When the Phone Rings

Ansich eine spannende Serie

Die Geschichte ist unglaublich spannend erzählt. Sie hält das Niveau kontinuierlich. Die Story erinnert stellenweise an The Flower of Evil. Sehr erfrischend mal wieder etwas zu schauen, was der Handlung nahe kommt. Die Geachichte ist gut erzählt, es gibt kaum Filler. Auch die Musik ist gut gewählt. Die Chemie zwischen den Hauptdarstellern passt gut und auch die Nebendarsteller sind nicht zu viel eingebunden. Man hätte an der einen oder anderen Stelle noch etwas besser die Beziehungen darstellen können und mehr ins Detail gehen können. Gerade zwischen den Schwestern, gibt es kaum interessante Szenen. Ausserdem hätte man komplett auf den Argan Strang verzichten können. Ja schon klar, warum die das derart eingebunden haben...Um ein Rundes Bild zu erzeugen, was den Anfang der Serie angeht, aber dennoch war das unnötig und stumpf. Meines Erachtens war das auch extrem unglaubwürdig. Wäre das nicht gewesen, hätte die Serie definitiv eine höhere Wertung bekommen.
Alles in allem, lohnt es sich aber, hier mal rein zu sehen. Man wird gut unterhalten und muss sich nicht zu Tode langweilen.

Read More

Hooked from the first ring!!!

I was completely hooked by When the Phone Rings. It drew me in from the very first episode with its gripping mystery, emotional depth, and the quiet tension that kept building throughout. The pacing, the atmosphere, and the way the story explored human connection and loneliness through something as simple as a phone call really stayed with me. The performances were strong and the characters felt layered, each carrying their own secrets and regrets.

Some scenes in the last episode didn’t quite work for me... they felt a bit out of place or unnecessary, and I think the finale could’ve been stronger and more impactful without them. Still, despite a few stumbles at the end, I genuinely enjoyed the drama overall. It was emotional, thought-provoking, and left me thinking about it long after it ended.

Read More

one polished lakorn

I havent got to finish this yet, but still i can tell there is so much unjustified hype. The ML is - of course - charming as always, but the tropes are too obvious: we get the girl sold by the family over money, the cruel ML of the arranged marriage who is just a softie at heart, the weak FL that gets through his shell and discovers true love etc. The political drama turns into a teens' silly romance.
Like, the devil becomes an angel and we're so shocked! (Wink wink.)
Also, they accidentally fall on top of each other - repeatedly, share a bed for outer reasons, he teases the innocent girl, protects her from a random motorcycle... And the phone calls with the supposed terrorist are totally ludicrous!
The young leads are good, but the FL is always so tearful.
The old tropes are well spiced-up with action and mysteries, the production is luxurious, not much to complain regarding this.
K-drama is flashing its muscles again.

Read More

A very welcome comeback of the romantic thriller in Kdrama form

Yess a romantic thriller ! And a spicy one, even. I love those. It's old school for a Kdrama, bringing back the red flag CEO antihero, and I'm here for it. Usually we start contract marriage plots before (or right after) the wedding, but this one takes us after three long, cold, loveless years, when our heroïne is on the verge of exploding. And explode, she does ! And takes a very unusual and dangerous approach. The drama is so well done, I'm surprised at the level of directing and acting involved in this. Also, for once, here is a show that relies on showing and almost never on telling. There is a lot going on here visually. Plot wise, I know Kim Ji Won is a controversial writer, but I always find her work fascinating, never boring, and thought-provoking (I'm one of the few people who enjoyed Cheongdamdong Alice and Melancholia from start to finish). Her adaptation of the webtoon is very fairy-tale like, it's Sleeping Beauty coded with a "dormant" cursed heroïne, the theme of sexual awakening, the toxic queen moms and absentee fathers. They also cite the Little Mermaid, and I can see its influence with the heroïne who can't speak, loves her prince in silence and feels like a tortured stand-in for his bride. Talking about the actors, I'm so glad that Chae Soo Bin is sharing the screen with Yoo Yeon Seok, they are such a strong pairing. She's fire, he's ice, so take a seat and enjoy the ride.

Read More

Fabulous overall

I totally enjoyed this series. It was fun, intriguing, loved the surprises, the twists, the turns. The acting was absolutely off the charts! the chemistry between the leads was incredible. The story hit a hiccup on ep 11 and made me rethink my rating but I soon realized that the rating should be about the overall feeling about this show and I forgave the writers for that! overall a 10 - I looked forward to each episode and found it very entertaining. I did not know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised that the story kept my interest and I would sometimes not be able to turn it off and binge watched. Loved being surprised and shocked! overall it was very enjoyable.

