TERRIFIC ACTION! EXCELLENT PLOT! FAST PACED BUT ENTERTAINING THRILLER
Hands down one of the best shows of 2024, A Shop For Killers is a roller coaster ride. There is not a single point of boredom and the show doesn't doesn't let you get distracted. What I absolutely loved is that every character did justice to the show and there was no wasted moments. The action sequences are so well executed that I rewatched each episode after the first watch. Loved how they logically placed everything so that you don't have to waste your time thinking 'how could this happen in normal world'. I loved Kim Hye Jin's eccentricity from Inspector Koo but she is the action queen with this drama. Jeong Jin Man would be my samchon of the dreams. Loved it!!N.B. If you are not comfortable with extreme violence, this show is not for you.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Fitting End to the Saga (Hopefully Netflix won't ruin it with more seasons)
AIB is my all time favorite show. I gave this season 9 only because S1 and S2 was that good. In S3 you get to witness how goated the gamer Arisu is. He went back to Borderlands without old memories(initially) and served everything I hoped he would - strategy, charisma and staying true to his personality (and fixed his posture too :) ). Showered Arisu aura farming left -right lol.For 6 episodes, the show delivered what you would expect - they focused on the games ( AIB was always about the games) and the games were interesting with more mind twisters (they are joker games so definitely a combination of all suits in terms of difficulty). The last episode dealt more with the philosophical aspect of life vs death vs limbo (and I liked they kept the conversations moderate and not overly dramatic).
Initially I felt a bit let down with Usagi's portrayal but when I rewatched S2, it hit me - Usagi never got over her father's death and the stigma that came with it. In S2 beginning she wanted to stay back in Borderland and changed her mind in Queen of Spade game (after all the struggles they went through) - that character growth was lost when they went back to real world, thanks to the memory loss. Perhaps she felt uncomfortable in expressing those deeper, darker emotions to Arisu, who was literal sunshine bf/husband. She is also kind of closed off when it comes to emotions and grew up independent. Arisu might also have given her space and not pushed her (though that's still kind of a plothole). Thus when Ryuji offered her a chance to find answers, she took it (and Ryuji himself is a Joker level manipulator).
Ryuji falling for Usagi was both frustrating and interesting. Usagi does have that endearing tenacity which drives people to her. But I would have wanted him to remain true to his OG self and goal (there by making Banda's plans more meaningful).
Perhaps an additional episode could have covered certain questions - why Banda was so fascinated with Arisu when they never had any direct interactions in prior seasons. It could be that he heard about Arisu from other players who stayed and being the psycho he is, got obsessed with him. Banda had some wicked games but overall his presence was underwhelming compared to Mira (Queen of Hearts). My girl Ann deserved more screen time, tracing her journey discovering the secrets. My guess on why she could see Banda in real world is that she was in a limbo state even in Borderland when they finished all the games and hence she retained the memories.
Overall this season was a thrilling watch and a fitting end to the saga. I am so happy they ended the show with the OG crew showing up and talking about how they are living life to the fullest on their own terms and it's a full circle moment for each of their character arcs. I teared up when I saw Aguni with the hat (his ode to Hatter). While I am torn about none of them showing up in Joker games, I am happy that they are thriving in their own ways. (I did miss Chishiya's cool vibes and aura farming).
In. a nutshell, AIB asks and tries to answer the question "What makes your life worth living" - you may or may not find that answer and that's totally fine. Sometimes living just because you are living is what makes it worth it. Highly recommend this season and AIB as a whole.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
True to it's name this show gives you a bitter sweet aftertaste at the end of it all
I am a huge fan of Kim Hee Sun's shows (ever since I watched her in Faith) so my review and rating could be a bit biased. I started watching this expecting a melodrama but boy it took a violent and thriller turn too soon (glad I didn't check any spoilers). Both Kim Hee Sun and Lee Hye-Yong delivered amazing performances and complemented each other's characters so well. I loved the quirky MIL character from the very beginning.How does it feel to live in a carefully constructed, masterfully manipulated fairy tale life for so long, only for it to come crashing down on you? How would it feel when. you realize that your very identity is tied to these lies and facing them means facing yourself? Sometimes life is not black and white and there is just too much grey. Ultimately you need to make the choice of pursuing truth vs protecting what matters to you. Also despite their differences, the family comes together to protect their definition of what's important. That's why it's bitter sweet. I do feel a bit conflicted about Hong Sa Gang's actions regarding her son but ultimately her son was all left to her to. However I don't have as much of a patience for her son (Jae In). He seems irresponsible and spineless for the most part.
The villain is so OP that I am flabbergasted. She is a master manipulator and gaslights so many characters and all her victims remain loyal to her for the most part. That's some fantasy level skills there. But the show stays true to her narcissistic and obsessive behavior. She was so good that it would have been impossible for either NYW and HSG to respond to her by themselves. The show definitely nails down the idea that in the face of a common and powerful enemy most personal differences become irrelevant.
Overall this show is a great watch and I think the pacing is just right.
Was this review helpful to you?
