Underrated and gripping
I watched Black Out in March and yet I can't stop thinking about it. It was my third thriller after Beyond Evil and Strangers from Hell and I believe that it's painfully underrated.
Black Out is based on the German novel "Snow White Must Die". I haven't read the novel therefore I don't know how accurate the series is. But that's irrelevant to me because the drama had me hooked from the very first episode.
Black Out is the type of slow-paced thriller I enjoy. It took it's time to introduce the audience to the story and the characters. When you thought you knew everything about them, the series would hit you with some revelations that would shatter what you knew until then. I was able to predict some of the plot twists but in some cases, I couldn't predict what would follow next. It was a nail-bitting experience, especially towards the climax.
The main character, Jeongwoo, won my heart. Byun Yo-han did a fantastic job at portraying him and in my humble opinion, his performance could have been nominated for some awards. At first, the series really made me flirt with the idea that he really was the culprit but I quickly abandoned my theory because Jeongwoo was far too kind of a person to do that. He is one of the most tragic characters I've seen in a kdrama series, he was basically abandoned by everyone and seeing him being mistreated really made my blood boil from anger (although I could excuse people's prejudice and fears).
The relationship between Jeongwoo and Sangcheol was one of the highlights for me. Definitely one of my most favourite bromances. They didn't get along due to Sangcheol's hatred towards Jeongwoo because he thought him as the culprit and yet their chemistry blossomed so much. Their interactions were so soft and reassuring and I loved every single scene between them.
Sangcheol himself was a very interesting character and Ko Jun did a fantastic job to bring him to life. He was grumpy, clever, sarcastic and yet he always made sure to do his job right and help Jeongwoo.
The rest of the casting did an equally magnificent job, everyone played so well. The series is full of great deliveries, there were moments which made me tear up or made me want to strangle some of the characters. Trust me when I tell you that this drama might frustrate you when it comes to some of the characters, I couldn't believe how some people could do the things they did to Jeongwoo and his family.
The relationships between the characters were well-explored and as the story went on, everything made sense and how some parts connected with each other. If I could point out a complaint of mine is the amount of times Jeongwoo and Sangcheol's plans were jeopardized and that sometimes, the plot dragged (but not to the point it made me want to drop out).
If you haven't watched the series, please give it a chance. I don't want to write more but I really hope I expressed my opinion as clear as I could.
Was this review helpful to you?
