I’ve watched two episodes so far, skipping several scenes in the second one, and I still managed to get irritated. The guy from the bank is just too pathetic, and the woman who owns the fish shop and the café is annoying. Their interactions are getting way too much screen time. And the boat captain being interested in that kind of woman? Seriously… Honestly, is it really worth continuing to go through this painful beginning?
I thought Baek Seung Yoo (Melancholia) would be the worst male lead in dramas, since he’s an obsessive stalker,…
The themes explored and the central case are genuinely interesting, but it is evident that much of the plot relies on irrational decisions made by the characters. On several occasions, the story only progresses because someone behaves illogically — such as granting greater power to a declared enemy — which seriously undermines the narrative’s credibility. Oh Soo Jae’s trajectory is initially compelling as she faces the consequences of her choices; however, the ending opts for a “happy resolution,” which weakens the dramatic impact. The revelation that the young girl is her daughter is also poorly executed: there is no visual or emotional construction of this event — we never see the pregnancy, the birth, or even the child’s body. Instead, the information is simply delivered verbally, and the character accepts it immediately, with little psychological mediation or believability. Finally, the unilateral and devotional romance is the weakest element of the series. The male lead, despite holding that title, lacks dramatic presence and rarely exercises any meaningful narrative function, making it difficult to take the romantic arc seriously. In summary, Why Her? presents strong ideas and socially relevant themes, but it is weakened by poorly developed characters, implausible narrative choices, and a structurally inconsistent romance.
I thought Baek Seung Yoo (Melancholia) would be the worst male lead in dramas, since he’s an obsessive stalker, but Gong Chan (Why Her?) actually surpasses him. The character has no power, no social relevance, and no authority. He’s just a lunatic who lives entirely for Oh Soo Jae (Why Her?), like an accessory. Of course, Baek Seung Yoo (Melancholia) is the same in that sense, but at least he had some power, exercised active influence, and his presence affected the power dynamics of the story, not to mention other abilities that allowed him to confront the “enemies” in his universe. Gong Chan (Why Her?) has nothing.
I haven't finished it yet, but it gets drastically better from episode 7 onwards.
The early episodes focus on parallel cases that, although they help establish tone, atmosphere, and character dynamics, lack deeper structural relevance. While they contribute to pacing and ambience, these cases do not engage in a consistent or logical dialogue with the central arc. Although individually interesting, they fail to integrate into the narrative body of the main case. Their removal would not compromise the overall story, revealing narrative padding and resulting in more than five hours of wasted screen time with limited overall payoff. However, once the plot begins to prioritize the serial murder case spanning decades, the drama definitively finds its true strength and identity. Both villains (Mok Jin-woo and Jung Ho-young) are well constructed, thoroughly developed, and layered with psychological complexity. Alongside Park Kwang-ho, Kim Sun-jae, and Shin Jae-yi, they drive the narrative in an almost impeccable manner, significantly elevating tension and dramatic engagement.
It is important to clarify that, despite involving time travel, Tunnel does not focus on scientific rigor or detailed explanations of the phenomenon. The tunnel functions merely as a narrative device, used to connect past and present. The true interest of the work lies in the resolution of the central mystery and in how the investigation articulates trauma, memory, and violence through the serial murders.
Overall, it is difficult for a drama with a similar premise to reach the level of Signal. Even so, Tunnel has merits of its own: it builds a solid central case and delivers a sensational ending that justifies the investment, despite its initial structural flaws.
It doesn’t feel like I’m watching the same drama anymore. The first five episodes were outstanding, featuring a gradual and well-crafted development of the relationship between Baek Seung-yoo and Ji Yoon-soo, along with a strong treatment of the core themes: extreme parental pressure in education, manipulation of results, ego-driven competition among parents, and institutional abuse and corruption. Baek Seung-yoo’s backstory is well developed, explaining his emotional withdrawal and melancholic personality, while Ji Yoon-soo emerges as a source of light in his life. From episode 8 onward, however, the series loses its strength. The time skip is far too short and undermines plausibility: the former students still look like students rather than teachers. Worse still, Baek Seung-yoo is mischaracterized and begins to behave like a stalker. His reunion with Ji Yoon-soo, which should have felt natural and inevitable, is forced, with intrusive close-ups that come across as ridiculous.
I quite like this style of plot, even though it's bad most of the time, but with Lee Dong Wook it's complicated. I consider him one of the worst actors since Goblin; he has no expression at all, he seems very stiff, and I don't know if it's worth giving him a chance.