Excellent adaptation with solid performance
Having read the source material, I think the show delivered the revenge extremely well. It was also refreshing to see the both main and supporting characters worked in tandem to deliver a stunning visual experience through out the show. Wu Jin Yan has delivered stellar performance in an intense, vengeful role as expected but the actors who played the princess and Ji Shuran matched the leads' energy (and in some scenes did much better). The only aspect I found misaligning was the whole replace reincarnation with substitution part (of course censorship rules) as it required extra scenes/work to convince audience and the the characters with the narration. However compared to many of its predecessors (such as Princess Wei Yong) this show handled those challenges extremely well and made sure that the FL stayed true to her vengeful character. Wang Xing Xue as cunning Duke Su was such a refreshing and intriguing watch as the actor clearly delivered such an unusual role compared to his otherwise mellow characters. Overall great one time watch.Was this review helpful to you?
Wish Netflix would renew and bring this back!!!
It has become a ritual for me to watch Kingdom (all seasons and prequel) once every year and every time I am as thrilled as the first time I watched the show. Gripping plotline supported by excellent screenplay, direction and casting. Political intrigue + survival thriller and add class war to the mix! Such a gem among Sageuk shows.I would say this show made me start liking zombie survival thrillers (I watched Train to Busan after this lol). What I like and dislike about this show and it's spin off (Ashin of North) is that they left room for further plot development but sadly Netflix hasn't renewed it. I sincerely wish there was enough traction out there to renew the show and get closure for both Ashin and Crown Prince's storylines. I am not huge fan of cliffhanger endings that lack renewals and hence deducted 0.5 from rating :p
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Poignant slow-burn thriller that grows on you
This is a sleeper hit thriller drama for 2024 and I highly recommend it to someone who likes slow burn thrillers with gripping story line and with reasonable conclusion.Long story short this drama requires patience. True to it's name it deals with how blackout and manipulation can affect someone's course of life. The unraveling of mysteries happen slowly but continuously and it feels like how flesh wounds heal - extreme discomfort followed by unraveling of wounds and finally healing. Sometimes I wondered how much deception can the poor ML handle before he breaks apart but I am so happy the show ended how it did. Sometimes it's just that - nasty people are nasty and let them handle the consequences of their actions on their own. You stay true to your original intention and continue living.
Be warned this show showcases some of the most selfish, terrible villains in k-drama history and (SPOILER ALERT!!!!) they feel no remorse on throwing shades and dirt on somebody else to keep living their life guilt free. It's almost as if they hypnotized into believing the lies they designed so that they can keep living. Once truth resurfaces, their wounds fester and finally they have to face the monsters they have become.
Upon research I learned that this drama is an adaptation of German novel "Snow White Must Die" and the team has done an excellent work to bring this story to life in a Korean setting.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Should have called this drama 'Dear H.' and let audience guess. What a waste of 4 years!!!
In this show there is a scene where Eun Ho asks Hyun Oh what 8 years mean to someone. It's the time taken to have a child and send it to school or so she said. Then what does 4 years mean? What does 12 years mean?If you follow through the entire drama you can easily see that the primary issue that was presented and resolved in the last 3 episodes could have been resolved in under 2 years had the ML attempted to be the adult he was supposed to be (I am estimating him to be around 32 at the time of break up). And after 4 years of repeat trauma and agony everything got resolved in just --one--freaking ---month? What? I would love the writer to clarify whether her DID was triggered by guilt and trauma due to missing sibling or the extreme loneliness she suffered through or the breakup itself (where supposedly she invested all her emotional dependence on an emotionally unavailable man). If it is break up then they didn't have to put all that trauma on her for 4 years. It's absurd and contradicts so much with her healing process shown in the drama. I am not a psychology expert but isn't DID our brain's response to extreme trauma that it has to split into different identities to cope with it? Could that trauma be just resolved in a month? What new realization did Eun Ho receive after staying in the cabin in the woods by one month? That being with the one you love is happiness? I would have her rather go to Himalayas and attain enlightenment at this point.
Among Chinese webnovels there is a character called 'MIL author' or 'stepmother author' specifically referring to authors who put their FLs through extreme angst while pampering their favorite, toxic but all good qualities attributable to , MLs. And I think the author of this show can be called one.
The comment section in MDL already has plenty of comments elaborating why Hyuon Oh isn't the right choice for Eun Ho's healing and I am not adding further to that. Yes we had the producers already pointing to that Eun Oh and Hyun Oh are endgame but the way they achieved that is extremely dissatisfactory. It was all about Hyun Oh to the point that even Eun Ho who is (supposedly) recovering from something severe as DID had to play therapist to him. This is why I emphasize that they should call this show 'Dear H' and let audience decide to fill it with Hye Ri or Hyun Oh.
Why did I spent 12 hours watching all the episodes? Because of the excellent cinematography and Shin Hye Sun's acting. She had to carry this show on her shoulders to make up for other poorly written randomly placed characters and act out two episodes of extreme mental breakdown to get to the end. I hope the PDs give her a fully sponsored relaxing vacation to recover. The sad part is some of the screenplay in later episodes was so poor that even her acting skills couldn't makeup for the void. We are already exposed to the both MLs' excellent acting skills in other shows but the poorly written characters with no room for development derailed any performance they could deliver in this show.
If you enjoy angst melodrama shows then you can choose to watch this show. The first 4 episodes are truly masterpieces of their own. Had this show released pre 2015 (or early 2000s) this would have been a hit drama but unfortunately we as audience has grown beyond that era of romanticizing emotional dependence as true love.
Was this review helpful to you?
