Some different aspects for a Sageuk drama
December 2024Overall, I loved this. It's a classic sageuk drama. However, it is never OTT and all the characters are really good. I didn't find any annoying, although many were absolute barstewards, with others being too easily deceived, and/or misguided.
It does have a gentle pace, but whilst it lacks the action of many other dramas of this type, the plot is clever and aspects were extremely refreshing. There is plenty of intrigue, and intelligent plotting, with those trying to control the King and that position, mistakenly underestimating the person on the throne.
The love side of things is very subtle, but integral to the story, and I found it very romantic at times. The kisses were not at all steamy though, ever. The final one especially, really should have had far more passion. Kang Hee-soo was like a board! Is that the actress, or the director? One really needs a pinch for that :/
It was also very moving on occasion, especially early on, when Jin-han returned from Qing.
There is understated humour from many recognisable supporting character actors, as well as from the King and his guard, Joo Sang-hwa. Two of my favourite characters.
I loved Jo Jung-suk in the lead role; his expressions and habit of slowly closing his eyes when things started to press in on, or anger him, was so good. I really love his acting and find him easy to watch. He rarely fails to draw me in and I've liked a lot of the dramas he's appeared in. Two Cops is still a big favourite.
I don't dislike watching Shin Se-kyung, but I do find her acting quite bland at times. She rarely expresses emotion well and displayed too little passion, which this role was really all about (not just romantic passion, butcthatcof a cause too).
The most annoying character for me was Kim Myung-ha (Lee Shin-young), whose behaviour at one point, coupled with that of his father, made his reasons for hating the King and seeking revenge, somewhat hypocritical. Such a pious character, when he had little reason to behave that way.
I also felt that later into the drama, Mong-woo (Hee-Soo) should have had more faith in the King... but then, these suspicions are needed for tension and added angst, I suppose.
I must say that the Gidaeryeong was much, much too feminine to be taken as a man, so that might marr viewing, a fair bit, for some. I could overlook it, but at the same time I thought the role should have been acted with at least a glimmer of masculinity. There are many pretty men, but their gender is still recogniseable and in this drama that was needed.
The ending had a number of gaps, but was acceptable, and the latter part of the final episode did feel rushed, in comparison to others.
However, I would still recommend this for sageuk drama lovers; overall, it does not disappoint and there are a few things different to the norm, which gave it that bit more.
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Disappointing story, but loved the cast
July 2024I think I'm going to be in a minority here, as this really didn't do it for me.
I did like the cast a lot. As an aside, I have to say, I find the difference a head of longer hair makes to JKY's features, astonishing. It totally softens his appearance and he looks younger than he does in some of his other roles (which are quite diverse). Took me a minute to recognise him!
I thought the latter half of the drama was better, as the pace picked up, but none of the characters grew on me. Bok I-na got a pass because she was young and surrounded by a selfish bunch of supposed adults, in her terribly dysfunctional family.
Every character in that family annoyed me. All wrapped up in themselves, cold and narcissistic. Whilst they may have lost their powers, it quickly became evident they did nothing wortwhile with them before. The poor father figure was nothing more than a servant and completely taken for granted.
I have only ever watched 2 dramas that involved time-travel, where the plot didn't either cause confusion, or lose its way, and this isn't one of them.
There was just too much of Gwi-ju revisiting specific scenes, refusing to give up on trying to alter events, which his 'superpower' doesn't allow him to do.
He himself seemed to begin to question reality / time, as did Da-hae and to be honest, I was in there with them!
Da-hae's 'family' were unpleasant as well, running a sauna and ruthlessly scamming people on the side. I thought they were all made for each other.
The story attempts to salvage all their personalities, but for me it was too late. I did feel a certain amount of sympathy for Gwi-ju, but more for poor I-na. Regardless of the past, he had a duty of care, but instead wallowed in self-pity. The Grandmother was no better and probably my least favourite character, together with Baek Il-hong.
I found a fair bit of Gwi-ju's bouncing around his past very confusing and most of the time, pointless. The plot feels made up as it goes along at times, with no explanation of why certain things are possible. What lies in the future is another can of worms.
Considering they were born with powers and grew up around them, one would have thought they, and definitely Man-heum herself, would be used to her dreams and how to interpret them; but no.
I found the ending bizarre and simplistic, as well.
The very point of their powers was never touched on either and I certainly couldn't work that out.
Very disappointed; I expected more.
