? Thoughts After 4/12 Episodes: First Impressions ?
I must admit, I didn’t have high expectations for this drama 🤔 and was even tempted to skip it. The genres—Thriller, Mystery, Romance, Drama—didn’t grab me initially. 🤷♂️ And honestly (I can’t believe I’m saying this 😅), I wasn’t the biggest fan of either lead before this.BUT WOW... this drama has completely changed my opinion! 😍 Both leads fit their roles perfectly, and their performances have really won me over. 👏👏 The cinematography, music, and OST? Absolutely stunning! 🎶✨
Yes, if you really dig, you can find plot issues and faults (as with any drama, tbh). But this isn’t one to nitpick over. Dramas are all about escapism, and this one, based on a novel 📖, does a fantastic job pulling you into its world.
At just 4 episodes in, I’m already hooked! 🥰 If they can keep this momentum going, this could easily turn into a standout drama. Fingers crossed! 🤞
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It was good until it wasn't!
I was very excited to watch this series, and honestly speaking it delivered until it didn't. Everything was going smoothly and it kept me on the edge of my seat. Everytime an episode ended, I couldn't wait to watch another one, waiting was absolute toucher like pin in the eye toucher... 😑 but the last 2 episodes was lacking a lot, it felt like watching a derailed train.. When the phone rings could have been a 10 star series. They just had to ruin the last two episodes. The last episodes was supposed to be a wrap up, but i felt like they just opened a can of worms that was really unnecessary. At least the last 15 minutes of the show was bearable, hence i gave the overall 8.5...Was this review helpful to you?
Most interesting romance mystery drama
Overall, quite enjoyable their chemistry and interesting plots lines!! Romantic thriller!!!Most interesting romance mystery drama!! Unexpectedly, the plot is interesting story line and strong chemistry between main leads.
"When the phone rings" is best drama of 2024 for me!!
I am not fan of actor and actress !! But I really enjoy watching their strong chemistry!!
Still can't think the secret of main lead actor!!
Hope the ending is good and there is no plot hole !!!
The storyline/ script is well-written and fast-paced !!!
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Most Romantic drama series in 2024 are flop in the middle or at the end!!
Unexpectedly , "When the phone rings" is still the best romantic plot line drama among them in 2024x
Hope hope the ending is good !!!
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Passive Aggressive Racism... it deserves a better ending...
Hello everyone!***This review is based on my personal feelings and opinion.***
'When The Phone Rings' starts off strong with a gripping story, excellent twists and turns, and amazing performances by most of the cast. The characters are well-developed, the main leads had great chemistry, and the pacing keeps viewers engaged. But all of that is completely ruined by the disaster that is the last half of the final episode.
However, the final episode is a major letdown. The male lead's abrupt decision to abandon the female lead feels completely out of character, as if the writers forced in a shocking twist without any logical buildup. His motivations are unclear, contradicting everything the show established about his personality and his regret towards his relationship with the female lead. It's lazy, inconsistent storytelling that feels like it was thrown together at the last minute.
Additionally, the depiction of the Aragan rebels is troubling. While the show doesn't explicitly feature Arabs, but the rebels' appearance and actions bear a strong resemblance to Hamas. On top of that, they conveniently only kidnap white people, which adds an uncomfortable racial dynamic that feels completely unnecessary, its not just bad writing - it's irresponsible.
What should have been a satisfying conclusion turns into a frustrating mess. This unfortunate choice undermines the series' credibility and leaves a problematic final impression.
*A great show that deserved a much better ending. Instead, we got this train wreck.*
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Promise remained undelivered.
The plot started off quite interesting, with frequent twists, revealing more about the main characters. Initially, there was a fair balance between the thriller, suspense and romance in the story which made it quite engaging. However, as the show progressed, the plot became repetitive, predictable, and somewhat frustrating.Still worth binging, but was definitely not worth the weekly wait (after a certain point in the show) anymore.
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Nice one but for me not the best
I enjoyed this drama so here I'm writing a review. I don't get the logic they were married for three whole years and then suddenly their love begins to be shown. And also the ending was so messed up. The drama was to the point until the last episode. There were unnecessary scenes fillers, unnecessary turns, and he disappeared for no reason for such a long time. You must be kidding! Honestly speaking, I enjoyed it until episode 11.Was this review helpful to you?
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The swing to the right is real
...so the swing of the public opinion to the right, patriarchal is real. Another drama with the trope 'he treats her like trash, with contempt and sometimes real hate, but that's for greater good and he will later mend the error of his ways'.She fights back, but obviously not in a healthy way, because she's used to be abused. So first time he offers her some bread crumb of attention, she'll be head over heels.
Never been tempted to watch 50 shades.
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the last episode feels so unnecessary
the last episode could've executed better, it almost beg the question what were the writers thinking. just really takes you out of the immersion where it could had being a solid end and closure.also did not like the fight scene and how cheesy some of the car scenes were. But overall not a bad show, just could've better and with variances of qualities between different episodes.
overall not a bad show, just could've better and with variances of qualities between different episodes.
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Great first couple of episodes
When I first started watching this drama I was excited.The first few episodes where really well paced and captivating, the story had an interesting baseline and the acting was on pair. I’m not a huge fan of the ML but I think he did a good job. As for the FL, I think she was a good cast for this role.
