A ride that lost its spark halfway in
This is purely my personal take after following this drama from start to finish.
If I had to sum it up in one word? Ambitious. That’s the strongest impression the drama left on me. With a massive budget, a star-studded Chungmuro lineup and even some international cast members, this drama feels like it wanted to bite off more than it could chew.
To be fair, the beginning was quite promising. The pacing worked, the intrigue kept me curious, even if things were already starting to feel a bit tangled. But the further it went, the harder it was to keep up. The political plot grew unnecessarily convoluted, conflicts felt rushed and half-resolved, characters lacked proper development, and the editing often came off choppy. There were scenes that jumped so abruptly from one to another that I literally found myself thinking, “Wait, how did we get here?”
As someone who genuinely enjoys the spy/espionage genre, my expectations were sky-high the moment Kang Dong won and Jun Ji hyun were confirmed as leads. His long awaited small screen comeback paired with her star power? That alone could’ve sold the show. And honestly, it did, for the first few episodes. But beyond that… not so much.
The drama repeatedly lost momentum. Tension would build nicely, only to fizzle out because of clumsy execution. Storylines were dangled like they’d pay off, but then they just dissolved into thin air. Throwing in the US and other international politics only muddied the waters further. Personally, I think the show would’ve worked better had it stayed focused on the North–South conflict.
By the time it reached the endgame, everything was a blur, plot holes left gaping, resolutions that never landed, and twists that were far from memorable. The writers seemed overly confident in trying to compress such a complex political narrative into 9 episodes. The result? Half-baked. Maybe if they’d gone the traditional 16–20 episode route, the story could’ve actually breathed.
Even the romance between Munju and Sanho suffered a downgrade. At first, I really liked their dynamic-mature, grounded, no unnecessary fluff. But as the story spiraled, their chemistry started to feel out of place. Politics were a mess, yet they still found time to act lovey dovey in high-stakes situations. Honestly, it felt awkward and tone-deaf.
On the acting front? No complaints whatsoever. The entire cast delivered solid performances, even the supporting actors. I particularly respect the senior actors who gave a genuine effort with their English lines and accents. But no matter how strong the performances, weak writing will always drag the whole thing down.
I get that the writer might’ve been going for “realism” and sure, politics in real life are messy, complicated, and rarely tied up neatly. But at the end of the day, this is still fiction. It doesn’t have to be dumbed down, but it does need to be watchable. This drama leaned so hard into being “realistic” that it forgot to be engaging.
Overall? Nothing remarkable, outside of that train scene in episode 3, there’s barely anything that stuck with me, Definitely not a drama I’d ever rewatch.
And Kang Dong won? Please, for your next project...just give us a rom-com with Kim Taeri.
If I had to sum it up in one word? Ambitious. That’s the strongest impression the drama left on me. With a massive budget, a star-studded Chungmuro lineup and even some international cast members, this drama feels like it wanted to bite off more than it could chew.
To be fair, the beginning was quite promising. The pacing worked, the intrigue kept me curious, even if things were already starting to feel a bit tangled. But the further it went, the harder it was to keep up. The political plot grew unnecessarily convoluted, conflicts felt rushed and half-resolved, characters lacked proper development, and the editing often came off choppy. There were scenes that jumped so abruptly from one to another that I literally found myself thinking, “Wait, how did we get here?”
As someone who genuinely enjoys the spy/espionage genre, my expectations were sky-high the moment Kang Dong won and Jun Ji hyun were confirmed as leads. His long awaited small screen comeback paired with her star power? That alone could’ve sold the show. And honestly, it did, for the first few episodes. But beyond that… not so much.
The drama repeatedly lost momentum. Tension would build nicely, only to fizzle out because of clumsy execution. Storylines were dangled like they’d pay off, but then they just dissolved into thin air. Throwing in the US and other international politics only muddied the waters further. Personally, I think the show would’ve worked better had it stayed focused on the North–South conflict.
By the time it reached the endgame, everything was a blur, plot holes left gaping, resolutions that never landed, and twists that were far from memorable. The writers seemed overly confident in trying to compress such a complex political narrative into 9 episodes. The result? Half-baked. Maybe if they’d gone the traditional 16–20 episode route, the story could’ve actually breathed.
Even the romance between Munju and Sanho suffered a downgrade. At first, I really liked their dynamic-mature, grounded, no unnecessary fluff. But as the story spiraled, their chemistry started to feel out of place. Politics were a mess, yet they still found time to act lovey dovey in high-stakes situations. Honestly, it felt awkward and tone-deaf.
On the acting front? No complaints whatsoever. The entire cast delivered solid performances, even the supporting actors. I particularly respect the senior actors who gave a genuine effort with their English lines and accents. But no matter how strong the performances, weak writing will always drag the whole thing down.
I get that the writer might’ve been going for “realism” and sure, politics in real life are messy, complicated, and rarely tied up neatly. But at the end of the day, this is still fiction. It doesn’t have to be dumbed down, but it does need to be watchable. This drama leaned so hard into being “realistic” that it forgot to be engaging.
Overall? Nothing remarkable, outside of that train scene in episode 3, there’s barely anything that stuck with me, Definitely not a drama I’d ever rewatch.
And Kang Dong won? Please, for your next project...just give us a rom-com with Kim Taeri.
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