I just finished the season 1 and here are my personal thoughts about it!
First things first, this drama is a big appreciation for our medical staffs especially now that we are in the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, this is so light and it's perfect as a stress-reliever. If you are tired, overworked, bored, sleepy, you can watch atleast one episode then after that continue whatever you need to do. For my case, it really worked. A few times, I only watched half the episode then continued later. It's not because it is not engaging but it was just really light compared to the ones that keep you in the edge and that's its beauty. There is no major plot, the drama strive no masterpiece, it is just meant to make you smile a little, laugh a little, cry a little and just there to refresh you. The medical aspect is close to reality, not dramatic, just right and some of the stories just hits you naturally especially those in the finale.
But, I do believe that our medical friends will much more appreciate this drama, since, there are technical terms that might be really helpful for them especially to those that are med students. And there are med jokes I'm sure they'll loved. Overall, this is really nice, I also learned a little on what the doctors do on certain cases.
I'll put this at 8.5/10. Will be watching for season 2!
This is one of the interviews of the writer behind the drama title, "Flower of Evil". I really wanted to share…
The drama first garnered attention with its shocking premise: “What if you start to suspect the husband you’ve loved for 14 years might be a serial killer?” Yoo Jung Hee said, “I was thinking through various concepts and I came up with the idea of a husband who pretends to be noble and pure and a wife who loves with an innocent heart. I liked the irony in that.”
She continued, “I also thought it was interesting to ask this question: if someone does their absolute best for their partner in order to take their own dark secret to the grave, can you really say that they are living a lie? I wanted to beef up that story, so I raised the stakes in making the couple a serial killer and detective.”
About the title, Yoo Jung Hee explained, “While creating the character Do Hyun Soo [played by Lee Joon Gi], I thought of Charles Baudelaire’s book of poetry called ‘Les Fleurs du mal’ [‘The Flowers of Evil’ in English]. His poems were about the chaos and anxiety that arises when societal values, which should be clear-cut and black-and-white, become ambiguous and borderline. I thought that was similar to the character. I wanted people to think about the beauty of a desperate life when they thought of the drama.”
She further explained, “I wanted to share the message that even where evil has been buried, flowers can still bloom. ‘Flower of Evil’ represents Do Hyun Soo’s image, which cannot be defined as black or white or red. It also represents Cha Ji Won [played by Moon Chae Won]’s image, who has to learn to accept a new world after breaking down the barriers inside herself.”
Yoo Jung Hee thanked viewers for supporting the drama and said, “The show is created through the hard work and passion of many people. I’m grateful that fans have felt our sincere intentions. I hope that it can become a drama in which people wonder what happens to the lead characters after it’s over. I want them to think once in a while, ‘I wonder how they’re living now?'”
This is one of the interviews of the writer behind the drama title, "Flower of Evil". I really wanted to share it here, so, viewers who enjoyed this drama may appreciate it and the characters even more!
I don't usually go by MDL ratings for my drama choices as sometimes very good shows get overlooked but have to…
I don't think the viewers are the main reason why LJK is not a serial killer. From the interviews of the writer, her interviewers are mostly certain that flower of evil is a drama that tests the questions regarding the morals in society and that this drama is headed towards the journey of healing. Had Lee Joon Gi have been a serial killer, it would've been a different drama.
She continued, “I also thought it was interesting to ask this question: if someone does their absolute best for their partner in order to take their own dark secret to the grave, can you really say that they are living a lie? I wanted to beef up that story, so I raised the stakes in making the couple a serial killer and detective.”
About the title, Yoo Jung Hee explained, “While creating the character Do Hyun Soo [played by Lee Joon Gi], I thought of Charles Baudelaire’s book of poetry called ‘Les Fleurs du mal’ [‘The Flowers of Evil’ in English]. His poems were about the chaos and anxiety that arises when societal values, which should be clear-cut and black-and-white, become ambiguous and borderline. I thought that was similar to the character. I wanted people to think about the beauty of a desperate life when they thought of the drama.”
She further explained, “I wanted to share the message that even where evil has been buried, flowers can still bloom. ‘Flower of Evil’ represents Do Hyun Soo’s image, which cannot be defined as black or white or red. It also represents Cha Ji Won [played by Moon Chae Won]’s image, who has to learn to accept a new world after breaking down the barriers inside herself.”
