Noctis

I wish I could start by saying “ I was pleasantly surprised by how good the drama was.. " But I can’t.. I will just join the echo of others and say this was a mess of intentions.. The drama tries to look smart and progressive in the Hollywood way, without actually being either.. It ends up being visually dull and emotionally empty, filled with the kind of ' look at us ' choices clearly meant to impress a certain crowd rather than serve the story..

It’s astonishing that so many people were involved in the production of this drama and nobody had the brain to tell them, “Don’t air this mess yet.. At least work on it more and refine it before throwing it out there to get criticized and torn apart..” I honestly don’t know what they were trying to achieve here.. Anyone with half a sense could predict this would end up as a mediocre drama, if not a dumpster fire.. Had some fun moments that made me laugh and some mild intimate scenes as well.. But that's it.. The dialogues, with all those coding jargon was a complete disaster.. They tried way too hard.. The script had no real substance.. I am pretty sure they were counting on the trendy inclusions to give the show a boost, to make it seem more modern and appealing but it just came off forced and unnecessary.. With some rewriting, better dialogues and decent improvements in the characters, this could have avoided being such a mess.. It still wouldn’t have become anything great, but at least it wouldn’t have been received this poorly..

It starts out okay, though right from the beginning you have to forget logic to go along with the plot.. By halfway, it falls apart into a series of cliched, silly plot points.. This is just my opinion, the vibrator scene was funny, yes but it also felt unnecessary and a bit out of step with what you would normally expect from a Korean drama..

And that flashback scene generated with AI?? What even was that?? Horrible.. I was also curious about what she would have done with her ex’s number if the ML hadn’t shown up.. She looked hesitant to delete it.. If you are going to throw in a scene like that, you should at least close it off with a clear answer.. Leaving it hanging like that just makes the girl look bad..

The ending was even more absurd.. I hope they are not planning a season 2, because that just won’t work.. Not because they don't have any story left to explore, but because with how disastrous the response has been I doubt anyone would greenlight another season.. So we are just left with, whatever that ending was..

I had hopes for Kim Yo Han after The Winning Try, but he really disappointed me with this script choice here.. He is obviously better than this.. Both of his upcoming dramas look promising, especially Starry Us.. I just hope it finally sees the light of day instead of getting pushed back indefinitely without any updates.. And Hwang Bo Reum Byeol?? She is yet to prove herself.. Maybe in the next project??

So unfortunately for me, the drama collapses under the weight of its own premise.. While a handful of the jokes work, the larger concept feels empty and sometimes even a little strange.. The drama tries to create a feel good illusion of ' freedom of choice ' where identity, desire and romance are treated like trendy accessories rather than genuine human experiences, decorative add ons with no real emotional weight..

Okay then, my verdict?? if you are watching it just for the vibes and don’t think too deeply about what’s happening, you might have some fun watching the comedy and a few cute moments between the main leads.. But that's it..

Oh, and if you are a programmer, please stay away from this.. You might need therapy to recover from the coding jargon alone..