DramaAjumma

I thought he looked pretty dapper in a black suit.

I have really mixed feelings about this one as I've had all throughout. It's a well-intentioned endeavour but deeply flawed. I don't actually think that the writing is the problem but the direction. The messaging and the larger themes are actually decently built into the storyline. It feels like the show put a lot of eggs into the monsterization basket which clearly affected the pacing very early on. I don't believe we needed to see everyone turn into mutants for 4 or 6 episodes. In hindsight it seems to me that they could have trimmed down those early episodes and allow more time for the resolution and/or more answers regarding the entity at work. I don't think the serial killer angle was necessary but it was the means by which Kim Ok-vin's character was brought to Mujin. Besides, I imagine that the writer couldn't resist an inclusion of the nature vs nurture element to the mutanization.

In all honesty Lee Joon-hyuk was rather wasted in this because this was really Kim Ok-vin's drama at the end of the day. The focus was on her character by the nature of her trajectory rather than on his. He ended up being mostly muscle (although it's obvious he's a smart fellow) and even his backstory was resolved rather hurriedly at the 11th hour. The show only got really interesting the last 3 or 4 episodes while the earlier episodes that held promise weren't satisfactorily dealt with in the final act.

This has all the hallmarks of classic science fiction horror and there are echoes of HP Lovecraft in this. What I really liked about this is how the usual OCN crime elements was incorporated with the sci-fi story. Like for instance why were some people were targetted over and against others. There was mystery and an expanding body pile-up. I actually really liked how the shaman was incorporated into the storyline. The cult that she instituted was fascinating in terms of how it played out long standing debates over issues of faith, evil and scepticism. Plus disaster shows are always a good opportunity to do things with the fight or flight impulses.

It's good though that the show attempted to feature women more prominently in this. But I continue to lament over the lack of Lee Joon-hyuk who was a big drawcard for me.

My problem with K dramas being more than 16 episodes is that they often get rather repetitious rather quickly and fillery towards the end especially if the ultimate villain is the usual moustache twirling one dimensional type. Assemblyman Ko isn't an interesting enough villain to my mind to warrant more episodes.

I'd rather they finish the show on a high leaving the audience wanting more.

If you think I wrote this paragraph just to say I didn't like it, you didn't understand my post.

Let's face it, the reality is that the vast majority of people who watch K dramas do so for romance. There's no point lamenting about it. I've been watching K dramas for over a decade now and I can tell you that trend hasn't changed in all that time. Romance is the big drawcard for most which is why just about every drama has got romance of sorts even when it doesn't add anything to the storyline.
But things are changing and as the quality of crime shows improve, more people will be watching those. I have to say that when I first started watching K crime shows, I wasn't that impressed by what was on offer. Only OCN was able to break the drought for me. This year however has been very good for the genre so far. That's been somewhat reflected in the domestic ratings.

He (Kim Beom) certainly does. It's an ensemble but there's no denying that Kim Myung-min as Professor Yang is the star.

That's because this isn't a thriller in the ordinary sense.

It's the fight or flight mechanism at play, isn't it? People do so-called stupid things because they are selfish.

Definitely. Or a 3 or 4 episode drama.

This is good. Much better than I had expected. I'm glad that I left it late to binge watch but now I'm left hanging with one episode to go. I like just about everything especially how they integrate the crime elements with these valuable real-life law lessons. It's as if the students are doing their practicum on the side while learning the law from Yangcrates. I often wonder if he deliberately allowed himself to be drawn in and accused of murder just so that a) he can find the truth behind everything b) he can give his beloved students an experience of a lifetime. Who knows. I wouldn't put it past him though.

Welcome to Professor Yang Jong-hoon's classroom. It's all fun and games.

Oh yeah... I'm absolutely rooting for Joon-hwi and Sol A too. I don't usually mind if these sorts of crime shows don't have romance but I desperately want those two to get together. Plus it's so obvious that he likes her.

Mystic Pop-up Bar?

I don't particularly care if you like it or you don't but please don't assume to know whether detractors understand or don't understand what they're watching. This kind of reasoning happens far too much on this platform and its tiresome to keep seeing this pop up. There are a multitude of reasons why people don't like a show and most of them have nothing to do with not understanding it. If a show is controversial there has to be an underlying reason for it.
For the same reason I don't assume to know why you like this please don't assume you know why I don't. As I've said, this script despite all its philosophical aspirations doesn't have a lot of substance to it. While Doom is faintly interesting as a character and Seo In-guk is nailing it, I'm not that interested in the romance or Dong-kyung as a character. There are plenty of other shows that pose the same kinds of ontological questions and they do it much better and in more fascinating ways.

If you like it, good for you. But there should be contrarian voices because this show is seriously being oversold here judging by the dissent. And the local ratings are not exactly to write home about.

This is one show I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. There were multiple elements at play that added to my enjoyment. The cast was a delight but Lee Je-hoon was outstanding in terms of what he brought to each arc. Apart from being incredibly swoony, he showed fantastic comedic delivery when he needed to. He's such a disciplined, accomplished performer through and through.
I loved the 1980s vibe not just from the ost but also the use of 20th century tech. I enjoyed being reminded of my childhood favourites like The Equalizer, Knight Rider and even the more recent Leverage. It was hugely entertaining and I'm hoping for a rewatch some time. Especially if it finds its way to Netflix.

For me I also liked the fact that this show had some genuine things to say about vigilantism. The system has its limitations. People fall through the cracks and so there's definitely a place for the Rainbow Taxi crew minus the private dungeon., to work in concert with the official local law enforcement. I always knew that the show was aiming for a collaboration of sorts even if it did come rather late.

This was a show that didn't need romance. It would have added nothing to the quality of the storytelling which already had its own attractions.

Count me in for S2.

If you like fantasy, try Sell Your Haunted House. The first episode is so-so until the last 10 minutes maybe. After that the show is good. Better than this one at least. It has multiple arcs and also a couple of overarching storylines related to the leads.

I'm morbidly fascinated by who gets to live and die in this show. Of all the mysteries, this is the one that really intrigues me. Who are the "chosen"? I don't entirely believe the shaman of course because she doesn't know much beyond what she's been told.

I've known for ages that MDL is more or less a popularity contest but there are some genuinely deserving contenders for the high spots. This isn't it. Even if the leads have great chemistry that's just one aspect of the show. A drama would have to be so much more to rate an 8.8 I would have thought.
Anyway I don't begrudge people their likes but to me this drama's script is like a bad pretentious stream of consciousness novel.

I know I know... everyone has different tastes... but how in God's green earth is this on par with Beyond Evil? There's barely a functioning plot and there's so little effort with the world building.
It's like Waiting for Godot but without the benefit of originality.

You lasted a bit longer than me.

This is such an underrated show in these parts. Perhaps it's the sports theme that's putting people off. As someone who knows barely anything about baseball I can assure you that this is one of the best K dramas I've ever seen. Everything about it is good but most especially the script. Namgoong Min is like a chess master here maneuvering his opponents like the boss that he is.
This drama is the definition of a well-made show. It doesn't rely on gimmickry of any kind just good old-fashioned storytelling.

I think it's premature to come to that conclusion. Maybe they aren't inconsistencies but different methods of dealing with human subjects because he gets a kick of it. We don't really know what the entity is doing what it's doing or why it's doing what it's doing. It could be one big experiment with different arms and variables at play.