The Affair Was Just the Beginning

A humorous unhinged thriller that makes you laugh while keeping you engaged

E(1-4)
Has you hooked from the very first moment. I love how every character is busy showing off a fake side to the world and going to extreme lengths to keep the facade. "Not all that glitters is gold" .....the best way to describe both the families. There are no black or whites but every character is shades of grey and looking out for themselves. Both the first two episodes show the same situation but from different perspectives and the ending really makes you wish they dropped all episodes at once while third and fourth ep sets the stage for chaos.

E(5-8)
Doesn't loose it's spark and keeps you on your toes. Lots of revelations and a bigger mess to be cleaned out. The leads are really showing their true colors and as always everyone is looking out for themselves. This is one of the dramas where you don't even know who you want to root for or whether root for them at all. E6 ending was pure diabolically hilarious. The entire mess in the climax is absolute cinema and totally unhinged. As far as ending it is what you call satisfying.



Each actor is doing their jobs so phenomenally and the story so far is engaging. The humor is on point and doesn't derail the thriller moments. The ratings of this drama don't do justice to how fun it is to watch.

Read More

Must watch, if you’re 18+

The cinematography feels really fresh to me. The way this series was filmed reminds me of movie-level cinematography like ‘Parasite’ and ‘No Other Choice’. I’ve been watching K-dramas for 10 years, and I honestly don’t recall seeing anything filmed quite like this. Some scenes also remind me of ‘The Office’ a little bit, you know how sitcoms play with the camera and use those random zooms? 😆

The premise is also very intriguing. I immediately wanted to know more about what would happen to the two families. Multiple things just go wrong at the same time, which leads to one misunderstanding after another, and honestly, it’s quite funny.

I also love how they retell the same story, or events from the same timeline, from different characters’ POVs. And they’re not dull or repetitive at all, because each POV adds more context to the story and gives the characters so much more personality.

Kim Hye Soo is so badass here! ❤️

Read More

Deliciously dark misunderstood communications tow a thin line where chaos and wreckage meet

Ahhhhh I love love LOVE dark humor, and this is as murky and black as a comedy that (as the show tells you straight up) simply begins with an extramarital affair can get.

The writing? Solid. Nothing totally mind blowing or “new,” but light or dark, almost nothing in this forsaken world IS new under the blistering sun, now is it?

The cinematography? Chef’s kiss, truly. Angles so perfect it tickled my funny bone so hard it practically orgasmed at both the precision and their choices. Remember that wee film Parasite that the SFL here was in? I was often, from both the set and camera work, reminded of that, and as cinematography goes, that sure is a good thing to have your brain link.

The colors and general set design are just immaculately picked, arranged… the artwork felt so perfectly curated for the fairy tale facade families this was depicting the nonsense of! The sound design was also quite fitting—a whole lot of quirkiness in this, and if camera angles were making my eyes have their own 8 episodes of being thoroughly seduced, the quirky choices of mostly understated but personality-reflecting sounds in this sent my ears over the top.

Now for my 11* detail on this inadequate scale of 1 to 10… the ACTING, omono, what acting, indeed. I mentioned the sounds, and let me be clear, a big part of those sounds having a scandalous affair with my ears over here were naturally from Kim Hye Soo who frankly could make me turn into Kim Ji Hoon, Kim Jae Cheol, her character’s most avid fans, and honestly probably Cho Yeo Jeong by the end lol. She is absolutely on fire in this, something I almost expect from her at a level of certainty that drinking a gallon of water in a couple of hours of time makes me expect to need to pee. She isn’t just the gallon of water here; she is the caffeine in that deliciously infused water that makes me rush forth defenseless with only some tissue to recompose myself afterward. Yep. She is one titillating woman, and I have no shame in bowing before that absolute queen—and Cho Yeo Jeong, too, is just brilliant and the perfect counterpart here. I cannot express how much I adore a woman spitting words like “vulgar” at another about crude language after turning said curse-uttering woman’s spouse into a raging bull being ridden at a rodeo. I could practically see the damn lasso.

