MPL88

Very Good Series that Became Overwrought with Too Much Betrayal

I mean good grief. Almost all the main characters in this were betrayed in the worst way by someone or several someone’s who were closest to them and whom they loved. It was a miracle that after all the betrayal any of these characters could trust anyone much less find love.

The story starts off strong and builds for the next 20+ episodes. The palace conspiracies and scheming in Yuling and the mystery behind why the FL was betrayed by her fiancé and “brothers”created binge worthy intrigue and drama.

All the characters were complex and well written, save for the ML’s sister - the princess, who was unreasonably naive and stupid purely for plot. The death camp plot also didn’t track. For the lady who was running it , raising the FL from a little girl to be an adult killing machine looked about the same age as the FL. And the SML who was behind the camp looked younger the FL. Lol.

The show was great up until the last 10 episodes where it started to drag. The writers did an excellent job building the story to a fantastic climax in episode 25-26, but then sort of reset to continue the story with plots that should’ve been wrapped up in earlier episodes. The story became so overwrought with backstabbing and ridiculous plots for revenge that it started to get exhausting to watch. Before those last 10 episodes I never felt to the need to FF through the show but found myself doing so due to unnecessary angst and drama.

Still the show was very good. The leads had nice chemistry and a beautiful love story. All the actors performed well. Costumes were beautiful and the sets looked great. Though there was a love story it was the B, maybe even C story. This was mainly about conspiracies, lies, betrayal and revenge. It could’ve been a 10/10 if the last 10 episodes had not weighed it down. Despite this I would watch it again.

Read More

Dark and Gritty Crime Story Featuring Poor Police Work

A police detective decides to take her life over the loss of her husband who committed suicide a year earlier, but changes her mind when she discovers dead body nearby.

The story was just as expected, abandoning the glitz and glamour of many Taiwanese shows/movies to explore the dark underbelly of illegal immigration and the vulnerable situations , specifically the women, those immigrants find themselves in. The story was suspenseful and interesting due to the mystery of who was killing these migrant women and why. Come to find out it was some psycho who’d been scammed by his migrant wife so I guess he felt the need to make all migrant women pay for her misdeeds. Strange reasoning, but when has a serial killer’s reason for killing made sense.

That part of the story was relatively okay, but the detective part of the story was not great.The FL was a horrible cop. She managed to lose her gun to one suspect who ended up killing himself with said gun. Another suspect managed to get the better of her and nearly smothered her to death. She would go off with dangerous suspects alone without backup and her terrible decisions resulted in her rookie partner being stabbed by a suspect. They’d sometimes call for back up when needed but backup never showed.

We never learn why her husband committed suicide and why she decided to live. Her solving the case did not result in some profound moment for her where she found a reason to live. At least as far as I could see it didn’t.

So while the premise of the story was an interesting one, the execution was poorly done. The cops in this didn’t have to be perfect but they shouldn’t have been incompetent. Moreover the lack of depth in the characters made it difficult to care about any of them.

Read More

Formulaic love premise that works despite the random side stories

A college student who is living a life of loneliness and isolation is transported into the online novella for which she’s obsessed. This has an interesting start with Cha Seon-chaek (FL) being a modern woman transported to Josean Korea. She brings such contemporary actions as mixed drinks, the game of truth or dare and a drunken one-night stand to the era. The latter of which results in the “Duke” – Lee Beon, the King’s favorite nephew, instantly becoming smitten with her. The fun begins when she attempts to spur his desire and determination to marry her. This leads her to attempting some pretty elaborate schemes that are nothing short of hilarious.

Of course, she eventually requits his love and they decide to be together, but then new challenges arise with opposing family members, scheming “friends” and foes, a questionable king and even their own hangups. However, they work through many of these issues and move forward. I have enjoyed how they may initially disagree but always talk through their differences to better understand each other and get on the same page. I love how the ML is straight forward with the FL. Telling her outright that he wants her innocently and amorously. Swoon. Love it.

Though the story was fun and interesting to start, it has become a little tedious in the last several episodes. Time has been spent on story threads that weren’t needed and characters who were integral early in the story have been sidelined, then revisited at random with no clear direction of how their actions will fit into the bigger picture. The storyline with the King and his desire to strengthen his power within the kingdom has only been incorporated when angst is needed for the OTP.

