Hierarchy

The Character Problem

I think the issue with hierarchy is it's characters. The idea of the plot makes for a good revenge thriller. However, it feels more like a teen high school drama than a thriller. this is probably because the protagonist has forgotten his motives five minutes after kissing the female lead. The fl is another issue. She has no personality; she's basically a robot. It's like talking to a brick wall. Her boyfriend, Rian is an obsessive, pretty boy with mommy issues. They both casually admitted during one of his flashbacks that their relationship is just a way to escape the burdensome realities of their lives, yet they somehow thought their confessions were romantic. Hera, the second female lead had a lot of potential, but her writing was shallow. She was still a bit entertaining to watch, though. I'm not done with the show yet, but it's been boring so far. Different people watch shows for different reasons: characters, plot, aesthetics, etc. Personally, it's impossible to get invested in a show that doesn't have interesting character, and these are by far one of the most boring set of characters I've come across in tv.

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This Ain't Revenge. It's Regression

first two episodes really had me thinking.. "this is not that bad, why does everyome hate this?". oh boy did i know what was coming for me.

“the baby must have understood i didn’t want it, so it left itself.”
and that was the only line that had any impact.

let’s start off easy—there is no plot. hierarchy attempts to throw in three different plotlines and then expects them to miraculously blend like some k-drama smoothie. spoiler alert: it doesn’t work. these plotlines don’t intertwine, they run parallel, like socially awkward train tracks.

there is no development, no real mystery, no gripping romance, no fulfilling revenge. just vibes (and not the good kind). the only time the plot moved an inch was during the last 45 minutes. until then, i was multitasking my way through like a champ, wondering what genre this drama even belonged to.

revenge? poorly done. handled with the grace of a toddler throwing a tantrum at a birthday party they weren’t invited to
romance? non-existent. only people that did have chemistry didn't end up together so.. what's the point?
mystery? girl, where??
character development? raw. not rare. RAW. stove wasn’t even turned on.
plot twists? mostly yawn, with one almost-shocker that you could kinda see coming if you squinted.


lee chaemin's acting? great. his character? spineless. sir, your whole arc is about avenging your brother and you give it all up because you caught feelings for a girl you met two business days ago? be serious with me, kang ha.

woo jin? pretty, but a certified clown.

yoon hera? the only saving grace. she deserves the world, an oscar, and a better drama. ji hyewon, thankyou for the gem of a character.

jung jae-i? emotional depth of an orange. actually, no—an orange peel. her character arc was meant to be deeply emotional. teen pregnancy, miscarriage, abandonment—this had the potential to carry the entire drama. but her acting? yeah no. she was the protagonist, and she failed her own story.

kim ri-an? boring. not even brooding. just blank. like his entire screen presence. honestly, him and jae-yi deserve each other. two characters with emotional range stuck at zero. and again, not a single compelling moment to tie up their arcs.

the pacing? somehow fast AND boring.
the visuals? appealing to look at. they clearly spent a fortune making this look good. pity they forgot to include a functioning story with it..
the OST? can't remember a single track.
the ending? unsatisfactory and face-less like, seriously. couldn’t even show jae-yi's mom’s face.

“Hierarchy” had potential. but potential doesn’t save you when the script is running on fumes and the characters are running on vibes and delusion. the ideas were thrown together like ingredients in a blender with no lid. messy, flavorless, and exploding everywhere. they had the budget, the cast, the aesthetics—but forgot the soul.

but go off i guess, Netflix.

Rating: 5/10 for cinematography and overall enjoyability, and for hera trying her best in a sinking ship. if you search up the definition of "mid" on wikipedia, this drama pops up btw.

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Built up a mastermind plot just to hand the wheel to romance and drive straight into mediocrity.

A story about power, corruption, and secrets—except the secrets weren’t that deep, and the power struggles weren’t that intense.

Disclaimer: This review is 100% my opinion — I’m not here to hate, just to share my thoughts! Also, SPOILERS AHEAD, so proceed with caution if you haven’t watched yet. Watch it, come back and let’s see if you agree. Let’s keep the discussion respectful and fun! 💕

The Good
It was short
I genuinely struggled to find anything I truly enjoyed about this show. In the end, the main reason I finished it was simply because it only had seven episodes. At least it didn’t force unnecessary filler just to stretch the runtime.


The Bad
Where do I even begin?

A Revenge Plan With No Plan
I went into this show thinking Kang Ha was going to be this genius transfer student—someone with a master plan to expose the privileged kids and uncover the truth behind his brother’s death.
Instead, none of that happened. Rather than executing a clever strategy, Kang Ha spent most of the show playing boyfriend and getting lost in pointless drama. To make it worse, he didn’t even discover anything himself. The only investigative move he made was getting the pills in Ri An’s locker checked, which led to zero follow-up. Everything he should have uncovered was handed to him by Joo Won, who actually did the work. And then, at the very end, he swoops in acting like he’s the mastermind who pieced everything together. Boy, bye.

