when the phone rings review
When the Phone Rings is a drama that captures attention with its raw emotional depth and gripping storytelling. I rated it a 9/10 because it strikes a near-perfect balance between captivating performances, a compelling plot, and emotional moments, though there are a few areas that could have been improved.One of the standout features of this drama is the acting. The cast delivers outstanding performances, with each character feeling real and relatable. The lead actors, in particular, have such great chemistry that every scene between them feels natural and impactful. The emotions they portray whether it's heartbreak, anger, or joy feel genuine, drawing you in and making you care deeply about what happens to them.
The story itself is engaging, with twists and turns that keep you invested from start to finish. While there are a few predictable moments, the overall narrative is strong enough to keep you hooked. It deals with heavy themes like loss, redemption, and forgiveness, and does so in a way that resonates with viewers on an emotional level. The pacing is solid, with each episode building up to key moments that make the drama even more intense.
The music in When the Phone Rings is another highlight. The soundtrack is well-chosen, with each song perfectly complementing the tone of the scene it accompanies. It adds a layer of depth to the emotions on screen and enhances the overall experience without overshadowing the dialogue or action.
However, as much as the drama excels in many areas, there are a few moments where it feels like the story could have been a bit more unpredictable, and some supporting characters didn’t receive as much development as the main ones. These small flaws kept me from giving it a perfect 10.
Overall, When the Phone Rings is a must-watch for anyone who enjoys emotional, character driven stories. It’s powerful, beautifully acted, and offers a strong narrative that will stay with you long after the final episode. The 9/10 rating feels right it’s almost perfect, but with just a few minor areas that could have made it flawless.
Honestly, people who hate on this drama just don’t get it. It’s life changing, and if you’re out here giving it low ratings just to be different, it’s pretty clear you’re trying way too hard to be edgy. Everyone else sees its brilliance, and if you can’t, maybe it’s time to rethink your taste.
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Hot ML could not save writing crumbling apart and annoying/badly acted FL
What started at first as a hot thriller with an enemies-to-lovers married couple and some mystery, fell quickly apart as the writing crumbled with no proper characterization and a lot of plot armor for the characters.Even if I cannot deny the fact that the male lead was very attractive despite (or thanks to) all his caveman manners and possessiveness, he got less interesting as his motivations and choices became more absurd with some noble idiocy move that I disliked a lot. The female lead was an even worse main protagonist, that had almost no character growth. She felt like a carpet for most of the series, being dragged by the events with very little agency, wanting to help but concretely being carried by others all along the drama.
Regarding casting, Yoo Yeon Seok delivered a solid and hot performance. Despite the cringy lines he had to say and the writing sinking deeper and deeper, his acting skills shined through the screen. I unfortunately cannot say the same for his counterpart Chae Soo Bin. I was super disappointed and even irked by her acting. She had a vacant / empty expression or a sad kicked puppy look for almost the total duration of the series. Her character is written as passive and quite timid, so maybe she is not the only one to be blame for it...But she did not manage to insufflate any life into her performance making it I feel even worse than what was written in the scenario.
The production value was quite good. Nothing extraordinary in terms of directing and making but good enough for the story to be told. In addition to some support characters that I wish we had seen more, the soundtrack was the saving grace of the drama, I enjoyed it a lot overall.
I would not recommend this to people as I feel there are better thrilling romance out there. Some of the more steamy scenes are good but all that surround them is clearly not worth it. At first it was entertaining but very quickly it fell apart because of the crazy writing and insipid heroine.
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This review may contain spoilers
When the Phone Rings: Brilliant for 10 Episodes, Then Falls Apart
I devoured the first 10 episodes. Very good episodes that are easy to watch. The two main actors perform excellently, and the story is engaging. However, it seems that with each episode, unnecessary details are added, making one wonder why... The characters are in constant danger, without respite; they practically have a subscription to the hospital...What happened to Ji Sang U and Na Yu Ri's show (by the way, in the end, these two characters served NO PURPOSE AT ALL)?
But what was the point of the entire last episode, seriously?? They just needed to have the villain die, END OF STORY.
Why make the male lead disappear? Sure, you feel sorry for the female lead, but you've known her since childhood, been married for 3 YEARS, and you know she knows the story, so WHY???? What he didn't want to experience—living in uncertainty, not knowing if his wife is alive—he ends up imposing on HIS OWN WIFE! The entire last episode is filled with confusion, shifting from dream to reality, past to present, without any transition, making it incomprehensible. It was just ridiculous; throughout the episode, I wondered where it was heading, and then the part in Africa, seriously??
