priwithap

what!!!!! this did not go in the direction I was expecting at all. I have no idea how to feel about the ending. I feel like the second half of this show was quite lackluster compared to the first half anyway. And I don't think there's anything romantic in-

I have a feeling the ML is playing with FL but he's so good at it that he's playing me too 😭 I'm on episode 8 and I don't want to continue and see the FL heartbroken... there were red flags from the literal start but wow I don't blame her for reasoning them away... I'm holding onto hope that I'm wrong and it's the stereotypical 'misunderstood' ML trope even tho I typically hate that overdone trope! I didn't see the psychological tag... yea this is psychological torture for sure TT

I really don't know what to think about this... it's really unique and has a lot of detail. I didn't expect it would make me cry!! There's a lot of feminist issues too which I didn't expect. It was almost artsy, the way the story unfolds. TBH, I personally found the ending unsatisfactory. Maybe the lesson is that justice can't undo pain and suffering- that's what I take from this show.
I think the best genre this fits into is 'tragedy.

Although I definitely understand the disappointment with this drama, I've seen worse.
I appreciate the artistic production quality of the show, I feel like art students can find inspiration from this possibly.
Maybe I would've enjoyed this more if I binged it instead of watching while it was airing.
It was quite slow-paced and there was no significant, deep, well-written character arc (not even that of... you know who, in my opinion, despite the dramatic stuff).
But at least I finished it and without forcing myself to either!
Overall, I found this a good pastime show to watch with your meals, nothing more or less.
If you like shows that are full of the classy, high-end life, this has that (and some flaws along the way.)

How well-received was this drama in China anyone know? The acting is really impressive for such a seemingly niche type of show, I really hope they got recognition for it, especially given all the important themes in this

I just finished episode 6 and I. AM. HOOKED!!! Finally a C-drama that makes me feel this way!! This might just be my new favourite thing!!!!

okay- I agree, the word is both misused and overused.

I want to watch a really good, highly rated Chinese drama, but from my experience of kdramas, I know that I don't enjoy historical ones, and without any main female characters to relate with/understand. I'm also not interested in BL or implied BL as a bi woman, I'd prefer GL by a mile.
Is this show still worth the chance? Obviously I''ll never know til I try, but I'd appreciate some advice. If no, any alternative recommendations?

Agreed, parasocial relationships shouldn't exist imo, it would solve all the disappointment and drama whenever stuff like this happens.
I think they both did some wrong to varying degrees- I'm not going to attempt to work out to what degrees that may be though since we really can't know.
They could be equally in the wrong, or one could've done more wrong than the other, we really don't know or need to know.
At the same time, I used to be in many fandoms and I wanted to think the people I idolised were good, so I don't blame anyone for wanting that, however unrealistic and unreasonable it may be.
I still have a lot of mixed, conflicting feelings about things like this that I'm trying to work through but the best thing has been to stop caring about celebrities on a personal level, and only praise them in the professional sense, if that makes sense.

Maybe so... the more I learn about this the more confused I get.
As mere members of the public, we can't know anything about an intimate relationship between two people.
So it is odd for us to judge and conclude one person as a victim (whether that might be the woman or KSH) and the other the bully.
Relationships are complex, who are we to even assume there is a clear cut victim and bully...

I just found out about this. Poor woman, I wish the best for her, I can't imagine how traumatic something like this can be.
I believe celebrities private lives should be private, but if a celebrity held in high regard commits an injustice as severe as this one, fans to casual viewers alike are absolutely in their rights to know.
I don't need to know the secret ingredient of a famous food, that's private- but the public is entitled to know if said famous food contains different meat than that advertised.
Genuinely, how is this different?
Unfortunately and arguably, society commodifies humans who are professional entertainers aka celebrities too, and if the consumers of this commodified human entertainer were 'sold' something they didn't pay for, I wouldn't blame them for resisting.

EDIT: Okay now I have no idea what to think after looking into this further. I don't trust either side and am heavily paranoid!! I admit I may be wrong to jump on assuming the woman is telling the truth. But the side assuming KSH is innocent are as equally wrong as I was. Fandom culture is vile (can vouch for this as an ex fangirl), and this wouldn't happen if not for it, as the media report what they know will sell, and people post online what they know will gain attention.

The term was misused but the rest of what OP said is right.

I wish I had waiting for this to be complete before watching it! this drama is definitely not without its flaws, but for some reason it's the only kdrama that can actually hold my attention span right now after completely finishing the spectacle that is penthouse.
Shoutout to the artistic elements in this show too, such as the colour palette, the cinematography, setting, the use of sound in episode 10 especially- all very well thought out and come together to make a unique 'rich people' theme show.