The men (spouses and more!)? Don’t worry. They weren’t bringing the surface level glam or elegance. Instead, they were bringing the chaos, the havoc and oftentimes complete idiocy that ensured wreckage was a guarantee here—one also brought with him a turd brown car he proclaimed to be rich gold. 😂 Accomplished people showcasing a special sort of incompetence brings its own kind of unique joy, and as a feed post of mine showed in photos, I realllly delighted in seeing an elite doctor sooooo awkward in trying to hide evidence of his crimes that were on display in the crime scene everyone was right there living through: heightened senses is an understatement, perspectives and interpretations of what is going on are so different for EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. of them that they aren’t just on different pages… this lot of chaos agents were reading different books, pretty much living in different universes as their brains went, and you know what? I fkng loved every bit of their madness!

It goes without saying that this is not a show made for youth, and I mean MDL’s definition of youth here, adolescents to young adults. If you are as twisted and salty a pretzel as my 20-something era’s schadenfreude-delighting, sarcasm-dripping humor made me when it came to films and dramas, perhaps you, young friend, will also be tickled as if someone bought you a whole box of premium silicone toys to, well, be tickled by.

If my language in this review sits wrong with you, I politely but strongly suggest you not watch this show… after all, the affair is just its beginning, and my, oh, my… if the affair bothers you or you think that might be the indecent part, ohhhh, noooo… nuh-uh. The affair is the little “kids get out of here; grown ups are doing grown up things” warning to get viewers with youngsters in the house to turn off the screens in any shared areas and go to their rooms, maybe with the door locked and/or headphones worn if they do not want some of the ‘vulgarities’ reaching their kids. I say that as someone from an era where multiple books all about sex, illustrated, all forms of birth control showcased with data, too, were given to my young elementary school self (thanks, mom!) to learn things I would eventually understand a touch better than “that tickles” level curiosities of wee ones (my school also had progressive sex education sessions with experts that increased in detail every year from age 8 onward, and it was as normalized as educational content as the far less interesting demands to create 3D models of various elements… it was just science, some sociology and psychology, some more anatomy class applicable biology—I mention this to say that what is normal to me might be worlds apart from your own so how I watched this may, too, differ greatly from most on MDL).

I’m going to trust that me acknowledging the existence of things acknowledged in the show isn’t going to be overwhelmingly uncomfortable for the few who stayed around… if you did and like your humor resembling the color and sometimes temperature of pure melted tar, this may very well suit you. If I’ve offended you with my choice of words here, it really will not! My wordplay is a PSA urging people to watch if they like a show to be relentless in its efforts to be the purest form of unhinged character delivery… and urging others to find their own weird and wonderful kind of playground. This show is SO messy, and I was SO enthralled in turn.

Needless to say, I really thoroughly enjoyed this! I could write posts as long as this for so many ten minute long chunks of this show, but instead, I bid you happy watching if you are up for a bit of raunchiness, a lot of misguided, well, -everything-, and physical comedy at its best courtesy of cast giving it 110% and the crew enhancing it with masterful sequences of frames. Even the adorable fifteen or so year old daughters with their fledgling lesbian love stories showcased some hella bad decisions, both in actions and dialogue, and were thoroughly confused. They, too, were in different worlds from the parents they thought they understood the situations of, but oh, no, they certainly did not. That was not at all by accident. Nothing in this is, nothing.

It’s quite possible the art of MIScommunication has never delighted me so much or at least not in quite a lonnnng time! (I am stating this a bit late, but if you think this show centers primarily around sex, think again. I, too, opted in this review to intentionally misdirect a bit, to miscommunicate where disclosure would spoil one’s viewing, and NOT be clear about much of anything here because that would be a horrible disservice to all!) I have a feeling I’ll rewatch this short lil program by the end of September!

