26
37
4
2
2
4
5
4
7
1
3
3
1
2
1
3
1
2
1
1
1
3
10
2
5
THE WORST OF EVERYTHING
Gangnam B-Side opens with promise, diving into Seoul’s gritty nightlife and setting up a dark, crime-infested world. But what begins as a potentially searing critique of social ills quickly devolves into full-blown exploitation.
The series becomes a parade of graphic violence: Yoon Gil-ho is drenched in blood, women are injected with drugs and left vomiting or self-harming, and brutal imagery floods every episode. Its characters, however, are shallow outlines, tools for shock, not vessels for story.
Gil-ho, detective Kang Dong-woo, and escort Jae-hee are driven by rage and grief, yet never grow or evolve. Prosecutor Min Seo-jin walks a morally grey line, but the show’s surface-level feminism ensures she’s positioned as "one of the good ones" without much nuance.
Women like Jae-hee and Dong-woo’s daughter Ye-seo are written to be brave but ineffective, repeatedly saved by the men. Jae-hee’s final act of rebellion changes nothing except making Gil-ho more tortured.
Gangnam B-Side wants to be edgy and modern, but it sacrifices character for carnage. Ultimately, no matter how gruesome or flashy its scenes are, it doesn’t succeed in making me care. Its characters don’t feel real; they don’t adapt, grow, or even exist beyond their trauma. What’s the point of violence if it’s just noise?
The series becomes a parade of graphic violence: Yoon Gil-ho is drenched in blood, women are injected with drugs and left vomiting or self-harming, and brutal imagery floods every episode. Its characters, however, are shallow outlines, tools for shock, not vessels for story.
Gil-ho, detective Kang Dong-woo, and escort Jae-hee are driven by rage and grief, yet never grow or evolve. Prosecutor Min Seo-jin walks a morally grey line, but the show’s surface-level feminism ensures she’s positioned as "one of the good ones" without much nuance.
Women like Jae-hee and Dong-woo’s daughter Ye-seo are written to be brave but ineffective, repeatedly saved by the men. Jae-hee’s final act of rebellion changes nothing except making Gil-ho more tortured.
Gangnam B-Side wants to be edgy and modern, but it sacrifices character for carnage. Ultimately, no matter how gruesome or flashy its scenes are, it doesn’t succeed in making me care. Its characters don’t feel real; they don’t adapt, grow, or even exist beyond their trauma. What’s the point of violence if it’s just noise?
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