---end of the interview excerpt
The parallelisms laid out in its overall narrative also vouch that she already had the overall story in mind. I just think that the synopsis posted by Viki is misleading for some who mostly came for the thriller. I was mostly sure that when the drama reached the ending of episode 5 it's headed for a melodrama.
I agree. This drama is overrated. A 9.2 score here?????? There are lots of drama that deserve this kind of rating…
"...this is a rating site, the ratings have a meaning and express the superiority of dramas through those ratings."
The ratings are important, yes, and while they express the superiority of dramas, one should also understand that this superiority does not always mean 'all' viewers who stumbled upon it will like it afterwards. And it doesn't mean that if there are viewers who did not like it, it automatically becomes overrated. It's okay if that's your opinion about the drama, but, let other people counterargue.
With that, one should also keep in mind that ratings in mydramalist are mostly a product of what the majority votes -- and that majority, most of the time, is its target audiences and these audiences will not always cater all kind of MDL viewers. The genre of the drama and the majority of the type of users registered on this site also highly contribute with the ratings of every dramas posted here. Romcoms are loved by many and have many viewers, however, these days romcom are getting a relatively lower to average ratings . Fans of crime and procedural dramas are not that high (as oppose to romcom) and have many critical viewers who will continuously look for perfection, therefore, their ratings aren't that high even though some dramas of that genre are critically acclaimed. Timeline is also a factor in ratings. Commonly, popular and also critically-acclaimed historical dramas of the past did not even get past 9 here, if mydramalist was developed in early 2000s and many people were fan of kdramas during those time and internet was already fast maybe those dramas would get 9 or even higher. And lastly, it also boils down on promotion, a good promotion stand a higher chance that the drama will be known by many and therefore reach its target audience who will appreciate it and therefore give it a high rating they think it deserves. However, sometimes, over popularity can be negative as others may rate it lesser.
Now, back to Flower of Evil, majority of its target audience (fans of melo and suspense) loved this drama a lot that it managed to get 9.2. Majority of its voters loved the drama a lot, therefore, the high rating.
Now, onto the next argument, you said, "it is important to show the appropriate amount of praise for something that is worthy of that praise." I absolutely agree with you on that, however, people have different criteria on what they constitute worthy of their praise. The criteria of viewer A is not the same with criteria of viewer B.
Also, as far as mydramalist programmers and developers are concern they are only showing the overall rating per dramas because it just proves something of what the majority thinks and it only shows the higher chances of the drama being enjoyed or disliked by many viewers. However, mydramalist is wrong on not creating a personal recommendation list therefore the higher the anomaly some of the drama ratings can get. There is also a debate here in MDL, comparing two dramas with a similar theme however of different genres which I believe is also irrelevant.
Now, maybe the reason why you said Flower of Evil is overrated because you might have been misguided, you thought Flower of Evil is alone a thriller, therefore, when it turns out to be a suspense melodrama with the melodrama taking a larger part, you thought the writing suddenly swayed. But that is just my pure opinion. Actually, it's funny because the majority praised the melodrama part, however there were those who only came for the thriller and said that it should have been avoided, and there were also people who thought that the melodrama should have been intensified even more.
So that's it...lastly, I'm not here to fight so I was dismayed with your first statement on getting of the high horse. As far as I know, I did not throw bad remarks with my previous comment. If others would criticize this drama and argue about it being overrated, it's only fair that other viewers who particularly enjoyed it may also counterargue the reasons why they don't think it is so. That way, critical potential viewers may carefully decide on their own whether to watch it or not. I myself do that, I search for the argument in the comment section that talks about if it is overrated or not and decide for myself if I should watch it. Also, let people counterargue, especially if they are not attacking anyone.
Unfortunately, I find this drama overrated. It's good but it's not good enough. It's not deserving of being on…
"Baek Hee Seong and Cha Ji Won are happily married couple for 14 years. One day, Cha Ji Won starts to see suspicious circumstances and suspects her husband, Baek Hee Seong of being a serial killer. The more she becomes questionable about her husband, the more she gets eager to find out the truth. Their love story suddenly turns into a mysterious thriller once Cha Ji Won gets to see an unfamiliar and different side of her loving husband. This is a story of truth, trust, and love and being on the brink of losing all those values at the same time. What’s the story behind Baek Hee Seong and will Cha Ji Won finally get to see the true nature of her husband?"