Everything was going well; why half-ruin the drama at the end? Might as well have stopped at episode 11 or skipped directly to the end of the last episode...
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This review may contain spoilers
TBH I wasn't sure how I would feel about Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soo Bin being paired together. They are both some of my favorite K-actors, but she looks like a child next to him in more than one scene of the show. Their chemistry, though, was off the charts. And those kisses🔥🔥🔥. NGL I almost died. But Chae Soo Bin always has 🔥🔥🔥🔥kisses. That being said even though Chae Soo Bin is one of my favorite actresses, it felt weird seeing her portraying such a meek character. She had inner strength, but there was so much of a damsel in distress vibe to Hui Ju. And the blank, doe-eyed expression, seemed so wrong but knowing the character it also made a lot of sense. Sure, the whole plot was a bit predictable and OTT - especially with the whole victim blaming and the villain holding innocent people responsible for their actions. Even the whole stand-in thing was so predictable.
Things that shocked me but also left me feeling so good - Hui Ju's relationship with Yu Ri and In A. With Yu Ri's fangirling I totally thought she would be someone who torments Hui Ju for having Sa eon's attention. And when In A came back, it had a similar menacing feeling to it - especially given that Hui Ju was forced to be mute to comfort In A. It was so nice to see how both of them had deep affection for Hui Ju, wanted to see her happy, and were willing to fight for her.
I was even shipping the Sang Woo and Sa Eon bromance even if it was laced with rivalry, they were united in their need to protect Hui Ju which shows how genuine and pure their affection for her was. There was no doubt in my mind that Sang Woo wasn't the bad guy although I have a feeling that was hinted at (heavily) in the show. He genuinely seemed to want the best for Hui Ju, I know its surprising given how many shows have this "if not me, then nobody can have you" motive for villains. But maybe it is a testament to Heo Nam Jun and his ability to show love and care... I haven't seen any of his other work so IDK.
I wish we knew what happened to the secret bad guy (although that too was quite predictable). He was fueled by revenge, but he genuinely seemed like he was repentant that he hurt innocent people. It would have been nice to know that he lived a good life in his brothers memory, rather in pain and full of hatred and anger.
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Best drama I've seen in 5 years!
When I read the caption of this drama I thought the story sounded intrestning and I started to watch it casually. As I watched episode by episode the story evolved, there's so much more story than the caption says and I was blown away. Completely hooked and I had to pause whatever I was doing to watch the drama properly. This drama is a true gem, this is the first time I would say the story is 10/11! This is definitly the best drama I've seen in 5 years! I'm giving the drama overall a 9,5 because sometimes (maybe due to language barrier) it was hard to understand, because the story was a bit complicated. You will regret it if you don't watch this masterpiece.Was this review helpful to you?
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A very nice show
It was good, some accidents were taken too lightly, you could see someone fall over 300 meters and have no major injuries, someone survive a hole explotion and walking two days later with no scars. Some scenes were not realistic enough, and some reactions of the characters were not natural either, so I found myself thinking “what is this”.I loved the acting of both main characters. Always happy to watch Yoo Yeon Sook, he is one of my favorites.
It was an exciting show overall with minor weaknesses.
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It starts with a situation, then becomes a story.
I knew that they only have 12 episodes, so the show will be fast paced. But this one really didn't give me enough time to breathe. The first half of episode 1 is all about world building. And they delivered it really well. They give all information in just the first 30-40 minutes, The personality, the couple relation, and the side characters. Thriller shows usually use hooks, to make the story more thrilling, but they used conflicts. As every episode you definitely will be conflicted.Let's talk about it's negative first,
The only thing I want to complain about is its lazy screenplay in the finale episode, the scene holds too much information the whole Argan sequence needs to be stretched, to understand it in more depth. Only this one problem made the show worse. The lazy screenplay just decreased the whole quality of the show
Now it's positive,
1. Having a mature approach in the direction, of how they developed the understanding, after resolving all the miscommunication and misunderstandings between them.
2. Acting, All actors did an amazing job in portraying their role. Yoo Yeonseok and Chae Soo Bin you guys proved You are the best choice for this role. The one gem whom I wanted to highlight is our Kidnapper Park Jae Yun you deserve all the praise, The way you adapted your character was amazing. Same with all the senior experienced actors less screen time but huge impact.
3. The chemistry between the leads is amazing as in the first half there was zero lines between them it was one side conversation, still they managed to show that chemistry....
