3
3
Messy characters take centre stage
The reviews on this one are quite mixed and I can understand why. It isn’t a standard approach and if you come wanting a fast paced snappy storyline like “The Judge Returns” or “Again My Life” then you will be disappointed on a number of fronts. This is less about plot and more about how character and behaviour are shaped by experience, morality and ethics. Ultimately it examines trust and the sacrifices you have to make to build it. Swapping the vulnerabilities that you know for ones that are unfamiliar to you and having the courage to rely on others to cover your back. It takes characters locked by circumstances in their individual boxes and follows what happens to them when they choose to open the lid and escape from their isolation.
Unlike the dramas I mentioned above, where there is so much emphasis on rolling out the slick, clever plot twists that there is no time for things to go really pear shaped for the team of heroes (something I find annoyingly unsatisfying) in this drama there is real pain for the protagonists. Their scheming does not just knock over the villains and outwit them at every turn. They suffer serious setbacks and take the hits for the things they try to do.
I had a bit trouble in the first few episodes latching onto what I felt were pretty unlikeable characters. But I’m glad I persevered, because the richness of character is a real feature of the drama and gradually they wound me in, kept me watching and turned the tables until I was caught up by them. All of them are imperfect, protagonists and villains alike, and their faults are on full display. In fact that is the focus of the character growth.
It was a good ensemble effort and most of the cast stepped right up to the plate and gave some convincing performances. Personally, I didn’t particularly care for Lee Tae Ran’s performance as Jang Gyeong Ja, she didn’t have the depth and overplayed the melo.
Yes, as some of the reviews have pointed out, it slows through the middle, but that didn’t cause me a problem because there was always plenty of sub-text to think about and reflect on. in fact, rather than my usual binge habit, I wanted to take this one more slowly, so that I could appreciate the subtleties written into the excellent script.
The plot did have a number of holes in it but overall it stood up, had some decent twists and turns and as it was not a case of characters serving the plot, but rather the other way around, I was happy to just go along with it.
Unlike the dramas I mentioned above, where there is so much emphasis on rolling out the slick, clever plot twists that there is no time for things to go really pear shaped for the team of heroes (something I find annoyingly unsatisfying) in this drama there is real pain for the protagonists. Their scheming does not just knock over the villains and outwit them at every turn. They suffer serious setbacks and take the hits for the things they try to do.
I had a bit trouble in the first few episodes latching onto what I felt were pretty unlikeable characters. But I’m glad I persevered, because the richness of character is a real feature of the drama and gradually they wound me in, kept me watching and turned the tables until I was caught up by them. All of them are imperfect, protagonists and villains alike, and their faults are on full display. In fact that is the focus of the character growth.
It was a good ensemble effort and most of the cast stepped right up to the plate and gave some convincing performances. Personally, I didn’t particularly care for Lee Tae Ran’s performance as Jang Gyeong Ja, she didn’t have the depth and overplayed the melo.
Yes, as some of the reviews have pointed out, it slows through the middle, but that didn’t cause me a problem because there was always plenty of sub-text to think about and reflect on. in fact, rather than my usual binge habit, I wanted to take this one more slowly, so that I could appreciate the subtleties written into the excellent script.
The plot did have a number of holes in it but overall it stood up, had some decent twists and turns and as it was not a case of characters serving the plot, but rather the other way around, I was happy to just go along with it.
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