Nelly

Rating: 8.5/10, realistically closer to an 8.0 and here is why

Tempest is a tight, fast moving thriller that leans heavily into geopolitics, espionage, unification politics, the usual spy genre machinery and sprinkles of our normal activator element( cough couch USA). It started with a decisive entry, lost it's way in the middle but luckily saved by a final stretch where the direction sharpens, the tension finally locks in, and the story slightly regains the momentum. That last two episodes do a lot of heavy lifting and almost makes you forget the wobble that came before it.

The biggest issue sits with the screenplay. The attempt to mix sensitive facts with delusional fiction felt ambitious but uneven, and that is where the narrative starts to slip. It feels very rooted in Korean political consciousness, which likely lands more cleanly for local audiences than for outsiders, since much of it reflects lived realities rather than exposition built for international viewers.

Performance wise, the female lead is solid and confident, clearly carried by experience, but her character is frustratingly underwritten. She does the work, the script simply does not meet her halfway. The supporting cast is stacked with familiar, reliable faces, yet most of them are left standing on the sidelines, present but rarely used to their full potential.

As for the male lead, this is where things get unintentionally awkward. He has a long, established history in action and thrillers, and watching him attempt softness and romantic vulnerability is, frankly, painful. His face never quite buys into it, and neither do we. The romance subplot feels grafted on rather than organically grown, and whoever decided the story needed it probably should have trusted the genre to stand on its own.

Overall, Tempest is decent, occasionally very good, but never quite thrilling enough to justify its own ambitions. Coming back from a two and a half month drama break likely did it no favors, expectations were high and the show did not fully rise to meet them.

I will settle on an 8.5 out of 10, though it is an easy 8.0. That said, the villainess might be one of the most baffling antagonists I have seen in a Korean drama, she truly takes the cup. And sincere thanks to the casting director for hiring actual American actors, not just people who happen to speak English. That alone deserves a small round of applause.