Boss Celll ■ Preposterous Premise □ Praiseworthy Performance °7.3° °VG° ?%?
As Un🔓MB opens, it's the turn of the millennium and Y2K is the current panic. Y2K had a lock on the zeitgeist. It turned out to be low fizz kombucha. Good for the inner workings, a tad sour, and mostly forgettable. Seo is a kid and he's hanging with his mom. He's clipping his toenails and doing other very un-techie stuff. He isn't thinking about the corporate ladder and the fierce competition in the business world. That comes later.
Fast forward a couple decades and tech is still front and center. We survived Y2K but will we survive Y-AI? As always, machines aren't really the problem. People are. And in the realm of IPOs and product launches, psychopaths seem to rise to the top. Our villain is one of them, and true villains are excellent at hiding their true selves.
Seo. He’s SO over it all. He's been toiling away looking for a job. He's always told he doesn't have experience. How can he get experience if he never is hired? Why does life have to be such a conundrum? Ahn Nae Sang (The Devil Judge-8.2, Racket Boys-8) makes an appearance as his dad. I haven't seen him do much comedy, and he's pretty funny. Seo’s parents are cute together and create a buoyancy the show floats upon.
Un🔓MB is a 2023 release that is rated 91 on AWiki. Director Lee Chul Ha brought us Spirit Fingers & Okay! Madam, while screenwriter Kim Hyung Min also penned Sweet Home-8.4 & Smashing on Your Back. Un🔓MB is 1 season consisting of 12 60-minute episodes where one can gaze upon the boyish face and guileless smile of Chae Jong Hyeop (Castaway Diva, Love All Play). That will be enough for some, but even with a near cringe-inducing name like “Unlock My Boss,” this show delivers more than wistful smiles. For anyone in the know, however, this is a full 404 error as viewers who understand tech will probably dislike it. They don't get remotely geeky with the plot or try to explain things. The viewer is expected to treat tech like magic.
Back to Seo. His interview doesn't go well. In ep1, our 2 leads collide when he's on his way in for “questioning”. They bump and her coffee goes all over his shirt.
Him: Meltdown.
Her: She grabs him and drags him to the bathroom to switch shirts. He acts like a blushing maiden through the entire encounter. She moves with emotionless efficiency. Thus, they meet. He's pretty depressed, now, so he doesn't notice how cute she is
Seo Eun Soo (Duel, Missing: The Other Side-8.3) is Jung Se Yeon/”Yeo”. She works for that tech company which is why she was there,running into Seo on the day of his interview. When we first see her, we have to wonder if /she's/ a robot. (Her boss, the CEO, says she's more robotic than AI.) We'll soon learn why she's emotionally stunted: She's in deep debt from providing for her mother's hospitalization while the shy-🔓s never stop compounding the interest. So, Yeo's under mega pressure. While she seems listless, she's merely been squeezed into a very tight spot and has lost all joy in living.
She has a head crusher following her every move. He's relentless. (Kim Sung Oh from Money Heist: Korea & Secret Garden-7.6 is Jung Ju Seong, or Ma Fi, for Mafia. Sometimes he's “Uncle Mafia," as CEO Kim's daughter refers to him.) Ma Fi cranks the show's rating up by a full point. He is almost comic relief as the relentless leg-breaking juice man. He can easily trade bosses, but the job remains the same: When he must guard an elderly female patient in a hospital ward, he gives all the infirm, elderly women at the ward the same cold, dead stink-eyes he would when threatening a rival gang member! The women are perplexed and vaguely terrified. Everyone looks sus to Uncle Mafia 😅. The only person who chinks Ma Fi's armor is the CEO ‘s baby girl, Kim Min A (Gi So Yoo from The Good Bad Mother). He's actually started to practice /smiling/ in the mirror 😬 ~ all for her.
I didn't realize this was going to have a fantasy element, but wouldn't you know, CEO Ju from the company the Seo applied to, was attacked. His consciousness (his soul?) was transferred into his phone which Seo picks up. The phone starts talking to him! CEO Ju (Kim Seon Ju, played by Park Sung Woong who was adorable in Man to Man-6.7), this CEO is going to need help, and he will need this secret kept in absolute confidence.
Looks like Seo is SO hired! He is to act as the CEO's replacement. He's under the constant supervision of the CEO by way of his earbuds. In that way, it reminds me of Ratatouille-9. It's an acting gig! Seo has always wanted to be an actor! In his past, standing up for a coworker against a sexual-assaulting boss short-listed his entertainment career.