In fact, the palace drama is not well-written, and the audience has yet to understand how what’s happening in the past (this novella) will tie to the FL in the present. For visits to the present have been infrequent and ultimately irrelevant to the overall story. There seems to be several loose ends to tie up before this story wraps up within the next two episodes. It remains to be seen if the writers can tie this up nicely. The love story is well written, but the supporting side stories are pretty weak. The leads have great chemistry. Great acting by both. Love Ok Taec-yeon’s voice. So deep and sexy. The supporting characters work well within the story as well. If the last couple of episodes manage to not go off the rails, this will be one worth watching again.

Edited to add, the last couple of episodes did not do a good job wrapping up the palace storyline. It was rushed and the characters who should’ve been severely punished for treason weren’t really punished at all. Odd. The explanation behind how the FL ended up being a character in the web novel she enjoyed was strange but passable. The OTP got their HEA albeit cheesy. Lol. Overall this was average. First half of the series was really good but then the story sort of drops off in the 2nd half. Still worth rewatching though.

Read More

A Novice Shaman and her Imugi were the leads, but the King Stole the Show

This story begins with a novice shaman determined to save her friend, Gap, from an evil spirit, while trying to manage an imugi, the ML, Gang Cheol, who needs her to ascend to the heavens. All of this leads to the Royal palace where the king and his family are being haunted by the same evil spirit that consumed her friend. Only there’s more to this than a simple haunting. It is tied to a catastrophe that happened a century earlier involving the royal family.

The long and complicated road to the truth behind what caused this haunting is interesting and at times humorous. As are the minor ghosts we meet along the way and Gang Cheol’s brother who was an intriguing character that died too soon.

The writing for the most part was excellent. However, the last couple of episodes did drag. Also there were times when the leads were not terribly bright which contradicted their previously astute actions. Yeo-ri showed potential as a shaman early on but became completely useless for most of the series. Spending much of her time teary eyed and looking on in “horror” and utterly powerless as terrible incidents unfolded. The blind shaman, who was the main antagonist, was around way too dam long . Giving me flashbacks of Jin Mu from Alchemy of Souls. This guy would not die and when he finally did bite it, it was too easy. Though the leads got their HEA, I really didn’t care either way about their love story. They had passable chemistry but I wasn’t invested in their love and found I was most interested in the mystery surrounding the haunting. All that said, the King and the love he and the Queen shared stole the show. Whether he was being the benevolent King, a grieving father/husband, a supportive friend or being possessed by that vengeful spirit, Kim Ji-Hoon truly embodied the complex plight of his character and was fantastic in the role of King Lee Seong. I truly cared about him and his family and when was heartbroken when his Queen was senselessly killed. The other actors were good in their roles as well and overall chemistry between the cast was good. Though the show did struggle a bit at the end, overall it was an enjoyable show.

Read More

Stunning scenery marred by horrendous child abuse and a weird love obsession.

This show had some of the most beautiful cinematography I’ve ever seen in streaming. Gorgeous. However, it was a stark contrast to the ugliness that was going on with the characters who were living amongst that beauty. Many of the parents in this were awful people. Consumed by greed and depravity. To start ,the mother/stepmother, MinYeon, seemed like the worst. Blaming a Jae-yi for her son being missing for 12 years , beating her and treating her like trash even though she was the daughter of her wealthy husband. But then he allowed this to go on. And it is quickly learned that he is worse than her - a selfish POS who cared for no one, even his own children, unless they could help him gain something for himself. He used his adopted son, Mujin, in a power play against MinYeon and when it went bad he abandoned him to die. He cheated on MinYeon and when his mistress got pregnant he abandoned her for his own gain knowing that the former would seek to destroy her. And that wasn’t the worst of his behaviors. He was complicit in the “snow man” kidnapping children and taking them to that psychopathic Prince to be poisoned and severely abused. He supported this depravity because the gain was great fortune and prestige for himself. His behavior was beyond reprehensible and I’m glad he met a horrible demise. Though it was not horrible enough.

Though beautifully acted, the love story almost seemed out of place. Thank goodness the sibling situation got cleared up quickly. Hongrang admitting his feelings to Jae-yi, her rejecting him, finding her own romantic feelings for him being disturbing considering he was her “brother” and deciding to leave town as a result, played well. However, when she found proof that he wasn’t her brother and he confessed that same truth, their sudden decision to run off into the sunset was jarring. As was them making love in a cave knowing the entire world was outside those walls hunting them, and then setting down in that cabin on the mountain top. Their love did have potential but it had not earned that type of intense loyalty. In fact, it was difficult to believe when Jae-yi said she loved him and couldn’t live without him. Where did that love come from? As she’d spent every episode up until that point hating him and waffling between him being or not being her brother.

