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felt very pointless most of the time
the story is not sufficient to hold together a series, and lacks authenticity. their lovestory felt rushed, they just decided they love this person to death, and everyone has to go with it. the acting was good from both their ends, the only good thing in this drama. yes this is fiction but as i was watching i couldn't help but be in disbelief about the insane choices these characters were making or the figurative somersaults the plot kept doing.the main problem is the lack of connectivity with the audience.
the trials and tribulations of a presidential spokesperson who is pretending to be his half brother's son who also happens to be the next presidential candidate? it doesn't end there, his wife isn't really her, she's her sister who can speak but is forced to not because she has to keep being a step daughter to the ceo of a news channel. and this is the only thing going on in the drama. the attempt at angst felt too forced at times. i don't understand why they kept "torturing" themselves for absolutely no reason at all.
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Korean screenwriters and ending writing problems
First of all, we should accept this: Baek Sa Eon has a lot of problems. He kidnapped the girl. he didn’t talk with her. he never look the girl. yes he loves her he tried to protect… Guys this is not acceptable.but story is good . very complicated. you want to wait what happen next. its good I like it…. but why argan? this soldier scene, kidnapping but then bed scene. it isn’t realistic. they already lived very bad things. she can find him when he just sat near the lake. why action. overdose action. then bed scene unrealistic.
My favorite character is sister. I thought she will be crazy bad evil girl but she is very kind and good. she care of Hye Joo and stay for her against to her father. I want to understand Hye Joo’s mom but no. I can’t she is the bad character in the story . same as level of Sa Ein’s mother in the story.
At the end, I didn’t watch last episode properly . I didn’t realize countries name. When I read other comments I understand the situation and I don’t like it. Writer did /something silly.
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When the Phone Rings: A Promising Start Derailed by Confusing Plot Twists and a Chaotic Finale
When the Phone Rings is a K-drama that begins with a promising premise but quickly loses its way, leaving viewers confused and unsatisfied. I’d rate it a 5.5 out of 10 because while it had potential, it failed to deliver on multiple levels. The first few episodes were genuinely engaging, with an intriguing mystery surrounding the strange calls and their connection to the characters’ pasts. The cinematography was solid, and the pacing was tight in the beginning, keeping the audience hooked. However, as the episodes progressed, the narrative became increasingly convoluted. Instead of providing answers, it piled on more subplots and cryptic hints that ultimately led nowhere.The last episode deserves a special mention—mostly for how bewildering it was. The supposed “resolution” felt more like a rushed, incoherent mess than a proper conclusion. The introduction of Zinoism, a fictional philosophy that claimed to bridge destiny and free will, felt like a last-minute addition meant to seem profound. However, it was poorly explained and failed to connect to the broader story. Paik Sa Eon’s decision to go to war was one of the most baffling plot points. Why would a character who had been portrayed as someone trying to escape violence suddenly decide to become a martyr in a conflict that was barely explained? The show’s attempt to make this a symbolic act of “freedom from fate” felt forced and unearned, leaving viewers scratching their heads.
Overall, When the Phone Rings is an example of a series that started strong but suffered from poor writing, a lack of coherent storytelling, and overly ambitious themes that it couldn’t execute well.
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Disappointed in the end
I thought this would be the best drama of 2024 but for the last two episodes I'm just soooo frickin disappointed.The story went from exciting to unreasonable and pointless. It was like some 9 year old girl stole the pen from the writer.
The Argan plotline... It was a useless angst, they needed something little more to separate the couple. And they did a terrible uncreative job.
I feel angry because I really hoped this show is something more. Well it was not.
However the leads deserve applaude. Yeonsuk and Sobin both were amazing. I appreciated the mature marriage moments.
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Unnecessary ending
I have mixed feelings. I really enjoyed the start of this drama. In the halfway I was a bit lost but still it was entertaining. BUT these two last episodes were so messy and the Argan plot was so unnecessary. Who even made that plot? It didn't make any sense and I felt like watching a completely different drama. Why did they have to ruin a good drama with a floppy ending???Instead of the bad Argan plot, they should have given us the crumbs of Sang U and Yu Ri!!! They build up a great relationship between them just to randomly announce their marriage in the last episode... like c'mon that was so badly written. The actors had great chemistry together and they were very cute but the writers still wasted their potential. How sad :((
One thing I did really like was Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soo Bin's chemistry. They acted so well together and looked so cute together. Great chemistry!! Even the intimate scenes were good and didn't seem awkward. They're good kissers xD I'm glad they got the happy ending they deserved.
