Only aesthetics
Dear X — a drama obsessed with looking meaningful instead of being meaningful
Dear X has incredible set design, moody lighting, and a premise that could’ve been brutal and smart. Then it becomes a show where characters do things simply because the writer wanted an aesthetic moment.
The story falls apart the moment Baek Ah-jin becomes famous. Her sudden “I want this guy to fall for me” arc isn’t mysterious or twisted, it’s random. There’s no reason behind it, no consequences, no emotional payoff. It doesn’t reveal anything new about her. It’s a time-killer disguised as a plot.
The step-sibling obsession to THAT extent is the same problem. it’s just thrown in, and the show hopes you’ll accept it because the idea of it is dramatic. He was a blind dog on a leash, way too dramatic
Older Ah-jin’s emotional life never lands. The actress delivers anger and pain like she’s checking off expressions, but you never see those feelings change what she does. That’s why her rage feels empty: it doesn’t drive the story forward, it just appears and disappears between pretty shots.
The only relationship with real logic is the protector character. His backstory gives his loyalty weight. He clings to her because he knows what being abandoned is. He’s the lone emotional anchor in a show full of cardboard performances.
The pacing isn’t slow, it’s directionless. Scenes repeat ideas they never develop. Whole episodes exist for mood, dramatic hallways, long stares, expensive wardrobe, but nothing underneath evolves.
Dear X thinks darkness is enough. It isn’t. Darkness needs intention. Otherwise it’s just wallpaper.
The ending tries to go for tragic, but it never earns tragedy. Shock without setup is confusion. The finale doesn’t answer questions, it exposes the fact that the show never knew what it wanted to say in the first place.
In the end, Dear X is a beautiful optical illusion:
aesthetics pretending to be depth.
You keep waiting for the story to reveal something real about trauma, ambition, survival, or cruelty but the reveal never comes, because the writers never built anything beneath the surface.
It’s not a bad idea. It’s a wasted one!!!!!
Dear X has incredible set design, moody lighting, and a premise that could’ve been brutal and smart. Then it becomes a show where characters do things simply because the writer wanted an aesthetic moment.
The story falls apart the moment Baek Ah-jin becomes famous. Her sudden “I want this guy to fall for me” arc isn’t mysterious or twisted, it’s random. There’s no reason behind it, no consequences, no emotional payoff. It doesn’t reveal anything new about her. It’s a time-killer disguised as a plot.
The step-sibling obsession to THAT extent is the same problem. it’s just thrown in, and the show hopes you’ll accept it because the idea of it is dramatic. He was a blind dog on a leash, way too dramatic
Older Ah-jin’s emotional life never lands. The actress delivers anger and pain like she’s checking off expressions, but you never see those feelings change what she does. That’s why her rage feels empty: it doesn’t drive the story forward, it just appears and disappears between pretty shots.
The only relationship with real logic is the protector character. His backstory gives his loyalty weight. He clings to her because he knows what being abandoned is. He’s the lone emotional anchor in a show full of cardboard performances.
The pacing isn’t slow, it’s directionless. Scenes repeat ideas they never develop. Whole episodes exist for mood, dramatic hallways, long stares, expensive wardrobe, but nothing underneath evolves.
Dear X thinks darkness is enough. It isn’t. Darkness needs intention. Otherwise it’s just wallpaper.
The ending tries to go for tragic, but it never earns tragedy. Shock without setup is confusion. The finale doesn’t answer questions, it exposes the fact that the show never knew what it wanted to say in the first place.
In the end, Dear X is a beautiful optical illusion:
aesthetics pretending to be depth.
You keep waiting for the story to reveal something real about trauma, ambition, survival, or cruelty but the reveal never comes, because the writers never built anything beneath the surface.
It’s not a bad idea. It’s a wasted one!!!!!
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