What seemed more out of place was Mujin’s 180. It was obvious from the start that his love for Jae-yi wasn’t brotherly. However, he always respected the fact that she saw him as her brother. Overall he seemed like a good guy. But by the end of the series he was willing to lie, kill and align himself with a child abuser and killer in order to possess her. So disappointing.

The writing in this was a bit messy. There were several story threads that weren’t fully fleshed out. However, the actors had good chemistry and their performances were outstanding. I felt Hongrang’s anguish and tears over the abuse he suffered as a child. I felt Jaeyi’s heartbreak at the realization that he was suffering from chemical poisoning and dying. I seethed at the delusional and deranged Prince’s arrogance and narcissism. Again, great acting by all. Is this worth watching. Absolutely. Would I watch again. Probably.

Read More

Revenge that was served, not quite so perfectly

The show really leaned into the FL’s “family” being trash - forced confinement, poisonings, murder for hire, verbal abuse etc. At times it was completely over the top as was the way in which the FL ended up being raised by them. Though this is a fictitious story, it was hard to suspend disbelief surrounding how she ended up in that household due to the extreme contrivances and coincidences.

Many of the characters in this were as dumb as a box of rocks. The FL was pretty dense to start, but thankfully she wised up after literally getting a new lease on life. But her ex fiancé was probably one of the stupidest characters I’ve seen in a while. He repeatedly made incredibly imbecilic decisions and was just…argh. It didn’t help that the actor in the role wasn’t that good. He only had two facial expressions, mindless stare into nothingness or mouth hanging open with a painful frown which I guess was supposed to convey shock and horror. He was awful.

The FL’s father was not only a horrible person, but he was pretty dense too considering he couldn’t see that his wife was a sociopath despite her repeatedly deceitful and abusive behaviors. The ML’s half brother also wasn’t the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but in hindsight I found nothing about that character made any sense. He was in the story purely for plot.

The revenge plot was okay, but I’ve seen better. The setup and execution lacked punch because the audience was oftentimes completely in the dark about what the FL was planning to do and the story didn’t build. It just moved along at an even pace. As a result, when the villains were finally taken down it was anti-climatic. Moreover, after everything the FL went through, I didn’t think it was realistic that she’d ever forgive her father. He allowed her to be abused in his household for years and did nothing about it. In the end, he didn’t deserve to be in her life or to walk away virtually unscathed.

The love story was a little ridiculous, but what else is new. The ML fell in love with a painting by the FL. Watched her from afar which led to him falling deeply in love with her. It can’t get anymore preposterous than this. But…the leads had really good chemistry, which made me a believer in their love. I would’ve liked to have seen more push/pull in their relationship before they got together. More close moments in the house they shared and a little more to their “honeymoon” would’ve been nice too. Though the revenge plot was lackluster I will admit I had a good laugh when the dumb ex boyfriend marriage plans got ruined when the FL’s stepsister showed up on his doorstep 9 months pregnant, declaring him as the baby’s father. He fought so hard and did so many utterly dumb and despicable things to please her and be with her. He finally got the spoiled insufferable brat just when he thought he’d moved on from her to greener pastures. Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person.

Overall, this was entertaining enough to see it through to the end, but it wasn’t as well executed as it could’ve been.

Read More

The Price for Heaven, is the fury that can be Hell

This was an interesting drama about cheating. The neglected cheater , the bored cheater and the indifferent cheater. All can be callous with their actions but the reasons for those actions can at times be understood.

This series took a realistic view at how easy it is to slip into cheating as well as how deliberate it can be. Though I don’t condone cheating I could understand why Ji-eun cheated. She was resolved to living the rest of her life miserable with her husband - Chang-gook until Jung-woo walked into her life and stirred an awakening within her. And how could he have not? He was young (her age) good looking and the first person I’m guess in ages who actually showed genuine concern for her. Considering the neglect she’d endured from her husband for three years in him refusing sex with her, showing what seemed like no consideration for her feelings at all and his over the top obsession with their pet birds, no wonder she instantly became intrigued with Jung-woo.

