Different because of the way it was shot
I actually found the drama really interesting to watch, and I am surprised by the amount of really bad reviews here on MDL.
So first the plot. In the world of Korean dramas, it was certainly not more weak that 95% of dramas out there and it had no weird device plots like amnesia, deus ex machina where some inexplicable event happens and no one knows where it came from, or people acting out of their character. In the context of this show and the world that was built in it, the characters' actions were weirdly logical, which is not always true for many other, better received dramas.
Now, in terms of the chemistry or lack thereof between the leads, I actually think that the understated, slow realization that love is when people are good for each other's mental health and sense of stability was portrayed very well. The idea of wild passionate love in the context of the lives that the characters were living would make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Being there for one another and not making each others' lives more difficult could be the ultimate definition of mature love, or what marriage ultimately is about. Let's not forget that we are watching two supposedly complete strangers forced in an impossible situation and living arrangement who are just barely starting to see each other as equally traumatized companions.
Once criticism that I have is that this show was definitely more about a tragic low burn romance than a whodunnit (a murder mystery), or a thriller. The mystery of who killed one of the characters was kind of in the background, not that important to the actual story, and felt like it wasn't really solid or interesting. The other criticism is the one-dimensionality of the characters - my god, give those people some depth and make them at least somewhat human - most of them sounded awful and very flat.
All in all, I actually enjoyed the show, mostly for it's cinematography and the weirdness of it. I guess that I am a fan of stories that take place in the world that is almost devoid of any basic human decency, and how different characters try to deal with being pushed to their absolute limits of pain, unfairness of life or saneness.
So first the plot. In the world of Korean dramas, it was certainly not more weak that 95% of dramas out there and it had no weird device plots like amnesia, deus ex machina where some inexplicable event happens and no one knows where it came from, or people acting out of their character. In the context of this show and the world that was built in it, the characters' actions were weirdly logical, which is not always true for many other, better received dramas.
Now, in terms of the chemistry or lack thereof between the leads, I actually think that the understated, slow realization that love is when people are good for each other's mental health and sense of stability was portrayed very well. The idea of wild passionate love in the context of the lives that the characters were living would make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Being there for one another and not making each others' lives more difficult could be the ultimate definition of mature love, or what marriage ultimately is about. Let's not forget that we are watching two supposedly complete strangers forced in an impossible situation and living arrangement who are just barely starting to see each other as equally traumatized companions.
Once criticism that I have is that this show was definitely more about a tragic low burn romance than a whodunnit (a murder mystery), or a thriller. The mystery of who killed one of the characters was kind of in the background, not that important to the actual story, and felt like it wasn't really solid or interesting. The other criticism is the one-dimensionality of the characters - my god, give those people some depth and make them at least somewhat human - most of them sounded awful and very flat.
All in all, I actually enjoyed the show, mostly for it's cinematography and the weirdness of it. I guess that I am a fan of stories that take place in the world that is almost devoid of any basic human decency, and how different characters try to deal with being pushed to their absolute limits of pain, unfairness of life or saneness.
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