This review may contain spoilers
Starts good, then the plot becomes a mess.
I did not read the webtoon, so this review is based solely on the drama.
TL;DR: the first 8 episodes make overall sense; the last 4 don’t, and they completely ruin the entire show.
They feel like a different drama was scotch-taped onto the original just to force extra tension into a story that already had plenty. Almost as if the writers thought: “We have the potential to improve the webtoon… so let’s throw that away and do something that has nothing to do with what we built so far.”
Episodes 1–8 were flawed but coherent. Up until episode 8, Baek Ah-Jin is still a despicable character, but the drama clearly shows signs of a redemption arc for her, while at the same time she has Yoon Joon-Soo as her moral compass (and feels like her only real affection, deep down), and Kim Jae-Oh who silently loves her and stays by her side.
But then, in episodes 9–12, everything falls apart.
Episode 9 introduces a brand-new character out of nowhere. I genuinely hoped he’d have a real narrative justification —someone wronged by Ah-Jin in the past, or connected to her dad... But no. He's one-dimensional and his only motivation is essentially: “I’m an evil psychopath and I enjoy driving my wives crazy.” That’s it.
Ah-Jin marries him just to keep her status. He drugs her. Then, to get rid of him, she pushes Jae-Oh into willingly getting himself killed by her husband’s gang and recording the whole scene just to be able to blackmail her husband. I hoped it was a ruse… but no. Jae-Oh is really dead.
Joon-Soo is devastated and begs her to stop but she shows no remorse whatsoever for Jae-Oh’s death (which is strange, considering that earlier in the drama she showed some emotional impact after her ex-boyfriend killed himself after she dumped him... but zero for Jae-Oh?).
Joon-Soo finally manages to stop her by trying not only to free her from her husband but also to break her cycle of revenge and self-destruction that was consuming her and everything around her... and then, out of nowhere, he drives off a cliff with her in the car. They both survive… and she leaves him there to die. This is supposed to be the only person she ever loved. And she abandons him, so... farewell, redemption arc! The end.
Narratively, none of this makes sense
- Ah-Jin’s character development is erased. Why build a redemption arc for 8 episodes only to annul it in the final four?
- Joon-Soo’s arc collapses. After spending the entire drama trying to get his life back but also saving her from her own destructive spiral (and from her husband as well), he suddenly does something completely out of character like driving off a cliff like there was no other choice?
- Poor Kim Jae-Oh’s purpose becomes tragic and pointless. Was his entire role just to sacrifice himself because he was emotionally bound to her?
- Moon Do Hyuk’s addition is baffling. Introducing a major antagonist in episode 9 of a 12-episode show (!), with zero build-up, makes those episodes feel like a completely different series.
- The chemistry between Ah-Jin and Joon-Soo goes nowhere. All that tension, affection and attraction… for what? For her to walk away while he’s barely alive in a wrecked car?
- The open ending feels meaningless. Unless they’re hoping for a second season (which is odd after ruining every character and killing off one -or maybe two- leads), the ending makes absolutely no sense, especially with the genre shift from melodramatic thriller to a very cheap soap-opera.
The only redeeming element is the acting.
Kim Yoo-Jung is phenomenal, easily the standout of the cast, and her chemistry with Kim Young-Dae is genuinely compelling. He delivers a nice performance in a role I didn’t expect from him.
Final verdict
From a narrative standpoint, the show is a mess.
Episodes 1–8 are acceptable, sometimes even engaging.
Episodes 9–12 are incoherent, rushed, and extremely disappointing. And because of that, it loses many stars.
Bummer.
TL;DR: the first 8 episodes make overall sense; the last 4 don’t, and they completely ruin the entire show.
They feel like a different drama was scotch-taped onto the original just to force extra tension into a story that already had plenty. Almost as if the writers thought: “We have the potential to improve the webtoon… so let’s throw that away and do something that has nothing to do with what we built so far.”
Episodes 1–8 were flawed but coherent. Up until episode 8, Baek Ah-Jin is still a despicable character, but the drama clearly shows signs of a redemption arc for her, while at the same time she has Yoon Joon-Soo as her moral compass (and feels like her only real affection, deep down), and Kim Jae-Oh who silently loves her and stays by her side.
But then, in episodes 9–12, everything falls apart.
Episode 9 introduces a brand-new character out of nowhere. I genuinely hoped he’d have a real narrative justification —someone wronged by Ah-Jin in the past, or connected to her dad... But no. He's one-dimensional and his only motivation is essentially: “I’m an evil psychopath and I enjoy driving my wives crazy.” That’s it.
Ah-Jin marries him just to keep her status. He drugs her. Then, to get rid of him, she pushes Jae-Oh into willingly getting himself killed by her husband’s gang and recording the whole scene just to be able to blackmail her husband. I hoped it was a ruse… but no. Jae-Oh is really dead.
Joon-Soo is devastated and begs her to stop but she shows no remorse whatsoever for Jae-Oh’s death (which is strange, considering that earlier in the drama she showed some emotional impact after her ex-boyfriend killed himself after she dumped him... but zero for Jae-Oh?).
Joon-Soo finally manages to stop her by trying not only to free her from her husband but also to break her cycle of revenge and self-destruction that was consuming her and everything around her... and then, out of nowhere, he drives off a cliff with her in the car. They both survive… and she leaves him there to die. This is supposed to be the only person she ever loved. And she abandons him, so... farewell, redemption arc! The end.
Narratively, none of this makes sense
- Ah-Jin’s character development is erased. Why build a redemption arc for 8 episodes only to annul it in the final four?
- Joon-Soo’s arc collapses. After spending the entire drama trying to get his life back but also saving her from her own destructive spiral (and from her husband as well), he suddenly does something completely out of character like driving off a cliff like there was no other choice?
- Poor Kim Jae-Oh’s purpose becomes tragic and pointless. Was his entire role just to sacrifice himself because he was emotionally bound to her?
- Moon Do Hyuk’s addition is baffling. Introducing a major antagonist in episode 9 of a 12-episode show (!), with zero build-up, makes those episodes feel like a completely different series.
- The chemistry between Ah-Jin and Joon-Soo goes nowhere. All that tension, affection and attraction… for what? For her to walk away while he’s barely alive in a wrecked car?
- The open ending feels meaningless. Unless they’re hoping for a second season (which is odd after ruining every character and killing off one -or maybe two- leads), the ending makes absolutely no sense, especially with the genre shift from melodramatic thriller to a very cheap soap-opera.
The only redeeming element is the acting.
Kim Yoo-Jung is phenomenal, easily the standout of the cast, and her chemistry with Kim Young-Dae is genuinely compelling. He delivers a nice performance in a role I didn’t expect from him.
Final verdict
From a narrative standpoint, the show is a mess.
Episodes 1–8 are acceptable, sometimes even engaging.
Episodes 9–12 are incoherent, rushed, and extremely disappointing. And because of that, it loses many stars.
Bummer.
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