Chang-gook was an awful husband. Severely neglectful and completely inconsiderate of her feelings. I found him extremely annoying . His obsession with those birds made him insufferable, along with his intrusive mother who was more concerned about Ji-eun catering to her son, than them having a balanced marriage. Jung woo’s reason’s for cheating were less understandable, but it was easy to see how he got caught up. He had a savior mentality as evidenced by why he became involved with his wife, but with Ji-eun it went way beyond being her savior. He truly felt a deep connection with her which grew into love.

The chemistry between the leads was perfect. It started sweet and gentle, then evolved into this intense love affair. I enjoyed the push pull of their relationship and the progression of their connection, which became more soulful, deeper over time.

Though I could understand Ji eun’s decision to cheat , I had a harder time understanding Soo Ah’s reasoning. It wasn’t just that she was cheating with one man, she was cheating with multiple men until she found her “true wuv”. And in addition to this she was proud of her cheating and didn’t mind sharing her cheating ways with new women “friends”. Her callousness made it difficult to sympathize with her considering it wasn’t just her husband she needed to consider if she got caught but her children. When her infidelity was discovered her horror and realization at what she’d done was well done and realistic of someone who did care about their family but was selfish and reckless in their actions. However, I never completely bought her relationship with the artist and never thought it would work as they were at different places in their lives.

The focus of the series was on the leads cheating, but their spouses weren’t saints, save for Jung woo’s wife. Ji eun’s husband was behaving inappropriately with the intern and Soo Ah’s husband seemed to be on the verge of cheating with the rising female artist who worked for the gallery. So in turn everyone had wandering eyes and it begs the question what level of intimate activity with someone other than your spouse is considered cheating?

The love and the angst in this was well done as well as the fall out from the cheating. However, I thought the series became overly dramatic in the last few episodes and lost its way. It seemed like one of Soo Ah’s kids went missing almost every episode. Then after neglecting Ji eun for three years Chang-gook refused to allow the marriage to end and just like he’d always selfishly done, wanted to force her to bend to his will, what he wanted without any consideration for her feelings. That had been easy in the past as she was resolved to being miserable so she complied with whatever he demanded of her but in this situation she refused which angered and baffled him.

His ongoing fight to save their marriage was down right ridiculous. Same with Min-Young, Jung Woo’s wife. It was blatantly obvious that he did not love her, had no desire to be with her whatsoever and wished to end the marriage. He told her this flat out. But she was hell bent on forcing him to be miserable with her. The spouses initially attempting to fight for their marriages may have been understood but to dig their heels in and try and force someone to stay with you who absolutely doesn’t want to be with you made no sense. And seemed like drama for dramas sake.

The ending was predictable. I knew Soo Ah and the artist would never work out. I was glad that Ji-eun went off and found herself. She was happy living her life on her terms, which was significant growth from when we first saw her. Though she and Jung Soo didn’t runoff into the sunset, at least their ending implied that this was a
strong possibly.

Read More

Kill me…”love” me…bore me,…completely lost me

This series was unique from other “revenge/conspiracy” shows in that early on it revealed the villain. Thus the direction of the main plot was exposing his evil deeds. Sometimes it can be difficult for this type of story to work because the enemies of the leads is no longer a mystery which eliminates much of the intrigue in the plot. This was painfully apparent here.

At times the story could be interesting, especially in the beginning but it started to drag due to nothing much happening half way through the series. Or something would happen and it would drag out too long.

The conspiracy plot just wasn’t that good and the revenge plot was non existent. The love story between the leads was good until it wasn’t. Going completely off the rails into angst for no other reason other than drama for drama’s sake. The 2nd “love” story between the Crown Prince and the General was ridiculous at best. He was a horrible person who’d been obsessed with her since he was a teen while she was in love with the ML, Jinghe. She vehemently rejected the Crown Prince’s marriage proposals then suddenly after one major event claimed he was her “beloved.” It made absolutely no sense as there was no built up whatsoever to her falling in love with the him. Literally one episode she was vehemently rejecting him. The next episode she was reluctantly accepting his proposal (mind you after he drugged and planned to r*pe her but changed his mind out of honor towards her RME), then the next episode she was claiming him as her beloved with whom she was deeply in love. It was ridiculous.

Moreover , she had to be the worst general I’d ever seen. Though she held herself to a high standard of goodness and integrity when she learned the Crown Prince killed thousands of innocents due to his personal vendetta against his bother she slapped him a couple of times then resumed the relationship. She continued to “love” and comfort him, and allowed him to be by her side despite his monstrous behavior. She had much potential but unfortunately she was turned into a mindless pushover driven by “love” instead of a smart badass who could love but be intolerant of evil and thus not hesitate to strike it down.

