latteholic

My mom and I watched this series over the weekend and we binged all of the episodes in one evening. It was a fun weekend watch overall. I really liked the premise and the family dynamics, especially Grandma and Riku. The story was okay, some parts felt a bit draggy while other parts kept me intrigued. The action scenes were also a mixed bag—some were lacking, while others were choreographed and shot really well. Despite that, I still enjoyed the episodes, and the 45-minute running time was convenient.

This movie is just perfect for a lazy weekend curled up on the sofa! I didn't find the beginning slow at all because I was already intrigued by the backstory of the haenyeo and how they got into the smuggling scheme. Loved how cool the movie style is: those colorful 70s vibes, the underwater scenes, and even that slick aspect ratio change at the 27-minute mark. Plus, the characters are interesting and easy to cheer for (or against), and the cast portrays them fabulously. The writing is fun and funky, with multiple layers of deception that kept me guessing and reevaluating my assumptions. Yes, there were some stupid moments, but other aspects make this movie entertaining enough to overlook those. Easily an 8.5/10 for me.

I finally finished the show, and overall, it's a decent thriller. I probably would have enjoyed it more if it didn't rely so heavily on a gullible protagonist and incompetent authorities to create the twists and turns. I don't mind these elements in moderation, but this drama had too many contrivances, one after another, that killed the suspense for me. Contrary to popular opinion, I enjoyed the latter half more, perhaps because it felt like a more balanced cat-and-mouse game. The acting and the female characters carried the show for me.

Believe me, the cultural thing is real. In my country, at least back when I still watched TV, scenes of violence like slashing, stabbing, shooting, and even flying detached heads in horror shows were broadcast on national TV without much fuss (but reserved as a late night show), while kissing scenes would be promptly censored (regardless of the time).

I personally think it's quite a blatant double standard, indicating a clear prioritization of certain moral values over others. However, it's also a conservative society rooted in cultural and religious teachings that emphasize modesty, privacy, and the sanctity of intimate relationships. Therefore, there's a strong perception that sex or other intimate acts, even kissing, are private matters that should occur behind closed doors, within the confines of marriage or a committed relationship. On the other hand, violence is often perceived as something that can occur in public spaces. Therefore, it may be viewed as more appropriate/less taboo content for TV, given its potential to manifest in public scenarios.

And the warnings are there when you open the drama page in Netflix: 18+ violence, sex, nudity, language, substances, suicide. Iirc, Netflix USA would probably rate it as TV-MA (if not 18+) for mature audiences, but they would have the same warnings for the rating.

That's an intriguing take! Personally, I found that scene to be somewhat out-of-the-blue and unnecessary. But I just chalked it up to some fancy art house flair with profound depths that elude my comprehension... so it's always nice to see how others might interpret that.
Also, yes, it always rubbed me the wrong way when people slapped a poor rating solely because of one scene, without considering the drama as a whole, although not entirely surprising given this is MDL.

I think it's because he used the book to kill the mosquito that had bitten the prosecutor. If the police find the book, they'll discover the prosecutor's blood on it, along with Lee Tang's fingerprints, which would incriminate him in the murder.

Maybe because protecting politician during a campaign seems to not require that much of resources. And the captain definitely has a political interest, so if his subordinates did their job well, it will help his promotion as well.

Also, serial killer cases often draw considerable media attention and public scrutiny. Consequently, the police department may face pressure to swiftly solve the case. Failure to do so could reflect poorly on their performance, especially after expending substantial resources and causing public alarm. Thus, the captain only granted permission to pursue the case because the detective assured him that they could apprehend the suspect before he boarded the boat.

But I agree that their priorities are so messed up. Seemed to be a recurring theme in Korean crime dramas...

Okay, here's what I've liked so far:

- The plot twist is nice, though somewhat predictable if you piece together all the hints. The real Geum Hyuk Soo's face was never shown, and the victim at the greenhouse covered the photo with his blood before we, as viewers, got to see his face. It's strange that he left his fingerprint on the RV guy but then killed the two men who tried to help Oh Taek because he claimed they saw his face. Plus, the fact that he carried the fingers of his victims with him makes it easy to plant DNA/fingerprints.
- Detective Ahjumma continues to be awesome! I'm relieved we have at least one competent character in this drama.
- The acting. All of the main leads continue to bring their A-game.