Yeo is a smart girl. She becomes suspicious very quickly. Before long, she knows too much and is rooked into being Seo's assistant - in the deception as well as the job. They're now 2 super agents in their own cell of 2. It's cute.
As of ep7 it still felt quite a bit like set up. The plot is just beginning to get rolling at that point. Our ML is a cutie while the FL is still a mystery as she's so quiet. The corporate machinations and sabotage are a tad heavy and outrageous, but all in good fun. Perhaps the best thing that can be said is that, with 12 episodes, Un🔓MB doesn't wander, it keeps its focus, and maintains a level ride - no detours, crashes, or stutters.
Unlock? The boss is locked in a cell… a cell phone. The title may sound like a cheesy romance rag, and the premise may seem very silly, but they tie it together well. Un🔓MB is competent. The art of the show is mostly good. Early in ep1 there's a nifty little sequence where Seo and CEO Ju are contrasted. Seo is in his cramped, utilitarian apartment eating a cheap, utilitarian meal with his roommate. “Turn out the light, it's too bright in here,” Roomie says. Seo doesn't feel like getting up so he throws /trash/ at the light switch and turns out the light. Next, there's a quick cut to Ju entering his spacious, open-floor-plan mansion. “Turn on the lights," he speaks to his AI. Boom! Let there be light! That's all they needed to show the contrast between the two men's lives. The OST is above average. I Shazamed:: Red Dragonfly by Cho Yong-pil, HOME by BUMJIN (that one is a 10) & Lie to me by Sion.
The show coasts by, but in ep10 when many Kdramas start to lose their way, Un🔓MB goes deeper and adds tumblers. First, they reinforce the dignity of the cleaning lady. Next, they set up a contrast between CEO Kim (a VIP among VIPs) and Seo's mother, (a penniless nobody). They become equal when they each become comatose. In fact, Ma Fi ends up rescuing each of them, reinforcing their connection. There is no escaping the human condition, ultimately. In the face of launching AI that has now surpassed us in intelligence, that appears to be the theme.
QUOTES🗣
We don't need to abide by the law against those who tossed it to the dogs, do we?
Skirting the foot of the hill by myself, I come to a lone well by a paddy and silently look into it. Therein is a man as well. I hate him, but I know not why. I turn away from him and go away. While going away, I come to feel compassion for him. I return again and look into the well. Therein remains that man. Again, I come to hate him and go away. While going away, I come to long for him. In the well there is the moon, shining bright, clouds flowing by and the sky spreading open. A blue wind wafts. It is autumn. And the man, therein, is but a remembrance.
~Self-Portrait~
IMHO〰🖍
RATINGS 🎬7.5 🖊6.8 🎭7.8 💓6 🦋5 🎨7 🎶8.8 🔚7.3 🤗6 ▪ LEVELS 🌞5⚡4.5 😅3 😭4.5 😱4 😬3 🤢2 🤔5 💤0
Age 14+ for scattered language and violence
Re-📺?
This one's in the good-to-pass-the-time category, but I may never pass this way again….
You may also like:
Adrenaline
Sisyphus 8 (give it 2 episodes, ep1 is confusing),
A Shop for Killers-8.7,
The First 1st Responders-7.8,
The Devil Judge-8.2,
K2-8,
Moving-8.5
Revenge of Others-8.1,
Oldboy-9,
The Worst of Evil-7.7
Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber 9-Kung-fu!;
📑Corporate Crush🗜
Crazy Love-7.8,
Itaewon Class-8.9,
Misaeng-9.1,
My Liberation Diary-8.9,
Blood Free-8.5,
When My Love Blooms-7,
Vincenzo-7.9,
Strongest Delivery Man-6.6,
She Would Never Know-7.3
Revolutionary Love-5.7,
Forecasting Love & Weather-6.8,
Heirs-7.3,
Business Proposal-7,
Call It Love-8.4,
OST Heaven Best Tunes & Sound
Alchemy of Souls 2,
Be Melodramatic-8.7,
Black-9,
Bulgasal: Immortal Souls- 6.1
Bloody Romance-7.3
Boys Over Flowers-8.3,
Bride of Habaek-7,
Crash Landing On You-9.1,
Good Morning Call-7.9,
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha-8.2,
Hospital Playlist-9,
Itaewon Class-8.9,
Live Up to Your Name-7.6,
Love Between Fairy and Devil-8.9,
Lovestruck in the City-7.3,
Mine-8,
Missing: The Other Side-8.3,
My Mister-9.5,
Oh My Ghost-10,
Prison Playbook-8.4,
Story of Yanxi Palace-10
Touch Your Heart-8.2,
Fast forward a couple decades and tech is still front and center. We survived Y2K but will we survive Y-AI? As always, machines aren't really the problem. People are. And in the realm of IPOs and product launches, psychopaths seem to rise to the top. Our villain is one of them, and true villains are excellent at hiding their true selves.
