A Solid Mystery Buried Under Bad Decisions and Dragging Pacing

This drama had potential but ultimately falls short. It’s predictable, drags on far too long, and is filled with characters who make one questionable decision after another. Almost everyone behaves like an asshole at some point, and a few moments border on outright unrealistic or just plain dumb.

What saves it from being a total miss is the cast, they do their best with what they’re given and manage to keep things somewhat engaging. The central mystery about what really happened is intriguing enough to hold your attention, but the story should’ve been shorter and sharper. It had the foundation for a solid thriller, but too much filler and poor writing weigh it down.

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(TW: this series deals with sexual assault, alcoholism and domestic violence.)

Jeong-woo's courage and patience, though. Everyone condemned him and no one will ever apologise. Then his ‘friends’ don't help him, cowardly and sneaky. It makes me so angry to see their behaviour. The total lack of guilt on the part of the perpetrators is infuriating. I was drawn to the hero's determination. That's the real crux of this series, his determination to prove his innocence, so much so that the background of the characters who take his side is barely mentioned and not exploited at all.
The first episode is exemplary in its abrupt narration; the rest really takes its time, it's too long, far too long. For example, we get a piece of evidence to understand what happened ten years earlier and for an entire episode, it's just there, nothing is done with it, no one studies it. Eight episodes instead of 14 would have worked much better.

Next: the portrayal of autism. Frankly, I'm fed up with it. We're always reduced to circus freaks in perpetual crisis. Here, on top of that, he's some kind of dangerous madman. I'm really sick of it. Maybe one day we'll get a real, honest portrayal, namely a poor, isolated person, nothing spectacular, which is what most of us are, and not a rich kid with his own little painting studio and a dead body in his basement. Pfff.

Kim Bo-ra gives yet another good performance, still with a slight resemblance to Shelley Duval. In episode 7, one inspector asks another if the actress (he calls her by her real acting name, not her character's name) is more popular than Choi Na-gyeom, a character in the series; a strange joke, even sexist... it must have been improvised, I imagine.

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Imperfect but gripping.

So I just finished it. And I'm still kind of confused about what I feel exactly. There are a lot of things I disliked about this drama but a lot of things I loved as well. The sometimes convenient writing, some overdone tropes and plot holes are among the things I dislike. But the characters, relationships, OST, general story, lessons are those I like and are always what matter most to me in any work of fiction.

The first few episodes were pretty boring and frustrating to me but maybe because I wasn't in the right state of mind to watch then. When Geon Oh arrived is basically the moment I didn't want to stop watching anymore. Even when I wasn't convinced by the writing, I wanted to know. Things were starting to seriously move at this point and make me realize that the intense and complex personalities and relationships of all these characters made up for the sometimes sloppy writing - for me at least. Some twists I didn't except. Some were common, boring tropes. Some were common but interestingly done. Then the ending felt a bit rushed, especially episode 16. And the twist was... seriously absurd and badly written imo, with no explanation whatsoever. Really weird. So that was disappointing. There are also a lot of loose ends. But - what really mattered was resolved. And I think that's what makes its ending satisfying despite its many flaws.

I also absolutely loved the subtle friendship between the two male leads that slowly builds upon trust and suffering. Sang Cheol's character could have been deepened but he was a good guy anyway, loyal and honest from start to end and beyond.

Special mention for Sang Min, the father of Bo Young, that in all his imperfection and sins is actually a very powerful and interesting character.

Overall it's an extremely tragic, sad, bitter, sick but powerful story with fascinating characters, interesting relationships and a relatively satisfying ending despite a lot of unfinished businesses and sometimes too much plot convenience.

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