The Defects

In a defected world - Defects need to be reconsidered!

I didn’t even plan to watch this. I just glanced at the poster, got curious, and before I knew it, I’d burned through all eight episodes like I owed the show money.

The premise? A casual little nightmare - a shady underground operation playing god with DNA, engineering “perfect” children and selling them off to whoever can pay, no matter how shady they are. If a kid doesn’t meet expectations, they get returned like faulty merchandise. Some are deemed “unsellable” from the start and quietly disposed of. And then there are the “defects” - the ones who slip through the cracks and survive against the odds. Only, these defects aren’t going quietly. They’re coming back swinging.

It’s equal parts messed-up and magnetic - the kind of story that makes you mutter, “What the hell?” but keeps you glued to the screen anyway. I went in curious. I came out obsessed (iykyk).

Storyline and screenplay-wise, the aesthetics were mostly on point - sleek, clean, and confident. Mostly. But there was so much more to explore. Each defect’s backstory had enough weight to carry an entire episode, yet they got rushed through in minutes. If they’d built those arcs properly, we’d have been frothing for the villains’ downfall.

And speaking of revenge - where was the grit? The plans were so vague it all felt like a casual stroll. This is supposed to be survival hell, not a Sunday picnic. I wanted to feel that nail-biting tension, the walk-on-eggshells kind of fear.

The villains? They stayed cartoonishly mean until they suddenly… weren’t. That’s not exactly the consistent threat the opening episodes promised. Pick a lane.

What did land for me was the bond between the defects - watching them navigate their own trauma while helping the new ones carry theirs. That raw, everyday resilience? I’d have loved way more of it instead of a revenge arc that felt like it was sprinting to meet a deadline. But then I loved this too anyway ....

Bottom line: Eight episodes weren’t enough for a premise with this much potential. It could have been brutal, layered, unforgettable. But even with the rushed arcs and missed chances, I was hooked from start to finish. Flaws and all, I loved every second.

Everyone acted on point for most of the bit and I will forgive them for when they did not because I did finish this in a day so brownie points for keeping me hooked!

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Finally, a Breath of Fresh Air in the Thriller Genre

When the first episode dropped, I wrote a review saying it had me hooked. I stand by that, it absolutely delivered.

At first, I was convinced this was going to be a solid 10/10. It deserved it. Too bad I’m picky, and in the end, I had to dock 0.5 points. Here’s why…

This drama was refreshing. The original, super intriguing plot pulled me in right from episode one, and I just knew it was going to be good. The acting? Amazing. The warm found-family trope (my absolute favorite)? Done beautifully. Even the emotional and tragic moments hit exactly the way they should. Seok-su’s death, for example, was heartbreaking.

But that’s not why I didn’t give it a perfect score. I take my ratings seriously, a 10/10 has to be flawless across the board. And the one thing that kept The Defects from reaching that was the ending. After such a beautiful, thrilling journey to freedom with our leads, the finale felt rushed and a bit underwhelming. Yes, Se Hee got a small taste of what she deserved, but I couldn’t help thinking that with just two more episodes, the writers could have given us a way more satisfying conclusion and a sharper revenge payoff.

That said, Ah-hyun’s final move was pure genius. Instead of killing Se Hee with a bullet, she “killed” her with the three words she’d always wanted to hear, delivered with the coldest, most rage-filled stare ever. Spot. On.

Despite the slightly rushed ending, I still absolutely love this drama and will be recommending it to all my friends, and to you reading this right now.

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watchable but like you don't need to

It was watchable. But not well written. the initial idea was good and reflects contemporary societal issues and ethical debates like gene editing (like with that one doctor from China who went to jail for it) and adoption and its impact on adoptees.
The show was action packed and all attempts at depth fell flat to me, the how and why Kim Se Hee came to be felt so predictable and contradictory, especially for a mostly cartoonist villain. She seems like a type B person's idea of a perfectionist and it's so stupid. Nothing against the actress Yeom Jung Ah though.
Dex's character always seems like there's something more to him but the actor fails to deliver, which leaves me wondering what was the use of all of that, what was the use of this character in particular ? Rooting for Dex's acting career though.
Watching the finale made me realize that I don't believe in this premise at all, they've failed to make me believe it. So I would say it was watchable but inconsistent and contradictory.
Special mention to the two Ahyeons, their actresses delivered along Yeom Jung Ah (let's say she was working with a terrible script).

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Perfect Genes, Flawed Humanity.

