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When exactly did we turn into monsters?
Moral depravity, villainy, greed and filthy politics - this drama is a cesspool of damaged people destroying themselves and others in the name of ugly survival.
Manipulative, cunning, ruthless and power hungry Bang Tae Seop would stop at nothing and no one to be one of the top dogs in the political sphere. With his moral compass in the ground, he is not afraid to use and discard people, and eradicate his own pride to get what he wants. Ju Ji Hoon plays him with extreme nuance; bringing about a maelstrom of emotions in his portrayal.
Chu Sang A, played by Ha Ji Won, equal parts victim and devil, is a complicated female lead. All she’s taught is that her femininity and vulnerability will be used against her so she wields that as a weapon when it serves her. Innocent on the surface, she is a real serpent underneath, not hesitating to throw people under the bus when it serves her.
Ha Ji Won played this role beautifully and I couldn’t help but wonder how many parallels were there with her real life. The life of a celebrity is shown to be brutal, 50% in the hands of the media and 50% on the casting couch.
Looking frail, with her bones protruding out, as she throws up her meals and looks sadly in the mirror, constantly under a vicious microscope; she is the picture of an imprisoned show pony. I couldn’t help but feel for her despite everything she’s done.
The truth is regardless of being terrible people however, the two come out to be quite pathetic and pitiful most of the time. They are like wild animals backed into the corner, suppressed by those at the top and no matter how much they try to claw out on the surface, they still have one more boogey man willing to stomp them.
Of course the biggest boogey man is our comical, OTT, petty antagonist Lee Yang Mi who is as hateful as she is entertaining. Ten steps ahead of everyone, and morally black she is a constant thorn in our main couple’s side, never to be defeated.
The whole storyline with Nana was quite interesting for me. While not the best actress, I think she delivered quite well. The sapphic plot line was done quite well too in my opinion, even though it vastly diluted my main ship.
Cause quite frankly, the highlight of the show for me is the chemistry and subtle understanding between the main couple. They are two sides of the same desperate coin, each trying to drag themselves to power in their own way. While there is no love lost between them, there is a sense of camaraderie. Especially on Bang Tae Seop’s side- because even though he uses and sacrifices her for his own ambition, in the end, he still loves his wife enough to never completely throw her away.
Their fight for greed is endless and hard to watch as they constantly have to debase themselves and push themselves to the extreme. Unfortunately, for them, even coming out on top gives them no peace.
The drama could be a social commentary on how people are in an endless rat race for power, only to realise it is all hollow when you reach the top. Because by then, the damage to the soul is too much to bear.
Ofcourse, this drama is an acquired taste. There are no good people here. No idealistic happy endings. Sex is often used as a weapon of suppression and exploitation.
I won’t say everything is perfect here. Because in its quest to be as ugly as possible, the writing does take a hit at times. The pace messes up. There is a repetition of some plot devices.
That said, it’s still one hell of a ride with some seriously brilliant acting.
Mature, raw, emotional and quite honest, this is a slow burn noir thriller that is to be enjoyed slowly, one episode a week, with your moral scruples out the door.
Manipulative, cunning, ruthless and power hungry Bang Tae Seop would stop at nothing and no one to be one of the top dogs in the political sphere. With his moral compass in the ground, he is not afraid to use and discard people, and eradicate his own pride to get what he wants. Ju Ji Hoon plays him with extreme nuance; bringing about a maelstrom of emotions in his portrayal.
Chu Sang A, played by Ha Ji Won, equal parts victim and devil, is a complicated female lead. All she’s taught is that her femininity and vulnerability will be used against her so she wields that as a weapon when it serves her. Innocent on the surface, she is a real serpent underneath, not hesitating to throw people under the bus when it serves her.
Ha Ji Won played this role beautifully and I couldn’t help but wonder how many parallels were there with her real life. The life of a celebrity is shown to be brutal, 50% in the hands of the media and 50% on the casting couch.
Looking frail, with her bones protruding out, as she throws up her meals and looks sadly in the mirror, constantly under a vicious microscope; she is the picture of an imprisoned show pony. I couldn’t help but feel for her despite everything she’s done.
The truth is regardless of being terrible people however, the two come out to be quite pathetic and pitiful most of the time. They are like wild animals backed into the corner, suppressed by those at the top and no matter how much they try to claw out on the surface, they still have one more boogey man willing to stomp them.
Of course the biggest boogey man is our comical, OTT, petty antagonist Lee Yang Mi who is as hateful as she is entertaining. Ten steps ahead of everyone, and morally black she is a constant thorn in our main couple’s side, never to be defeated.
The whole storyline with Nana was quite interesting for me. While not the best actress, I think she delivered quite well. The sapphic plot line was done quite well too in my opinion, even though it vastly diluted my main ship.
Cause quite frankly, the highlight of the show for me is the chemistry and subtle understanding between the main couple. They are two sides of the same desperate coin, each trying to drag themselves to power in their own way. While there is no love lost between them, there is a sense of camaraderie. Especially on Bang Tae Seop’s side- because even though he uses and sacrifices her for his own ambition, in the end, he still loves his wife enough to never completely throw her away.
Their fight for greed is endless and hard to watch as they constantly have to debase themselves and push themselves to the extreme. Unfortunately, for them, even coming out on top gives them no peace.
The drama could be a social commentary on how people are in an endless rat race for power, only to realise it is all hollow when you reach the top. Because by then, the damage to the soul is too much to bear.
Ofcourse, this drama is an acquired taste. There are no good people here. No idealistic happy endings. Sex is often used as a weapon of suppression and exploitation.
I won’t say everything is perfect here. Because in its quest to be as ugly as possible, the writing does take a hit at times. The pace messes up. There is a repetition of some plot devices.
That said, it’s still one hell of a ride with some seriously brilliant acting.
Mature, raw, emotional and quite honest, this is a slow burn noir thriller that is to be enjoyed slowly, one episode a week, with your moral scruples out the door.
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