Now, onto my gripes:
- Lee Sung Min, I love you, and I appreciate your portrayal of Oh Taek. But I'm sorry that the writer really had to make your character this foolish to move the plot forward and to just add tension. There were so many moments that I ended up throwing my phone across the couch because of this. Oh Taek could have called emergency services while he was at the house, even when he knew that "Hyuk Soo" was already there and stayed on the line. Then to add to that, he was speaking very loudly on the phone and practically shouting out the location of the communication tower when he just escaped "Hyuk Soo'". Also, the first thing he should have told the police is the location of the house and the ahjumma who helped him, because she could be at risk. Sigh. Then to add salt to injury, he basically assisted "Hyuk Soo" in murdering the policeman. I'm so tired of his character that I couldn't even like him anymore when he did something smart.
- The policeman, the son of the ahjumma who helped Oh Taek contact the police, is physically competent, but he knew there was a serial killer in the area—he was in the search party! So why didn't he call it in when he saw the poor dog was killed before he entered the house?
- The detectives are so incompetent. Every single progress they made was thanks to Detective Ahjumma. Also, they could have acted with more secrecy! They should have known that the fact that they basically announced their arrival at the port would put Oh Taek's life at risk and give "Hyuk Soo" a chance to escape. Also, why did all the cops go inside the smuggler building to make the arrest? Isn't there usually one or two policemen who stay behind to monitor the situation outside the building?
- I'm pretty sure Detective Ahjumma is right on the heels of their car, so why did it take her so long to finally arrive at that location? Gah, stop making competent characters incompetent!

I'm usually pretty forgiving of characters' stupidity to move the plot forward, but when it's thrown at me for a full 4-5 episodes, it's really getting to me. Honestly, I'm just hoping that this whole situation will make Oh Taek stop being so gullible and activate some kind of revenge mode in him so that I can stop wishing that "Hyuk Soo" had killed him several episodes ago and let Detective Ahjumma become the main character to stop "Hyuk Soo".

Well, at the end of episode 6, and I knew it!!
But honestly, my patience is wearing thin with this, so I'm taking another break.
Rant incoming...

Oh Taek's cowardice and gullibility really get under my skin. While I can understand why the character acted that way, it doesn't stop me from feeling frustrated. I need to take a break, calm myself down before I click on the next episode. On the bright side, Detective Ahjumma is absolutely awesome!

I'm not sure I can binge-watch this. The plot is gripping, but...

Ah, okay, sorry if I came across as discounting your feelings; you're entitled to how you feel about her death. Min Hye is also one of my favorite characters, and I had similar reactions watching that scene. But as I thought more about the story and her character, I felt that if she had died, she didn't die for some shitty cause. That would reduce her character to merely an assassin when her character arc shows that she's so much more than that.

Also, just because she lost grip of her gun doesn't necessarily mean she's dead. Passing out could also have the same effect. And in this show, people don't seem to die unless they're shot, axed in the head, or stabbed with a poisoned knife. So if there's a follow-up and she turns out to be alive, I wouldn't be surprised. It's become somewhat of a trope in K-dramas anyway.

They mentioned in ep 4 that they worked at the case for 4 months and were not able to find the killer. Then later in ep 4 we got a flashback to 4 months before right at the time when Lee Tang left his studio.

No, Min Hye died(?) protecting Ji Ahn and Jin Man saved Min Hye at the cost of losing almost his entire family. And if you put every hints from the show yourself, it's obvious that Jin Man has his own fight somewhere else and he arrived together with the detective at the morgue implying that he helped him fake his death. This is just like episode 2 and 7 where he had to fight somewhere else and asked his friends to help protect Ji Ahn while he's gone.

This will sound mean. But the way she curled her lip was annoying to me.

It's more of a premise than a spoiler. Moreover, that's how Netflix advertises it in their trailer. In the end, I believe it's up to viewers to decide whether it's truly supernatural (what Lee Tang and Robin think) or if he's just very lucky (what Nan Gam thinks).

appreciate this!! I was going to drop it at episode 7... Good thing I saw your post earlier.

You can read the comments section, people are brutally honest here. lol. And don't worry I didn't see any spoiler not being tagged so far

if you like character-driven story watch a shop for killers. If you prefer more plot-driven story, watch this one. Also action is better in a shop for killers, but I like the cinematography in this one.