Empty Threats and Plot Armour Galore
How were we supposed to feel intimidated when every threat in this show was completely hollow? They literally beat In Han to the ground over a stained shirt, but somehow, Kang Ha—who made out with Jae I, constantly provoked Ri An, and walked around being smug—never got attacked once. At the very least, they could have had Kang Ha fight back in an attempted attack to justify why they never tried anything again. Kang Ha was a nuisance, yet everyone seemed too afraid to put him in his place. Why?

Romantic Detour? Seriously?
His whole downfall started because Jae I smiled at a dog. That was it. From that moment on, his entire reason for coming to the school started fading into the background, and suddenly, she was off-limits in his revenge plan. He was supposed to see everyone as a suspect, but she pets a dog and suddenly she’s innocent? She rides his bike a few times and he’s in love? Please. He was willing to keep her name out of everything, despite knowing full well that she let things happen. I— please be serious.

Plot? What Plot?
This show felt aimless. Was it about Kang Ha’s dead brother? Jae I’s unresolved trauma? Ri An’s mommy issues? Woo Jin’s weird relationship with his teacher? He Ra’s financial struggles? It kept shifting focus so many times that the main plot got completely lost in the shuffle. Sure, it all sort of connected in the end, but the middle was a mess. Too much screen time was wasted on subplots that didn’t matter.

Overhyped Villainy That Wasn’t There
Let me start by saying, bullying is terrible, and In Han was treated horribly. But the show oversold how bad things actually were. I expected the main four to be actively hunting scholarship kids for sport, torturing them for fun, or at the very least, getting their hands dirty. Instead? They were mostly bystanders, never directly involved beyond standing around watching.
And then we find out In Han’s death was a total accident caused by a teacher trying to cover up her inappropriate relationship. Like… huh? His death felt rushed, random, and frankly lazy. Yes, it was still tragic, and yes, he suffered. But compared to how dark the show implied it would be, it just didn’t land. Honestly, it would’ve been way more compelling if scholarship students were mysteriously disappearing and Kang Ha was the only one trying to uncover the truth. But what we got was one accidental death and a bunch of kids who weren’t as evil as advertised.

The Dead Brother? Barely a Priority.
I really can’t stress this enough how much the show did not turn out like it implied. Kang Ha wasn’t the strategic avenger we were led to expect. The first few episodes set up the main four as untouchable villains, yet in reality, they were just bystanders like everyone else at the school.
What’s crazy is that In Han’s death plot took a backseat, even for Kang Ha, which was supposed to be his entire reason for being at the school. In hindsight, it makes sense that Jae I is the one front and centre on the poster while Kang Ha & Co are shoved in the back. This wasn’t his story. It was hers. And that bait-and-switch was a huge letdown.

Jae I Was Annoying
Did anyone else feel like Jae I was constantly playing the victim?
She acted like she deserved comfort over In Han’s death, as if she had no power to stop what happened. And when she finally confessed to killing In Han, it felt less like accountability and more like “tell me it’s not my fault”. Let’s be real, the only reason she spoke up was because she was being blackmailed. Where was this righteous energy when In Han was still alive? Had she never been exposed or blackmailed, she likely would have buried the truth just like everyone else and simply sworn to do better next time.
And don’t forget, Ri An’s lackeys were the ones actively bullying In Han, and Ri An was obsessed with Jae I. If she had told him to make them stop, he would have immediately listened. She had so much influence over him but never used it to help her own friend. She stood there, day after day, letting him get harassed, and then played the victim when it came back around.
Jae I wasn’t just a bad friend to In Han, she was also a horrible friend to He Ra. Jae I ghosted her for three months, never telling her where she went or what was going on. Then, after months of silence, she suddenly shows up and starts barking orders like she never left. And somehow, she never told He Ra about her pregnancy, but did tell a random guy who showed up a month ago. She really treated He Ra like a sidekick, only calling her a “friend” when it was convenient for her.

Jae I’s Emotional Plot Twist That Wasn’t
Let’s talk about Jae I’s sudden 180. For most of the show, Jae I treated Ri An like an annoying ex who couldn’t take a hint; constantly acting like she didn’t care and wanted nothing to do with him.And then suddenly, she’ll do anything for him?
For most of the drama, she stared at him with a deadpan expression, talked to him like he was a pest, and barely tolerated his presence. And the issue wasn’t just the inconsistency, but the fact that she showed little to no emotion throughout the show, making the sudden change hard to believe. If we saw her struggling more: visibly torn or emotionally conflicted, it would’ve added some weight. But because she delivered everything with that same blank face and emotionless voice, the twist didn’t land.