This drama would have gotten a better rating from me if they had focused on Sa Eon and Hui Ju and the phone. I really loved the conversations between Sa Eon and 406 (Hui ju). Instead they made it messy and added that ridiculous Argan plot, therefore I have to lower my rating. But because I still enjoyed the drama, I will give it an 8.
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Lost its way ...
I'll keep it brief, it's ok to skip this. The chemistry of the leads can't make up for the fact that the plot is a convoluted mess. The premise is very good, however, towards the end this drama becomes a mess. The acting was great, chemistry is fire but the storytelling was actually painful. Save yourself the time and skip out on this.Was this review helpful to you?
wasted potential
even tho i think that the tanked reviews on rotten tomato and google are deserved bc of the insensitivity to the ongoing genocide im going to be completely unbiased. this show had sm potential and the premise of the plot was really interesting but executed horribly. could have been completed in 10-12 eps it dragged way too long and what the hell was the last episode?? they completely lost the plot and threw them into a completely unrelated war like? and no hate to the actor herself, but the main female lead’s character was so annoying and useless they did not craft her personality/ambition/character well. besides that there was absolutely no chemistry between the main leads every time they came on screen i had to skip their “lovey dovey” parts. this was the first drama in a while where i was more excited to see the side couple than the main. there was so many loopholes and things that lacked basic common sense that u had to turn off ur brain and throw all logic out the window to get through an episode. it was full of cliches, and i will say that the first 4 eps were good, but after that everything was totally predictable and very boring to watch. utter doodooWas this review helpful to you?
Cliche melodrama
It was good from the start i must say. I waited for every episodes everyweek till episode 6. It was interesting to watch the relationship between both fl and ml. I thought there would be some depth in the story. Cause i watched dramas like this more than 10 years ago. So it was normal for me to expect something new and different. I agree ir was kinda different from the start. The episodes cliffhanger made me curious too. After 6th episode it was so hard to watch i just skipped all the parts . I still dont why it has so much hype. Like there's nothing other than the cast.It's totally my point of view. But if you're an old kdrama watcher i doubt that you will like this. Eventually new kdrama watchers won't like this too ig. I had hopes with this drama but umm this disappointed me specially the ending too.
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When Your Wife Calls
I thought this series would lead me back to Kdrama. Unfortunately, it failed me again. This is your another clichéd Kdrama full of murder, crimes, political and family rivalry. I'm here supposedly for the romance. But, the romance I am hoping for took a back seat in the story. Oh yes, it started again with that aloof, domineering, snob character of the ML. Which expectedly would make a turn towards the end of the drama. Yes, everything is predictable, from the crime itself, the childhood flashbacks, the orphanage and the romance itself. Very poor storyplot. Lots of unnecessary characters like the sister of the FL who didn't play a significant role at all, FL's colleagues in the court or judiciary.The idea of the burner phone is too lame for me just to express ones feelings. Even poor execution of crime solving. Like, a car that can be easily hacked and operated by a culprit but a simple burner phone cannot be easily located or even decoded by the Office of the President. Like, how inefficient such office can be?
Anyways, this is a wasted potential. If only the writers focused on the romance, instead of the too overly used crime trope, it would have been much more interesting. Yes, this is a total slowburn. Why let the audience wait for the finale for a married couple to get intimate? Can't it be at least halfway thru? or better yet, after the wedding ceremony itself since the feeling is mutual anyway. Would have been much better if they have kids in the finale.
Mysterious Love or My Lethal Man Cdrama is way better than this.
I was suppose to give this a 7.0 for the minimal romantic interaction between the leads. The actors were all awesome. My first time to watch Yoo Yeon Seok in a drama. Second time for Chae Soo Bin as first seen her in I'm Not A Robot. Still, gave an overall rating of 8.0 for the intimate finale scene. Definitely, chemistry was there. Another overrated drama.
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1This review may contain spoilers
When the phone rings - block the number !
