El Lado Oscuro de Gangnam (2024)

THE WORST OF EVERYTHING

Gangnam B-Side opens with promise, diving into Seoul’s gritty nightlife and setting up a dark, crime-infested world. But what begins as a potentially searing critique of social ills quickly devolves into full-blown exploitation.

The series becomes a parade of graphic violence: Yoon Gil-ho is drenched in blood, women are injected with drugs and left vomiting or self-harming, and brutal imagery floods every episode. Its characters, however, are shallow outlines, tools for shock, not vessels for story.

Gil-ho, detective Kang Dong-woo, and escort Jae-hee are driven by rage and grief, yet never grow or evolve. Prosecutor Min Seo-jin walks a morally grey line, but the show’s surface-level feminism ensures she’s positioned as "one of the good ones" without much nuance.

Women like Jae-hee and Dong-woo’s daughter Ye-seo are written to be brave but ineffective, repeatedly saved by the men. Jae-hee’s final act of rebellion changes nothing except making Gil-ho more tortured.

Gangnam B-Side wants to be edgy and modern, but it sacrifices character for carnage. Ultimately, no matter how gruesome or flashy its scenes are, it doesn’t succeed in making me care. Its characters don’t feel real; they don’t adapt, grow, or even exist beyond their trauma. What’s the point of violence if it’s just noise?

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a big bloody hopeless mess

Gangnam B Side promised an engaging dive into the deep dark underbelly of Seoul’s Gangnam district, but unfortunately, it falls flat due to its poor writing and disjointed storyline. The series struggles to find its focus, hopping between the three main characters and plotlines without ever truly developing any of them. Instead of creating a cohesive narrative, it spends too much time shifting between viewpoints, which distracts from the overall story. Even after finishing the show, I found myself just as confused as when I had started. I was looking forward to this series, since a large part of the cast was recast from one of my favorite dramas, The Worst of Evil but unfortunately Gangnam B Side did not hold up. The acting from Ji Chang Wook and Bibi shines as the only real bright spot in this series. Ji Chang Wook’s performance brings a complex emotional depth to his character, while Bibi's undeniable screen presence dominates every scene she's in. I am looking forward to see Bibi continue to grow her career in acting and hope to see her headline more dramas in the near future. Unfortunately, their strong performance is the only redeeming quality that keeps this drama from being a complete loss. Sadly Gangnam B Side ultimately falls short of its potential, weighed down by an incoherent plot and an overwhelming number of underdeveloped and one-dimensional characters.

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