Seo. He’s SO over it all. He's been toiling away looking for a job. He's always told he doesn't have experience. How can he get experience if he never is hired? Why does life have to be such a conundrum? Ahn Nae Sang (The Devil Judge-8.2, Racket Boys-8) makes an appearance as his dad. I haven't seen him do much comedy, and he's pretty funny. Seo’s parents are cute together and create a buoyancy the show floats upon.
Un🔓MB is a 2023 release that is rated 91 on AWiki. Director Lee Chul Ha brought us Spirit Fingers & Okay! Madam, while screenwriter Kim Hyung Min also penned Sweet Home-8.4 & Smashing on Your Back. Un🔓MB is 1 season consisting of 12 60-minute episodes where one can gaze upon the boyish face and guileless smile of Chae Jong Hyeop (Castaway Diva, Love All Play). That will be enough for some, but even with a near cringe-inducing name like “Unlock My Boss,” this show delivers more than wistful smiles. For anyone in the know, however, this is a full 404 error as viewers who understand tech will probably dislike it. They don't get remotely geeky with the plot or try to explain things. The viewer is expected to treat tech like magic.
Back to Seo. His interview doesn't go well. In ep1, our 2 leads collide when he's on his way in for “questioning”. They bump and her coffee goes all over his shirt.
Him: Meltdown.
Her: She grabs him and drags him to the bathroom to switch shirts. He acts like a blushing maiden through the entire encounter. She moves with emotionless efficiency. Thus, they meet. He's pretty depressed, now, so he doesn't notice how cute she is
Seo Eun Soo (Duel, Missing: The Other Side-8.3) is Jung Se Yeon/”Yeo”. She works for that tech company which is why she was there,running into Seo on the day of his interview. When we first see her, we have to wonder if /she's/ a robot. (Her boss, the CEO, says she's more robotic than AI.) We'll soon learn why she's emotionally stunted: She's in deep debt from providing for her mother's hospitalization while the shy-🔓s never stop compounding the interest. So, Yeo's under mega pressure. While she seems listless, she's merely been squeezed into a very tight spot and has lost all joy in living.
She has a head crusher following her every move. He's relentless. (Kim Sung Oh from Money Heist: Korea & Secret Garden-7.6 is Jung Ju Seong, or Ma Fi, for Mafia. Sometimes he's “Uncle Mafia," as CEO Kim's daughter refers to him.) Ma Fi cranks the show's rating up by a full point. He is almost comic relief as the relentless leg-breaking juice man. He can easily trade bosses, but the job remains the same: When he must guard an elderly female patient in a hospital ward, he gives all the infirm, elderly women at the ward the same cold, dead stink-eyes he would when threatening a rival gang member! The women are perplexed and vaguely terrified. Everyone looks sus to Uncle Mafia 😅. The only person who chinks Ma Fi's armor is the CEO ‘s baby girl, Kim Min A (Gi So Yoo from The Good Bad Mother). He's actually started to practice /smiling/ in the mirror 😬 ~ all for her.
I didn't realize this was going to have a fantasy element, but wouldn't you know, CEO Ju from the company the Seo applied to, was attacked. His consciousness (his soul?) was transferred into his phone which Seo picks up. The phone starts talking to him! CEO Ju (Kim Seon Ju, played by Park Sung Woong who was adorable in Man to Man-6.7), this CEO is going to need help, and he will need this secret kept in absolute confidence.
Looks like Seo is SO hired! He is to act as the CEO's replacement. He's under the constant supervision of the CEO by way of his earbuds. In that way, it reminds me of Ratatouille-9. It's an acting gig! Seo has always wanted to be an actor! In his past, standing up for a coworker against a sexual-assaulting boss short-listed his entertainment career.
Yeo is a smart girl. She becomes suspicious very quickly. Before long, she knows too much and is rooked into being Seo's assistant - in the deception as well as the job. They're now 2 super agents in their own cell of 2. It's cute.