I think this synopsis from Viu better fits the plot rather the one posted by Viki.
I agree. This drama is overrated. A 9.2 score here?????? There are lots of drama that deserve this kind of rating…
I'm not being rude but I cannot get why people in mydramalist would start calling a high-rated drama overrated just because the minority did not like it as much as the majority. Are the ratings of the majority irrelevant?
The drama delivered a lot with the suspense and melodrama. The main lead's character who I thought is nothing but a psychotic serial-killer proved to be complicated male lead who is in desperate need of salvation, and while that troupe seems common, the writing and acting was excellent and very touching. I've also learned a lot about ASPD because this drama kept me on the edge, hence, I researched for more because I wanted to know more about it. The portrayal of romance is also the best one I've seen in years. The whole acting is top-notch. Why wouldn't others who enjoyed this drama for the following reasons I've stated rate this drama as high as 10?
Like you, I've enjoyed other dramas that are underrated and I believed are deserving of the high ratings, but I would never invalidate the ratings of the majority just because in my own preference it is 'overrated'. ^^ Peace.
I guess i gotta be the party pooper again...I think the drama is overrated since it feels like the first episodes…
Melodrama is the main genre of Flower of Evil although it was mostly promoted as a thriller and talked about as a thriller (by other viewers). If you can read my review, I was mostly certain that Flower of Evil delivers as a melodrama for the overall narrative they've got. So, as a person who loves deep, mature romance and dramas that play with the viewers emotions, I can vouch that Flower of Evil is a good one. If you will compare Flower of Evil with dramas with main genre as a thriller or that are of crime and procedural, you may say it is overrated. But, looking from the melodrama and suspense perspective, it delivered very well. I myself truly enjoyed it for those following reasons. Like others, I came here a gruesome thriller but was highly satisfied with the plot they've got. Although there are convenient drama troupes used on the latter thriller part, the writing remains solid with the parallelism and metaphorical messages that the writer planted all through out the episodes. The ending of episode 1 and episode 16 ending's parallelism is also an evidence. The high enjoyment / appreciation of 'many' people should not be dismissed as overrated. Others who did not really vibe with the melodrama part tho may rate it as low as they want and it will still be valid.
EDIT: Not to mention their plot about ethics and morality.
Contemplating if i should start binge watching this or not? I find really good reviews especially here (ofc) but…
This is already finished so you should definitely binge-watch. It is not "too" dark. It is 20% suspense and 80% melodrama, but they blended well. The plot is solid and the overall narrative is executed well.
Amazing actors. I give my respect to the leads, and director. The feelings they had to convey were not simple…
Hahahah. I can absolutely agree with you. The finale brought me in so much tears. I cried during the whole duration of it, I feel like having a headache afterwards. But that just proves the drama is effective and beautiful!:)
Great show, I feel bad for the Korean police force though. They were portrayed like some kind of banana crew.…
The police force is not the strength of this drama tho, I overlooked it since it isn't the main theme. As for the investigations, they may not be as suspenseful unlike other police dramas, but they are good. Some of the supposed illogical errors of episode 13 were solved in episode 14.
I have three more episodes to be convinced this is not overrated. Hopefully.
Hmm. I hope you'll be convinced. lol. But to be honest, I don't think this drama is overrated or what so, it is actually a solid drama. If you didn't enjoy the drama as much as others maybe it isn't just for you. I guess if you mostly came here for the thriller and police investigation plot you wouldn't be as satisfied as much as others who came for the melodrama. I enjoyed the drama a lot because I was looking on its major themes which are healing, salvation and its take on morality.
I love your review! Honestly, I thought I was just going to watch a light-hearted rom-com but the second half made me cry so much. :') I love the drama although I can only complain that the second male lead wasn't written strong, still, this drama is so good.
Oh my goodness. I loved your review so much!! This drama is amazing and I was sad to let go of this drama, but was honestly motivated by the end of the show! Everything stated in your review is exactly the reasons it won the Daesang in Baeksang Awards.