Thanks to the performances, the 9 this was sitting at inched up to a 9.5, and I do mean my rating, not literal numbers of inches things might increase in size. 😉😏

Read More

Just Smile and Wave, We Have Alibis

I'll admit it: I completely judged this drama by its title. I went in thinking this was going to be a melodrama about marriage, cheating, broken families, and people making terrible romantic decisions. But boy, was I wrong!

The affair was merely the opening act. Everything that came after? Absolute chaos.

What I loved most was how the story of that one fateful night, March 30, was told from multiple POVs without making me feel like I was watching the same events on repeat. Each perspective added something new, and the emotional contrast was chef's kiss as one character is experiencing passion while another is experiencing pure terror. Same night, same people, but completely different experiences.

And this is where the cast really ate.

It was amazing watching the characters through the different POVs. Made me appreciate the actors a little bit more because they really did shift their performances to fit into whichever character's perspective we were watching. A seemingly calm, cool and calculating person in one POV was nearly sh*tting themselves when looking from another perspective as they tried to cover up all their secrets.

Kim Hyesoo as Park Kyunghee was especially entertaining as she plays a popular YouTuber, who will do whatever it takes to protect her carefully curated public image, alongside her husband and partner in crime Jae Hong, played by Kim Jihoon.

The contrast between their polished public personas and their private panic was hilarious. The fake smiles in public? Psst! All a façade as the moment they get behind closed doors? These two were fighting for their lives to maintain that highclass lifestyle, and honestly, watching them run around in circles, creating alibis to cover up their secrets and then complimenting themselves was one of my favourite parts of the drama.

Pure peak dark comedy!

The directing and cinematography were also really well done. I loved how the director took the long shots where absolute chaos would be unfolding on one end of the frame while, somewhere else, there were the nosy neighbours casually lurking around under the very convincing excuse of "exercising" haha. That contrast between the madness happening in one corner and everyday life continuing as normal in another added another layer to the dark comedy and it realistically shows how everyone is going through their own little crisis while the rest of the world is just… existing.

This drama was honestly such a pleasant surprise ngl. I had a lot of fun watching it even though waiting a whole week for new episodes felt like torture! Then again, it was all worth it in the end as initially, I was expecting an affair drama but what I got was a delicious little mess of secrets, panic, betrayal, dark comedy and people desperately trying to keep their lives from falling apart.

I would for sure recommend this to anyone who enjoys dark comedy thrillers with a fantastic cast, layered storytelling and characters who are one bad decision away from making everything infinitely worse.

Read More

Theatre of the absurd?

It's hard not to compare The Affair Was Just The Beginning to Mad Concrete Dreams - both came out in 2026, and both ultimately use a situation careening out of control as a major story element. Whereas MCD uses that situation for more sympathetic ends, treating it as actions done by a father trying to provide for his family and specifically his daughter, The Affair swings the complete other way. And by god is it for the show's benefit.

No one in this show is a good person. Everyone is willing to backstab each other, to sell each other up the river in order to buy themselves just enough time to get out of the situation they are in. Yes, even the kids. But the adults in the room are nowhere near that - even if they ultimately *try* to protect their children from the act that they committed, they are still willing to ignore so much else to keep up the pretenses of their charmed life together. But where the drama really comes into it's own is the back half of the final episode, where everything is ultimately revealed and the audience, alongside the characters, learn that it was all for naught. That three people are dead for no other reason then the mess that was made wasn't even theirs to clean up.

Considering the pure absurdity on display, you ultimately need to have a core of actors that are willing to get up for the task. Kim Hye-soo lives up to it all and is able to effectively sell being a composed career women one minute, and a vindicative bitch the other. Kim Ji Hoon definitely come to play, as does Kim Jae Chul and Cho Yeo Jung. But in my mind, the true standouts is the two child actors, Do Yeong So and Jeon Si Hyun. I generally have a dim view of Korean writers being able to weave a queer storyline in a way that is ultimately effective for story purposes and not just for shock value (to be frank I think the same for Western writers) and especially considering the age of the two girls, it could have easily gone down a terrible road. But it's done in a way that feels honest and true - and it does eventually play into the wider story as yet another element of a rabbit hole of disjointed information coming into view. It certainly is a joy to see the parents incredulous that their daughters could be in love, and dating on the side.

