This review may contain spoilers
A muddled story that is elevated by Kim Go Eun's incredible performance
About 10 minutes into the first episode, I wondered if 12 episodes would be too long for this drama, and it turned out I was right. I think 8 episodes would've been perfect and allowed for a tighter story, but I can't even complain about the excess episodes because it gave us more time to watch Kim Go Eun's absolutely phenomenal performance.
The story itself starts out pretty strong and there are lots of twists and turns, but the it starts dragging around the middle and then kind of fizzles out by the end. The central mystery around who killed Yun-Su's husband has maybe one of the most unsatisfying reveals I've ever seen. The subplot around the vengeful grandfather (with really distracting old man makeup) is unnecessary and not particularly interesting. The cops and prison guards are so incompetent it's laughable and there's a lot of suspension of disbelief that's required to watch this show.
And yet, I was riveted for all 12 episodes because Kim Go Eun is just that good in this. The entire cast is very good, but make no mistake, this is the Kim Go Eun show. She is SO compelling, not just as a terrifying detached murderer hell-bent on revenge, but also as the kind-hearted doctor who is devastated by the injustice that caused the deaths of her sister and father. Every time she's onscreen, it's almost impossible to look away from her. I wouldn't really consider myself a fan of hers (her dramas have been mostly misses for me but I did love her in Tune in For Love) but I have been dying for her to take on a darker, gritty role ever since I saw her as Luna in The King: Eternal Monarch and I'm so glad to finally see it happen.
Say what you want about Netflix's influence on the kdrama industry, but I'm so glad they have popularized these darker, female-led thrillers that we've seen more of in recent years because imagine if Kim Go Eun got stuck doing mediocre romcoms for the rest of her career when she has THIS kind of acting range??
The story itself starts out pretty strong and there are lots of twists and turns, but the it starts dragging around the middle and then kind of fizzles out by the end. The central mystery around who killed Yun-Su's husband has maybe one of the most unsatisfying reveals I've ever seen. The subplot around the vengeful grandfather (with really distracting old man makeup) is unnecessary and not particularly interesting. The cops and prison guards are so incompetent it's laughable and there's a lot of suspension of disbelief that's required to watch this show.
And yet, I was riveted for all 12 episodes because Kim Go Eun is just that good in this. The entire cast is very good, but make no mistake, this is the Kim Go Eun show. She is SO compelling, not just as a terrifying detached murderer hell-bent on revenge, but also as the kind-hearted doctor who is devastated by the injustice that caused the deaths of her sister and father. Every time she's onscreen, it's almost impossible to look away from her. I wouldn't really consider myself a fan of hers (her dramas have been mostly misses for me but I did love her in Tune in For Love) but I have been dying for her to take on a darker, gritty role ever since I saw her as Luna in The King: Eternal Monarch and I'm so glad to finally see it happen.
Say what you want about Netflix's influence on the kdrama industry, but I'm so glad they have popularized these darker, female-led thrillers that we've seen more of in recent years because imagine if Kim Go Eun got stuck doing mediocre romcoms for the rest of her career when she has THIS kind of acting range??
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