The show started to go south around episode 20 with some senseless twists in the story but nosedived into absurdity around episode 22 which is where I dropped this series.

The actors were really good in this. The leads had nice chemistry but the love stories and the conspiracies failed to live up to their potential.

Read More

Korean Genies from the Middle East Makes for a Strange Fantasy Drama

Seeing as you have Korean genies and angels whose origins are in the Middle East one has to come into this not taking it too seriously. It works to start when Genie is spending most of his time trying to corrupt sociopath Ka-young and wrecking havoc by granting wishes that will inevitably go off the rails for the wisher. However, the story did eventually turn serious. Getting lost in the lies and sins of Genie’s spiritual brothers and sisters, past lives, karma and the obligatory character seeking power. Of course, the love story is thrown into the mix too. At this point, the story just wasn’t all that interesting anymore. So, I ended up dropping it.

I know the series could not go on forever with the Genie granting wishes and causing chaos, but I wish it could’ve kept that premise. The show did have a couple of nice surprises with Song Hye Ko, who looked stunning as a genie, and Kim Ji Hoon, making cameo appearances.

Read More

Compelling film that was more a supernatural mystery than a horror

Excellent horror film. Exhuming and moving graves is not something that would yield a good result for obvious reasons but this practice is taken to another level in this compelling horror flick. First they exhume a grave which leads to a vile spirit being awakened then there it is discovered to be a double internment which leads to something more sinister than an entity that was once human wrecking havoc on those most connected to it.

The movie opens up a bigger conspiracy with the Japanese sumarai’s spirit being at the center of the evil that’s been unleashed but thankfully the story is kept tight and focused on what these characters do which is bury the dead and in some cases vanquish evil spirits. I enjoyed the characters working as a team, immediately informing the group when something new was learned about the case they were working on. Even better there were no unfortunate mishaps ie a character getting into an accident and dying or left in a coma, that prevented new information from being shared.

And though the characters took on this case, despite deep reservations, for the money. There was not a sense of greed , that no matter the risk they would do it. They were just doing their job which would not only pay well but save a baby.

If you’re looking for a traditional horror movie. This isn’t it. There is some creepiness and a little bit of gore. But this is mostly an intriguing mystery that delves deep into the supernatural. The acting was great. And though it wasn’t made clear why the curse on the Park family only seemed to be affecting the grandson’s baby, it was still a very good story. This is definitely a movie I’d repeatedly watch.

Read More

Mad chemistry between the leads couldn’t over come bad storytelling

And that’s basically the gist of this story. The leads smoldered. I hope they will have the opportunity to work together again in another series that’s better written. As most of the characters actions in this made no sense and was only there to serve the plot which was very weak. This had nearly all the fundamentals of a bad soap opera. Facial reconstruction. Long lost sisters showing up from the grave. The inevitable unrequited love that turns into obsession and in turn fatalism. The star-crossed lovers who can’t make a sound decision to save their lives. And of course a conspiracy and subsequent revenge plot that made little sense. The episodes are short. So this is easy to get through. The acting was alright. The leads were the stand out as they really sold the passion between their characters. Again the chemistry between them was palpable. Great job Dai Gao Zhang and Hong Xiao. However, this was not a good series.

Read More

Past, Present and Future Collide via a Mysterious Cell Phone

Good series with a great cast. Though it wasn't fleshed out, the sci-fi element of the story was interesting and was a reasonable catalyst to drive the story forward.

There were a couple of nice twists, like the SFL being completely psycho and the ML being the mysterious guy in the future trying to change the past via the mystery phone. The power struggle within the business could've been better. I still don't understand what the SFL's father hoped to accomplish by getting the phone that could call the future. How was that going to save his health and subsequently his life? It would've made more sense if he wanted the phone for the financial gain he could generate from the technology, rather than his personal health.

The ML could be a selfish ass, but eventually grew and learned the only way he could save the future -the one he loved was to let go of his own personal desires. The love story was sweet. The leads had nice chemistry and their interactions felt organic. How their story played out in the final episodes was predictable. Yet it was entertaining. This wasn’t outstanding . There were some plot points that made no sense, but it wasn’t bad either. 16 episodes was the perfect number of episodes to tell the story. I wish more C-dramas would do more with less, similar to this drama. Enjoyable series.