As of ep7 it still felt quite a bit like set up. The plot is just beginning to get rolling at that point. Our ML is a cutie while the FL is still a mystery as she's so quiet. The corporate machinations and sabotage are a tad heavy and outrageous, but all in good fun. Perhaps the best thing that can be said is that, with 12 episodes, Un🔓MB doesn't wander, it keeps its focus, and maintains a level ride - no detours, crashes, or stutters.
Unlock? The boss is locked in a cell… a cell phone. The title may sound like a cheesy romance rag, and the premise may seem very silly, but they tie it together well. Un🔓MB is competent. The art of the show is mostly good. Early in ep1 there's a nifty little sequence where Seo and CEO Ju are contrasted. Seo is in his cramped, utilitarian apartment eating a cheap, utilitarian meal with his roommate. “Turn out the light, it's too bright in here,” Roomie says. Seo doesn't feel like getting up so he throws /trash/ at the light switch and turns out the light. Next, there's a quick cut to Ju entering his spacious, open-floor-plan mansion. “Turn on the lights," he speaks to his AI. Boom! Let there be light! That's all they needed to show the contrast between the two men's lives. The OST is above average. I Shazamed:: Red Dragonfly by Cho Yong-pil, HOME by BUMJIN (that one is a 10) & Lie to me by Sion.
The show coasts by, but in ep10 when many Kdramas start to lose their way, Un🔓MB goes deeper and adds tumblers. First, they reinforce the dignity of the cleaning lady. Next, they set up a contrast between CEO Kim (a VIP among VIPs) and Seo's mother, (a penniless nobody). They become equal when they each become comatose. In fact, Ma Fi ends up rescuing each of them, reinforcing their connection. There is no escaping the human condition, ultimately. In the face of launching AI that has now surpassed us in intelligence, that appears to be the theme.
QUOTES🗣
We don't need to abide by the law against those who tossed it to the dogs, do we?
Skirting the foot of the hill by myself, I come to a lone well by a paddy and silently look into it. Therein is a man as well. I hate him, but I know not why. I turn away from him and go away. While going away, I come to feel compassion for him. I return again and look into the well. Therein remains that man. Again, I come to hate him and go away. While going away, I come to long for him. In the well there is the moon, shining bright, clouds flowing by and the sky spreading open. A blue wind wafts. It is autumn. And the man, therein, is but a remembrance.
~Self-Portrait~
IMHO〰🖍
RATINGS 🎬7.5 🖊6.8 🎭7.8 💓6 🦋5 🎨7 🎶8.8 🔚7.3 🤗6 ▪ LEVELS 🌞5⚡4.5 😅3 😭4.5 😱4 😬3 🤢2 🤔5 💤0
Age 14+ for scattered language and violence
Re-📺?
This one's in the good-to-pass-the-time category, but I may never pass this way again….
You may also like:
Adrenaline
Sisyphus 8 (give it 2 episodes, ep1 is confusing),
A Shop for Killers-8.7,
The First 1st Responders-7.8,
The Devil Judge-8.2,
K2-8,
Moving-8.5
Revenge of Others-8.1,
Oldboy-9,
The Worst of Evil-7.7
Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber 9-Kung-fu!;
📑Corporate Crush🗜
Crazy Love-7.8,
Itaewon Class-8.9,
Misaeng-9.1,
My Liberation Diary-8.9,
Blood Free-8.5,
When My Love Blooms-7,
Vincenzo-7.9,
Strongest Delivery Man-6.6,
She Would Never Know-7.3
Revolutionary Love-5.7,
Forecasting Love & Weather-6.8,
Heirs-7.3,
Business Proposal-7,
Call It Love-8.4,
OST Heaven Best Tunes & Sound
Alchemy of Souls 2,
Be Melodramatic-8.7,
Black-9,
Bulgasal: Immortal Souls- 6.1
Bloody Romance-7.3
Boys Over Flowers-8.3,
Bride of Habaek-7,
Crash Landing On You-9.1,
Good Morning Call-7.9,
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha-8.2,
Hospital Playlist-9,
Itaewon Class-8.9,
Live Up to Your Name-7.6,
Love Between Fairy and Devil-8.9,
Lovestruck in the City-7.3,
Mine-8,
Missing: The Other Side-8.3,
My Mister-9.5,
Oh My Ghost-10,
Prison Playbook-8.4,
Story of Yanxi Palace-10
Touch Your Heart-8.2,
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