Ok you all can call oppa the plot and be very happy with all the juicy scenes that were put forth but what in the world was this "LOGIC LEFT THE CALL" !! There are already 125 people giving out cents on this one so why did I decide to engage in the chatter bec - I am not okay unlike you all ! I can not accept this as it was !Okay look at me in the eyes and say (only for people who care about what's being served to them) is this what you wanted to see ? Is this how you imagined things would go? (Enny things will not go how you want them to - it's not a drama for you , Enny if you have that much talent write one yourself ) I might as well ...and trust me I'd do a much better job ! Bec for me the whole show was - I might just throw my phone in the same pond where they throw kids - no loss bec everything gets recovered ... does that not sound sensible ? I thought it very much was a 10/10 pitch!
Okay okay initial eps - banger ! Drop dead gorgeous people making me drop dead and crave for more !
Oppa as Hot, Possesive, Toxic and Domineering husband - just hit all the notes that somehow felt untouched through all the kdrama journey !
The whole calling aspect - nailed down very well.
Until !
Hi my cute "perfect husband material straight out of a fairytale romance male lead"- Why were you pretending to be something that you are not, for no good reason - just be the childhood bestie you are and say I love hong hee joo I am a fool in love and otherwise too, and trust me I would perfectly love you for that ! I swear I will !
Because the way you led me into believing that "not all kdrama men are the same" - I mean I love green flags I just hate being misled !
There are just so many things that are fucked up about this that I don't think I will ever be possibly able to curate a list but for the sake of saying it ...
I wish they would do something like - "REACTING" when they find out something - like hong hee joo is the blackmailer - oh my god I love her so much more - bruh hee joo can talk - yeah she's been wining singing competitions ever since she was a kid did you not know - Like seriously ??? - I am so pissed off at the way 90% of the ep is a filler ...and at how they choose the worst way possible to reveal anything ....and when it is revealed ...they do "nothing" ....oh wait 3 eps later they discuss this and sort it out ! - "sensible people" ...but did I sign up to watch sensible people ? NO
Wasn't this about angst and thrill and planning plotting??
also ...when the "phone" rings - the phone is out of picture ...we ain't even half way and the phone just doesn't matter ...! At this point I am really concerned -- what matters ?? jagganim ? They be going on field trips with the blackmailer out lose ...and quite frankly for someone who killed when he was a kid ...the villain was just for tomfoolery no offence but he could do way better than that ! I am to buy that this lunatic "kid murderer" as a grown up adult couldn't murder a mute girl who mostly has no protection and the one ep she does they don't seem to be working very hard - Like are they even for real !?
Also let alone the consequences of the calls - hee joo doesn't even have any consequences of THE FALL ! Let me see the dramatic fake blood and unreal bandages all over ...come on what the fuck !
Trust me I hate it , even tho I am keeping aside how pissed off I'd be if I also turn on my moral compass and realize that Hong hee joo deserves not a sorry but a good bye from all the people in her life - literally every one bec all of them have wronged her - she can talk and they let her pretend to be mute ! - she's neglected for 3 yrs straight in her marriage and he's been in love with her for 20 yrs and I am to buy that the girl just chooses to die for him instead of killing him - thriller where ?
Okay the girl got no spine but like literally just everyone treated her like trash - even at work
- in the initial eps - the sfl paid no heed to her and one day she suddenly starts crying -
I don't exactly remember when they became besties ...have I missed a few eps of them going on shopping spree and bitching about men ? - Like why make two characters be dead concerned when it could just be - okay I know you, I have spare time, I can look for you ?
The sissy comes back to say I know you could talk but it made me feel better so I am just going to let you suffer ...Quite frankly I really do like her - cause she left when she realized what was going on, got herself fixed, came back to save her sister, asked her father to take action, and supported her sister when she was alone. GIRL -got brain ! I wish hee joo did too but nevermind!
Let's not even go about to how trash her mother's arc turned out ...
Also stop making a big deal for the bare min that the ML does - learning sign language he should have done that years ago - he did not need tell her - he could very well be secretive about it like he was about other things ...!
Also the sml arc - was good but so unnecessary !
Has the rant been too long ? No guys we haven't even reached to the no brainer messed up story of the decade -
What in the world ...his mom holding hee joo captive , the real villain working under someone else ... hee joo's brother killed by the oldiee oh my I have no words ! And he's the son of oldiee - Explain pls - with whom, where is his mom ? what the fuck happened ? why did the dna report show otherwise ??
instead what we get ...car accidents after car accidents and literally nothing happens - it's just so annoying and repetitive !
At this point I have no brain cells to spare
the only thing I liked was the angle of the secretary and nothing more.