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Haphazard at times
June 2024Google's "in a nutshell" description for this drama reads, "Unsettling, hopeless and cynical", which pretty much sums it up!
Whilst the cast and their acting, is really good, the script is all over the place.
The story keeps haphazardly jumping between the recent past (pre-asteroid) and present, with no warning and little reason for doing so, quite often. This can be confusing and at times I wasn't sure where we were, so to speak.
As news of the asteroid strike breaks and the subsequent countdown to impact begins, we of course see the worst coming out in many people.
From the wealthy and powerful leeching off the ordinary citizens in communities, to secure a way out of Korea (ground zero), to criminal gangs who see ways to make money and exploit the fact law and order has broken down, and it's swiftly become every man for themselves. They seem oblivious to the fact they'll never be able to spend it!
The reactions of some characters to decisions they make, are often inappropriate and/or baffling, given circumstances, reasons and situations. I found this frustrating and irritating.
It does also show a close knit community as well, however, and that stops it being dismal, although it's by no means upbeat.
It is a very weak script, with several plot arcs being speedily concluded, at the cost of the story. Disappointing.
It's a huge shame, because I liked many of the characters, but the build up and the conclusion were incredibly mismatched, even though it made sense.
As is often the case with a good cast who give it their all, they carried this drama and made it watchable. Even though I'd never bother watching it again, I can't say I disliked it, but I was very disappointed.
I've said it before and will say it again; if Netflix are going to make K-dramas, they need to stick to the format that is one of the reasons many of us fell in love with them in the first place. A story told completely, in usually 16 to 20eps.
Not 6-12 eps, with no conclusion and a possible S2, but that being dependent on ratings. Or as in this drama, a complete ('Limited') series, but with an inadequate number of episodes in which to give any depth to the story or coherent conclusions.
Great OST and I loved the acting, from all the cast. One would never have known how much YAI must already have been suffering, at this point.
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Classic K-drama style
April 2024I love the cast, which drew me more than the plot, so I wasn't sure it would have me watching in one go (or if I'd even like it and end up dropping). Wrong.
The series has a mix of melodrama, kept from being hard work by some genuinely hilarious moments, with plenty of tension, very good acting by all and a bit of action.
It feels quite 'K-drama classic' in style; think a lot of arm grabbing, and pulling out the way of oncoming dangers, with a little reality being thrown to the wind at times, for thrills/tension purposes.
The characters are also the classic dysfunctional Chaeybol family (a mix of greedy, cold, slightly crazy, inept, naive/not bright, and disappointing/soft heir) and country farming folk.
The evil characters really are and very well acted (well done especially, Lee Mi-Suk), not OTT at all.
The 2 Kims make great leads; they are such good actors and I really liked their chemistry. There were some weak moments in the script, but with them at the helm, I actually wasn't that bothered!
I loved seeing Song Joong-ki in his cameo role, and the way he is described by Hyun-woo's lawyer best friend, using all characters SJK has played in the past, is a touch of brilliance!
Even though there were a couple of eye rolling moments for me, I actually loved this. I unexpectedly binge watched and then decided to wait for final ep before completing, again binging to the end and going to bed at silly o'clock.
The OST is lovely too.
I would certainly recommend it!
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Accept it's a fluffy rom-com, not RL, and it'll be a fun watch
Aug 2023A great big squishy ball of fluff, in the traditionally wonderful vain of many successful rom-com K-dramas.
You get the flashy backdrop of a wealthy family run conglomerate; the main story centres around the successful 5 Star hotel, while also featured are the company's Airline and a high end clothing branch, where each of the FL's 2 besties work.
Within these settings are power struggles, prejudices over education, divorce and social standing, with a smattering of greasy palms, connections and the usual jealousy, spite, bitching and abuse of the have nots/underlings. Some characters are wonderfully nasty and underhand... I was having a right go at the TV on many occasions! ;-D
Then, of course, there is the most important, most focussed on, romance between our drop dead gorgeous ML and effervescently can-do, pretty FL, who when at work speaks in the same way UK announcers did in the 50s ;-D and smiles through 99% of everything that a busy day as Hotel Concierge can throw at her.
Due to a childhood trauma, our ML hates what he sees as the false smiles automatically plastered on the faces of a large percentage of the hotel's staff and refuses to either conform, or acknowledge them.
With our FL gaining success with her attitude and having more and more dealings with our ML, it's very much an enemies to tolerated colleagues, to friends, to lovers.