Read More

ENJOYABLE, but a bit makjang

Baek Sa Eon is a typical K-drama male lead—cold and stiff on the outside, but with a heart full of warmth for the female lead. I wasn’t a fan of him at first due to the lack of communication between him and Hee Joo. I know he did it to “protect” her, but still, it was unhealthy.

That said, the romance developed at a reasonable pace, as did the mystery, so I was invested in the story and rooting for both leads to end up together.

Aside from the last two episodes, the series was pretty enjoyable, especially for those who like a little bit of makjang and don’t nitpick small details. There were a lot of twists, and by episode 10, I was starting to feel exhausted. When Sa Eon decided to go MIA without any explanation, leaving Hong Hee Joo confused and waiting all by herself, I lost interest. I ended up skipping a lot of scenes.

Eventually, Hong Hee Joo tracked him down by visiting the foundation Sa Eon had donated his money to. She ended up in a conflict zone—a reckless move, to be honest—and, of course, she got captured. Cue Baek Sa Eon swooping in to rescue her—so BBF-coded.

I really want to commend Chae Soo Bin for her sign language skills. It’s clear she put in a lot of hard work. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to learn and memorize, but she comes across as both comfortable and convincing. I’ve seen a drama before where the male lead used sign language, but it didn’t feel authentic at all. That’s why I especially want to applaud her dedication and performance.

Read More

Addicting first half that manages to flounder in the middle just to drown right at the finish line

When the Phone Rings hooked us with its trailer and the expectation of a suspenseful thriller that appeared to boast of intense chemistry and exciting action. And those first 6 episodes? The did deliver a good portion of that. The chemistry between the main cast, the riveting characters and their secrets, the well paced and engaging movement of the plot. It was all there and kept me as a viewer addicted to the screen waiting for the next episodes to appear. But then the show pivots from the thriller we were enjoying into a romance that morphed the characters, slowed the plot, and threw logic out the window. Ultimately leaving a bad taste in your mouth by the end of the finale.

We begin with Baek Sa Eon, a high profile political figure from a prestigious family, marrying the youngest daughter of another prestigious family. For the selectively mute youngest daughter, Hong Hui Ju, the marriage is but a cage where she is the replacement for her sister and used to connect the families for political reasons. She is told never to reveal that she is married to him and he treats her with a cold indifference while living in the same home for 3 years. But someone becomes aware of her existence and attempts to use her to threaten Baek Sa Eon by kidnapping her. This is where the plot really begins. While Hui Ju manages to get away from the kidnapper she also takes with her the phone that he used to call Sa Eon and ends up using it to try to escape her marriage thus unknowingly beginning to unravel Sa Eon's true nature and intentions. Now caught between learning more about her husband and being used by the kidnapper threatening him Hui Ju and Sa Eon race to find answers and undo misunderstandings.

Beautifully shot, well styled, well acted, and with a great OST this drama had the beginnings to become a really great drama. Then the second half began and this is where you see both characters fall in love and we lose the interesting, intelligent, and cold Baek Sa Eon to the fool for love version of himself and the strong, independent, snarky, and determined Hui Ju to the stereotypical damsel in distress. The reveals are predictable at this point and the plot dissolves into a bit of nonsense. The antagonists aren't given enough development to make their movements and motivations completely believable and the last two episodes fail to bring any excitement and instead deliver more annoyance than anything. The final episode was the last straw as the first 40minutes offer only ridiculous choices made through motivations that make no sense and could have been completely removed to only see the last 20minutes.

While I did really enjoy the first half of this show the second half managed to remove all the original good things about the show and ultimately delivered a disappointing, nonsensical mess.

Read More

Full on tropes but are well executed.

It never promised a groundbreaking - oscar worthy masterpiece, but it was perfect on its own right.


For the future watchers and those starting the drama right now. The ways you can actually enjoy this drama.


1. Always think of the drama logic. The show is for pure entertainment, a guilty pleasure. If you are here thinking it would be a realistic drama, then you won't enjoy it. Abandon the technicalities and your personal projections.

2. It is a thriller romance, so both genres are entertwined. You will feel the angst and frustration, but you will also feel the intense chemistry of the leads.


3. Plot-wise, your questions will be answered as you go along the rest of the episodes. Any other "logic" you are thinking of, please refer to number 1.


4. Instead of thinking "how/what will I do in this situation" it should be "how/why did Heejoo & BSE do that". Then you will enjoy this more. Again, point number 1.



But seriously, as a long time drama watcher, I am easy to please. As long as the leads acting are great, intense chemistry and good communication are present, idrc about the craziness around them. So for those who are like me, you will enjoy it.

Read More

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

Read More

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.

Read More