Snow White's Revenge

A bold take on a classic!

"That woman must die. This isn't revenge. This is destiny."

Faithful to the original story (even references it visually with the apple at some points of the story) with its own modern makjang twist inside the setting of the entertainment industry and drama writing within the drama, Seol Ah being a screenwriter. Of course it is better, because the characters are far more complex. Clever storytelling (the beginning's narration really pulled me in), intertwined fates, emotional and crazy entertaining characters, insane twists and turns, great comic relief and a beautiful ending. I got sentimental at the end, it was such a journey.

Seol Ah (literally means Snow White, born on a snowy day with a dramatic reinterpretation of her birth which is said to be the original in the drama's universe) was the perfect vengeful Snow White (soft on the outside, burning inside), Jeong In the perfect evil queen, and Jin Ho the perfect corrupted prince (instead of Snow White falling asleep, something happens to him instead, and he kinda becomes a villain). Ju Yeon was an amazing character too as the semi-villain. (And great side characters overall.)

Tae Chang was... disgusting, but he's part of the entertainment. It's interesting the role he plays in the villain's story, and he brings out a rather sad topic. In a way, Jin Ho was at the center of this revenge as he was treated like a puppet and went through a lot.

At the end, everyone got their own version of karma - not Seol Ah of course, because she remains a saint. The characters' endings weren't random, they were fitting. It's a makjang, so without the absurdity there would be no drama, and the outrageous storylines are what makes it fun.

I rate the acting a 10 because even if you could judge it a bit at first (and the villain's actress seemed to have a problem with her lips), I figured it was that kind of theatrical melodrama and I grew to enjoy it more and more as it got better. My opinion at the end was that everyone was actually really good, but not everyone will enjoy it, for sure. The music, definitely a 10. And it's not here, but I must mention the sets, because I really liked the colorful aesthetic. This drama felt fresh and fitting for a younger audience considering the cast too.

Other than that, I was surprised to see how high-budget the beginning looked (many artistic shots! even when Seol Ah enters her low-budget house lol), because my first daily didn't have this, and it's been proven now that they really started to up their game. And yes, I seriously rate the story a 10, because at worst it was dragged at places but you could easily forget it as long as it manages to put you at the edge of your seat, so it's all about personal preference, and it shows as people who are into revenge dramas didn't necessarily like this one because the drama is full of romance (plus, it's not revenge in the conventional sense, since it's the villain's story, but I found it really symbolic overall).

I don't agree with Seol Ah being called "weak", but I guess we have different perspectives. Personally, she was my favorite. Anyway, I'd rather praise the screenwriter because writing over 100 episodes (30 minutes each, no worries) is obviously insane and I really loved her story. For those who need it, I'll add a comment to help you watching it in a good quality if you don't have Kocowa.

There are many daily dramas that others might prefer, but I don't think I will ever enjoy a daily drama as much as this one. I disliked Man in a Veil (every KBS2 daily is a revenge drama) which others rated well and felt very disappointed, while this drama was dragged down but I've recommended it to my friends and they loved it.

Also, just a story time - I went on the tiktok live of the main actor Choi Woong and commented "Seo Jin Ho!" to which he replied "You know me, SunOh?" and we had multiple interactions afterwards 😭 He's awesome!

P.S. They also did titles like Miss Monte Cristo, Cinderella Game and Queen's House. (The Korean title of SWR is Scandal.)

Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVlEiYP-9el6wtW5e1YQZ_m0jlOhOU8VM

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Don't bother

I am a believer that if you can't say anything positive... say nothing. However, once in a great while, I feel compelled. I have watched scores of kdramas; some were horrible, some were amazing and the rest fell somewhere in between. There have been only 2 dramas that frustrated me to the point that I needed to comment. The first was "Wild Romance" where Lee Si Young's character acting was so bad that I had to discontinue it because I was continuously yelling at the television. This one is the second. I need to ask viewers, "am I missing something?" because the acting, the story line, the totally unrealistic situations made this more of a farce than a drama. Even if I stretch my imagination until it snaps, I just don't get it. I had high hopes from the beginning because the storyline, though not unique, was my kind of drama. However, from the beginning, the actors were so over the top, I couldn't see an ounce of "truth" in their performances. Let's start with the FL. It's hard to believe she has several dramas in her repertoire because she was such a rookie. She spent the entire 80 episodes (as of now), teary-eyed, shaky-voiced and breathy. I didn't believe she experienced one bit of what she was portraying. I felt no pity whatsoever for her circumstance BUT, I did however, want to make her some chamomille tea and give her some oxygen. The ML didn't seem to know what his character was supposed to do. He was just a blank space. Handsome doesn't make you talented. The rest of the cast seemed to just be following the stage direction. (smile here, yell here, throw something here, ) My deepest thoughts during the entire drama: Would Han Chae Young's face be in a permanent sneer after the drama ended? Does anyone know how to knock? The male lead's bedroom is a revolving door. The FL's writing studio is as busy as an airport. Why does the enemy constantly come there and why, for God's sake does she buzz them in?!?! What is the purpose of the SML? SFL?? and the FL's extended family? Comic relief? Didn't work. Two characters that were doing their best to tread water were Jin Joo Hyung and Oh Young Joo. They did their best, but neither of them had anyone connected to their characters to work off of.
I like some of the actors' past performances which makes this even sadder. I really don't know what happened to a show that might have had some success if anyone knew what they were supposed to be doing.
You might ask why I am continuing to watch it? I have to... I just have to. I've made it this far, so I will see it through to the end. If a miracle happens and this show is redeemed, I will return with all of its good points. I promise. Fair is fair.

Final words: I finished watching all of the episodes and I can say, it didn't really get better. I think some of the characters began to get their footing at about the 95th episode, but obviously it was too late to rescue the sinking ship. In my honest opinion, after giving it some more thought, I would put the blame at about 70% writer/director and 30% actors. A good director can draw out better performances from their stars. I think expediency was their main objective, not craft. The ending wasn't too bad, but the relationship between FL and ML was never believable enough from the beginning to justify what happens. I challenge it fiercely. I also challenge their life choices as well. Again, not believeable. As the one actor is driving away ( I won't tell who!) , he gets half of the way down the driveway and chuckles a bit to himself. I think the director wants you to take this as, "oh well, it is what it is". I personally think he is smiling because it was his last scene and he was FREE.

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