This review may contain spoilers
Scandal Eve — A Thriller Shot Like Spotlight With a Soap-Level Scandal
Review (Episode 1):Scandal Eve tries to look like a serious investigative thriller—full of sober shots, ominous music and intense stares, as if it were filmed by someone trying to remake Spotlight or All the President’s Men.
The problem? The entire plot revolves around a scandal so small it belongs on a tabloid gossip show, not in a political thriller.
The first half of the episode is pure tension with no context: you don’t know who these people are, what the company does, or why you’re supposed to care. The script expects the viewer to feel pressure without giving any reason for it.
And when the “big scandal” finally drops, it’s almost laughable: an actor had a one-night affair five years ago. In Japan, private life can destroy a career, but the drama never explains that cultural context—so for an international viewer, there’s nothing here that justifies the atmosphere of crisis.
Then comes the press conference, filmed with the gravity of a political confession, when in reality the content barely rises above TMZ-level gossip. To make it worse, a simple question from a reporter sends everyone into panic, even though the situation could be answered calmly with basic logic.
In the end, Scandal Eve looks elegant, but the story is inflated and dramatically hollow.
Lots of silence and intense gazes… with nothing underneath.
A thriller in form, a gossip show in substance.
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