There is almost every cliché in the book, from one falling into/onto the other, a bike ride, fairground visit and sudden overnight stay, to money getting offered to get rid of people.
There are also the trials and tribulations of the FL's 2 best friends sewn into the story and plenty of light moments with the ML and his dork of an assistant.
This fit absolutely perfectly with what I wanted to watch. There are imperfections (I never really understood why someone who disappeared, did) and realism is often overlooked to make things and people beautiful, and the story work... but the drama is a rom-com and from the very amusing first arrival of our ML, does not set itself up to be anything remotely true to life, so no disappointment in that respect, for me.
There was one scene near the end, with the FL's grandmother (played by a favourite senior actress, Kim Young-ok) that was so touching, I needed tissues.
The music I did find exceedingly odd at times, especially when a group of them visited Thailand... it was almost hilarious, with what sounded like bangra, and Ska!!! I've heard traditional and modern Thai music and it didn't sound like that!
It's no more than a bit of fun, and a great feel-good drama. I quickly ate up every second of it!
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Missed the mark
This very calm and meandering drama has a slightly surreal feel to it.From the FL character of Ji-eum, who has been reborn early this life and has always been able to remember her past lives (with varying degrees of clarity), to the characters she's reconnected with, it's presented as being all rather mysterious.
Ji-eum is quirky, unique and very focussed. Several scenes made me laugh and I liked Shin Hye-sun's portrayal of someone with an extremely old and life-experienced soul, in its new body (loved her in Mr Queen too).
As she reconnects with the now grown up young boy from her tragically cut short last life, various conspiracies and ominous predictions come to light.
The first few episodes I found captivating, but the pace never picked up and the 2 main mysteries that revolved around her, Seo-ha and some of the other characters, kind of fizzled out as they were brought to their conclusion.
It was a nice watch, but I didn't find it in the least exciting, or exhilarating. I was invested, to find out why she was stuck with so many memories, but disappointed in the fact the conclusion in this life was just so 'meh'. There was one bit in the past that did make me gasp though.
The revisits to her past lives were some of the best bits, I thought.
How the other mystery got solved, was again so flat. It felt like imagining you were climbing to a great height, to find you were only on level 2! 😄😬
It totally lacked any punch at all and yet with the plot it carried, there should have been so much more. I have no idea how they managed to lose the momentum entirely. There was more than enough opportunity, but time was instead given to very wordy scenes where she was basically trying to tell Seo-ha who she was, without actually saying it.
I really liked the character of Seo-ha, whose childhood traumas left him scarred in so many ways. He was gentle, clever and had a vulnerability about him, but was not pitiful.
It is a very romantic drama, however, in the nicest way and that, I thought, they got right. The relationships from the past and present, that bind the characters together, I loved. That was the drama's saving grace.
I also liked that Ji-eum's past lives were both male and female, from different continents; they weren't all the same actress in varying guises, which is not what reincarnation is about at all. I would have seen that as a lazy cop out in production.
Overall an OK watch, but it did miss the mark and fell short of what it could have been. The cast did not disappoint, however and the soundtrack was excellent (especially loved ABH's contribution, Colde's 'Star' and Jo Yuri's 'Down'/Juicy Juicy).
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Engaging
First trigger warnings: there is violence (torture, child abuse references, bullying etc) and some quite graphic images.I watched on Viki, where it is titled "The Killer Inside".
This drama had plenty of twists and turns, intrigue, deception, threat and surprises.
I did decide fairly quickly who I thought the culprit was, and turned out right.
However, this drama kept me engaged right the way through and I watched all episodes back-to-back.
The cast was pretty good and suited their roles. Some very unpleasant and messed up characters. A little over-acting at times from some, but not too often. Occasionally it felt a little stilted/awkward too and several scenes were less than credible (the court scenes were a little bizarre - no witnesses or indication of what exactly the trial was of), but overall I thought this a decent watch and needed to know the outcome.
I did also wonder how a character could return to more or less where their life left off, after having been incarcerated for an unknown length of time (clarity around that would have been good). Hey, it is fiction though!
Credit to Yamada Ryosuke and Kawaei Rina, who I thought were very engaging.
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Gripping
Incredibly intense at times, very human and believable, plus moving.A fascinating insight into the very humble beginnings of criminal profiling in S.Korea.
