Celebrity 
This review may contain spoilers
One Word - Ho hum
Ho hum.
That’s not a shrug. It’s a diagnosis.
Netflix’s The Scandal premiered on September 18, 2026, shot to No. 1 in South Korea, and became a global talking point for its 18+ scenes and star-studded cast. It has Son Ye-jin. It has Ji Chang-wook. It has Nana. It has Joseon-era hanbok, a dangerous wager, and a story descended from Les Liaisons dangereuses. It should be a decadent, backstabbing, silk-robed disaster. Instead, it’s a beautifully lit waiting room.
The plot is sturdy enough. Lady Cho, a brilliant noblewoman pinned under Confucian rules, makes a bet with Cho Won, Joseon’s most notorious playboy. The target: Hui-yeon, an innocent young widow. If that sounds like Dangerous Liaisons in hanbok, that’s because it is. Good. Great. Except the show treats the wager like a museum exhibit: interesting to look at, hard to feel.
The cast is not the problem. Son Ye-jin is commanding and striking as Lady Cho, a woman who can ruin a life with a raised eyebrow. Ji Chang-wook is magnetic and complex as Cho Won, especially when he stops smirking and remembers he has a soul. Nana brings a quiet, aching vulnerability to Hui-yeon, and she’s clearly enjoying the bolder, riskier territory. These three deserve a script that gives them something to chew on besides the scenery. They act like the fate of Joseon depends on it. The script acts like it’s already been renewed.
The real issue is the pacing. The show moves like a nobleman’s sedan chair: ornate, slow, and carried by people who seem tired. Eight episodes, and the plot still feels like it’s clearing its throat. Supporters praise the gorgeous historical visuals, the A-list performances, and the morally gray character dynamics. Fair. Critics and some viewers find it slow, unfocused, and more provocative in marketing than in substance. Also fair. The 18+ scenes generated buzz, but they often land with a thud. The most scandalous thing here is a letter being read aloud by fully clothed people. That should be thrilling. Here, it’s often the only time the show has a pulse.
And the discourse? Predictably split. Half the internet is praising the visuals and the cast. The other half is asking how they finished all eight episodes. Somewhere, one person is still typing “Explain the ending” into the void. That person has a point. The finale leaves Cho Won’s fate ambiguous: he jumps into a river, his body is never found, and there are hints he may have started a new life far away. Lady Cho keeps her wealth and status but loses the man who loved her. Hui-yeon survives, but she must practice her faith in hiding, cut off from the society that briefly celebrated her as a martyr. It’s bittersweet. It’s also frustrating. Ambiguity can be depth. Here, it sometimes feels like the writers couldn’t decide, so they let the river choose.
So yes: ho hum.
Not terrible. Not unwatchable. Just strangely inert. The Scandal is a show with a delicious premise, a tremendous cast, and a script that keeps forgetting to be interesting. It’s beautiful, well-acted, and deeply unexciting.
Watch it for Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook, and Nana. Stay for the hanbok. Don’t stay for the plot. It might not notice.
Rating: 2.5/5
That’s not a shrug. It’s a diagnosis.
Netflix’s The Scandal premiered on September 18, 2026, shot to No. 1 in South Korea, and became a global talking point for its 18+ scenes and star-studded cast. It has Son Ye-jin. It has Ji Chang-wook. It has Nana. It has Joseon-era hanbok, a dangerous wager, and a story descended from Les Liaisons dangereuses. It should be a decadent, backstabbing, silk-robed disaster. Instead, it’s a beautifully lit waiting room.
The plot is sturdy enough. Lady Cho, a brilliant noblewoman pinned under Confucian rules, makes a bet with Cho Won, Joseon’s most notorious playboy. The target: Hui-yeon, an innocent young widow. If that sounds like Dangerous Liaisons in hanbok, that’s because it is. Good. Great. Except the show treats the wager like a museum exhibit: interesting to look at, hard to feel.
The cast is not the problem. Son Ye-jin is commanding and striking as Lady Cho, a woman who can ruin a life with a raised eyebrow. Ji Chang-wook is magnetic and complex as Cho Won, especially when he stops smirking and remembers he has a soul. Nana brings a quiet, aching vulnerability to Hui-yeon, and she’s clearly enjoying the bolder, riskier territory. These three deserve a script that gives them something to chew on besides the scenery. They act like the fate of Joseon depends on it. The script acts like it’s already been renewed.
The real issue is the pacing. The show moves like a nobleman’s sedan chair: ornate, slow, and carried by people who seem tired. Eight episodes, and the plot still feels like it’s clearing its throat. Supporters praise the gorgeous historical visuals, the A-list performances, and the morally gray character dynamics. Fair. Critics and some viewers find it slow, unfocused, and more provocative in marketing than in substance. Also fair. The 18+ scenes generated buzz, but they often land with a thud. The most scandalous thing here is a letter being read aloud by fully clothed people. That should be thrilling. Here, it’s often the only time the show has a pulse.
And the discourse? Predictably split. Half the internet is praising the visuals and the cast. The other half is asking how they finished all eight episodes. Somewhere, one person is still typing “Explain the ending” into the void. That person has a point. The finale leaves Cho Won’s fate ambiguous: he jumps into a river, his body is never found, and there are hints he may have started a new life far away. Lady Cho keeps her wealth and status but loses the man who loved her. Hui-yeon survives, but she must practice her faith in hiding, cut off from the society that briefly celebrated her as a martyr. It’s bittersweet. It’s also frustrating. Ambiguity can be depth. Here, it sometimes feels like the writers couldn’t decide, so they let the river choose.
So yes: ho hum.
Not terrible. Not unwatchable. Just strangely inert. The Scandal is a show with a delicious premise, a tremendous cast, and a script that keeps forgetting to be interesting. It’s beautiful, well-acted, and deeply unexciting.
Watch it for Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook, and Nana. Stay for the hanbok. Don’t stay for the plot. It might not notice.
Rating: 2.5/5
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