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This review may contain spoilers
Always Rising, Never Ending: Heading to the Climax
Climax felt like a road trip. You're eagerly awaiting the final destination, but there's some stops along the way that you need to go through first. That is the most concise way I can describe it. There were some highs and lows, but we (at least, I did) made to the final destination: the climax.
The Highs:
The acting - The strongest part of the series to me. Especially with the 2 protagonists, Bang Tae-Seop (Ju Ji-Hoon) and Chu Sang-Ah (Ha Ji-Won.) This drama actually made me a Ha Ji-Won fan! And it also changed my perspective of Ju Ji-Hoon (then again, Five Fingers isn't the best example of his acting in the first place.) Cha Ju-Young was good but she overacted often. Nana was great- understated, distant, but observant. Definitely checking out more of her dramas! Oh Jung-Se did well with what he was given. The supporting cast was good enough, too.
The directing - BEAUTIFUL. Some of the best directing I've seen in a k-drama. The camera work, angles, lighting, and symbolism (like the stairs scenes in the final episode, plus the recurring motifs of things like hotel rooms and toilets, representing characters at their lowest points) worked incredible together. All to create the mood and atmosphere of a neo-noir political thriller.
The music - I liked the soundtrack. The BGM is very good too. Not too repetitive, and again, there's not much to use within a 10-episode series.
The sheer audacity - Yes. Lee Ji-Won's audacity to write a political thriller exploring the dark side of humanity and how far people will go to achieve their own desires, and her audacity to do it with a lesbian female protagonist, AND actually showing her sexuality on live television. Kudos to her and kudos to Ha Ji-Won for portraying Chu Sang-Ah so well.
The ending - As I said in my comment, I liked the ending. It changed my perspective on the drama a little bit. Despite its clear flaws, it was thematically brilliant. Even after Sang-Ah and Tae-Seop get those ambitions they crave so badly, the fight never stops. They've both reached their respective climaxes and the only way to go now is further up. A very unconventional, but truly realistic ending. It's not happy. It's not sad either. It just... is.
The themes - There are several major ones. The biggest one that stood out to me was greed vs. morality, and this one worked VERY well. All of the main characters were greedy for something: Sang-Ah - Status. Tae-Seop - Political Power. Jung-Won - Fame. Yang-Mi - Control. Jong-Wook - Recognition. And they all went about their own ways of getting these things. We saw Sang-Ah and Tae-Seop go to the depths of ABSOLUTE hell to get what they wanted. It was almost sadistic, in a way. But they did win. And it was a pyrrhic victory... because even at the end, they were in hell: trapped in the cycle of power. It'll never end for them now they've reached their climax. Another major theme that stood out was the patriarchy and its hold on power. There's something about femininity/masculinity (in terms of power and its portrayal) that was used in this drama that I genuinely loved. Yang-Mi pursues power and runs WR Group like how she thinks a man would. Jong-Wook was flashy and sought to prove himself worthy of owning WR Group, just like an entitled man would. Tae-Seop was methodical and cunning, but still intimidating, Jung-Won was cold and distant, and lived a quiet life away from the political & business machinations. Only used like an attack dog when Tae-Seop needed her. Sang-Ah, in contrast, was femininity. Desirable, beautiful, famous. Perfection. Everyone wanted a piece of her and what she *represented.* And this was what everyone saw on the surface. Sang-Ah masterfully used her femininity and beauty as a weapon: to manipulate others and to use them. Brilliant writing decision. Again, I wish we'd seen this villainous side of her more. There wasn't enough of it for me!
The Lows:
Character development - My BIGGEST problem. I'm not expecting character studies in a 10-episode mini-series, but some of the character decisions and arcs were weird. Jung-Won's arc in the last 2 episodes fell apart, especially with how things ended for her. I understand that she was a pawn trapped in the game of power, but... I just feel like she was done so dirty. 💀 Sang-Ah, too. I wish they'd leaned into her villainy more. I don't need her to be over-the-top (like Lee Yang-Mi was), but she mostly just got dragged through hell a LOT. It was only in the last parts of the drama that we really saw her fight back (and not by very much.) So, to me, the female characters could've used better character development. They could've also gotten rid of Kwon Jong-Wook... he ended up playing no major role in the series. Lol what a waste of Oh Jung-Se. I hope he got paid well for doing nothing.
