Impressive**
**I rewatched and reiterate that this is an impressive production start to finish with only one irksome detail. That tattoo she wears on her chest....that would not, could not have gone unnoticed during police training (e.g. showers), medical exams, visits to the hospital, etc. Yes, it has great symbolic meaning, but any gang leader who wanted to put her covertly on the police force would not have done that and if he had he would have had it removed, or covered up. Other than that a very enjoyable watch.
I put off watching this when it first appeared in 2021 in part because it seemed like it might be another 'Girl Boss' story line. I was so wrong. I happened upon a video on YT and I gave it a go. I was so so wrong. Yes, there are some examples of a slightly built young girl beating up guy almost twice her weight, but it's clear that she's using better technique to beat their physical advantage, and then she often loses, too.
Some combination of a well above average script, skillful directing, and outstanding acting performances deliver a mesmerizing series.
The story calls for Han So Hee's lead character Yoon Ji Woo to often project an emotionless stone faced demeanor but then, when real emotions are called for as her personal revenge quest leads to uncovering unexpected twists and to developing unexpected emotional connections, she delivers. No doubt her talent is core, but give credit to a nuanced script and I suspect a director aware of the embedded tension and layers of meaning between the lines in the script. Her character undergoes a profound evolution as she grows from a beaten down young girl motivated and living for revenge to a young woman who finds love and is loved as she is forced at the end to confront the truth behind her father's murder, her real role, and confront her final choices.
Also a standout for me was Park Hee Soon's Choi Moo Jin, the lead 'villain', whose villainy has context and depth, and as the story unfolds we understand why he made the choices he does. Towards the end the script gives him and us the audience some lines revealing much about his own tragic motivations and his own feelings of betrayal at every attempt at trust.
As the story unfolds we see an almost father - daughter relationship develop between Ji Woo and Moo Jin as they come to rely and trust each other on her quest for revenge. For much of the story the gang boss is the closest thing to a father she has. Her own father had to keep his distance when she was young and while the gang boss is anything but close and fatherly he does provide crucial support when she had nothing and no one else. And we see on his face and his reactions the inner turmoil in the gang boss when at key moments of danger she will ask him how he's doing, is he OK, etc.
However, the story is a Greek Tragedy meaning the characters make reasonable logical choices at every step given their backgrounds but they relentless step by step are forced to meet tragic ends.
And like in the movie 'Unforgiven' small events trigger vengeful reactions which in turn escalate into ever bigger and more costly actions. No one can stop and everyone is trapped into the logic of revenge. Undercover the lead Ji Woo discovers that many of her police comrades have been wronged by gangs, by drugs, etc and are seeking to get payback even if a true righting of those wrongs might be out of reach.
Another source of tension is the undercover mission in which the lead must hide her role as a mole for a ruthless drug gang boss. This reminded me of Dexter in the Dexter books and TV series. Dexter is a forensic blood splatter specialist on the Miami police force and must hide the fact he's a serial killer who uses his inside information to find and kill other serial killers before his colleagues on the police force. Ji Woo again and again comes close to being discovered even as she feeds information to her gang boss.
All in all a very satisfying series.
I put off watching this when it first appeared in 2021 in part because it seemed like it might be another 'Girl Boss' story line. I was so wrong. I happened upon a video on YT and I gave it a go. I was so so wrong. Yes, there are some examples of a slightly built young girl beating up guy almost twice her weight, but it's clear that she's using better technique to beat their physical advantage, and then she often loses, too.
Some combination of a well above average script, skillful directing, and outstanding acting performances deliver a mesmerizing series.
The story calls for Han So Hee's lead character Yoon Ji Woo to often project an emotionless stone faced demeanor but then, when real emotions are called for as her personal revenge quest leads to uncovering unexpected twists and to developing unexpected emotional connections, she delivers. No doubt her talent is core, but give credit to a nuanced script and I suspect a director aware of the embedded tension and layers of meaning between the lines in the script. Her character undergoes a profound evolution as she grows from a beaten down young girl motivated and living for revenge to a young woman who finds love and is loved as she is forced at the end to confront the truth behind her father's murder, her real role, and confront her final choices.
Also a standout for me was Park Hee Soon's Choi Moo Jin, the lead 'villain', whose villainy has context and depth, and as the story unfolds we understand why he made the choices he does. Towards the end the script gives him and us the audience some lines revealing much about his own tragic motivations and his own feelings of betrayal at every attempt at trust.
As the story unfolds we see an almost father - daughter relationship develop between Ji Woo and Moo Jin as they come to rely and trust each other on her quest for revenge. For much of the story the gang boss is the closest thing to a father she has. Her own father had to keep his distance when she was young and while the gang boss is anything but close and fatherly he does provide crucial support when she had nothing and no one else. And we see on his face and his reactions the inner turmoil in the gang boss when at key moments of danger she will ask him how he's doing, is he OK, etc.
However, the story is a Greek Tragedy meaning the characters make reasonable logical choices at every step given their backgrounds but they relentless step by step are forced to meet tragic ends.
And like in the movie 'Unforgiven' small events trigger vengeful reactions which in turn escalate into ever bigger and more costly actions. No one can stop and everyone is trapped into the logic of revenge. Undercover the lead Ji Woo discovers that many of her police comrades have been wronged by gangs, by drugs, etc and are seeking to get payback even if a true righting of those wrongs might be out of reach.
Another source of tension is the undercover mission in which the lead must hide her role as a mole for a ruthless drug gang boss. This reminded me of Dexter in the Dexter books and TV series. Dexter is a forensic blood splatter specialist on the Miami police force and must hide the fact he's a serial killer who uses his inside information to find and kill other serial killers before his colleagues on the police force. Ji Woo again and again comes close to being discovered even as she feeds information to her gang boss.
All in all a very satisfying series.
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