After k-dramas became world-famous, this awful plot where men remain obsessed with the modern female character is becoming increasingly common. The male characters are stuck in time, never getting involved with anyone, and in many dramas they remain in the same city, while the female character has already been with everyone, gotten married and everything else, even lives in a big city, and incredibly things go wrong for her, and she has a guarantee, which is the sucker who waited for her, lol. Simply bizarre.
Really? I didn't find much issues with his character
There's a huge difference between a character being unbearable and a bad character. The best example of this is Shinji from EVA, who is an extremely annoying character, but very well written. The same is true here. Joo Won is petty, arrogant, and blindly believes in evidence, laws, and human justice. Over time he improves and ceases to be as unbearable as he was at the beginning, but he's definitely not one of my favorite characters.
No geral, é um dorama com boas ideias que, em conceito, são excelentes, e um final devastador. O que me incomodou foram as decisões dos personagens logo nos episódios iniciais e como tudo se desenrolou a partir disso. O início do incêndio foi gerado artificialmente por essas decisões estúpidas, e não de forma natural. Os personagens ao redor do Bok Gu só serviam para irritar e preencher tempo de tela, sem qualquer valor narrativo relevante. Os episódios finais foram demasiadamente arrastados, pois o rumo que a história tomou já não tinha muito a oferecer.
Minha sugestão: depois da morte do irmão dele, eu teria feito os dois fazerem uma promessa e seguirem caminhos diferentes. Ela teria voltado ao mundo do estrelato e ele aos ringues. Haveria um salto temporal de cinco anos. Ele teria se tornado campeão e, logo depois, se aposentado. Teria ido morar em uma ilha ou no interior e montado uma oficina. Coincidentemente, ela, após todo o sucesso, participaria de um filme justamente no local onde ele estaria vivendo – ambos sem saber disso, já que ele havia desaparecido da mídia após a aposentadoria.
O carro dela quebraria, e, como ele seria o único mecânico da região, obviamente eles se reencontrariam. Sorririam um para o outro, ela correria em sua direção e, nesse momento, a narrativa voltaria ao passado para revelar qual havia sido a promessa. E fim.
Eu gosto de finais trágicos, mas esse não teve muito sentido. Os personagens se amavam, receberam a bênção do irmão e não havia motivos para todo esse sofrimento e para esse desfecho.
Honestly, is it really worth continuing to go through this painful beginning?
Oh Soo Jae’s trajectory is initially compelling as she faces the consequences of her choices; however, the ending opts for a “happy resolution,” which weakens the dramatic impact. The revelation that the young girl is her daughter is also poorly executed: there is no visual or emotional construction of this event — we never see the pregnancy, the birth, or even the child’s body. Instead, the information is simply delivered verbally, and the character accepts it immediately, with little psychological mediation or believability.
Finally, the unilateral and devotional romance is the weakest element of the series. The male lead, despite holding that title, lacks dramatic presence and rarely exercises any meaningful narrative function, making it difficult to take the romantic arc seriously.
In summary, Why Her? presents strong ideas and socially relevant themes, but it is weakened by poorly developed characters, implausible narrative choices, and a structurally inconsistent romance.
It is important to clarify that, despite involving time travel, Tunnel does not focus on scientific rigor or detailed explanations of the phenomenon. The tunnel functions merely as a narrative device, used to connect past and present. The true interest of the work lies in the resolution of the central mystery and in how the investigation articulates trauma, memory, and violence through the serial murders.
Overall, it is difficult for a drama with a similar premise to reach the level of Signal. Even so, Tunnel has merits of its own: it builds a solid central case and delivers a sensational ending that justifies the investment, despite its initial structural flaws.
But let’s see how it unfolds.
Minha sugestão: depois da morte do irmão dele, eu teria feito os dois fazerem uma promessa e seguirem caminhos diferentes. Ela teria voltado ao mundo do estrelato e ele aos ringues. Haveria um salto temporal de cinco anos. Ele teria se tornado campeão e, logo depois, se aposentado. Teria ido morar em uma ilha ou no interior e montado uma oficina. Coincidentemente, ela, após todo o sucesso, participaria de um filme justamente no local onde ele estaria vivendo – ambos sem saber disso, já que ele havia desaparecido da mídia após a aposentadoria.
O carro dela quebraria, e, como ele seria o único mecânico da região, obviamente eles se reencontrariam. Sorririam um para o outro, ela correria em sua direção e, nesse momento, a narrativa voltaria ao passado para revelar qual havia sido a promessa. E fim.
Eu gosto de finais trágicos, mas esse não teve muito sentido. Os personagens se amavam, receberam a bênção do irmão e não havia motivos para todo esse sofrimento e para esse desfecho.