Writing - In several areas, there was a lot that could've been improved. The overreliance on shock value was disappointing to me. Seeing the 2 protagonists humiliated almost constantly brought down the quality of an otherwise nicely written series. I blame this on network restrictions, but partially the writer as well. Sang-Ah and Jung-Won's relationship (while I wasn't expecting a perfectly happy ending for them) could've been handled much better. Tae-Seop's ending? I guess I could say that he got what he wanted, but gaining power cost him his soul. That does not excuse some of his actions, however. Sang-Ah's ending, did I like it? No. Did it make sense? Debatable. Also, the last episode mostly left me with questions- and quite a few plotholes. 🤨
Lee Yang-Mi - Yeah, I included her in a separate section. She was so 1-dimensional and over-the-top that it ended up feeling extremely out of place. Sometimes it was funny (like her villainous breakdown at the end), but most of the time it made me roll my eyes and skip her scenes (occasionally.) Also, her "big motive" SUCKED. Lousy writing. For a drama with such an unconventional, villainous, and complex female lead, you'd think the antagonist would match that energy. But she did not. Yang-Mi was a fucking clown at best. Cha Ju-Young's overacting didn't help, but I think she did her best with what she was given.
Should You Watch It? - If you like thriller dramas with morally complex to flat-out villainous central characters who are willing to do ANYTHING to achieve their ambitions, watch it. If you like political thrillers centering on a morally grey/villainous ML, watch it. If you like morally grey characters, watch it. If you're looking for something refreshing, watch this (or at least give it a try.) If you like slow-burn thrillers, watch this drama. But if you're looking for a nice romance drama? Skip it. And if you're looking for a makjang, skip it. THIS IS NOT A MAKJANG DRAMA!!!!
As for whether I'd rewatch it? Maybe. I don't usually rewatch shows, but it might get a 2nd chance from me in the future. Oh, and a bonus 0.5 points for the outfits and styling (for the protagonists & Jung-Won.)
My overall rating: 9/10. Not perfect, but a great drama. Glad I went on this weird road trip with other lovely passengers (and a few mean ones along the way. Haha!) Still loved it!
The Highs:
The acting - The strongest part of the series to me. Especially with the 2 protagonists, Bang Tae-Seop (Ju Ji-Hoon) and Chu Sang-Ah (Ha Ji-Won.) This drama actually made me a Ha Ji-Won fan! And it also changed my perspective of Ju Ji-Hoon (then again, Five Fingers isn't the best example of his acting in the first place.) Cha Ju-Young was good but she overacted often. Nana was great- understated, distant, but observant. Definitely checking out more of her dramas! Oh Jung-Se did well with what he was given. The supporting cast was good enough, too.
The directing - BEAUTIFUL. Some of the best directing I've seen in a k-drama. The camera work, angles, lighting, and symbolism (like the stairs scenes in the final episode, plus the recurring motifs of things like hotel rooms and toilets, representing characters at their lowest points) worked incredible together. All to create the mood and atmosphere of a neo-noir political thriller.
The music - I liked the soundtrack. The BGM is very good too. Not too repetitive, and again, there's not much to use within a 10-episode series.
The sheer audacity - Yes. Lee Ji-Won's audacity to write a political thriller exploring the dark side of humanity and how far people will go to achieve their own desires, and her audacity to do it with a lesbian female protagonist, AND actually showing her sexuality on live television. Kudos to her and kudos to Ha Ji-Won for portraying Chu Sang-Ah so well.
The ending - As I said in my comment, I liked the ending. It changed my perspective on the drama a little bit. Despite its clear flaws, it was thematically brilliant. Even after Sang-Ah and Tae-Seop get those ambitions they crave so badly, the fight never stops. They've both reached their respective climaxes and the only way to go now is further up. A very unconventional, but truly realistic ending. It's not happy. It's not sad either. It just... is.