The dreadful way many colleagues and 'higher ups' treated the 3-man team of the profile unit, was disgraceful. From where they were located to how they had to fight every step of the way, until their methods showed results, time after time.
Kim Nam-gil and Jin Seon-kyu were excellent in their character portrayals, worked so well together and their character's totally different personalities complimented each other perfectly.
KNG's character's change through the episodes was a hard watch at times and I really wanted to climb into my TV and give him a hug.
Another character that matured through the series and quietly added so much to their small team dynamic, was Analyst, Jung Woo-joo (Ryeoun), who was a delight.
The different cases they became involved in were very gritty and quite distressing on occasion, ranging from rapists to child abduction and murder. It wasn't quite as gory as some series I've watched, but very unpleasant at times, adding to the reality of just how sick the serial killers they profiled, were. This eventually took a toll on some.
I hated the police's Commissioner General; even though the series spans a number of years starting in the 1990s, his out-of-date behaviour (even for the time) and attitude was shameful. From regularly using physical abuse of his subordinates (who were not low down the pecking order themselves), to demanding results as though evidence and perpetrators could be magically created, he was an embarrassing portrayal of a senior figure in S.Korean law enforcement. He even demanded unsolved murders be blamed on an existing criminal they'd caught, who had nothing to do with them!
Luckily, 2 senior colleagues (Baek Joon-shik and Heo Gil-pyo) were supportive and ensured the profile team were utilised and respected.
The length of this drama was shorter than the norm, but it never felt rushed and the story was almost perfectly told in those episodes.
There was one scene where an alluded murder victim was disposed of, but not covered when the killer confessed and I didn't get that. It was never mentioned.
Likewise, exactly what happened to the people replaced when changes were made in the police hierarchy, once the profile team had their first major success, wasn't made clear.
There was also no follow-up, or any insight into what became of the convicted killers; their sentences weren't even given.
Had those things been clearer, I would have given this series a 10.
The fact this is based on reality and a book written by one of the profilers, makes it all the more compelling.
Recommended!
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Lead acting was good
Not a bad watch and Kim Min Jae rarely disappoints.His character here is arrogant (but I felt this was often a front for feeling inferior), very business savvy, but lacks the social skills, sophistication and knowledge of art to fit in amongst Dali's peers, co-workers and gallery connections. He does, however, have the money.
I am not sure what the drama was trying to be, because it's not a fluffy romance, not quite a detective story (although it would have made a good thriller) and not a true comedy.
Ep1 was amusing and humour is used through the show, but it's needed.
There is bullying, physical and mental abuse by parents, drug addiction, coercion, threat, a huge dose of snobbishness and more than one psychopathic character.
Moo Hak often seemed to revert to gangster behaviour when he felt humiliated or out of his depth. The response to it was...... nothing.
Dali infuriated me at times ~ the character could have been co much more. I think they were going for kind of ethereal, graceful, yet strong, but incredibly patient, demure and sophisticated.
The behaviour of some characters (the worst were all family members) was, frankly, sick inducing at times.
The ending wrapped it all up fairly neatly, but it's definitely not one I'd watch again.
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Not dreadful but not great
Nice cast, bit slow at times, some wit and overall an ok watch, but...Totally unrealistic, like really! The stuff the police, never mind students, get away with, is hilarious. I mean, ok it's not a documentary and entertainment = poetic licence, but there really needs to be a bit more credibility to so many of the scenes.
Half of what they all get up to would mean zero chance of their weird evidence standing up in any court.
I thought irritating and OTT character, Baek Hee, was a step too far ~ she made me roll my eyes once too often and I didn't find her at all funny.
The camaraderie between the friends was nice and how Dong-man and Sun-ho became closer was too, but the romance was dull and chemistry between actors Jung Jin-young and Krystal Jung was not cooking at all; his acting was quite charming and sweet, but I found her very stiff.
The supporting characters were quite amusing, but none really stood out for me.
I felt the plot dragged on, becoming quite dull; there wasn't much feeling of threat and even though they tried to introduce a selection of guilty looking characters in the latter episodes, it wasn't enough to make me that interested, or bothered.
It has some nice moments and overall is fine as a filler, or dip-in-and-out-of drama, but it's not memorable and not one I'd watch again.
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It doesn't have masses of blood, blockbuster style action scenes or romance, but it does have more than its share of shocking moments, an intelligent script, some laughs and what I found to be a gripping story.
I loved the characters; proper villains and a blurring of what makes a good detective. Tested friendships and what seems, at times, blind loyalty from some.
