Jojo

This drama had a beautiful idea. The Gyeonggang River, which was once pure, now thick with silt and sorrow, is a reflection of a nation sinking under corruption and decay. On paper, they got everything right. The whole premise had beautiful imagery-a river that mirrors its people, a mirror that refuses to flatter. Yet in the execution, all the ambition and artistry become too heavy to carry. Somehow, the weight of the premise is what sank this ship.

At its core, we have Siyul, Choi Eun and Jeong Cheon, each with their own demons to deal with. Siyul is caught between the guilt and survival of his brutal past and trapped in a cycle of choices that blur between justice and vengeance. Opposite him stands Choi Eun, the merchant whose integrity becomes her curse. I liked how she refused to let the corrupt system dictate her but I feel the writing didn't do her justice at all. The lack of screen time just made her seem like a haughty noblewoman but we see glimpses of so much from her towards the end. Somewhere in the middle stands Jeong-cheon, the official who dreams of power without corruption, a dream that steadily unravels.

The three are meant to represent different moral shores of the same river but the current never quite pulls them together. The 3 leads somehow felt like supporting characters in their own story. The first three episodes did a great job at setting up the story but the middle four (4-7) kind of lost their way. We wasted too much time on Mu Deok's story in the middle. I get they wanted us to show why he is here, but it could have been shortened and utilised to make the present plot better. The drama was about the 3 leads but somehow became "Mudeok's show".

Again, the idea of moral decay, corruption of people sitting at the top came through, but a bit heavy-handed and very convenient. Arrests and deaths happened too easily without letting the subplot fully bloom.

Too many characters felt underdeveloped as they simultaneously opened too many threads at the setup. By the time we were moving somewhere, it was already time to wrap up.

However, not everything was lost. The performances and acting across the board were solid. Roowan dominated the drama with his excellent acting performance. This is the first time I am seeing him in a non-polished, raw role. Seo Ham also looked very different here, and while the script didn't offer him much, he still left quite a good impression on me. With Ye Eun, the lack of screentime makes it harder to review her performance, but with what was given to her, she did well. The supporting cast had some good seasoned actors and no one disappointed.

Another thing I enjoyed was the bond between the bandits. I won't lie, I despised them at the start and was annoyed by their very presence, but they grew on me and on Siyul. They provided the comedic relief and brotherhood. It was like a mini break of happiness amidst the bleak and tragic premise.

Visually, the drama aced the setup. The outdoor locations, the grainy texture, the constant haze of dust and water...all of it feels lived in. It captures a world that’s both dying and alive, heavy with the smell of labour and loss. But sometimes the set-up was draining. I don't say it in a bad way, but on the front, it was too realistic.

Overall, Murky Stream definitely dared to ask uncomfortable questions about power, corruption and limits of conscience but somehow failed to answer them on the screen. I expected a deep dive into those murky waters, exploring the characters in that morally grey light, but I was never allowed to swim deeper. This quickly escalated into the case of over-ambitiousness.

Will I recommend it? No, I guess. The weekly experience was draining. But maybe binge-watching it can offer a different perspective.

Thank you for reading my review! <3 I hope you enjoy this drama more than I.