I'm so frustrated with this show after two episodes. The story itself is intense, but the director is just too…
I agree. On one hand, this show really drags, it even looks like some example of torture porn, because some scenes are just repetitive or too long. Like the show's creators enjoy it. But on other hand, they seem to be afraid to show horrendous reality of domestic abuse. Yes, there are some good solutions, e. g. sound mixing, showing the situation from the victim's point of view. However, in general the show seems diluted. I do think Netflix recommended it to not shock American audience.
Dear X doesn't do it. Violent scenes aren't long, and there aren't too many of them, but they are striking and shocking. Furthermore, they add a bit of dark humor for a viewer to deal with it and avoid being "torture porn," for example, scenes with the FL as a child (the little girl is a delightful actress, it's the third thing I've seen her in, and she has been consistently great).
I guess it's a Thursday drama, and November 30 is Sunday. I guess it's set to release on December 11, after Dear…
I was almost right. The release date happens to be December 18, TVING is going to take pause for a week after Dear X and start to release the show on Thursdays.
based on 50 seconds you can tell it's overacting? okay...
Yes, I can. And it's almost two minutes, not 50 seconds. There were much thunder and rain, a lot of screams and cries for about two minutes of footage. It does look a bit makjang-y. And that's okay, millions watch makjang. Why not? Of course, it a very small bit of the show (12 1-hour episodes), so it may be an elaborated gimmick to attract certain audience, nothing more. We'll see in the next batch of promo materials.
Some scenes are a bit overacted and remind makjang. I hope it's not the case. I don't doubt in the main cast, both FLs and MLs. It's writing and directing I'm worried about.
to be fair, if they get together, it will be at the end, so of course she wouldn't spoil it, on the other hand,…
Maybe because the large part of the audience is the women fantasizing about Go Gi/Lee Ji Hoon. I don't know, it's a childish state of mind for me. But them being a couple would bring some interesting changes in the show's dynamic. How would it change their vigilante routine? There would be a bit of Bonny and Clyde too. It's a challenge for characters in the show and for the show's team in real life both..
They left that idea of rehabilitation and transformation of criminals in season 2, but now I want some narrative changes instead of more of the same. I do trust the show's team though, because they clearly decided to return to more dramatic tone in season 3. And characters look more, I don't know, mature and hardened, especially Go Eun. So they aren't going to repeat an endless cycle.
Perhaps, I am in minority here, but promo materials make me question the show. It looks lacking suspense and less intriguing than I thought (I didn't watch Fabricated City, but I know the storyline). The show seems to have a lot of thoughtless action extravaganza sequences, but the characters aren't just that deep and a bit two-dimensional, and the storyline is predictable. The audience got a twist in the movie, but here we see the bad guy immediately . It would be nice if there is a twist, but I doubt about it, or Disney+ wouldn't fill it with an action sequence after another one, like junk food and spices.
Ji Chang Wook obviously tries to make something out of material he had to work with. It's to see how successful he is. But Doh Kyung Soo has been very disappointing so far. I see he starred in The Moon, and I can't say anything bad about his performance, I can't say anything good either though, I just don't remember how he was (I do remember Sul Kyung Gu, he was excellent as usual), I guess it was appropriate. But I do remember him in Bad Prosecutor: it was a disaster in general, I had to drop the show after one or two episodes, and his performance was one of the biggest reasons, and to be honest, I don't understand why the show has 8.2 here (is it because of fangirling for the oppa?). And here he has the same face expression and crazy villainous laugh in every scene. It's like a 14yo teenager trying to play a psychopath, but not knowing how to do it.
So maybe Disney+ doesn't want to give up much material, because more they release, less I want to see the show, and they don't want to disappoint viewers too early. Anyway, I've followed the show since the beginning of the year, but now I just don't know if I am going to watch it.
The first teaser looks good, and the show seems to get back to its roots. I like more serious and dramatic tone and proper antagonists as it was in season 1. Dogi, or should I say Doge, looks hilarious in his tacky suits. There weren't other team members, except Go Eun's voice, in the teaser, but that's okay for the first one. We are so back.