What really buoys this drama though, is the cinematography and the craft of it all. Korean dramas, even now compared to say, the 'golden' era of the late 2000's and early 2010's Hallyu Wave, can definitely be hit a lot with the stick of being incredibly bland on that front. Considering the inner workings of Korean dramas still being filmed more or less in the moment, it is to The Affair's benefit that there is a deliberate, Swiss watch precision in terms of shot composition. A review below pins it as a Coen brothers sort of aesthetic, and that is without question the best descriptor for The Affair - and also a great compliment to the director and writers that they are able to weave such a deliberate thematic and compositional style without it feeling like a cheap imitation.

More then anything though, what I appreciate most about this story is the length. It's eight episodes of very little fat - every moment is dedicated to the story, either in the moment or wider scope. There's very little navel-gazing, and it's almost certain that any writer or director could have very easily taken one wrong step and done the drama equivalent of rolling their ankle. Certainly have watched a fair few dramas where the writers figure they are smarter then the audience and string things out to the point of popping the balloon and leaving audiences running for the door. The Affair doesn't do that, and it's a wonderful feeling to watch a show have faith in its ability to bring the audiences along for the way, and stick the landing too.

I haven't been watching Korean dramas again for long - really since the beginning of this year - but it is clear that this ranks as one of the finest I'll watch this year. And it's easily going top three, it's that good. Do yourself a favor and watch this. You'll be glad you did.

Read More

“And having more ideas, they had more suffering.”

Undoubtedly one of the most interesting contemporary Korean TV series, “The Affair Was Just the Beginning” is a brilliant dark comedy built around an interwoven narrative and a gradual piecing together of the story, in which the chronology and, above all, the way information is revealed are manipulated to make the viewer mentally re-examine what they thought they had already understood.

It is a sort of narrative ‘disjunction’ in which it is not necessarily the story itself that is told in a non-linear manner, but rather the information about it that is presented in a disjointed way: the viewer is thus led to form an initial interpretation of the events, only to be forced to re-evaluate it in the light of what is subsequently revealed.

It could therefore be described as a dark comedy of misunderstandings, built around a chain of tragic errors in which the audience gradually ends up knowing more than the characters. And it is this imbalance in information that generates much of the humour: each event provides partial information that leads to an initial interpretation, whilst the addition of new elements retroactively alters its meaning.

The result is a sort of narrative labyrinth constructed through the retrospective repetition of the same time segments, each time expanded by new information and a different point of view.

Beyond the most obvious simplification that might spring to mind — a sort of interlocking, jigsaw-style plot — the narrative structure finds its most compelling element in the randomness with which events end up linking together, transforming more or less significant faults, omissions and poor decisions into a progressive catastrophe. It is the snowball effect that drives the entire story: each character tries to solve their own immediate problem, but in doing so, almost inevitably, creates a much bigger problem for someone else.

It is a narrative structure that, in some respects, may bring to mind Stanley Kubrick’s film “The Killing”, with its constant re-composition of events through different perspectives and temporal segments; the spirit, however, is surprisingly close to that of the Coen brothers, because behind this sophisticated structure there is no all-powerful criminal mastermind orchestrating events, but rather a cast of characters who are convinced, time and again, that they can make up for their mistakes with a slightly bigger one.

Every attempt to evade the consequences of one’s actions thus gives rise to the next consequence, until a single incident turns into an increasingly uncontrollable chain of events. This progressive accumulation of faults, omissions and responsibilities ultimately makes it impossible to draw a clear distinction between the guilty and the innocent: no one is truly innocent, yet the consequences do not necessarily fall on those who bear the greatest responsibility either.