Dong Shik and Joo Won are polar opposites and neither trusts the other at all, for varying reasons that are slowly brought to light as the story grows. They have to work together though and so a relationship of trust/mistrust yo-yos with each episode.
The tragedies in several cast members' pasts are also uncovered and these link characters together in unexpected ways.
Almost everyone looks guilty at some point and the way in which key crime scenes are shown in multiple scenarios, to fit a given character's statement, is brilliant. It also makes it way harder to decide who's done exactly what.
Shin Ha Kyun is excellent in his portrayal of Dong-shik, veering from warm and funny, to maniacal in an instant. His whole face changes when he smiles, but the next minute he can look very scary!
Yeo Jin-goo gives a very understated performance of a character repressing a lot of his thoughts and feelings; no over acting here, thankfully!
The entire cast were great. I particularly felt for Jung Je, such a tormented character, so well played by Choi Dae-hoon. There are some really sycophantic, nasty and loathsome, as well as sweet, caring and strong, characters in this.
A great story with a solid ending.
Oh and I loved the trailing violin music, Bibi's 'Timeless' and gritty song, 'The Night' from Choi Baek-ho; perfect soundtrack.
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Too drawn out
I thought the 2 leads, Zhu Yi Long and Bai Yu, were so good ~ their acting portrayed the characters' attraction to one another really well; the eyes can say it all.Lots of very diverse characters, action, emotion and different worlds, making for entertaining viewing.
I did have trouble sticking with it though, as it just went on too long for me. The last few episodes were amongst the best of all and saved the drama, to my mind. The emotion from the leads was heart felt and definitely confirmed that Shen Wei and Yunlan loved each other, and there was nothing 'brotherly' about it.
It is a great shame that China feels any sexuality other than straight, is abhorrent. Lines don't need to be crossed, but as with straight romance dramas, they aught to portray love as love. Just what are they so scared of?
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What let down a potentially great thriller were the times it slid into being ridiculous. From how clean people and their clothes were, to characters wandering around on their own once a killer was potentially back. The amount of beatings some could take, together with surviving drowning whilst badly wounded, on more than one occasion, was eye rolling.
I liked the resilient character of the main female too, who was also pretty independent and capable.
There is also the usual shady prosecution service, most of whom are more interested in finding the path to increasing their position and wealth, than to the actual guilty party.
We find out who the real culprit is, but trying to prove it is difficult and the cat and mouse episodes are very watchable.
If only they'd kept that momentum going, instead of including some very lazy scenes instead.
The end of the final episode was just bizarre and I have no idea why it was included. It was almost like the ending to a children's story, where the kids are told the moral of the tale, although how a mass murderer got to be included was beyond me.
The deaths of several characters was often brought up, but one in particular was noticeable by their absence. It wasn't until that odd last scene, that they suddenly got a mention. Months stranded, months back and episodes later, it was like a quick add-on; "Oh and we won't stop searching for xxxx".
If you can forgive these shortcomings (which to be honest I could), then it's not a bad watch.
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Not only the monsters are bad
This is a great drama I've already watched twice.The main and supporting cast all give excellent performances, including the children.
The effects of living in an environment where society has broken down leads to very different behaviours for the characters, as they really need to pull together in order to survive. The changing opinions and morals of some, as it becomes apparent no one is safe from infection, makes for many characters developing with each episode.
Our human establishment is yet again to blame for messing with things that shouldn't be and fearing everything different. Tarring everyone exposed, with the same brush, can also be seen as the way in which so many laid blame after the outbreak of Covid. Lessons never seem to be learned, as this has and will, happen time and time again.
The pace is a mix of slow burning, menacing and violent. It isn't a particularly happy watch, but there are many touching moments.
The soundtrack is excellent too.
I believe Netflix are waiting for ratings stats before committing to series 2 and I so hope it goes ahead, otherwise the ending is less than pleasing; that would be my only complaint.
I LOVED it.
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Enjoyable
So whilst this wouldn't win any awards, it mixes comedy with drama and I didn't greatly dislike anything about it.The cast are very good and the story, whilst bending what's anything near plausible at times, is still a decent watch.
If accepted for what it is, a piece of light entertainment, with romance, silliness, surprise guest roles, lots of clichés and some mild threat, then it really can be enjoyed.
I did feel the King was a little hard done by, but it was neatly tied up at the end. Really not that bad a watch.
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