It's a 10 for me. I don't give them lightly and I probably shouldn't for this one as there were way too many cliche's and I've grown too tired of them lately. But...for these 2 actors and this production and the feelings this show draws out of me, it deserves every point.
Nobody does psychotic split personality better than Kim Kang Woo (A Man's Story/Slingshot). The writing in this is a bit ???/off/not sure?, but no worse than a dozen others I end up watching. I'm in it for KKW's performance mostly. I think everyone else is doing well enough too. It's just that the story is missing some element and I'm not really sure what it is.
I don't care if it's a story we've seen a 100 times....honestly, is there a kdrama out there that doesn't, in one way or another, repeat virtually every cliche in the book? But there are too many wth type incidents, too much of the cliche good-guy-getting-shafted scenarios. This thing started out looking like we would have a good battle, with good guy winning some and bad guy getting foiled...but it has degenerated into the typical kdrama where our good guy loses all the time and the bad guy gloats, the good guy 'bravely' takes the fall and shuts out all his friends to protect them, and he's maybe dying too!! I'm betting next exam he will have a brain tumor to go along with that shrapnel in his head....can amnesia be far behind?
If the acting and the writing and production are hitting all cylinders, I can be happy....since the only one lacking in this is the writing, I'm still sticking with this and enjoying the performances for what they are, and it is lovely to look at with excellent production values. KKW is killing his character....(and several others, or trying to, while he is at it!!!) ;) Every episode is uncovering one more psycho thing he is doing which drives me nuts, yet I still love him while he is doing it...such a sick puppy! :) There is little to no chemistry with our lead couple, unfortunately, though they are sweet. And Yoo In-Young seems like she is sleep walking her character, no wonder since she (the Character) is beyond dumb.
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I wrote the above after 9 & 10. Just finished 11 & 12. :( Don't know...do I finish or just come back for the last episode and see who all dies?
really excellent performances, writing, production. The 3 male leads gave stellar performances, but Lee Jung Jin in particular handled this difficult role beautifully. All the 'themes' the writer wanted to get across were in-your-face all through the movie (innocent until proven guilty, crowd mentality, guilt by association, etc), telegraphing the predictable end of this tragedy. My only quibble is the continuing theme in K drama and movies of portraying the police as inept bigots. I think the Koreans must despise their police force as the vast majority of shows portray them as inept or stupid, unable to follow even the basic police procedures we, as average citizens know and have memorized from years of watching good crime TV!
Started out pretty good. Dark, irredeemable people doing really dark disgusting things to everyone, including themselves. Gritty and realistic and some of the most vicious fights I've seen, most especially the final one. Unfortunately, the director then took it over the edge of reality into rolling my eyes implausibility. Absolutely unbelievable that an obese, drunk, out of shape man who recently had his kidney taken from him (still has his stitches!!) could have the living crap beaten out of him multiple times and continue to get back up and fight. And the sheer schmaltz when this man, who brutalized his 'son' for years, suddenly develops this 'heart' and wants to save him...no character development at all to establish where that came from.
And we are supposed to believe an organ supplier, who kills people as a matter of course for their organs, will develop a heart because some father begs him to save his son? Also, what are today's doctors doing? Here you can operate in a filthy storeroom, removing and installing organs at your whim and everyone just gets up and walks away all better??? Even getting beaten to a pulp moments after surgery (on apparently both your kidney and liver), get kicked in your wounds repeatedly and can still get up and fight over and over again?
The final scenes are textbook melo...the long look shared across the table, the son calling out apa, the violins cranked up to the max...the whole thing made me cringe. Too bad because there was some good acting in this by the adult cast and it is obvious they nearly killed themselves in those fight scenes. But, the whole thing just went off the rails into soap opera territory, which totally did not fit with the brutality of these people. Poor character development is what I blame on that...less fighting, better writing.
Just finished tonight's episode of Marriage Contract. Never have I seen a more beautiful, intense, loving, joyful, fulfilling, realistic, passionate portrayal of 2 people finding love than this drama is showing. Every single episode seems to outdo the previous one in the escalation of the joy these 2 lost souls are discovering in their relationship. And with every episode we come ever closer to the painful agony of what the ending of this show appears to be. Yet, even so, I wouldn't give up a moment of this. This show is an absolute revelation and honestly the best love story I have seen in I cannot remember how long...because it absolutely feels so REAL every single moment. And it's not just their relationship..it's her little girl--who is beyond amazing in her part, his mother and her brother's stories, his relationship with his father and brother, and all the supporting characters...they fill up the spaces of this story beautifully. I have cried buckets of tears from both joy and heartache. I wouldn't give up a one of them. I cannot recommend this show highly enough.
