Hierarchy

Visually pleasing, but the rest made zero sense

You wouldn't believe how excited I was after looking at the cast and watching the trailer. I really had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, the only things I liked were the vibes and aesthetics. The story made no sense, the characters made no sense, the flow of the show made no sense. The whole drama felt pointless. It looked cool enough for me to finish it and I like the main cast from other dramas, but this frustrated me a lot. If you want to turn off your brain completely to watch rich people nonsense and impressive glamorous high school parties, and don't mind the characters not having much personality, I'd say go ahead. Otherwise, you wouldn't miss much and it that's really disappointing for me.

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Holy SMOKES!

This is one of the most disturbing drama I’ve watched on Netflix. The acting was alright but the relationship between the characters was so bad I had to dropped it. Theres like 0 chemistry between thr mc and female lead.

There was a scene where one of the character had a fling with one of her students and that just made me want to dropped it completely. Mind you that they are 17-18 years old and this teacher is probably in her late twenties. It just sort of disgusts me especially when they indicate there was a intimate scene in the show.

Not just that but the female lead feels like she was kinda a gullible character but not a likable one. I also don’t think she is a strong female lead. I didn’t finished this series as I dropped it. Cause i don’t feel like the need to finish the series as i sort of know how it would end.

Do I recommend you to watch this? HELL NO! Its honestly a waste of time cause u could be watching something better fr! But if ur curious suit your self!

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The script of the series falls into clichés from time to time

It successfully reflects the emotional depths of the characters. However, some of the side characters are not explored in depth enough, which weakens their roles in the story and causes them to remain superficial.

Questioning the effects of power and money on society the series manages to make the audience think and raise awareness. However the fact that some criticisms remain superficial and are not examined in depth somewhat weakens the social criticism power of the series.

The fact that some of the side characters in the series were not expanded enough caused the character played by No Jeong Ee to stand out even more. In this case while on the one hand it was advantageous from the perspective of having the player's capacity on the other hand it affected the overall distribution of the series.

To be honest, I didn't like Roh Jeong Eui's acting sorry Jeong Ee can use similar acting techniques in some of her roles. This may give viewers the impression that they are stuck in a certain role type or character mold. It may be necessary to break this perception by giving more diverse performances in different types of productions By the way, I really liked Yoon He Ra's acting, I hope her success continues.

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WATCH IT! It isn't as bad as what people are saying!!

I saw the many negative reviews but decided to give it a chance and I'm glad I did.

IT WAS NOT BAD! It was a simple drama to watch, nothjng special but it was a good type of simple.

I felt the actors did a very very good job. The storyline is the only thing I would have wished more of. The revenge plot was very poorly written. This guy is literally his twin brother. Get your revenge, who cares about the girl?

Then you have also have some sort of twister good villian story going on. Having you confused. I didn't care that they were in love and treat each other good. The fact is they bully the leff fortune. SIMPLE!!!

Again the story was a good 'one' watch.

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Pretty People, Pretty Things, Petty Problems

Hierarchy had been on my watchlist for a while, but I quietly deleted it after seeing an avalanche of bad reviews. The drama community wasn’t kind. But then Kim Jae Won happened, specifically, King the Land happened, and suddenly, I found myself casually soft stalking him like a woman on a mission. Turns out, Hierarchy is one of his newer and more talked-about projects, and with only seven episodes, I figured: why not binge it in one sitting and call it a day?

Let me just say this upfront, I walked into this with rock-bottom expectations. I wasn’t looking for deep storytelling or emotional resonance. I just needed something to pass the time before getting back to The Red Sleeve. And in that spirit, here’s my breakdown. Easy, honest, and to the point.

The Good Stuff:

1. Cinematography? Gorgeous.
High-quality visuals, sleek camera work, and a set design that screamed money. Everything looked polished, almost too polished, like everyone lived in a luxury catalog.

2. The Rich Were Rich Rich.
If you’re into watching excessive wealth parade around, think Hermès boxes in every corner, luxury homes, cars that don’t see rain, and private school vibes that are aggressively elite, Hierarchy delivers. Plot? Questionable. But aesthetics? Unmatched.

3. Kim Jae Won and Lee Chae Min = Eye Candy Deluxe.
Whoever cast these two deserves an award and a vacation. Not only are they beautiful, but they also brought more depth than I expected. For their age, the emotional delivery, especially in those tension-filled locker room scenes or when tears started flowing, was surprisingly solid. They carried a lot of the weight of this show, and honestly, they did it well. The rest of the cast was... there. Serviceable.