This drama was absolutely thrilling to watch, but also deeply unsettling. It takes you into a world where children aren’t born naturally but are created in labs through the fusion of a “perfect egg” and a “perfect sperm.” The sperm is selected from men with high IQ, strong genetics, or specific talents (whether athletic, musical or intellectual) depending on the kind of child parents want, just so they can look good to society (you know, brag about how my child is in an Ivy League school).

But here’s the chilling part: what if, years later, that child doesn’t turn out to meet those expectations? The answer is horrifyingly simple—they’re returned. Yup, “refunded,” like a defective product. Those children, labeled as defects, are eventually k!ll3d...luckily a few of them survived. But they’ve had enough. Tired of hiding, they decide to live openly, standing together as victims of a twisted mindset. They rise up to bring down the very organization that created them, fighting for nothing less than their freedom.

Watching it was thrilling(the cast really did an outstanding job), intriguing and refreshing, because the story feels so original, but at the same time it was scary. It left me questioning: could there really be humans like this? How far, or rather, how low can people go when it comes to pride, vanity, and control?

It’s one of those dramas that grabs you not just with its suspense, but with the disturbing moral questions it leaves behind.

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Why is everyone so dumb?

That is the persisting question that kept repeating in my mind throughout this drama. Why is everyone so dumb? Even when their characters were not written to be so, their stupidity persists. Everyone, including the villains and protagonists alike, behaves like complete buffons.

And I was rooting for this drama to be good. Everything on paper says I should have liked this one. With elements of sci-fi, crime, politics, action, and revenge, I am their exact demographic. The production seemed to start decent enough, with a grittiness that implied a darker storyline, along with an interesting premise of genetics and adoption that raises further questions of society, morality, and humanity. Unfortunately, this drama asks none of those questions and takes zero chances. And it doesn't take long to expose its shallow characters and overly simplistic narrative.

The bad guys are caricatures straight out of some bad guy handbook. The protagonists are given minimal backgrounds that, even when explained, don't feel like much at all. The plot just kind of meanders around like a lost tourist wandering a neighborhood they shouldn't be in.

Some of the action was ok. The acting was fine, I guess. It's hard to tell when the writing is this poor. The pace is decent, so at least it doesn't drag in its thin plot. The character's dumb decisions kept things moving, carelessly and clumsily along through as many plotholes and plot devices as the writers needed. The ending resolution was equally underwhelming, kind of a cop out if you ask me. Even the revenge doesn't feel like revenge because the writers are afraid of crossing the protagonist's lines.

I guess this is an ok watch if you have nothing else to watch and/or are waiting for another show to start. Other than that, I would recommend you pass on this one.

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Children for sale ?️✨

Wow. First of all I need to say: the story was awesome. The idea of an illegal organisation experimenting with DNA to create the "perfect" children and then sell them to the highest bidder -no matter what kind of people they are-, giving opportunity of refund and disposal, is both fascinating and traumatizing at the same time.

Now, take the surviving "defects" and have them go up against this organization. I can't describe how intrigued I was by the plot. The story managed to catch and hold my attention throughout all 8 episodes. ❤️

Another strong point of the drama was the cast. The cast was noticeably hot – especially with DEX, hahaha. 🔥 I heard people say the acting wasn't that good, but I personally didn't think so. The cinematography was also very nice, I loved the old buildings the defects were hiding in, for example.

All fine so far, now let's move on to the BUTs: 😕

Some things were just too hard to believe. Like, a group of kids easily getting into the building of the villains. A quite big organization, funded and supported by some higher-ups. And you're telling me the security is that bad? Of an organization that does illegal and immoral stuff, aka crimes? They don't need to be careful? lol. It was way too effortless. Or how FL just smuggled herself under the other kids in the last episode. So they just need to show the member cards and will be let in? No need to check faces or something? We were not talking about 100 kids, but maybe 10-20. If I run an organization like that, I would make sure there would be no security holes. 👀☠️ Face-verification is a must. They should just hire me as risk management consultant. xD

But my biggest pain was: the drama was too short. 8 episodes weren't enough time for everything that was going on. I would have wanted more scenes of the kids individually. To get more attached to every single one of them. And watch more of them as a group to see their bonding. They were so busy all them time, we didn't even see much of them living together (before shit went down lol). I actually liked all the characters! That's why I would have been happy to see more of them.

Someone pointed out how we didn't even see them planning their next steps. They just went ahead and succeeded lol. Maybe they actually did plan but they didn't show us. They left it to our imagination. So, after all, it looked a bit ridiculous. If they would have added like 5 minutes of them planning together, things would not only seem more realistic, but we would also get more scenes of them together at the same time. Two birds with one stone.

