This review may contain spoilers
Trap hooks with suspense; characters good, story average.
I just finished watching the series Trap today. It’s only 7 episodes, and I thought I could binge it in one day, but I ended up stretching it over three days. That’s actually one of the show's weaknesses — sometimes in the middle of an episode, I just paused and left for hours, but it still had enough pull that I didn’t drop it.The first episode had that suspense, the feeling of pain and fear, like he was desperately looking for his wife and kid — it really tricked me. That crazy vibe like we were the ones being hunted was pretty gripping. Though honestly, I guessed the end of episode one and it wasn’t that surprising. Later on, Detective Yoon’s character was interesting. He kind of reminded me of a younger version of Detective Ko, and his death was pretty sad. I liked how casually the director handled the mass killings — it had a boldness that doesn’t happen much.
Overall, the series dragged a bit. Like, they spent a lot of time on the detective’s character development. I’m not sure if it was too much, but sometimes I just fast-forwarded.
Actually, I liked Detective Ko’s character. His depression and frustration with the system, mixed with his sense of justice and decency, was really nice to watch. I really respected his final decision at the end.
Each episode ended strong, which was cool. The pacing was kinda up and down overall, but every episode had a shocking ending that kept me watching.
The big twist in episode 5 shocked me — totally didn’t expect it. Even though I’d thought about that idea earlier, I got so absorbed in the story and emotions that I forgot. From the start, you feel something’s off, some questions are left unanswered, but you don’t really expect that to be the reason.
The cruelty of Kang Woo-hyun got scarier and more interesting as it went on. There’s this line stuck in my head:
“I used people’s pain, showed them kindness, and brought them onto my team.”
He did that to everyone — the whole thing was just a game, which made it really fascinating.
I also liked the scene when Detective Jang realized his mistake. It felt like there’s still some kind of justice left, even if it’s tough.
I didn’t fully get the ending at first and had to look it up online, but after I did, I really liked it. It was a realistic ending showing that evil and hardship are real, and fighting them with fake, organized justice isn’t the answer. I thought that was pretty cool.
I don’t think there will be a season 2. Maybe there could be, but probably not. Still, this one stands alone just fine.
The acting was good, makeup, costumes, everything was on point. I don’t really remember any memorable music except for some tense stuff in episode 1.
What annoyed me was the editing. Especially the massacre scenes — there were too many, and they weren’t that exciting. The killing scenes got repetitive. Maybe if they’d shown them with more visual variety or different angles, it would’ve hit harder.
Also, the screen was too dark, and I had to crank up the brightness — didn’t like that.
Overall, it’s good for watching once. The mysteries and twists in the middle were cool, but it’s also easy to drop it mentally. It’s a series, but not one that really sticks in your mind. Not bad, not amazing. Just a decent series with some strong points.
So, I do recommend it.
Summary:
Editing & cinematography & effects: 1 / 0.5
OST: 1 / 0.25
Makeup & costumes: 1 / 1
Acting: 2 / 2
Story: 5 / 3
Total: 10 / 6.75
Was this review helpful to you?
It's an underrated drama that can be like a soothing cup of tea and biscuit amidst our busy lives.
**"If we can't stop the rain, then we should get wet under it together."**Today, on December 31, 2024, I finished the drama **"Miss Hammurabi"** and I must say it made me very emotional. I started watching this series as a calm piece alongside my studies and work, not wanting it to engage me too much. It was indeed a good choice. The drama addresses civil and social issues and is not involved in murder cases or killers that most series focus on, and it's certainly not as exciting as them. The drama primarily deals with issues such as gender discrimination, the class gap, the role of parents, hierarchy issues, addiction, orphaned children, and medical negligence. Even though these topics are not new and we hear a lot about them, they still made me think. The dialogues were especially beautiful and deep. There was a sense of calm, a good feeling, and gentle comedy in the series that gave a good feeling to the viewer while watching. I realized that the writer was apparently a judge, and most of the cases were real, which is truly impactful.
Speaking about character development, Go Ara played the role of an emotional and justice-seeking girl, a character exactly 180 degrees opposite to me and really thought-provoking. Her determination for justice and empathy and her courage to always be fair, even in difficult situations, preferring others over herself, was amazing. She was fearless, and that was really impressive. I spent all 16 episodes thinking about whether she deserved to be a judge. And I came to the conclusion that yes, she did. She could be a dangerous person alone, but alongside a more serious and logical judge who would watch over her, they could become a hero duo. We had this character. L played the role of a serious, disciplined, and law-abiding judge. A character who initially was strictly within the boundaries of the law and seemingly had no empathy, but gradually changed under the influence of Prosecutor Park (Go Ara). He did not become exactly like her but seemed to become a better version of himself. Both of them became better versions of themselves with each other’s help. This character transformation was in all the characters. It was as if Miss Hammurabi had planted a seed in each of their hearts that gradually sprouted.
I really hope there are people like Miss Hammurabi in reality. I don’t think I can be like that myself, but a country with many such people would be truly fortunate. If you are such a person, I’m proud of you. Don’t be afraid to be unique and special. Eventually, your help will benefit you somewhere. It might seem like breaking an egg against a rock, but surprisingly, it can change the world in an instant if someone asks a question that no one else ever did, but should have. (From the series' dialogues)
The romance part of the series was really calm, and I enjoyed it. The series **"Happiness"** starring Han Hyo-joo also had a very calm romance, but this was even calmer and very good. But if you're looking to watch a romantic series, don't come towards this one because it's really very calm. Like a soothing romance that I hope to find more series like this to watch. The second couple moved faster and they were also very lovable.
The series' ending was beautiful and emotional. I admit it seemed like everything suddenly got better, but you know, one doesn't want this kind of series to end sadly because it won’t have the same impact. Of course, it wasn’t purely happy-happy either. It could have been 15 minutes longer, but it seems they decided to end it on a high note.
Regarding the acting, I really enjoyed it. I had heard a lot that Go Ara’s acting was artificial, but I felt the same emotions as I did in **Hwarang**. Her crying scenes were all good, and I could really feel the emotions of the young emotional justice-seeking prosecutor. L's acting, and Ajusshi Sung Dong-il, who is my favorite actor, and other supporting roles were excellent. Ajusshi's acting, especially when he went home to his daughters, broke my heart. Lee Elijah’s acting as the secretary was also very charming. Although L's acting was a bit off and I didn't connect with him much. It was okay, but not special to me.
Cinematography and editing were okay for me. The makeup and costumes were beautiful, and the OST was really beautiful. I will definitely download it because it gave me a good feeling.
In the end, if you intend to watch this series, I would only recommend it if you’re looking for a calm series with social cases but not too thrilling, and not a staggered romance. The series is really calm, it might get boring. I think it could be like a light tea and biscuit among dramas with heavy genres or your busy life. Overall, I believe it’s an underrated work that hasn't received the recognition it deserves.
Series start: 0.5/0.5
Series ending: 0.25/0.5
Story progression: 3.5/4
Acting: 1.75/2
Cinematography: 1/1
Cinematography and soundtrack: 1/1
Makeup and style: 1/1
Overall score: 9/10
Was this review helpful to you?