4. Wardrobe Department Did Not Play.
The outfits, especially for the male leads, were designer from head to toe. Sharp suits, tailored school uniforms, and the kind of casual wear that costs more than my rent. Same goes for the houses, the cars, the props, everything screamed budget.

5. Short and Sweet (Well, Short At Least).
They didn’t drag things out. No 16 episodes of the female lead staring into the void while piano music plays in the background. Things moved quickly, maybe a little too quickly, but at least I didn’t feel like I was being held hostage.

The Not-So-Great:

Don’t expect a plot that’s going to change your life. This isn’t The Glory, Sky Castle, or even Penthouse at its chaotic best. The themes are familiar, class division, secrets, trauma, betrayal, but the writing doesn't dig very deep. It gives rich-people-problems with a sprinkle of a revenge plot and teen angst, but if you're looking for emotional payoff or tight plotting, you might feel underwhelmed.

Final Thoughts:

Hierarchy is like a fashion magazine with a bit of drama sprinkled in. It's not here to teach you life lessons or make you cry in the middle of the night. It's here to look good, stir a little chaos, and leave before things get too complicated. If you're okay with that, and just want to enjoy the visuals, the pretty faces, and some high-budget messiness, it’s worth the watch. Just go in with the right expectations, and you might actually have a good time.

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We're All Just Trapped in a Cage

Much like many of the reviews of this drama, I was left with a feeling that it didn't deliver what I wanted. Usually when that happens, I try to look at it from a production perspective, mainly the writer and director. I ask myself, "What was the point of this story?" As I thought about this a conversation with a friend came to mind. One day we were talking about the rise of Korean entertainment, specifically Kpop, and she stated, "I feel for Kpop idols. They are trapped in golden cages."

When I looked at the characters of this story, they are all trapped in cages.
The parents trapped in the cage of ruthless power and wealth while appearing to do good in the world.
The principal of the school trapped in the cage of image and branding while constantly putting out fires that threaten that image.
Jae I and Ri an caught in the cage of being the most perfect, obedient, best students in the school, as well as, being crowned royalty which comes with the expectation of service from others.
He Ra was caught in the cage of survival when her only way of life she knew was threatened.
U Jin was caught in the cage of loving He Ra from afar, always wanting but never having.
Ji Su, the teacher and U Jin's lover, was caught in a cage of wanting to be a part of that wealth and seeing U Jin as the source. Her desire led to unspeakable, unethical, and illegal behavior. She was a teacher, suppose to be a good guy, but she was as corrupt and depraved as the students that bullied, the parents that controlled, the principal who covered up.
The wealthy students were caught in a cage of constantly establishing their superiority over others which also meant delivering abuse.
The scholarship students were caught in the cage of just putting up with the abuse to show gratitude for this educational opportunity.
Kang Ha's cage was one of getting revenge for his brother's death.

The only person I could see with a true mission of making things change was Ju Won who wanted to make his mother see how the effect of hiding the student's true behavior was damaging so many people inside the school and also damaging his mother. Which in the end led to the tragic death of In Han.

The story was about people taking control and breaking out of their cages. I think where the story broke down is the act of breaking out of the cage wasn't as clear as it should have been, wasn't as dramatic as hoped for, so we all didn't get the satisfaction we expected.

Jae I was probably the most dramatic of those who broke out of the cage. She said goodbye to Ri an, said goodbye to her way of life, and left to find her banished mother. We are left with the assumption that she is just living a normal, ordinary life.

Ri an too broke out of his cage by not allowing his mother to protect him. He declared he would not be his mother's heir and follow her down the road of corporate wealth. He apologized to Kang Ha for the part he played in his brother's death. Kang Ha's words to him motivated him to go before the disciplinary board to confess he too was guilty. We are left with the assumption that he would be a better person.

Ji Su was arrested for In Han's death and we assume she is now in a real cage.

There was an inkling that U Jin and He Ra might get together but nothing solid. Life seemed very much the same for them. He Ra's father got their company back on track so she was back in the driver's seat of living the good life. No assumption here, as it isn't clear at all what happens to them.

Kang Ha's ending story also fell flat. The revenge he sought in bringing down the school, Ri an, and the other bullies was entirely too anticlimactic. Instead it was coopted by his crush on Jae I, which I felt was too contrived. I honestly didn't feel they had a love connection at all. The scene of him running to catch up to her was stupid. In fact, most of the scenes for the final two episodes were awkward and stunted, like they were suppose to have a purpose but fell very short. It was a bunch of actors delivering their lines as though they all felt in the end that this didn't come together as expected. Which it didn't.

I like a storyline of a person coming into their own skin, breaking out of that cage of expectations by others, and finding their own footing in life. It can make for a really good story. But unfortunately, if that is what this story was suppose to be, it really fell short.