YES!! When people ask me what my favourite genre is, it's the genre that serves female leads like that which you just described x100!
I also like how she's not perfect, seen through how unliked she was by viewers when the show was airing, it makes her more multi-dimensional and real.
I'm not sure how much you'll enjoy the plot as it is lacking especially once compared to Vincenzo, but Cheat On Me, If You Can is a drama that made me feel this kinda way towards the female lead as well, (although they are different)

you're right- overall an entertaining show for some, but an intelligent, thoughtful work of art like other kdramas? nope.
in a way this is why I'm so struck by penthouse- it's so shallow yet lingers in my mind, for reasons I can't fathom!!!!
I personally have to give it credit for that, at least.

agreed, the female lead is UNFORGETTABLE. I keep looking for more kdramas with similar types of female leads instead of the common docile submissive cute ones that seem to be made for male viewers enjoyment first before the female viewers, but it seems i've exhausted all of them :')

I think that's why she killed herself in the end, the guilt from OYH and HYC's death and the kids who had to go through the whole thing all for her 'revenge' made her question who she had become.
It was also ig some character redemption, because if she had lived on shamelessly despite her role in all the terror in Hera Palace, she would be like CSJ, but by making her sacrifice herself too in the end, she remains this 'pure' figure- as seen in the ending scene with LL.
Personally I wish the show would've let her acknowledge that she too wasn't innocent in the end (duh, she killed a person even if JDT has very little humanity in him) but instead of concluding that she can't live, I would've preferred if she did a CSJ/NAG and confronted her 'dark' side, and nonetheless, lived.
It would've been a better ending than the fairy-tale like one we got where SSR and LL go to heaven and meet all their dead loved ones, which imo served little purpose and was poorly thought out.
I feel like if SSR faked her death again and lived alone, watching and looking after her daughters and son from afar but not allowing herself to approach them and anyone from Hera Palace including LL (but he knows she's still out there somehow and also decides to live), because she can't forgive herself, it would've been tragic, but also retrospective for both her and the viewers, and kinda poetic?

The biggest annoyance is how it is implied in s3 that SSR knows OYH didn't kill MSA??? Was it just me that picked up on that? Am I losing my mind?? It was also assumed that Yoo Jenny knew her father wasn't actually a murderer because she sent her dad off to jail again well... What did he even go to jail again for anyway?!? Another valid point I saw made from other viewers is Hye In and the real JDT being completely pointless filler characters in the end, used for furthering a dramatic plot point then thrown away.
I literally only watched s2 and s3 bcos I wanted it to be proven that OYH didn't actually kill MSA? I think in s2 there was a point where JDT looked up at the penthouse from the glass ceiling where the fountain is, and saw himself push MSA, but that was all, no explanation or showing how it happened? So I brushed it off and guessed it was him and that there will be a big reveal.
I'm bitter that OHY died without any clear-cut justice proving she didn't kill MSA to the audience in a direct manner.
I also hate how they made SSR weak in the end, making her doubt her 'goodness' and thus kill herself because of her guilt that she did bad things just for revenge. I wish she would once take a page out of CSJ's book and live shamelessly despite anything she did...
Overall, I'm not sure how I feel about the ending- it doesn't sound right to say I'm disappointed with it (although I understand fans who are), because there were a lot of disappointing moments throughout the show which never made me have positive expectations for the ending in the first place.
I think I have to give it to this show for making me feel so many mixed emotions and making me so hooked and also for giving me a literal headache!

I'm so annoyed I wasted my time watching this drama. I wish they just wrapped it up in s1. s3 was very intense and shocking, I was hooked for the most part, but it leaves a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. I feel completely USED lol
At the same time, I can't imagine this drama being just one season...
Penthouse for me will remain as the love-hate show that can truly control and take over my life schedule, whenever I start a season I can't do anything til I've finished it all.
I think my biggest regret is watching s2 without waiting for it to be completed. I didn't enjoy s2, and as a result wasn't going to watch s3 (but I did as I was bored). But I think the major reason I didn't enjoy s2 was that I wasn't able to binge it? Though now I'm questioning if I really did binge it or not?

You're not wrong. I loved her in COMIYC and parasite hence why I'm still expecting drastic character development. I'm waiting til the end to say it with certainty, but if there is no redemption for her character I'll be really disappointed