For me....filled with more emotional impact and realism than the majority of kdramas. No fairy tale, just some painful realities faced as best as these people could. Really well written and acted.
Bleak, Madness, Dark and Murderous, Claustrophobic, Tense. Lots of great adjectives to describe this. Tiny bit of soap opera romance did not appreciably lessen it's impact for me. Directing and Photography were standouts, the story gripping and horrifying. The crew's descent into murderous madness absolutely done brilliantly without histrionics or over acting. It was like watching an insane asylum sinking in front of my eyes...literally. INTENSE.... absolutely. 9/10
Great article. Music in kdrama, no matter what genre, is a huge part of almost every drama. Even if it is not part of the story. So many times the music in the background not only sets the tone (light hearted, melancholy, etc), but often gives an indication of the subtext behind a scene or elaborates on a point the director is trying to make. It's why I so appreciate it when the lyrics of songs are translated. It's Okay was great at using songs to match what was happening on screen.
I cannot find the words to describe how terrific this drama is. And absolute gem and it's such a shame it isn't getting the attention it deserves. Brilliant acting and brilliant writing, gorgeous production over all. There isn't a single aspect of this that is lacking in any way. Excitement, emotion, absolutely excellent story telling. It's all there. One of the best! Right up there with Misaeng, Punch, Signal, Assembly, Awl. Just breaks my heart that more people have not discovered it.
This short series seems to be more of a CF than an actual show and seriously makes me wonder if it wasn't bought and paid for by the alcohol industry. Not only is there constant in your face massive amounts of drinking in this, but the amount of product placement is WAY over the top! The drinking wouldn't be as disturbing to watch if it wasn't so pervasive...as in the fact it is in more than half the frames of every episode it seems. It's like the rest of the show is just filler to get to the part where they can start drinking...and it's not drinking for the pleasure of the drink. It's gulping it down in vast quantities as if your life depends on how fast you can inhale it. The only time I saw her actual take the time to appreciate what she was drinking and savor it, was the plum wine in the Chinese food segment. It's promoted as a foodie show, but the food, as glorious as it is, is a distant second in time spent on it compared to the alcohol consumption...which is a crying shame because the food in this is spectacular. 10 for the food. but I down graded it immensely for the constant advertising that alcohol is the panacea for all things in life: Happiness, sadness, pleasure, coping, escaping, etc. Quite a bit of bloat in that girl's face in the last few episodes. I don't mean to say it's not worth watching...I really really enjoyed the food part IMMENSELY! And to see more of Lee Jae Yoon, I'd watch it no matter what anyway! :) ;)
FOR ME.......they took a story with great potential as a forensic procedural and turned it into a makjang soap opera. Spent half my time rme at the horrible science, totally unbelievable murderers getting away with everything until, as usual, the last moment, and the incessant preaching. It wasn't all bad....the basic idea was terrific. I ended up ff through most of the last 10 episodes to get the gist of the stories. I can't help but wonder how the writer felt seeing such a great story turned into your basic melo. And yeah the ending was ridiculous and totally manipulative.
I've seen all of these but the Choi Min Sik drama. Great choices. Maundy Thursday/Our Happy Time will Always be my favorite KDW film. It made me THINK and that is one of the most remarkable gifts a good film can give...when they go beyond entertainment and into that realm where your mind engages and, as in the case of this film, your belief in something changes dramatically, or you finally face your belief and realize you can't justify it any longer.
This drama is so freakin good, best drama out there right now! After watching episode 4, I hate the fact that…
Since the person doing the ultrasound said THIS TIME the implantation is holding, I'm guessing she has had multiple miscarriages. So no way would the baby be Black's and No Way would Kdrama have him donating sperm and paying them to implant her.
Since Swan is probably the character comparable to Haydee, the servant who helps Dantes and falls in love with him, they should end up together. Also since she is the top billed star, it sorta stands to reason that's where they will go. ;) :P I think!!! :) :)
Just started today and marathoned the first 4. Exhausted! I love the cast, but Kim Kang Woo absolutely KILLS me with his rip-your-heart-out-good-guy-turning-bad characters. I'm anxious to see how this all pans out and how Count of Monte Cristo they will go. I want a redemptive curve for him, but fear he has gone too far and we are facing a death scene at the end...though I doubt they will have him suicide like Fernand Mondego did!