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Good but could have been better

Hierarchy now I don't know why so many people have rated this so low. Is it extraordinary? No, I don’t think so. Is it terrible? No, I don’t think so either. I think this drama was good, could have been better, and I think you really need to watch this to give a verdict.

In terms of storyline, it’s not new. A rich school, scholarship poor kids being bullied and the whole school being controlled by rich families and with controversies and all, it's such a repeated topic. However, I would say aesthetically I really liked this. The classes felt more luxurious and much more high-end compared to some other schools, and it really shows the difference between the elite and normal students from the color of the ties to the special classes.

The buildings gave me major Harry Potter vibes and a bit of a hotel feel. It looked like a prestigious school no normal person could go into. So the idea of the elite was well presented.

Spoilers***
In terms of the characters, Jae Yi and Ri An are actually nice, and they have heart-breaking stories. You can see their love is very strong. Hera and Woo Jin are also complicated kids, but the four together are not terrible; they are not directly doing things, but they are involved as bystanders or solicitors.

Character of Ri An I did like the actor and his acting. I think he was good, and he was consistent throughout, and I enjoyed what he did.

As Jae Yi, well, I recently saw this actress in Our Universe, and honestly, I rated her acting 0/10 in that drama, so when she first appeared on the screen, I was worried. But I must say she did unexpectedly really good playing the part of a cold, emotionless character, and even the emotional parts or scenes with Ri An were sweet and lovely, so I feel puzzled by her work in other dramas. Maybe this cold, emotionless action might be her thing.

Now for the actress who played Hera, I really enjoyed her. I think she will make a great villain in future dramas, and I think she brought a lot of interest and spice to the story.

Kang Ha, I like his acting and all, but he did feel confusing. He went there to take revenge on his brother, but then he was hesitant because of Jae Yi, and I felt like there was no tension between them and it was mostly him. It felt like his character lacked a bit of consistency from the beginning to the end.

The main character who was behind the anonymous messages, his character was puzzling. We didn’t get any backstory: why he started, what was the reason, and what they showed was not strong enough, and also his tie to Kang Ha’s brother felt weak. I felt like his character did not get enough backstory although he was the mastermind behind it all and felt like it was thrown there and lacked really a lot of backstory.

Overall, I feel like most parts of the story were cut, like scenes were missing, and left to the imagination, and it’s really annoying, especially when they cut off important scenes. This is why I do not like Netflix-backed K-dramas; they really ruin it. An episode is 1 hour 17 minutes long, but 25 minutes is about the credits.

Overall, I would say the drama is good, but it has a good setting and interesting characters. All the elements are present, but the storytelling lacked a lot, and there were inconsistencies. I don’t know if they actually filmed scenes and cut them to adapt for Netflix style, but I really felt like a lot was missing in between, which made the overall experience lacking.

It's good, but there are things that could have made this into a 10. There are interesting elements, and the feeling of the rich elite was nicely done but lacked cohesion and connection between scenes. A lot of characters were left, like what happened to Jae Yi’s brother? Did Kang Ha graduate as the top student? What would happen between Woo Jin and Hera? Will Ri An and Jae Yi meet? What happened to the students once the hearing happened? Did they get punished?

I enjoyed this, but it lacked a lot, but it’s not as terrible as many say. I would definitely rate this a - 8 for sure.

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Could be better!

The dark atmosphere and striking visuals immediately draw you in, creating an intriguing facade for a high-stakes high school drama. From the very first episodes, the slick cinematography, lavish setting, and compelling aesthetic give the impression of a polished thriller. There are certainly moments where the tension lands exceptionally well, offering genuinely engaging character dynamics and a few entertaining scenes that keep you watching.

However, beneath its stylish surface, the overarching narrative quickly begins to crumble under the weight of weak writing and uninspired tropes. The plot relies heavily on predictable twists and thin character motivations, turning what could have been a sharp, thrilling story into a fairly generic melodrama. Key storylines often feel rushed, unnatural, or completely brushed aside, leaving noticeable plot holes that undermine the emotional weight of the conflicts. While a few standalone moments offer glimpses of excitement, they are not enough to sustain momentum or save the core storyline.

Furthermore, the show struggles to maintain a consistent tone, oscillating between serious social commentary and over-the-top sensationalism without mastering either. The potential for a deep exploration of privilege, revenge, and power dynamics is largely wasted in favor of surface-level drama. Ultimately, the series falls significantly short of what it promised to be. It manages to remain a stylish, occasionally fun distraction, but a weak script prevents it from becoming anything memorable. It certainly could have been much better with more thoughtful writing.

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