The entire comic and suspenseful dynamic are built on the vast information gap between the characters and the audience itself. We, the viewers, gradually come to possess more pieces of the jigsaw than those on screen, thus witnessing a colossal cover-up which is, in fact, the solution to a problem that the protagonists have failed to grasp.

From case to chaos: blackmail sets off the hunt for money; the hunt for money opens up another abyss; and the discovery of the video’s true content shifts the focus of the story yet again. What appeared to be merely a piece of the puzzle suddenly becomes something else, altering not only the protagonists’ perspective but also that of the viewer, who is almost naturally led to view the adults from a different angle.

And whilst Gyeong-hui finds herself increasingly at the centre of responsibilities that seem to multiply rather than diminish, the relationships between the characters are also constantly shifting: what seemed like an alliance turns into mistrust, what appeared marginal suddenly takes on a different significance, and even the blame seems to be redistributed according to ever-changing perspectives.

It is a most felicitous insight: there are not simply red herrings, but constantly shifting perspectives. Together, the viewer and the characters add a new ‘step’ to the story, only to discover that this new piece also alters the previous ones. An almost labyrinthine deception, in which every new piece of information seems to finally clarify the picture, yet instead alters its focus.

As the system begins to become overwhelmed. The arrival of Na-do finally introduces an external element, almost a disruptive force, a perspective that seems capable of breaking that closed cycle of secrets, omissions and half-truths. Except that even the detective gradually becomes absorbed by the chaos he is supposed to sort out, whilst all the characters converge towards that grotesque ‘all together now’ moment, where the various plotlines cease to run in parallel and begin to collide.

Here, “The Affair Was Just the Beginning” proves itself to be more than just a brilliant dark comedy, revealing itself instead as a drama constructed with almost mechanical precision, in which the complexity never ends up overshadowing the central narrative. The starting point and the ending are part of the same story, and even the chaotic final collapse is not a deviation, but the natural consequence of everything that has gone before.

The series’ modest length certainly helps in this regard: eight episodes, all well under an hour, are enough to develop the vast plot without getting bogged down in digressions or redundant backstory. The pieces fall into place at just the right moment and, just when the puzzle seems impossible to solve, they all surprisingly end up finding their rightful place. It’s a sort of Kubrickian precision applied to a subject matter that is decidedly more chaotic and, above all, far more prone to irony.

Just think of the bunker, which has gradually been transformed into a sort of grotesque burial mound: a concept so absurd that it is irresistibly comic, yet perfectly consistent with the series’ internal logic.

But none of this would be possible without the excellent choice of an absolutely perfect cast; the great chemistry between the actors is evident in every ensemble scene and almost seems to suggest just how much fun they had staging this mad, interlocking game. The dynamics between the characters work precisely because no one tries to steal the limelight from the others: the chaos is collective and is collectively fuelled.

Kim Hye-soo naturally deserves a special mention. It is she, to all intents and purposes, who drives the drama and carries it through the crucial moments with the full range of skills required, displaying impressive naturalness, plenty of self-deprecating humour and a sex appeal that would put many twenty-somethings to shame… Magnetic and simply perfect.

Paradoxical as it may seem, the conclusion is perfectly in keeping with the tone adopted from the outset. The police’s far-fetched theories are by no means a narrative shortcut: they are the final, consistent manifestation of the very same randomness and human stupidity that have governed the entire affair. In a Coen-esque world, even those who are supposed to restore order end up adapting to the chaos.

In the end, what remains above all is that mocking feeling that has accompanied the whole affair; after so much anxiety, so much fear and a web of lies that grew until it became almost bigger than the events themselves, reality seems almost to take pleasure in putting everything back into perspective, according to a logic that completely eludes those who have desperately tried to control it.

If you like, it’s a sort of poetic justice: not a punishment, not redemption, but the irony of having gone all that way only to find oneself, in some way, exactly where one never thought one’d end up. To breathe a sigh of relief, yet without being able to erase what has happened, nor that strange feeling that, for once, coincidence had the last word.