And then, there were also a few deaths I was really angry about 🤣😡. But oh well. First one kid of the group. It was to be expected that one had to be sacrificed for the dramatic effect, but it still hit hard tbh. And then my sweet Jung Hyeon lol. He was my favourite character. And I swear, he was about to change sides. He already wavered when he looked slightly worried at the little Ah Hyeon. I felt it. Just a bit more and he would have given up his career and switched sides. ~ *delulu is the solulu* ~ HAHAHA

Last point: Sometimes I got the feeling of watching a series for teenagers. Which is weird, because the age recommendation is 18+, as it gets violent and disturbing. I can't explain it. It's just a feeling I got in some specific scenes. But don't ask - I can't recall :D

➡️ Anyway, to sum it up:
It might not look like it because I ranted so much, but this drama was VERY entertaining. The story was awesome, tho they could have done a lot more with it if they just stretched it a bit - make it 10 or 12 episodes maybe. Dex was hot kekeke. And yeah, it's a Korean drama I actually finished and enjoyed til the end. 🙌🏻 Making this my 3rd! Korean drama in 2025. Wow. 👏🏻

And maybe, just maybe, the drama is showing us a possible future. "Designer Babies" is not something born from the authors wild fantasy, but a research that is actually happening - even if still at the beginning and very controversial.
What are your thoughts on this? Let me know!

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TOTALLY MY TYPE.

Ahh I think something is wrong with my Brain, why why i always ended up loving villain more. I was hoping so much that dex character will get a develope version and will fight for the hostages kids. But sadly it doesn't happen, he was fire here bruhh, he nailed his role, acting, fighting all are top notch.

Just feel bad that he died that way.

Well I'm not fan of dex, I come to know about him from running man verity show when he appeared in the show.

Kdramas always have hot Villains.

A little summary -
Well I'm fan of thriller, crime etc type dramas a lot so for me this One was one of the best show in the catagory of thriller after trigger series. Yeah the story could be a bit boring but actors acting didn't let feel this at all. And dex was so good, but his fighting with won jinha Just doesn't make sense at all although they didn't make wonjinha character more strong then his character which was really a good that's why I watched it further too but still it would be so great if the main protagonist were also be male. Well guys don't get offend I'm usually not fan of those type of drama where a female is lead and beating men's who are fucking grown, i just always find it bullshit af. So let aside it. If you don't mind all these stuffs go for it without hesitation.

Overall rating by me 7.5/10.
Especially the acting rating by me 10/10.

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Incredible Story!!!

wow didn’t expect this to be as good as it was! the story was spectacular and so interesting. very twisted but so addicting as I wanted to find out what would happen next.

my only gripe was that dex’s (Jung Hyeon) character didn’t have much character development and kinda stayed the same throughout. thats why I think his acting was a little flat for me too. like we didn’t really get to understand why he stook with the boss lady to the end, dispute killing all those kids. because I wasn’t convinced that their relationship was that close even at the end when he sacrificed himself for her - it wasn’t impactful or sad. I really thought he was going to turn on her at a point and realise what he was doing was wrong.

oh and the twist at the end that basically she had been using her eggs for all the surrogates and that basically she’d been killing her own kids, was sick. not sick in a cool way but sick as in disgusting because how could one do that. she was so upset and scared from her mother abandoning her that she thought she should kill her kids to what prove that anyone can be abandoned 🥴

also I wish they had shown a bit of how the teens planned the raids and break ins since they were almost successful every time.

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It's a decent filler

-Good story
-Fantastic fight scene
-Great acting from everyone
-Its a fastpaced so its a relatively quick watch
-Story is easy to follow

Watch if you want an easy to follow story with, lot's of action, beautifully choreographed fight scenes and even better gun fights. An evil twisted genius trying to shape the world in her image, a depiction of how selfish, evil and self-serving people can be and how far they are willing to go to further their our agendas.

It really a decent watch, nothing extra ordinary just good Tv where mostly everyone gets what they deserve

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A Thrilling Ride That Deserves More Time

I really love the storyline — it’s fast-paced and keeps you hooked from the very first episode to the end. The acting from the entire cast is spectacular, but DEX impressed me the most. He truly nailed his role as a smart, strong villain, and every time he managed to catch the kids, I couldn’t help but feel nervous for them.

That said, eight episodes felt too short to fully unpack the backstory. Some scenes were cut so abruptly that it left me confused, wondering when and how certain events happened, as they weren’t clearly explained to the viewers.

Overall, I appreciate how the plot avoids the typical action-thriller clichés. With a higher budget, I believe they could have taken this drama to an even greater level.

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