Kang Ha: The Walking Plot Device
Few things annoy me more than obvious main character energy, and Kang Ha was the prime example.
He was some random kid who showed up and single-handedly changed everything, despite having no real plan. He walked around like he owned the school, like he had everyone wrapped around his finger, but the reality? He had nothing but vibes and a vendetta.
The most convenient moment? Flirting a little, acting smug and then magically stumbling upon a hard drive with everything he needed to take down the elites. Like how did Kang Ha even figure out Joo Won was blackmailing Jae I? He just showed up at the party fully in the know. Like… what?
Then, we get a pointless after-credits scene where a guy is dead, and Kang Ha walks around smiling, acting like he just pulled off some brilliant victory like he didn’t do the bare minimum the entire time.
Please.

Kang Ha’s Nonexistent Outside Life
This might’ve flown under the radar, but it really bothered me: for a show that centres Kang Ha, we know absolutely nothing about him outside of school. He lives with his uncle, but where are his parents? What’s his home life like? Why would any guardian let him enroll in the same school where his brother literally died?
The only time we see him outside of school is when he’s working at the market and that scene was only included because Jae I happened to be there. Otherwise, he doesn’t exist beyond the gates of the school. For a character with so much supposed depth, we sure got served the shallowest version of him possible.


Final Thoughts
This was a huge letdown x1000000. This time, it wasn’t because I expected a good show going into this, but because the first two episodes set this show up for something huge. Especially with how Kang Ha carried himself. Him coming in like he was going to turn the school upside down was exciting. But seeing him be all about revenge for all of two episodes, then fall in love and switch up? Took me way off guard.
I usually avoid reading reviews before watching shows because I don’t like going in with bias, but for this one?
I really should have. The comments called it perfectly, and honestly? I should have trusted the collective suffering of previous viewers.
Lesson learned.

~~~
Did anyone actually enjoy this show? If you did, please help me to understand why? This didn’t even cover everything I had to say and yet has so many questions in it.

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A show to NEVER recommend!!!

this show was complete waste of time every single episode I was so irrated. if it wasn’t seven episodes and longer, I would have NEVER finished. I disappointed for wasting my time on it. The female lead is so annoying and how are you going to have a relationship with the teacher and the teacher becomes possessive. not only that why are you falling for the person who feels she killed your brother and dated the person who is apart of the reason your brother is dead. if you wanted revenge I feel like you could have done it better. At least the revenge part was somewhat decent. and then the other male character s are so annoying especially the FL’s ex.. like you broke up with him and now you are saying you still love him and this and that. I feel that if she got with the male lead more ppl would be happy but at the end she left everyone and it was kind of an open ending in terms of. what happens at the end of the show. but all in all the show is HORRIBLE

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I'd give it a miss...

I wasted too many hours of my life watching up to episode 6 (although it took me MONTHS of dipping in and out) before I finally gave up for good. Please do not waste your time, the storyline is poor.
I thought it would be decent to start with, like a Revenge of Others vibe, but it was just a car crash.
Everybody was so stiff, there was no chemistry between any of the characters, and the most expressive character in the whole show was the principal's strange son. All the characters have something that makes you hate them.

And WHY, when they go outside to have conversations, do they stand 6ft apart every time?? They might as well shout it so the whole school can hear their secrets.

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Waisted Budget

I was very excited to watch this drama and was really looking forward to it, unfortunately I was disappointed. The cinematography and scenery was really good, you could tell they put effort towards the production. Also, they’re outfits and the settings were cool. I was looking forward to watch this drama because I usually like the high school trope that involves revenge. The first episode started okay though after that it fell off. I’m not even sure what the plot was supposed to be after watching it. I was looking forward to see some revenge or at least chemistry with the characters. Nothing against the characters but the script was clearly not it. Hopefully, they make better high school tropes as it seems dramas have been lacking in that genre. Wouldn’t recommend 🙂

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Skippable. No really, don't bother.

A synopsis that had me hopeful for a good revenge drama, eventually disappointing me two episodes in.

Basically the writers focus so much on the struggles of the rich kids that the viewer is left with "I really don't give a shit." There are ways to concentrate on the antagonists without making them into the main character. Meanwhile this drama has managed to show that the only thing we are supposed to care about are the societal and familial struggles of rich kids rather than the literal boy who died because of their actions. That's..ridiculous.

Every minute I wondered: can we get back to the student that DIED already? Or maybe show us what the kids who get bullied go through? The pressure on the scholar student kids who act shitty because of the rich kids pressure? Show us their home life, their decision making, their pain. Hello??? Show us anything, literally ANYTHING relatable.