It's one of the best movies of 2025 all over the world I've seen so far, not just Korean (it might be just the best Korean movie of the year, but I haven't seen No Other Choice yet). I didn't like some scenes with North Koreans, sometimes it looked like cheap propaganda trying to dehumanize them. But overall it's a really great film: writing, acting, irony (Koreans prefer slapstick comedy, but this time farcic nature of the movie did work and happened to be a right choice).
Sul Kyung Gu was brilliant as usual. I also liked Ryu Seung Beom as a clownish KCIA director (and remebered his great drama, Family Matters, but his role was very different there). Jeon Do Yeon was only in one scene, but she totally stole that scene. She seemed to do really nothing, but I couldn't stop laughing, it was a very biting and sarcastic depiction of certain women in power all over the world (not just in Korea). Now I want Jeon Do Yeon to do big subtle comedy role, she definitely has chops and it doesn't look silly or ridiculous.
Anyway it was like a cup of water in desert, especially with overwhelming majority of Hollywood movies of last 5-10 years as background. Despite being farcic, the comedy and its message was surprisingly refreshing and grounded. Nobody died, so that's good news.
Does anyone think the show might seem a bit too meta for a stranger/outsider? Does Kim You Jung play herself? Some people will compare the actress in real life and her character, it's just inevitable. Does KYJ try to do something new, something challenging for herself as an actress, something risky? Or is it narcississtic tongue-in-cheek vanity fest? It's very intriguing.
I hope they have made season 3 more in season 1 vein, a bit more serious and dramatic with bigger stakes, than season 2. Season 2 was good too, but for me it tried to be too cute and inoffensive, season 1 was really better.
The FL says it in the mid-credit scene. I wouldn't trust it though. The shows' ratings were so-so at best, and in the past I saw such announcements without continuation. Like some Marvel stuff or Rock-n-Rolla of Guy Ritchie.
Happy ending? Mark as spoiler thanks in advance, and yea not a cliffhanger or anything right?? Mark as spoiler…
Pretty much yeah, it's happy ending for protagonists. There are almost no cliffhangers, they finished the case and start to discuss a new one which may or may not be connected with the main storyline of seaon 1. In the mid-credit scene the FL says the show is going to return. But there is at least one loose end in the drama the writers tried to show viewers, so they could continue the main storyline in season 2. Or they could just drop it and move on. It depends.
I wouldn't say this show is great, let alone among the greatest K-dramas I've ever seen, probably it's not even very good. But it has a lot of funny and cute moments and has been generally enjoyable.
Pros. In my opinion. James is the best Park Hee Soon's character. The man was able to play a lot of different personas in one show, and they were very extravagant and uplifting instead of his usual morally grey or straight up bad people in other shows. Chemistry between protagonists was amazing.
Contras. They leaned toward comedy too much. And that's the issue for me, because South Korean comedies are often concentrated on slapstick humor. I guess it's cultural specific. But I would like to see less farcic comedies. There might be comedy elemenst in dramas, and they often work for some reason (but I had to drop Vincenzo after episode 1, for example). That's why I watch a few-to-none South Korean comedies and many dramas. I don't know, Taxi Driver also has comedy relief, escpecially season 2, they also have a team of tricksters with golden hearts, but they did it just better (and I hope season 3 will be doing it too).
Actors often overact. Especially Park Ming Young and especially in the 1st half of the show. I don't have anything against the main actress and blame writing and directing. They cooled it down in 2nd half though and it did make the show better, but, IMO, still not enough.
Writing was imperfect in general There were many loose ends. For example, how were all cases connected to each other? I expected something like Again My Life with the protagonist(s) destroying foundations of the antagontist's criminal empire, his sources of income and power, before confront him personally. But they have never really explained it, except the picture.
Why did the antagonist play with the FL in her childhood, what were those masked people, how did he organize it, how did he get the helper inside (the guy who was eventually killed)? It was way too suspicious, sophisticated and complex for the explanation we got, and I expected some huge conspiracy with many participants and global goels. Will that story continue in season 2?
