This review may contain spoilers
It's a mess
I don’t usually rant about dramas, but Dear X deserves it. I rarely drop shows, yet this one managed to frustrate me enough that I couldn’t finish without regret.
The first couple of episodes had me hooked. The female lead, Baek Ah-jin, was cold, manipulative, and unapologetically mysterious. I thought I’d finally found a drama that would let its lead stay strong and clever until the end. But instead of building on that, the writers chose the laziest route possible: a complete downfall.
I absolutely hate dramas where the male or female lead ends in collapse, and this one is the perfect example of why. Watching Ah-jin unravel into humiliation and ruin wasn’t bold or thought-provoking — it was hollow. The show wanted me to root for her brilliance, only to punish her for it later. That’s not character development, that’s narrative cruelty.
The supporting cast didn’t help either. None of them were allowed to grow independently. Every single character existed only to dismantle Ah-jin piece by piece, like puppets dancing to the writers’ strings. Do-hyeok’s obsession, Jun-seo’s betrayal, Sung-hee’s rage — all of it felt predictable, as if the writers had no interest in giving them real arcs. They were tools, not people.
The writing itself was a mess. Where was the consistency? Where was the logic? Every move Ah-jin made somehow worked exactly as planned until the script decided it was time for her downfall. It felt contrived, like the writers were more interested in shocking viewers than telling a coherent story.
And the saddest part? The drama had potential. The actors looked great, the production was stylish, and the setup could have been brilliant. But after episode two, everything went downhill so fast I felt cheated. By the finale, I wasn’t angry at the characters anymore — I was angry at the writing.
The ending sealed the disappointment. Instead of giving the lead a clever resolution or at least dignity, the show dragged her into collapse. For me, that erased everything that made her compelling. I dropped it because I can’t stand watching leads punished like this.
Dear X could have been a sharp, character-driven drama about power and manipulation. Instead, it became a chaotic, illogical mess held together by a lead whose downfall ruined the entire experience. I regret wasting my time on it, but at least it gave me something to rant about.
The first couple of episodes had me hooked. The female lead, Baek Ah-jin, was cold, manipulative, and unapologetically mysterious. I thought I’d finally found a drama that would let its lead stay strong and clever until the end. But instead of building on that, the writers chose the laziest route possible: a complete downfall.
I absolutely hate dramas where the male or female lead ends in collapse, and this one is the perfect example of why. Watching Ah-jin unravel into humiliation and ruin wasn’t bold or thought-provoking — it was hollow. The show wanted me to root for her brilliance, only to punish her for it later. That’s not character development, that’s narrative cruelty.
The supporting cast didn’t help either. None of them were allowed to grow independently. Every single character existed only to dismantle Ah-jin piece by piece, like puppets dancing to the writers’ strings. Do-hyeok’s obsession, Jun-seo’s betrayal, Sung-hee’s rage — all of it felt predictable, as if the writers had no interest in giving them real arcs. They were tools, not people.
The writing itself was a mess. Where was the consistency? Where was the logic? Every move Ah-jin made somehow worked exactly as planned until the script decided it was time for her downfall. It felt contrived, like the writers were more interested in shocking viewers than telling a coherent story.
And the saddest part? The drama had potential. The actors looked great, the production was stylish, and the setup could have been brilliant. But after episode two, everything went downhill so fast I felt cheated. By the finale, I wasn’t angry at the characters anymore — I was angry at the writing.
The ending sealed the disappointment. Instead of giving the lead a clever resolution or at least dignity, the show dragged her into collapse. For me, that erased everything that made her compelling. I dropped it because I can’t stand watching leads punished like this.
Dear X could have been a sharp, character-driven drama about power and manipulation. Instead, it became a chaotic, illogical mess held together by a lead whose downfall ruined the entire experience. I regret wasting my time on it, but at least it gave me something to rant about.
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