Read More

A Bloody Hand of Fate Facilitates Love

The story starts with a bloody hand molesting the face of the ML. We later learn it is a curse stemming from some indiscretion in his past life. This made for an interesting start but the story wasn’t as intriguing as expected. This series turned out to be your typical K-drama romance with a bit of sorcery thrown in.

The leads were the saving grace of the series as all the storylines were somewhat messy. Rowoon and Bo-ah Jo looked beautiful together and had wonderful chemistry. Their characters, Shin -yu and Hong-Jo, not only had great chemistry and thus were believable as a couple but were interesting on their own. Shin-yu was smart, funny and caring. And Hong-Jo was passionate about her work, fun -loving, vibrant and intelligent. They were a perfect match as their bickering had just as much chemistry as their kisses. They had some really hilarious moments, but could also be passionate and loving with each other. Moreover, they both, at times, could be annoying and make really stupid decisions but still remained likable.

Though for a while there was the question as to whether Shin-yu’s feelings for Hong-Jo were real or due to the love spell she had cast, it was clear to me that he had an interest in her before a spell was even thought about. The love story in the present was well written and tied nicely to the past, but the story struggled with incorporating the side characters in an interesting manner. The office bullying and romance was boring as was the drama with the SFL. The corruption storyline could’ve been better, but played as if the writers needed something to fill the minutes not focused on the leads.

The stalker storyline would’ve been okay if the story had been better written, but the series implied that he was practicing sorcery. However, it was never apparent whether his spells worked. Moreover he was an individual who was apart of the leads’ past life but his role in their past life was never tied to the present. This was a missed opportunity and a major plot hole.

I did enjoy the budding relationship between the ML’s mom and his BFF. I didn’t need to see them start a romance, and they didn’t. Thank goodness. But I liked the confidence he inspired within her. It’s too bad she decided to stay with her verbally abusive husband instead of divorcing him.

Despite the weakness in some of the storylines, I enjoyed this series. Rowoon and Bo-ah Jo were fantastic in this. I could feel the happiness, the heart break and the love between their characters. This was all due to them giving their all in every scene. Their characters had some awesome hugs and smoldering kisses and one of the best sex scenes I’ve seen in a K-drama in a while.

This show was far from perfect. Nonetheless it was enjoyable and one that I will rewatch.

Read More

Revenge Served with Absolute Perfection

Sometimes with revenge stories the plot ends up half a**ed or it gets bogged down in some silly love story where the person wronged has an epiphany, and decides that revenge is time wasted. But not here.

I liked what Yeo-jeong told Do-yeong, that some people move forward from trauma with forgiveness while others seek revenge. In this case Dong-eun sought revenge and had every right to do so considering the torture she suffered.

Yeon-jin, Myeong-O, Jae-joon, Sa-ra and Hye-jeong were some of the most narcissistic sociopaths I’ve ever seen on streaming. They cared about no one except themselves. Nearly every decision they made, every utterance was about their desires, their life, getting what they wanted or humiliating and ridiculing each other or torturing those whom they deemed beneath them.

Dong-eun’s plan to take down these sociopaths was clever, and the execution brilliant. They were all such horrible people that all she had to do is be a catalyst for their destruction by simply nudging at their weakness. A couple of nudges and their houses of cards came crashing down resulting in them turning on and ultimately destroying themselves and each other.

There were so many great take downs in this series but my favorites were:

Dong-eun going the to visit the teacher who’d beat her for reporting abuse from her classmates. All she had to do was show up which set off a chain of events that cost him his life. It was ironic that
his prestige as a teacher was what led to his demise.

Dong-eun expelling her mother from her life forever. This woman was her MOTHER but she cared not one iota about her. And was an utter menace in Dong-eun’s life. She was almost as bad as Yeon-jin and her crew of bullies. So Dong-eun having her committed to an institution was needed and well deserved.

Yeon-Jin being abandoned by her mother. Everything done to her was sweet justice, especially her ending up imprisoned and now a victim of bullying herself. But her losing her mother who was always her ally, always cleaned up her messes, always supported and encouraged her depraved behavior was an absolute befitting reward for all the horrible things she’d done.

I really enjoyed Dong-eun’s intellect. She knew where to secure allies and how to use them. Moreover, she was always respectful to them and at times helpful. Which was a wonderful contrast to the bullies in this. They had people in their corner but were just as nasty to their allies as their enemies, which in part resulted in them having no one loyal to them when they most needed support.