So I just finished and have been bawling like a baby... just like I have for the last 6 episodes! Loved this drama so much. Loved the concept, how they presented their ideas of who he was and why he did what he did. Loved the fact we did not have to put up with any one dimensional smirking bad guys who have to advertise they are bad by smirking and laughing through all their scenes. All the characters had to struggle with hard decisions and those were dealt with in such a realistic and relatable way so that even when the decisions were ones we couldn't agree with, we still understood them.
My heart feels like a stone in my chest right now. Yoo In Ah's portrayal of King Taejong came on like a tornado in these last episodes. It was a brilliant job of acting and he made me feel every emotion and agonize over every decision he made right along with him. He absolutely nailed the "lonely at the top" isolation of his character, and the pain of his lifelong, desperate need for love and support that he gave up to attain his dream. He is an absolutely amazing actor. His immersion into his characters is exceptional. This is my second time to be utterly in awe of him.
I hate long dramas, dislike sageuk. But I would willingly sit through another 50 or 100 episodes of this drama with this cast! Missing it desperately already.
I don't care if it's a story we've seen a 100 times....honestly, is there a kdrama out there that doesn't, in one way or another, repeat virtually every cliche in the book? But there are too many wth type incidents, too much of the cliche good-guy-getting-shafted scenarios. This thing started out looking like we would have a good battle, with good guy winning some and bad guy getting foiled...but it has degenerated into the typical kdrama where our good guy loses all the time and the bad guy gloats, the good guy 'bravely' takes the fall and shuts out all his friends to protect them, and he's maybe dying too!! I'm betting next exam he will have a brain tumor to go along with that shrapnel in his head....can amnesia be far behind?
If the acting and the writing and production are hitting all cylinders, I can be happy....since the only one lacking in this is the writing, I'm still sticking with this and enjoying the performances for what they are, and it is lovely to look at with excellent production values. KKW is killing his character....(and several others, or trying to, while he is at it!!!) ;) Every episode is uncovering one more psycho thing he is doing which drives me nuts, yet I still love him while he is doing it...such a sick puppy! :) There is little to no chemistry with our lead couple, unfortunately, though they are sweet. And Yoo In-Young seems like she is sleep walking her character, no wonder since she (the Character) is beyond dumb.
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I wrote the above after 9 & 10. Just finished 11 & 12. :( Don't know...do I finish or just come back for the last episode and see who all dies?
And we are supposed to believe an organ supplier, who kills people as a matter of course for their organs, will develop a heart because some father begs him to save his son? Also, what are today's doctors doing? Here you can operate in a filthy storeroom, removing and installing organs at your whim and everyone just gets up and walks away all better??? Even getting beaten to a pulp moments after surgery (on apparently both your kidney and liver), get kicked in your wounds repeatedly and can still get up and fight over and over again?
The final scenes are textbook melo...the long look shared across the table, the son calling out apa, the violins cranked up to the max...the whole thing made me cringe. Too bad because there was some good acting in this by the adult cast and it is obvious they nearly killed themselves in those fight scenes. But, the whole thing just went off the rails into soap opera territory, which totally did not fit with the brutality of these people. Poor character development is what I blame on that...less fighting, better writing.
the subs are messed up in many places, but didn't seem to affect my understanding of what what being said at all.
Since Swan is probably the character comparable to Haydee, the servant who helps Dantes and falls in love with him, they should end up together. Also since she is the top billed star, it sorta stands to reason that's where they will go. ;) :P I think!!! :) :)
My heart feels like a stone in my chest right now. Yoo In Ah's portrayal of King Taejong came on like a tornado in these last episodes. It was a brilliant job of acting and he made me feel every emotion and agonize over every decision he made right along with him. He absolutely nailed the "lonely at the top" isolation of his character, and the pain of his lifelong, desperate need for love and support that he gave up to attain his dream. He is an absolutely amazing actor. His immersion into his characters is exceptional. This is my second time to be utterly in awe of him.
I hate long dramas, dislike sageuk. But I would willingly sit through another 50 or 100 episodes of this drama with this cast! Missing it desperately already.