This fairy-tale return to normality therefore has a surreal quality to it: everything seems to be falling back into place, but nothing is really the same as it was before. Ultimately, the affair was really only the beginning: having narrowly escaped danger is not the same as freedom, because perhaps the worst prison is not a jail, but having to carry on living within the gigantic lie that has been constructed.

8 ½

Read More

Pure Chaotic Brilliance

Wow, it was soooo good. It's a real shame this drama isn't more popular—it's an absolute hidden gem. If you're looking for a dark comedy, this one is totally for you. It made me laugh out loud more times than I can count.

I love how the story is told. Each episode unfolds from a different character's perspective, and the way it all comes together is nothing short of amazing. The storyline feels fresh and refreshing, and the way it balances suspense with black comedy is masterfully done. I watched the entire thing in one day because I simply could not stop.

The acting is top-notch across the board. Kim Hye-soo is magnetic as Park Kyung-hee, the popular influencer who seems to have it all. Kim Ji-hoon plays her husband Lim Jae-hong, and Cho Yeo-jeong (from Parasite) is perfectly unsettling as the neighbor Su-jeong. The cast is just incredible.

It's pure chaos—crazy, unhinged, and completely addictive. You cannot look away. The production values are top-notch, and the camera work is excellent. As usual, the rating on MDL is disappointingly low—what else can you expect? I'm not surprised the drama is so well-made given the talent behind it: director Lee Chang-hee (A Killer Paradox, Strangers from Hell) and creator Hwang Dong-hyuk (Squid Game).

It's a shame there aren't more dramas like this. Pure entertainment from start to finish.

Read More

Bound by family ties

The show was a fun watch, and the acting elevated it to another level. It’s more suited for an older audience because of its suggestive content.

The story itself is nothing new, but the way it’s told, along with the reveals in each episode, constantly subverted what I originally thought. Just when I thought I had the characters figured out, I’d find out that they were much more flawed than I initially believed, all of them. There’s really no one to root for, yet the actors embody their characters so well that you can’t help but stay invested.

The world they created is incredibly engaging. The story doesn’t slow down to give the characters time to rethink their questionable life choices, and that made it a frustratingly good watch. The entire show is a poster child for what not to do when you find yourself in a pickle. Maybe do the exact opposite 🤣.

The lighting, costumes, props, score and overall attention to detail were all very well done.

Are you an adult who loves watching messy adults make questionable decisions while you laugh and cringe along with them? Then this is the drama for you with none of the dreaded K-drama tropes.

Read More

A Brilliant Story Built on Terrible Decisions

The finale remains remarkably consistent with the drama’s central premise: a tragedy of errors fueled by paranoia.

The protagonists spend the entire story building an increasingly complex web of lies to avoid prison. The ultimate irony is that the law clears them of the murder, while the real punishment for both families is realizing that they destroyed their lives, their families, and their peace of mind trying to cover up a crime they didn’t commit.

A completely happy ending would have felt false, but sending them to prison would have betrayed the logic of the script itself. Leaving them legally free but trapped in the ruins of their own decisions was the perfect place to end the story.

And this is my only real complaint.

The writer seems to need someone to pay, so the leaked affair video is used to publicly destroy the characters.

To me, it’s narratively ridiculous.

First, because the story had already given them consequences without needing to punish them.

And second, they could have simply sued the police for leaking the video.

Boom. You screwed yourself.

They might have ended up even better off.

If you resolved the murder plot with intelligence and logic, the characters’ final arcs deserved the same level of sophistication—not a last-minute dose of public humiliation.

For a moment, that decision turns an elegant psychological drama into a manipulative piece of cheap melodrama.

But it is one misstep in a script that accomplished something extremely difficult for eight episodes:

It turned a chain of stupid decisions into an extraordinarily intelligent story.

5/5 for the entire season.

Read More