This review may contain spoilers
Haters gonna hate, potatoes gonna potate
Few kdramas received the kind of backlash Dear X did after the series finished airing. I couldn't believe the number of people that were butthurt about the show's ending. And while it's true that the ending felt like the director lost a bet and had to do a coin toss (aka, "Do we murk Yun Jun Seo or not?"), I can't say with good conscience that the show was a trainwreck. I actually quite liked the show and I thought it was one of the more interesting kdramas of 2025 (feel free to disagree, feel free to put pineapple on your pizza).
Perhaps it's because I love studying human behavior and personality types, and spent more than 10 episodes trying to figure out if Kim You Jung's character (Baek A Jin) was on "the dark triad." She's clearly a sociopath, that much is a given... but her character was so layered, so conflicted, so potentially psychopathic, that it sparked my curiosity immensely. I found Kim Young Dae's character (Yun Jun Seo) to be equally fascinating! He also displayed signs of mild psychopathy, but it was sprinkled out at intervals throughout the show. Arguably, Yun Jun Seo was an even more complex character than Baek A Jin—at face value, he's an enabler... if we go deeper, he's crippled by his mother and feels responsible for the train wreck that Baek A Jin had become... on a deeper level, he wants to fix her but knows he can't, so he just watches and hopes that she changes over time... on a deeper level, he settles for giving her happiness (in fact, she demands this) despite her having major (and quite murderous) faults... on a deeper level, he himself gains satisfaction and pleasure from being a silent observer in her life (in the exact same way that a stalker would).
I can't believe the audience missed the little hints that pointed out his deep inclinations, which he let surface SPECIFICALLY when it came to Baek A Jin. Like the part where he visited her rooftop apartment and chose to peek at her through the glass window for a few moments before knocking at the door. Or the part where she (Baek A Jin) asks him to help her GET Heo In Gang (she told him that she only wanted Heo In Gang for a year), and Yun Jun Seo then proceeded to quietly stalk Heo In Gang and then presented Baek A Jin with a WELL DECORATED, HANDWRITTEN booklet (complete with pictures and drawings) telling her all she needed to know to slither her way into Heo In Gang's life. Yun Jun Seo knew her better than anyone, so he knew things would end badly for Heo In Gang. I guess he was just hoping that somehow Baek A Jin would magically change (or perhaps he was just content with knowing she'd be satisfied as long as she had what she wanted). Clearly, he wanted to love her, but he knew she was incapable of emotion (so, in this way he was also conflicted).
Honestly, I thought the show would end with him (Yun Jun Seo) springing to her rescue, and her taking him down with her (of course, he'd happily give his life with a smile as long as it's for her, am I right? Lol). So, seeing the show end with him intentionally driving her off a cliff (at that point, he knew she could not be redeemed and that the world would continue to suffer with her in it), I actually think that ending wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. The mind trip is that she didn't die... he did—which is awful because he's a really important character in the show! (at least for me). Normally, this kind of cliffhanger ending would hint at the possibility of a season 2... but can there honestly be a season 2 without Yun Jun Seo? I think that either both of them should have perished, or (alternately) neither of them should have perished in the car wreck.
Either way... Kim You Jung, Kim Young Dae, and Kim Do Hoon did a stellar job! Their performances were chef's kiss. I was pleasantly surprised at Kim Ji Hoon's feature in the show earlier on as well (not just because he's the sexiest man alive but because he's a fantastic actor).
Overall... this show was great imo. Ignore the bad reviews. If you have a functional brain and can think for yourself, then chances are you will love this show. You might not agree with every single plot development, but you definitely can't rate it poorly in favor of the other kdramas released this year (many with stunning visuals but lacking actual substance). Dear X is a solid 8.5/10 for me.
Perhaps it's because I love studying human behavior and personality types, and spent more than 10 episodes trying to figure out if Kim You Jung's character (Baek A Jin) was on "the dark triad." She's clearly a sociopath, that much is a given... but her character was so layered, so conflicted, so potentially psychopathic, that it sparked my curiosity immensely. I found Kim Young Dae's character (Yun Jun Seo) to be equally fascinating! He also displayed signs of mild psychopathy, but it was sprinkled out at intervals throughout the show. Arguably, Yun Jun Seo was an even more complex character than Baek A Jin—at face value, he's an enabler... if we go deeper, he's crippled by his mother and feels responsible for the train wreck that Baek A Jin had become... on a deeper level, he wants to fix her but knows he can't, so he just watches and hopes that she changes over time... on a deeper level, he settles for giving her happiness (in fact, she demands this) despite her having major (and quite murderous) faults... on a deeper level, he himself gains satisfaction and pleasure from being a silent observer in her life (in the exact same way that a stalker would).
I can't believe the audience missed the little hints that pointed out his deep inclinations, which he let surface SPECIFICALLY when it came to Baek A Jin. Like the part where he visited her rooftop apartment and chose to peek at her through the glass window for a few moments before knocking at the door. Or the part where she (Baek A Jin) asks him to help her GET Heo In Gang (she told him that she only wanted Heo In Gang for a year), and Yun Jun Seo then proceeded to quietly stalk Heo In Gang and then presented Baek A Jin with a WELL DECORATED, HANDWRITTEN booklet (complete with pictures and drawings) telling her all she needed to know to slither her way into Heo In Gang's life. Yun Jun Seo knew her better than anyone, so he knew things would end badly for Heo In Gang. I guess he was just hoping that somehow Baek A Jin would magically change (or perhaps he was just content with knowing she'd be satisfied as long as she had what she wanted). Clearly, he wanted to love her, but he knew she was incapable of emotion (so, in this way he was also conflicted).
Honestly, I thought the show would end with him (Yun Jun Seo) springing to her rescue, and her taking him down with her (of course, he'd happily give his life with a smile as long as it's for her, am I right? Lol). So, seeing the show end with him intentionally driving her off a cliff (at that point, he knew she could not be redeemed and that the world would continue to suffer with her in it), I actually think that ending wasn't as bad as people make it out to be. The mind trip is that she didn't die... he did—which is awful because he's a really important character in the show! (at least for me). Normally, this kind of cliffhanger ending would hint at the possibility of a season 2... but can there honestly be a season 2 without Yun Jun Seo? I think that either both of them should have perished, or (alternately) neither of them should have perished in the car wreck.
Either way... Kim You Jung, Kim Young Dae, and Kim Do Hoon did a stellar job! Their performances were chef's kiss. I was pleasantly surprised at Kim Ji Hoon's feature in the show earlier on as well (not just because he's the sexiest man alive but because he's a fantastic actor).
Overall... this show was great imo. Ignore the bad reviews. If you have a functional brain and can think for yourself, then chances are you will love this show. You might not agree with every single plot development, but you definitely can't rate it poorly in favor of the other kdramas released this year (many with stunning visuals but lacking actual substance). Dear X is a solid 8.5/10 for me.
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