4. The thing I liked the most is that they didn't add too many unnecessary supporting characters in the plot, also the amount of screentime they gave to second leads is decent. Because half of the dramas in 2024, second leads were the highlight of the show and got more praised than the main leads.
5. The technical aspects of the show the sound design, cinematography, OST's were amazing. The OST made the scenes 10× better.
6. The last but not the least is a well written villain, Believe it or not the writing of Villain is 100% perfect. A psychopath who likes to play with peoples life by killing them, He gets thrill from doing that. But in Heeju's Sa Eon (Baek Yu Yeon's) case the whole situation is different.
Psychopath accomplished what He longed for He wanted to ruin Baek Yu Yeon and He accomplished that not physically but mentally this time. He made Baek Yu Yeon lose his mind that he stopped thinking rationally and started being dumb and acting cowardly.
The Romance of drama is divided into 4 parts
From Suspenseful/Thriller Romance, The starting of everything where the initial stage of the caring nature of Baek Sa Eon first appears.To slow burn which unfolds gradually, with the characters moving from emotional distance and mistrust to connection and reconciliation over time. To the psychological where romance emerges as a product of healing and understanding, with characters emotional states, traumas, and inner conflicts. To mature phase, where narrative focuses on a marriage rather than a budding love story, emphasizing the complexities and struggles of maintaining and rediscovering love in an established relationship.
Its not a perfect but a good show you can enjoy, it'll entertain you. And will not make you bore...
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the best drama and hard to forget
This original drama will make me fail to move on really hard and become my favorite drama of 2024 after lovely runner😊.and this drama also makes me fall in love with Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soobin. Although the storyline is like an Indonesian soap opera, but because of the chemistry, Saju Couple must be given 10 thumbs up. And for the OST See the Light and Say My Name, it's my favorite.
See you, my Saju Couple, I hope you can have another drama project, I hope it's for the Korean historical romantic comedy genre.
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OH MY GWAD!!! HEAR ME OUT!
GUYS I'm just so behind bcz of my exams but i can't stop myself from yapping about this anymore, i have watched only 5 episodes and the spoilers, acting, story, ost and EVERYTHING IS PERFECT and i have probably never got excited about a kdrama THIS MUCH before, every minute of this kdrama is amazing till now and I'm not dropping it. If a kdrama is getting me into only first few episodes like this... it's really A HIT. ALSO, I GOT AN UNHEALTHY OBSESSION. This is the best kdrama of this year for me!!! If you still haven't watched it or think it's not worth it, what are you doing with your life man?? JUST GO AHEAD AND WATCH IT BRUH 🎀😭😭✋🏻Was this review helpful to you?
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An entertaining drama with good visuals and acting
You can say whatever you want, criticize the story, age difference, loopholes, etcBut you can't deny that this drama appeals to the general public and garners high reviews because it's an entertaining story: NO it isn't realistic, it's a typical drama, and has a Netflix stamp on it, etc ...
BUT the characters are likable, with redeeming quality. The violence is not excessive.
The acting and chemistry were good. Yes, there were some cringy moments.
Ep 12 was unnecessary/nonsensical drama. But hey, let them add some fillers as the actor/actress really deserve some more screen time together! :-) I'll watch 13 for their kids' story too!
I didn't feel as if it was wasting my time. I felt entertained.
I am still giving a 10 despite all the loopholes and incredible scenarios. It's like comic story but it's entertaining.
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Masterpiece
Okay so where do i start? HahaThis show is a masterpiece. Be it the story,cast,acting ir chemistry between the leads..wow i mean wow!what a drama it was. The ML is in fire..he is perfect from all angles. The FL acting on point. The chemistry between the leads is so so good.mwaahh.. wow 👌 i fell in love with the show. The best of 2024..❤️ its so good that i am actually thrilled to see how k drama writers are progressing...
ML is way too hawt..🫦
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Love it!
This was one of my favorite shows ever. I know there has been a lot of controversies regarding the last episodes but I genuinely believe that Netflix mistranslated the subtitles. While I agree that even if it was mistranslated, it wasn’t necessary to involved those two countries, I do want to give the writers the benefit of the doubt that it was well intended. It could have been executed a lot better.All that aside, while the last episode was wild I truly did enjoy it and loved the whole series. The actors, cast and crew did an amazing job. The styling was perfect too. I haven’t had a drama made me feel this way like at all and I’ve been watching kdramas since I was 6, and I’m 25 now. I also don’t rewatch shows but I’ve already started rewatching this.
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