Nice review! I guess people who watched this before were finding a a light romcom in this, hence the negative reviews and comments. Sadly, others might not see this amazing drama because of those negative reviews.
First things first, this drama is a big appreciation for our medical staffs especially now that we are in the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, this is so light and it's perfect as a stress-reliever. If you are tired, overworked, bored, sleepy, you can watch atleast one episode then after that continue whatever you need to do. For my case, it really worked. A few times, I only watched half the episode then continued later. It's not because it is not engaging but it was just really light compared to the ones that keep you in the edge and that's its beauty. There is no major plot, the drama strive no masterpiece, it is just meant to make you smile a little, laugh a little, cry a little and just there to refresh you. The medical aspect is close to reality, not dramatic, just right and some of the stories just hits you naturally especially those in the finale.
But, I do believe that our medical friends will much more appreciate this drama, since, there are technical terms that might be really helpful for them especially to those that are med students. And there are med jokes I'm sure they'll loved. Overall, this is really nice, I also learned a little on what the doctors do on certain cases.
I'll put this at 8.5/10.
Will be watching for season 2!
She continued, “I also thought it was interesting to ask this question: if someone does their absolute best for their partner in order to take their own dark secret to the grave, can you really say that they are living a lie? I wanted to beef up that story, so I raised the stakes in making the couple a serial killer and detective.”
About the title, Yoo Jung Hee explained, “While creating the character Do Hyun Soo [played by Lee Joon Gi], I thought of Charles Baudelaire’s book of poetry called ‘Les Fleurs du mal’ [‘The Flowers of Evil’ in English]. His poems were about the chaos and anxiety that arises when societal values, which should be clear-cut and black-and-white, become ambiguous and borderline. I thought that was similar to the character. I wanted people to think about the beauty of a desperate life when they thought of the drama.”
She further explained, “I wanted to share the message that even where evil has been buried, flowers can still bloom. ‘Flower of Evil’ represents Do Hyun Soo’s image, which cannot be defined as black or white or red. It also represents Cha Ji Won [played by Moon Chae Won]’s image, who has to learn to accept a new world after breaking down the barriers inside herself.”
Yoo Jung Hee thanked viewers for supporting the drama and said, “The show is created through the hard work and passion of many people. I’m grateful that fans have felt our sincere intentions. I hope that it can become a drama in which people wonder what happens to the lead characters after it’s over. I want them to think once in a while, ‘I wonder how they’re living now?'”
link: https://www.soompi.com/article/1422955wpp/flower-of-evil-screenwriter-talks-about-her-inspiration-for-the-drama-and-explains-meaning-of-title
She actually got the inspiration of Flower of Evil from Les Fleurs du mal (The Flowers of Evil). This is her interview from soompi: https://www.soompi.com/article/1422955wpp/flower-of-evil-screenwriter-talks-about-her-inspiration-for-the-drama-and-explains-meaning-of-title
---start of the interview excerpt
She continued, “I also thought it was interesting to ask this question: if someone does their absolute best for their partner in order to take their own dark secret to the grave, can you really say that they are living a lie? I wanted to beef up that story, so I raised the stakes in making the couple a serial killer and detective.”
About the title, Yoo Jung Hee explained, “While creating the character Do Hyun Soo [played by Lee Joon Gi], I thought of Charles Baudelaire’s book of poetry called ‘Les Fleurs du mal’ [‘The Flowers of Evil’ in English]. His poems were about the chaos and anxiety that arises when societal values, which should be clear-cut and black-and-white, become ambiguous and borderline. I thought that was similar to the character. I wanted people to think about the beauty of a desperate life when they thought of the drama.”
She further explained, “I wanted to share the message that even where evil has been buried, flowers can still bloom. ‘Flower of Evil’ represents Do Hyun Soo’s image, which cannot be defined as black or white or red. It also represents Cha Ji Won [played by Moon Chae Won]’s image, who has to learn to accept a new world after breaking down the barriers inside herself.”
---end of the interview excerpt
The parallelisms laid out in its overall narrative also vouch that she already had the overall story in mind. I just think that the synopsis posted by Viki is misleading for some who mostly came for the thriller. I was mostly sure that when the drama reached the ending of episode 5 it's headed for a melodrama.