The themes - There are several major ones. The biggest one that stood out to me was greed vs. morality, and this one worked VERY well. All of the main characters were greedy for something: Sang-Ah - Status. Tae-Seop - Political Power. Jung-Won - Fame. Yang-Mi - Control. Jong-Wook - Recognition. And they all went about their own ways of getting these things. We saw Sang-Ah and Tae-Seop go to the depths of ABSOLUTE hell to get what they wanted. It was almost sadistic, in a way. But they did win. And it was a pyrrhic victory... because even at the end, they were in hell: trapped in the cycle of power. It'll never end for them now they've reached their climax. Another major theme that stood out was the patriarchy and its hold on power. There's something about femininity/masculinity (in terms of power and its portrayal) that was used in this drama that I genuinely loved. Yang-Mi pursues power and runs WR Group like how she thinks a man would. Jong-Wook was flashy and sought to prove himself worthy of owning WR Group, just like an entitled man would. Tae-Seop was methodical and cunning, but still intimidating, Jung-Won was cold and distant, and lived a quiet life away from the political & business machinations. Only used like an attack dog when Tae-Seop needed her. Sang-Ah, in contrast, was femininity. Desirable, beautiful, famous. Perfection. Everyone wanted a piece of her and what she *represented.* And this was what everyone saw on the surface. Sang-Ah masterfully used her femininity and beauty as a weapon: to manipulate others and to use them. Brilliant writing decision. Again, I wish we'd seen this villainous side of her more. There wasn't enough of it for me!
The Lows:
Character development - My BIGGEST problem. I'm not expecting character studies in a 10-episode mini-series, but some of the character decisions and arcs were weird. Jung-Won's arc in the last 2 episodes fell apart, especially with how things ended for her. I understand that she was a pawn trapped in the game of power, but... I just feel like she was done so dirty. 💀 Sang-Ah, too. I wish they'd leaned into her villainy more. I don't need her to be over-the-top (like Lee Yang-Mi was), but she mostly just got dragged through hell a LOT. It was only in the last parts of the drama that we really saw her fight back (and not by very much.) So, to me, the female characters could've used better character development. They could've also gotten rid of Kwon Jong-Wook... he ended up playing no major role in the series. Lol what a waste of Oh Jung-Se. I hope he got paid well for doing nothing.
Writing - In several areas, there was a lot that could've been improved. The overreliance on shock value was disappointing to me. Seeing the 2 protagonists humiliated almost constantly brought down the quality of an otherwise nicely written series. I blame this on network restrictions, but partially the writer as well. Sang-Ah and Jung-Won's relationship (while I wasn't expecting a perfectly happy ending for them) could've been handled much better. Tae-Seop's ending? I guess I could say that he got what he wanted, but gaining power cost him his soul. That does not excuse some of his actions, however. Sang-Ah's ending, did I like it? No. Did it make sense? Debatable. Also, the last episode mostly left me with questions- and quite a few plotholes. 🤨
Lee Yang-Mi - Yeah, I included her in a separate section. She was so 1-dimensional and over-the-top that it ended up feeling extremely out of place. Sometimes it was funny (like her villainous breakdown at the end), but most of the time it made me roll my eyes and skip her scenes (occasionally.) Also, her "big motive" SUCKED. Lousy writing. For a drama with such an unconventional, villainous, and complex female lead, you'd think the antagonist would match that energy. But she did not. Yang-Mi was a fucking clown at best. Cha Ju-Young's overacting didn't help, but I think she did her best with what she was given.
Should You Watch It? - If you like thriller dramas with morally complex to flat-out villainous central characters who are willing to do ANYTHING to achieve their ambitions, watch it. If you like political thrillers centering on a morally grey/villainous ML, watch it. If you like morally grey characters, watch it. If you're looking for something refreshing, watch this (or at least give it a try.) If you like slow-burn thrillers, watch this drama. But if you're looking for a nice romance drama? Skip it. And if you're looking for a makjang, skip it. THIS IS NOT A MAKJANG DRAMA!!!!
As for whether I'd rewatch it? Maybe. I don't usually rewatch shows, but it might get a 2nd chance from me in the future. Oh, and a bonus 0.5 points for the outfits and styling (for the protagonists & Jung-Won.)
My overall rating: 9/10. Not perfect, but a great drama. Glad I went on this weird road trip with other lovely passengers (and a few mean ones along the way. Haha!) Still loved it!
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