Binged the series because I couldn't stop watching - there was no place to take a break
The series is compelling from the very beginning and so well paced that just when I thought I had a handle on the plot it twisted again - not the kind of contrived twists that make you want to throw a book at your TV, but the jaw dropping "Wow, I did not see that coming!" kind. If you can stand your heart being ripped out in ways you did not anticipate, this series will not disappoint.
The two leads are extraordinary. I'm a relative newcomer to K-drama and this is only the second time I've seen Jeon Do Yeon. I loved absolutely everything about her character performance in Kill Boksoon. I was blown away by her portrayal of a much different character in this series - one that initially appears weak and fragile, but keeps digging deeper and stands strong until the explosive end. I don't know what to say about Kim Go Eun that hasn't already been said at one time or another. There aren't enough words of praise for the performance tour de force she she gave in The Price of Confession. IMO, Kim Go Eun is one of the most versatile and powerful actors of her generation, maybe any generation. Given how young she is and the varied and impressive body of work she's already catalogued, I think my assessment will stand the test of time.
Kudos, too, to the Director who did one of the best jobs of non linear story telling I've seen; to the Art Director's choice of a color palette and scene/set creation that built a mood of gritty realism that hit all the right notes; to the Scriptwriter for creating a story that is heartbreaking in all the right ways and who birthed a lot of key characters and managed to infuse each of them with humanity and purpose; to the entire cast, because there was no dead weight here - everyone was playing at the top of their game (special shout out to the #1 prison guard for the touching humanity of her portrayal); and, finally, to whoever put together the soundtrack because it uplifted every scene it touched.
The two leads are extraordinary. I'm a relative newcomer to K-drama and this is only the second time I've seen Jeon Do Yeon. I loved absolutely everything about her character performance in Kill Boksoon. I was blown away by her portrayal of a much different character in this series - one that initially appears weak and fragile, but keeps digging deeper and stands strong until the explosive end. I don't know what to say about Kim Go Eun that hasn't already been said at one time or another. There aren't enough words of praise for the performance tour de force she she gave in The Price of Confession. IMO, Kim Go Eun is one of the most versatile and powerful actors of her generation, maybe any generation. Given how young she is and the varied and impressive body of work she's already catalogued, I think my assessment will stand the test of time.
Kudos, too, to the Director who did one of the best jobs of non linear story telling I've seen; to the Art Director's choice of a color palette and scene/set creation that built a mood of gritty realism that hit all the right notes; to the Scriptwriter for creating a story that is heartbreaking in all the right ways and who birthed a lot of key characters and managed to infuse each of them with humanity and purpose; to the entire cast, because there was no dead weight here - everyone was playing at the top of their game (special shout out to the #1 prison guard for the touching humanity of her portrayal); and, finally, to whoever put together the soundtrack because it uplifted every scene it touched.
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