Tho with all of that I was wondering what more could go wrong - until they did show me exactly what they are capable of -
When you have a serial killer on loose, out to kill you, following you since last 10 eps and you have a car in which the love of your life urgently requires hospitalization you don't go out negotiating with the killer - you run over him - too much to expect... I agree, but what can be said when he just out right disappears and is found in a war zone among the rebels !
boy you built a beach house for yourself there.... property rates????- and you got your girl from the rebels without a gun let alone a plan - make it believable at the very least - atleast act like you are putting efforts !
Not gonna lie - with how illogical it was - I couldn't care less about the treat that was put forth !
in short "They should’ve scrapped the unnecessary sociopathic serial killer mess and made the story about him, her and the phone."
If you found this (bec I can see a lot of downvotes and it being kicked to the last page of reviews) and are still reading - hugs and a lot of love from the bottom of my heart !
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There were a lot of things in When the Phone Rings that usually make me roll my eyes whenever they appear on the screen in romance dramas, like rich evil parents and their twisted family dramas and birth secrets and the like. But somehow the soapy goodness of When the Phone Rings managed to make it all work. A kdrama story about an emotionally stunted rich man and the woman who makes him open up just by loving him, with a dash of family drama nonsense and tropy plot that seems over the top but works so well within the universe that the drama has created.
The story felt airtight and structured where there was always plenty going on and a good enough flow to the story to keep you constantly entertained. There was always a plot twist, something that kept you on your toes, and the chemistry between the paths was so electrifying that you couldn’t look away. You never really knew what to expect.
The emotional weight of the story works well with the suspense. I enjoyed that Hong Hee Joo seemed helpless to the other characters in the drama, and yet the narrative showed her that she wasn’t, she was just trapped. It created such a beautiful contrast and interesting character dynamic, and Chae so Bin was great in this role. To me, this jerk who is the main male character is often in the beginning a double-edged sword. It can be an interesting character, dynamic and fun like the ‘I hate you, but I also adore you’ relationship that you have with that character while they’re opening. It’s become a tired cliché to a certain extent, as many of these characters because the narrative needs them to be, but it doesn’t feel organic, but here I thought it worked really well for the character.
These two characters’ longing for love was palpable, captivating, and addictive. The two main leads have quite a rich inner turmoil that becomes quite intense and addictive to explore as the story unravels and at quite a simmering speed. They are very interesting characters that you can’t help but root for in one way or another in their source of happiness and inner peace.
One of the few minus points I can really give this drama is the second way, which feels way too much filling and doesn’t help much in moving the story forward. If anything, these characters and their story seem to hinder the tension and the pacing of the story. And those secondary characters were just there, if anything. The plot didn’t need them.
Although those characters involvement in the mystery was perhaps because When the Phone Rings is only 12 episodes, and the story here so wants to dwell on the emotions and spark between our main characters and focus on telling that story as kdramas tend to have a slower and more emotional structure in their stories that the current twelve-episode formula doesn’t always allow for. And if so, I think it was the right call because Paik Sa Eon and Hong Hee Joo are the emotional core and focal point of the story and everything else revolves around them.
This drama is such a soap opera but that’s what made it so fun. It takes a bit of a skill to weave together such a story that uses tired and old tropes in a fun way and really leans into the soapy aspects of the old school kdramas while also finding a way to satisfy everyone no matter how long or not they have watched kdramas. Every episode had an intent, or a purpose and it felt like not much time was wasted as the story briskly takes us from one heartfelt moment to another cliffhanger and onwards. And with the exploding chemistry of the leads and the highly dramatic story it was very entertaining and an addictive watch.
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Ending ruined the whole drama
Last 2 episodes where the biggest load of horse shit. I am so honestly disappointed with the ending. My mind can't even comprehend how stupid it was, and how long they made us suffer that stupidity. Last 2 hours could have been 10 minutes.And the big long secret that was whispered in his ear.... nonsense... stuff we already knew and makes no sense for him to be so broken up about.
It makes 0 sense for Paik Sa Eon to "punish" himself in a way that meant ghosting her and causing Hee Joo pain. Also random entry of a made up African country where the rebels were white....? Korea if you are going to try and include international content at least make it obvious that you didn't just round up some foreigners as extras and actually put some effort in.
Apart from episode 11 and 12 the rest where great episodes
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