What was great about this series is that the revenge was always driving the story. There was romance between the leads but thankfully it was sprinkled throughout the series and didn’t overwhelm the main story. And though I thought Dong-eun and Do-yeong had incredible chemistry, making she and Yeo-jeong look like two cold fish together, I was happy that their interactions were kept to a minimum as anything more would not have made sense.

There were very few moments I didn’t like in this, obviously the bullying and torture. I also didn’t like that they kind of left Yoo So-hee’s story up in the air. The audience knew what happened, but they rushed Yeon-jin’s arrest and made it all about M-Yeong-O’s murder with no more mention of Yoo-So-hee. I would’ve liked to have seen her deaf mom learning that her daughter was finally getting justice and also her daughter’s name being cleared in the media considering Yeon-jin had cried and lied on nationally TV saying she killed herself and implied that she was promiscuous by revealing that she was pregnant.

Overall this was a great series. One of the best revenge stories I’ve ever seen.

Read More

A Vast Improvement from the Previous Versions

This version was way better than the previous versions which looked extremely dated and where the leads weren’t drunk but just accidentally slept together because it was a dark room and they for whatever reason thought they were sleeping with their significant others. That was pretty contrived and thus unbelievable. At least in this one the leads ended up in bed together due to an excess of alcohol. That made a lot more sense than the previous versions.

Though Jiaxin was way too timid and naive, I really liked all the scenes between her and XiYi on the cruise ship and how the relationship evolved from there.

The story with Anna was ridiculous all the way around. From her suddenly abandoning her planned cruise with her boyfriend literally right before the ship left the dock. To him not telling her one word about his betrayal for more than four months, and the worst part her still wanting him after the betrayal. Honestly I don’t see how they still had a relationship after she abandoned him on the cruise ship. Being that Anna was a confident woman who already had a career abroad, I can’t imagine that she’d realistically still want to marry XiYi after learning he not only slept with another woman, but got that woman pregnant and married her. No matter the circumstances and her choices that precipitated those circumstances that led to the betrayal. It was ridiculous that she’d still want him after what he’d done.

Though I liked XiYi, he was an ass for cheating and an even bigger ass for not immediately confessing the truth to Anna. I liked Jiaxin but her constant long face over not having a future with XiYi got old pretty fast. In the beginning the dude DID NOT love her and was only with her because she was pregnant. I don’t think she thought through the consequences of staying pregnant . She just wanted to keep it because she wanted it but then when the reality set in she saw that the situation was a burden on everyone, which caused her unhappiness.

Also, the angst of the last 10 episodes could’ve been avoided by simple communication. Though there was some insecurity there, XiYi and Jiaxin were in a good place by episode 24. They were doing romantic things together, affectionate with each other on a regular basis and sleeping together. They were living like a real married couple. It made no sense that she would runoff in unreasonable anger after suddenly getting divorce papers from XiYi saying she’d have to give up all rights to their kid when he’d told her a couple of episodes before she’d be able to see the kid anytime she wanted. If she’d simply calmed down and realized how illogical the situation was, then showed XiYi the papers and confronted him like an adult it would’ve saved a lot of angst.

Also, I thought she was stupid for cooking for Anna when the latter lost her memory, then still being friendly with her after this woman told her that she was going to take back XiYi. What was even more ridiculous is Anna ended up at Jiaxin and XiYi’s wedding as a guest at the end of the series. This woman lied , destroying their relationship for three years and indirectly caused Jiaxin’s miscarriage and she was invited to the wedding? I don’t think so. I don’t care if she was Dylan’s sister. She had no right to be there after the trouble she’d caused.

The actors were great and had strong chemistry. The secondary couple worked as did the friends and family members. The story started to get repetitive and boring the last few episodes. With XiYi constantly running after Jiaxin and her repeatedly rejecting him, the exact same way, same words and all, along with Anna vowing to get XiYi back, a man who didn’t want her at all. It got tiring. In fact, towards the end of the series I started to to really despise Anna. I already didn’t care for her anyway after her prior antics but I hated her by the end of the series. And I began to get sick of Jiaxin and XiYi running after her.

Despite all the ridiculousness and annoying characters , this series was entertaining. Would I watch it again? Maybe certain parts but not the series as a whole.

Read More