The Murky Stream

The river that ran straight and clear

Correct me if I'm wrong, but my geographical knowledge granted - most rivers run neither straight nor clear. This series promised a raging river and instead delivered a silent stream.

Instinctually, it's easy to recognise that The Murky Stream is a drama that is solemn, but unfortunately, that may be the only thing that is consistent about it. Because the narrative, the plot, were all scattered around aimlessly, barely managing to come together in the final moments for a lackluster ending.

I do believe this is a story that requires some knowledge on the era it is set in - unfortunately, I walked in knowing none of it, making me unsure if some facts were true and lost on some contexts. As such, I may not have been able to understand or enjoy this piece of work in it's intended or to the full extent - and for the same purpose, I won't focus on the actual details in the series in my review.

The first three episodes of this series had dreamlike writing - the story ebbed and flowed like the titular stream, nothing was quite clear, everyone seemed highly faceted. With the introduction of every main character, I thought I had it figured out! I could tell how the story was going to go, I could plot out all the major conflicts based on the information we were given, and this was going to be an epic struggle for all our characters - for their duty, dreams or dignity.
I, however, wanted to be proved wrong, because my version of events weren't nearly as twisted or mysterious as they needed to be. I was proved wrong, but I now wish I was right.

Because you see, my predictions were coherent and the primary problem here is with the pace of the story - focusing on the plot, all the nitty - gritty details is not a bad thing, but too much focus on that and you lose track of your narrative, you lose your flow. Multiple seasons (or no), you need a setup, you need your events and you need a payoff, especially when the plot is heavily geared towards political and social themes. The story moved forward without any real direction or turbulence, things were plain and simple, yet made no sense.

No episode after the first trio had much to say, every immediate scene introduced a new character or a new conflict or a new chronicle, but none with any substance. All the details presented needed to have been revealed much earlier or in a much more interesting way. I do recognise that the narrative took on a form that was much closer to real life than reel, which eventually ended up bogging down what could have been an interesting tale.

Thankfully, the final two episodes did have an interesting narrative - but I hated them. Majorly because none of those plotlines had a valid setup. The hurried sequences seemed to be connected to actual historical importance based on the emphasis placed on them - but it was too little too late. It came out of the blue and did nothing to complement the setup in the first three episodes, rather, it felt like a brand new story all of a sudden.

It seems like the story, the dialogues, the bonds between all the characters were written down before the characters were even finalized - and when you're stubborn that the story will go one way and one way only, it doesn't matter how much you work on your characters, they will do and say what the script says, even if it means it goes against the very fiber of the core characteristics you've written for them or even if it means they barely have characteristic of significance, something that makes you remember them. This series is afflicted with the second situation.

This is only enhanced by another massive error they made writing this script, ignoring their leads. Most of them at least. You need them all for the most part, but take any one of them out of the equation and the story would still move forward. I don't see that as a good thing, especially when you're marketing the complex ties between all them to be as murky as your river, it is kind of futile to not give any of them the required screentime or character depth. All of them are one - dimensional, can be summed up in a word, or they have no real personality that allows you to ponder upon the bonds they'll create or the actions they will take.

Siyul for example - he's described as hot headed, but you can see he's kind and fair from his screentime. But that's it? How does that play into Chun's honest idealism? What about Eun's prejudice, or Mudeok's cowardice?
And Siyul is the common link here because there's barely any interaction amongst the other leads. It felt like each of them was on their own personal journey, yet occasionally crossed paths with others, in happenchance.

I suppose my main gripe here is that everything was clear as day - none of it was remotely murky. The story and the character's personalities were both set in stone, neither of budged an inch through the course of the nine episodes.

I have no complaints about the acting or the cinematography, but in this context, they pale in comparison to the writing that stuck out like a sore thumb.

Watching it completely did indurate the fact that many events that happened in the series may be reflective of real life, but once again, I am not well versed in the history of the region and era. I will do some research into this, but whether it was historically accurate or not, ultimately, this was my kind of drama, but with bad execution. On a personal note - I hated how little screentime Seoham had, because to be completely honest, I started it for him. But even discounting my personal feelings on it, objectively speaking, they had so much going for them, but instead of running with it, they sat around toying with ideas that went nowhere and settled for an ending out of left field. Let's say they concluded it as well as they could, with an ambiguous ending, but even if there is a second season, I will not be revisiting it.

6.75/10

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A river that whispered depth, but politely kept me afloat!

This drama had a beautiful idea. The Gyeonggang River, which was once pure, now thick with silt and sorrow, is a reflection of a nation sinking under corruption and decay. On paper, they got everything right. The whole premise had beautiful imagery-a river that mirrors its people, a mirror that refuses to flatter. Yet in the execution, all the ambition and artistry become too heavy to carry. Somehow, the weight of the premise is what sank this ship.

At its core, we have Siyul, Choi Eun and Jeong Cheon, each with their own demons to deal with. Siyul is caught between the guilt and survival of his brutal past and trapped in a cycle of choices that blur between justice and vengeance. Opposite him stands Choi Eun, the merchant whose integrity becomes her curse. I liked how she refused to let the corrupt system dictate her but I feel the writing didn't do her justice at all. The lack of screen time just made her seem like a haughty noblewoman but we see glimpses of so much from her towards the end. Somewhere in the middle stands Jeong-cheon, the official who dreams of power without corruption, a dream that steadily unravels.

The three are meant to represent different moral shores of the same river but the current never quite pulls them together. The 3 leads somehow felt like supporting characters in their own story. The first three episodes did a great job at setting up the story but the middle four (4-7) kind of lost their way. We wasted too much time on Mu Deok's story in the middle. I get they wanted us to show why he is here, but it could have been shortened and utilised to make the present plot better. The drama was about the 3 leads but somehow became "Mudeok's show".

Again, the idea of moral decay, corruption of people sitting at the top came through, but a bit heavy-handed and very convenient. Arrests and deaths happened too easily without letting the subplot fully bloom.

Too many characters felt underdeveloped as they simultaneously opened too many threads at the setup. By the time we were moving somewhere, it was already time to wrap up.

However, not everything was lost. The performances and acting across the board were solid. Roowan dominated the drama with his excellent acting performance. This is the first time I am seeing him in a non-polished, raw role. Seo Ham also looked very different here, and while the script didn't offer him much, he still left quite a good impression on me. With Ye Eun, the lack of screentime makes it harder to review her performance, but with what was given to her, she did well. The supporting cast had some good seasoned actors and no one disappointed.

Another thing I enjoyed was the bond between the bandits. I won't lie, I despised them at the start and was annoyed by their very presence, but they grew on me and on Siyul. They provided the comedic relief and brotherhood. It was like a mini break of happiness amidst the bleak and tragic premise.

Visually, the drama aced the setup. The outdoor locations, the grainy texture, the constant haze of dust and water...all of it feels lived in. It captures a world that’s both dying and alive, heavy with the smell of labour and loss. But sometimes the set-up was draining. I don't say it in a bad way, but on the front, it was too realistic.

Overall, Murky Stream definitely dared to ask uncomfortable questions about power, corruption and limits of conscience but somehow failed to answer them on the screen. I expected a deep dive into those murky waters, exploring the characters in that morally grey light, but I was never allowed to swim deeper. This quickly escalated into the case of over-ambitiousness.

Will I recommend it? No, I guess. The weekly experience was draining. But maybe binge-watching it can offer a different perspective.

Thank you for reading my review! <3 I hope you enjoy this drama more than I.

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