I also want to see more internal mechanic of their scams with more attention to logistic, details, problems and challenges. It generally looks like some magic just happening.
Dear X doesn't do it. Violent scenes aren't long, and there aren't too many of them, but they are striking and shocking. Furthermore, they add a bit of dark humor for a viewer to deal with it and avoid being "torture porn," for example, scenes with the FL as a child (the little girl is a delightful actress, it's the third thing I've seen her in, and she has been consistently great).
They left that idea of rehabilitation and transformation of criminals in season 2, but now I want some narrative changes instead of more of the same. I do trust the show's team though, because they clearly decided to return to more dramatic tone in season 3. And characters look more, I don't know, mature and hardened, especially Go Eun. So they aren't going to repeat an endless cycle.
Ji Chang Wook obviously tries to make something out of material he had to work with. It's to see how successful he is. But Doh Kyung Soo has been very disappointing so far. I see he starred in The Moon, and I can't say anything bad about his performance, I can't say anything good either though, I just don't remember how he was (I do remember Sul Kyung Gu, he was excellent as usual), I guess it was appropriate. But I do remember him in Bad Prosecutor: it was a disaster in general, I had to drop the show after one or two episodes, and his performance was one of the biggest reasons, and to be honest, I don't understand why the show has 8.2 here (is it because of fangirling for the oppa?). And here he has the same face expression and crazy villainous laugh in every scene. It's like a 14yo teenager trying to play a psychopath, but not knowing how to do it.
So maybe Disney+ doesn't want to give up much material, because more they release, less I want to see the show, and they don't want to disappoint viewers too early. Anyway, I've followed the show since the beginning of the year, but now I just don't know if I am going to watch it.
Sul Kyung Gu was brilliant as usual. I also liked Ryu Seung Beom as a clownish KCIA director (and remebered his great drama, Family Matters, but his role was very different there). Jeon Do Yeon was only in one scene, but she totally stole that scene. She seemed to do really nothing, but I couldn't stop laughing, it was a very biting and sarcastic depiction of certain women in power all over the world (not just in Korea). Now I want Jeon Do Yeon to do big subtle comedy role, she definitely has chops and it doesn't look silly or ridiculous.
Anyway it was like a cup of water in desert, especially with overwhelming majority of Hollywood movies of last 5-10 years as background. Despite being farcic, the comedy and its message was surprisingly refreshing and grounded. Nobody died, so that's good news.
Pros.
In my opinion. James is the best Park Hee Soon's character. The man was able to play a lot of different personas in one show, and they were very extravagant and uplifting instead of his usual morally grey or straight up bad people in other shows.
Chemistry between protagonists was amazing.
Contras.
They leaned toward comedy too much. And that's the issue for me, because South Korean comedies are often concentrated on slapstick humor. I guess it's cultural specific. But I would like to see less farcic comedies. There might be comedy elemenst in dramas, and they often work for some reason (but I had to drop Vincenzo after episode 1, for example). That's why I watch a few-to-none South Korean comedies and many dramas. I don't know, Taxi Driver also has comedy relief, escpecially season 2, they also have a team of tricksters with golden hearts, but they did it just better (and I hope season 3 will be doing it too).
Actors often overact. Especially Park Ming Young and especially in the 1st half of the show. I don't have anything against the main actress and blame writing and directing. They cooled it down in 2nd half though and it did make the show better, but, IMO, still not enough.
Writing was imperfect in general There were many loose ends. For example, how were all cases connected to each other? I expected something like Again My Life with the protagonist(s) destroying foundations of the antagontist's criminal empire, his sources of income and power, before confront him personally. But they have never really explained it, except the picture.
Why did the antagonist play with the FL in her childhood, what were those masked people, how did he organize it, how did he get the helper inside (the guy who was eventually killed)? It was way too suspicious, sophisticated and complex for the explanation we got, and I expected some huge conspiracy with many participants and global goels. Will that story continue in season 2?
I also want to see more internal mechanic of their scams with more attention to logistic, details, problems and challenges. It generally looks like some magic just happening.
I could have write more, but that's it.