This review may contain spoilers
Baek Ah-jin attacks the powerful and cruelly destroys them. First with her gaze, then with the means at her disposal. It's difficult to support her, even more difficult to hold it against her. Clearly, she never just defends herself ; it goes further than that.
It is very interesting to see that in the first episode, the school lesson focuses on Xun Zi, a Chinese philosopher from the 3rd century BCE who believed that humans were fundamentally evil, selfish and destructive, and that strict education was necessary to force people onto the right path: that of Confucian obedience. Since humans are inherently evil, they dislike work but enjoy gain and pleasure. A brave fellow, or not. In any case, he predates Thomas Hobbes by 19 centuries. And we are more inclined to teach the Englishman's work than that of the Chinese philosopher. We can probably do without both of them and still believe in humanity.
Some of Ah-jin's vile schemes are pretty far-fetched. And painful for her as well as for us viewers. Each stage unfolds over two episodes, and you have to accept that you won't know all the elements needed for the trap to close, sometimes on a target, sometimes on the heroine, you never really know, which can be frustrating. (Episode 10 was terribly long)
Ultimately, I'm not sure what point they're trying to make here. Are they telling us that a strong sense of justice can backfire? That helping others can be dangerous? That women manipulate men for their own gain? I have no idea. Most of the time, people disturb Ah-jin as she goes about her quiet life. I don't understand how these men fall under the spell of someone so cold and indifferent, who, moreover, gives them no hope. But the slow (too slow) descent into hell of everyone around Baek Ah-jin/Kim Yoo-jung fascinated me. It's exciting to follow someone who appears infallible (or so we believe, for a while), with diabolical actions, taking on school bullies, exploitative parents, all-powerful employers, and a manipulative husband. Every aspect of a poor woman's life is scrutinised... You can never guess what the plot has in store. That's what makes the series so interesting: the surprise and the fact that you find yourself on the side of the victim who has become the tormentor.
Kim Yoo-jung knows how to skilfully play with the image she projects. Her caressing gaze, filled with opals, suddenly empties and comes back to life in the blink of an eye. She can be attentive one moment and cold the next, crushing people in her path. She takes no pleasure in attacking others ; it's just her nature, like a cornered animal fighting for survival.
This is an amoral K-drama, or at least one that tries to make us believe it is. There must be a moral to be found in all this, but I haven't figured out what it is yet. Baek Ah-jin reflects the violence of a world that hates her. The final scene of the penultimate episode illustrates this masterfully, drawing a parallel between a film shoot and a real execution. This brings us to the final phase, the top of the podium and, consequently, the fall. The media cycle continues.
What a surprising and fitting ending. Cruel survival. A sad victory that tastes like defeat.
"In a hell like this, hope is a luxury we cannot afford."
"Apologies are for when you've done something wrong."
PS: Yoon Joon-seo, truly the most terrifying of them all. To be honest, I don't understand how he managed to live so long, find a girlfriend, publish a visibly moving book, and feel nothing but emptiness. It's difficult to feel empathy for him and his mother, nonetheless. He got on my nerves the whole time.
It is very interesting to see that in the first episode, the school lesson focuses on Xun Zi, a Chinese philosopher from the 3rd century BCE who believed that humans were fundamentally evil, selfish and destructive, and that strict education was necessary to force people onto the right path: that of Confucian obedience. Since humans are inherently evil, they dislike work but enjoy gain and pleasure. A brave fellow, or not. In any case, he predates Thomas Hobbes by 19 centuries. And we are more inclined to teach the Englishman's work than that of the Chinese philosopher. We can probably do without both of them and still believe in humanity.
Some of Ah-jin's vile schemes are pretty far-fetched. And painful for her as well as for us viewers. Each stage unfolds over two episodes, and you have to accept that you won't know all the elements needed for the trap to close, sometimes on a target, sometimes on the heroine, you never really know, which can be frustrating. (Episode 10 was terribly long)
Ultimately, I'm not sure what point they're trying to make here. Are they telling us that a strong sense of justice can backfire? That helping others can be dangerous? That women manipulate men for their own gain? I have no idea. Most of the time, people disturb Ah-jin as she goes about her quiet life. I don't understand how these men fall under the spell of someone so cold and indifferent, who, moreover, gives them no hope. But the slow (too slow) descent into hell of everyone around Baek Ah-jin/Kim Yoo-jung fascinated me. It's exciting to follow someone who appears infallible (or so we believe, for a while), with diabolical actions, taking on school bullies, exploitative parents, all-powerful employers, and a manipulative husband. Every aspect of a poor woman's life is scrutinised... You can never guess what the plot has in store. That's what makes the series so interesting: the surprise and the fact that you find yourself on the side of the victim who has become the tormentor.
Kim Yoo-jung knows how to skilfully play with the image she projects. Her caressing gaze, filled with opals, suddenly empties and comes back to life in the blink of an eye. She can be attentive one moment and cold the next, crushing people in her path. She takes no pleasure in attacking others ; it's just her nature, like a cornered animal fighting for survival.
This is an amoral K-drama, or at least one that tries to make us believe it is. There must be a moral to be found in all this, but I haven't figured out what it is yet. Baek Ah-jin reflects the violence of a world that hates her. The final scene of the penultimate episode illustrates this masterfully, drawing a parallel between a film shoot and a real execution. This brings us to the final phase, the top of the podium and, consequently, the fall. The media cycle continues.
What a surprising and fitting ending. Cruel survival. A sad victory that tastes like defeat.
"In a hell like this, hope is a luxury we cannot afford."
"Apologies are for when you've done something wrong."
PS: Yoon Joon-seo, truly the most terrifying of them all. To be honest, I don't understand how he managed to live so long, find a girlfriend, publish a visibly moving book, and feel nothing but emptiness. It's difficult to feel empathy for him and his mother, nonetheless. He got on my nerves the whole time.
Was this review helpful to you?