The ratings are important, yes, and while they express the superiority of dramas, one should also understand that this superiority does not always mean 'all' viewers who stumbled upon it will like it afterwards. And it doesn't mean that if there are viewers who did not like it, it automatically becomes overrated. It's okay if that's your opinion about the drama, but, let other people counterargue.
With that, one should also keep in mind that ratings in mydramalist are mostly a product of what the majority votes -- and that majority, most of the time, is its target audiences and these audiences will not always cater all kind of MDL viewers. The genre of the drama and the majority of the type of users registered on this site also highly contribute with the ratings of every dramas posted here. Romcoms are loved by many and have many viewers, however, these days romcom are getting a relatively lower to average ratings . Fans of crime and procedural dramas are not that high (as oppose to romcom) and have many critical viewers who will continuously look for perfection, therefore, their ratings aren't that high even though some dramas of that genre are critically acclaimed. Timeline is also a factor in ratings. Commonly, popular and also critically-acclaimed historical dramas of the past did not even get past 9 here, if mydramalist was developed in early 2000s and many people were fan of kdramas during those time and internet was already fast maybe those dramas would get 9 or even higher. And lastly, it also boils down on promotion, a good promotion stand a higher chance that the drama will be known by many and therefore reach its target audience who will appreciate it and therefore give it a high rating they think it deserves. However, sometimes, over popularity can be negative as others may rate it lesser.
Now, back to Flower of Evil, majority of its target audience (fans of melo and suspense) loved this drama a lot that it managed to get 9.2. Majority of its voters loved the drama a lot, therefore, the high rating.
Now, onto the next argument, you said, "it is important to show the appropriate amount of praise for something that is worthy of that praise." I absolutely agree with you on that, however, people have different criteria on what they constitute worthy of their praise. The criteria of viewer A is not the same with criteria of viewer B.
Also, as far as mydramalist programmers and developers are concern they are only showing the overall rating per dramas because it just proves something of what the majority thinks and it only shows the higher chances of the drama being enjoyed or disliked by many viewers. However, mydramalist is wrong on not creating a personal recommendation list therefore the higher the anomaly some of the drama ratings can get. There is also a debate here in MDL, comparing two dramas with a similar theme however of different genres which I believe is also irrelevant.
Now, maybe the reason why you said Flower of Evil is overrated because you might have been misguided, you thought Flower of Evil is alone a thriller, therefore, when it turns out to be a suspense melodrama with the melodrama taking a larger part, you thought the writing suddenly swayed. But that is just my pure opinion. Actually, it's funny because the majority praised the melodrama part, however there were those who only came for the thriller and said that it should have been avoided, and there were also people who thought that the melodrama should have been intensified even more.
So that's it...lastly, I'm not here to fight so I was dismayed with your first statement on getting of the high horse. As far as I know, I did not throw bad remarks with my previous comment. If others would criticize this drama and argue about it being overrated, it's only fair that other viewers who particularly enjoyed it may also counterargue the reasons why they don't think it is so. That way, critical potential viewers may carefully decide on their own whether to watch it or not. I myself do that, I search for the argument in the comment section that talks about if it is overrated or not and decide for myself if I should watch it. Also, let people counterargue, especially if they are not attacking anyone.
I think this synopsis from Viu better fits the plot rather the one posted by Viki.
The drama delivered a lot with the suspense and melodrama. The main lead's character who I thought is nothing but a psychotic serial-killer proved to be complicated male lead who is in desperate need of salvation, and while that troupe seems common, the writing and acting was excellent and very touching. I've also learned a lot about ASPD because this drama kept me on the edge, hence, I researched for more because I wanted to know more about it. The portrayal of romance is also the best one I've seen in years. The whole acting is top-notch. Why wouldn't others who enjoyed this drama for the following reasons I've stated rate this drama as high as 10?
Like you, I've enjoyed other dramas that are underrated and I believed are deserving of the high ratings, but I would never invalidate the ratings of the majority just because in my own preference it is 'overrated'. ^^ Peace.
EDIT: Not to mention their plot about ethics and morality.
btw, I suggest putting your reply in a spoiler.