However, the further I watched the less I enjoyed it. The plot started to become just too unrealistic (considering the main theme of this genre).
I could feel how hard they were trying to keep the episodes eventful, but with no real substance, just piling up a false sense of intensity.
The writing was chaotic but predictable at the same time and the support roles where too superficially explored for me to develop an interest.
The final episodes where just plane nonsense in my opinion, it was just unnecessary and unrealistic intensity that made no sense whatsoever.
Overall, WTPR has the correct ingredients to captivate viewers and it could have been a great exciting drama, but it ended up falling short.
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A Whole Convoluted Mess… But Somehow Romantic
I went into When the Phone Rings expecting a tense psychological thriller mixed with romance, and while it definitely had moments that pulled me in emotionally, by the end I felt like the entire drama was one giant convoluted setup just to bring two emotionally repressed people together.The strongest part of the drama was honestly the emotional tension between the leads. Their relationship carried the show. Watching two people who barely knew each other slowly open up, communicate, and realize how much they actually loved one another was compelling. The chemistry worked, and I think that’s why so many people stayed invested even when the plot started unraveling.
But the writing? Whew.
The drama introduced SO many huge twists:
* illegitimate children
* replacement identities
* corrupt family dynamics
* childhood murders
* basement imprisonment
* revenge plots
* kidnappings
* political power games
…only for the ultimate takeaway to basically be: “we should have communicated better.”
The biggest letdown for me was the antagonist. The show wanted him to feel terrifying and psychologically complex, but the more they explained his backstory, the less sense his motivations made.
We’re told he was a child serial killer who murdered other children from an orphanage while being secretly locked away in a basement (already a wild setup that raises way too many questions). Then his grandfather attempts to kill him by drowning him in a boat… but somehow doesn’t even confirm he’s dead. The caretaker discovers he survived and just lets him go? Go where exactly? Did nobody think maybe a homicidal child should be monitored?
Then years later, after surviving abandonment, attempted murder, and isolation, his entire obsession becomes ruining the life of the replacement grandson.
That’s where the writing lost me.
A true psychopath/revenge-driven villain would logically want revenge on the ENTIRE family system that abused and discarded him — especially the adults responsible. Instead, he hyper-fixates on another traumatized child who literally watched him get drowned and was powerless to stop it. The show tries to frame this as emotional betrayal, but it just didn’t feel believable to me.
And don’t even get me started on how many times this man escaped situations he realistically should not have escaped from. The police and security in this drama were basically decorative.
Also: the female lead got kidnapped SO many times that eventually I started laughing every time it happened. Ma’am. Please. Stay inside. Learn self-defense. Hire security. Something.
The final episodes especially felt messy and overly dramatic for the sake of emotion rather than logic. The war-zone reunion scene had me genuinely laughing because it was filmed like the most romantic thing ever while I was still trying to process how we even got there narratively.
Overall, I think this drama survives mostly because of the emotional connection between the leads. Their chemistry, longing, and eventual honesty with each other gave the story heart. But structurally, the plot became increasingly ridiculous the more you thought about it.
Would I say it was terrible? No.
Was it addictive? Absolutely.
Did it make complete sense? Not even slightly.
Rating: 7/10 — entertaining, emotional, chaotic, and held together almost entirely by romance and vibes.
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ending left a bad taste
casting: i liked the casting, i think the male and female leads made sense for the characters and very well had the faces of their characters. the younger ML and FL were perfect too!plot: I won’t deny that this was a great plot and possible storyline - do i wish we saw a more badass side to the female lead? yes, but the story was pretty good until the last couple of episodes.
a. I hated the sudden, very obvious and uncomfortable amount of propaganda that was thrown at us in nowhere.
b. The whole war arc made absolutely no sense and added nothing substantial to the story..like genuinely why did it even exist.
c. It wasn’t in character, i personally feel like the ending was both rush and out of character for the most part 🤷♀️
overall: it wasn’t a bad show while i was watching it but the ending left a bad taste. so now whenever i think about it, unfortunately, i remember the absolute shitshow the ending was. I personally haven’t recommended it to anyone which is disappointing because it had all the charm to be a really good kdrama.
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I actually did not hate the show, the last two episodes just kinda sucked
I honestly do not hate the show, but the last two episodes peeved me. The 12th episode kinda sucked, it felt like filler for something that should have ended on the 11th episode and the 12th should've just showed them together. Beak Sa Eon (this is likely an incorrect spelling) was the most irritating character for me, i felt this a little at the start but it really solified with him disappearing for no good reason. First off his reason for being mean to Hee Joo sucked almost the same way the mothers reason for forcing her daughter into silence sucked. All the characters' reasons for being rude to Hee Joo only to turn around and say oh we actually care about you (oh boo hoo!!), is stupid (none of them make sense (even the reporter girl was rude at the start and we didnt really address that). Then Beak Sa Eon decides to disappear when all of this could've ended if he stepped on the gas in the 11th episode (there was so much time, but he decides to get out of the car, REALLY!!). But it gets worse, what the heck was that war zone scene, I don't even want to talk about it. The show just irritated me; I'm happy for them but the show lost me. I literally left the show unfinished, as soon as she got kidnapped in the 12th episode, for 2 months, that's how much that nonsense irritated me.Honestly do I recommend the show? yah sure. Do I recommend the last 2 episodes? I would say save your sanity. ✌️
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