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This review may contain spoilers
Queen Go Hyun Jung
If there's one thing to summarize the entire series - it is to establish Go Hyun Jung as the queen.
This gripping and dark slowburn thriller is an exaggerated study of genes vs nurture - is someone pre-disposed to be something because of your blood or do we actually have the freedom to shape what we want to be according to our freewill and upbringing?
Okay lets backtrack a litlle bit, because there was a bit of backlash when the show was airing when they revealed that the copycat killer is a trans character but we also have to understand that this is an adaptation and the same backlash happened during the airing of the original french series which it was based on. Yes in the original the copycat was also a transwoman.
I know the progressives hated that twist and most of the question hovered around the reasoning they had to demonize a transwoman. I have a little bit of theory about the reason and i know a lot of people will hate it. Here it goes - a boy was brutally abused by his father and a woman came to save his life - yes the killing was sloppy and irresponsible but to his eyes it was also empowering and it set him free. He idolized the woman who defeated the demon for him and he fashioned a new life to MIRROR the life of his saviour - thats why he chose to become a woman. Was he actually a transperson or was he just copying the queen mantis? That is the mystery. I didnt see it as an attack to the trans community.
For me this show is a lot better than the original - first and foremost is the acting - Go Hyun Jung's Jung I Sin is so different from the original and made the role her own, her acting was subtle and so much scarier - that scene when she pulled and strangled the first suspect (which is not ont he original) is etched in my mind as it was so calculating believable awesome and terrifying. Jang Dong Yoon also did an excellent job as Cha Su Yeol who showed so much more vulnerability and his dynamics with Jung I Shin is much more believable compared to the original. The support cast also did a good job.
I also liked how they changed the ending a little bit which made it more effective like when Jung I Shil overpowered and stabbed Seo A Ra ,and when she actually prevented her son from killing her father (which kept him from becoming a criminal himself) and did it herself through that fire. And that open-ended ending - were they hoping to do a season 2?
The makeup to deglamorize Go Hyun Jung was also spot on and perfect for the character.
Would i reccommend? Yes the acting alone makes it worth it. Would i rewatch? Probably not as the topic is too heavy for repeated viewing. Overall i give it an 8.
This gripping and dark slowburn thriller is an exaggerated study of genes vs nurture - is someone pre-disposed to be something because of your blood or do we actually have the freedom to shape what we want to be according to our freewill and upbringing?
Okay lets backtrack a litlle bit, because there was a bit of backlash when the show was airing when they revealed that the copycat killer is a trans character but we also have to understand that this is an adaptation and the same backlash happened during the airing of the original french series which it was based on. Yes in the original the copycat was also a transwoman.
I know the progressives hated that twist and most of the question hovered around the reasoning they had to demonize a transwoman. I have a little bit of theory about the reason and i know a lot of people will hate it. Here it goes - a boy was brutally abused by his father and a woman came to save his life - yes the killing was sloppy and irresponsible but to his eyes it was also empowering and it set him free. He idolized the woman who defeated the demon for him and he fashioned a new life to MIRROR the life of his saviour - thats why he chose to become a woman. Was he actually a transperson or was he just copying the queen mantis? That is the mystery. I didnt see it as an attack to the trans community.
For me this show is a lot better than the original - first and foremost is the acting - Go Hyun Jung's Jung I Sin is so different from the original and made the role her own, her acting was subtle and so much scarier - that scene when she pulled and strangled the first suspect (which is not ont he original) is etched in my mind as it was so calculating believable awesome and terrifying. Jang Dong Yoon also did an excellent job as Cha Su Yeol who showed so much more vulnerability and his dynamics with Jung I Shin is much more believable compared to the original. The support cast also did a good job.
I also liked how they changed the ending a little bit which made it more effective like when Jung I Shil overpowered and stabbed Seo A Ra ,and when she actually prevented her son from killing her father (which kept him from becoming a criminal himself) and did it herself through that fire. And that open-ended ending - were they hoping to do a season 2?
The makeup to deglamorize Go Hyun Jung was also spot on and perfect for the character.
Would i reccommend? Yes the acting alone makes it worth it. Would i rewatch? Probably not as the topic is too heavy for repeated viewing. Overall i give it an 8.
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