I'm used to revenge stories to focus on the revenge not trying to humanize shitty rich kids who didn't give two fucks when people were bullied and beaten up around them. It made me feel nothing but annoyance. Maybe I would have cared had they not been such shitty, dismissive, entitled people about everything that didn't directly affect them. So yeah, I don't have a single care for Jaein and Rian's "star crossed lovers" arch...

Also how are they not mentioning that Ri-an is a toxic boyfriend? He's controlling, he literally has people beat up just for befriending his girlfriend and he won't take no for an answer and the writers gloss over it completely.That's crazy.

The acting is stale and the story presented forgettable. This is something you can watch if there is literally nothing else to watch out there, which is not a thing.

I found this drama by chance only to realize that it's giving Elité season 1, if it was bad and not fully thought through.

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Another Big Budget Disappointment

It is as I expected just a korean version of elite + bullying. None of the characters especially the rich brats be it the FL or SML or others are likeable as each is just selfish.
The cast has surely done a decent job with their characters and makes us want to root for some and hate others. Although I would say this is RJE's weakest performance till date.

ML is out for revenge but has gotten wavered by a pathetic FL who only cares to protect SML.

Fl's character is a total damsel in distress who all she does is cry and beg. I really didn't like her character at all. A cold ice queen type who slowly opens up to ML or SML about her inner pain surely would have been better instead of a FL who is a weak crybaby from the start but anyhow this is how the show makers wanted it. RJE was a total miscast for this role and has zero chemistry with any of the leads and was bland the entire time with her acting.

SML is an A grade trash who deserves to be sent to prison. Dude is ruthless with no remorse for his actions. I am glad he doesn't get ML's forgiveness till the end.

Frankly Both SML and FL deserve each other as both were pathetic. One enjoys bullying other students while the other one only watches it and not once tried to stop it and then both acted all guilty and how sad they felt for ML's brother death. Not even once did any of these two tried to stop it, had they done it he would be alive.

The bullying shown in this drama is something I have seen many time before in Kdramas and is quite prevalent in South Korea's schools and colleges.
The show's story screams how much it is influenced by spanish drama "Elite". All the bullying, sex, drugs, filthy rich morons and their brats, parties, pregnancy ..... just reminded me of it. The only good thing about the drama is the production value and nothing more.

It is another disappointment after "The Impossible Heir" although the acting is good in this one.

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Missed Opportunity

I shouldn't have watched the ending credit scene, it annoyed me. This story was meant to be avant-garde like Nevertheless and both failed. If you want a story to be edgy, it should have a point and a definitive ending. I hate ambiguous endings the most, it's sloppy, if a sequel was intended, set it up as so, this way fans can be excited and anticipate it. Doing so builds respect for the writer. I will follow a good writer's career because I appreciate the talent required to tell a good story.
What I did like: I liked the love story between Jae I and Ri An and the friendship between Jae I and Kang Ha (because that's all it was) He taught her to find value in herself and protect what she loved, and she did. I was glad to see she showed him the ultrasound; it was a poignant moment in their relationship.
One thing I hate about stories like this is powerful never pay for their crimes and neither do their kids. Those that do their bidding are the ones sacrificed. I hope to god, if there is a sequel, they don't make Kand Ha a villain, I would be extremely disappointed because it wouldn't fit his character.
This my two cents, take it for what it's worth from a fan that loves great stories and is disappointed in missed opportunities.

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Pretty but not much substance

I was sick and couch-rotting and this show was suggested by Netflix. The premise/vibes sounded intriguing (murder mystery and revenge plot?!) so I gave it a shot before seeing the negative reviews.

I loved the cinematography and overall darker/edgy vibe, but the plot ended up being a bit underwhelming. I suppose it was as spicy as it could get for a high school chaebol drama, and the suspense buildup was pretty good with some twists, but the main characters were really immature. Character development is slow and/or lacking in most, with an exception for He-ra. Kang Ha came in looking for revenge - and I guess he did get justice served eventually, but almost got derailed simping for Jae-i lol.

Honestly, if Jae-i had just communicated more with her bf and supposed bestie, things would've turned out way better from the start. Her stoic personality went from mysterious to boring pretty quick bc it turned out she was just anxious and avoidant. Glad she finally started standing up for herself against her dad and communicating with her friends at the end. Also the homeroom teacher really had the audacity to act all empathetic about In-han... SMH.

Overall, it was still an ok bingewatch while I was sick and vegging out on the couch lol - I could just turn off my brain and enjoy the cinematography and vibes. The finale was pretty satisfying in terms of closure, although they definitely left it open for a second season, which based on reviews might not happen lol.

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