This review may contain spoilers
entertaining all-thrill action but ultimately lacks depth
this drama started off so strong but began to lose momentum and went downhill after the first four episodes. the concept was cliche but well loved (by me at least): a classic revenge crime action thriller centered on our protagonist, a victim who was wrongfully framed. but as the story progressed, it became overloaded with subplots that were barely resolved by the end.
some arcs that i thought were poorly executed/written or simply unnecessary:
- the death race; the squid game esque concept is overdone atp and revealing yohan to taejoong so early on removed a lot of potential tension
- the prison gangster arc; bringing back the mob boss only for yohan to end up killing him? also, it would’ve been more compelling if one of prison gangsters end up helping taejoong instead.
- yohan’s backstory; he’s such an intriguing character yet we barely see his upbringing/family.
- eunbi’s one-sided crush; would’ve been more fitting if they gave them a close sibling relationship
that said, the action was undeniably intense.. my heart was definitely racing for many of the scenes. as expected,the ji changwook and action combo never fails. they did a good job keeping the show suspenseful, but as everyone already mentioned, the plot armor went crazy. from delivery boy to tackling 100 skilled men at once. and the fact that he had numerous enemies (everyone wanted him dead!) but he still made it out (a bit too easily, i’d say). it would’ve been more awe-worthy/satisyfing if he was able to win with some wits and not just fists.
taejoong’s character felt a bit bland. there was so much potential for him to evolve into a darker anti-hero after enduring prison, learning about his brother’s death, and discovering others had been framed in the same situation, but he remained pure and kind, even risking his life to save the hair salon mother and daughter. while admirable, it limited his complexity and made it frustrating to watch at times. at the same time, the narrative focused too heavily on him, leaving the side characters underdeveloped. they had so many opportunities to build from the prisoners, the doctor (bae nara), nanny, taejoong’s three friends, etc. but they completely missed. i think it would’ve been more entertaining to build the doctor to be stronger and more of yohan’s right hand man (instead of the random chinese girl??) instead of killing him off.
yohan was also a really interesting character, but they failed to elaborate on his upbringing/backstory. with that being said, his death was so random and the “revenge” was extremely underwhelming and emotionally unsatisfying. or i’d like to think that he didn’t die and nanny covered it up with the fire. im torn if i liked kyungsoo as the villain though he portrayed him convincingly—“just a boy”. he was terrifyingly powerful both physically and mentally. the way he killed with no remorse but excitement was so chilling man.
on a more positive note, yongsik and eunbi were good additions to the very bland supporting characters. i liked how they built their relationship development and it was heartwarming to see that they reconciled because of taejoong. i’m glad the writers gave them a happy ending.
overall, the drama had a powerful start, strong action sequences, and compelling character foundations but it ultimately fell short due to uneven pacing, excessive plot armor, and missed opportunities in character development.
“Time is the greatest enemy that you’ll ever have to face while you’re in here. The secret is, the only way to defeat time is to surrender to it.” - Yongsik
some arcs that i thought were poorly executed/written or simply unnecessary:
- the death race; the squid game esque concept is overdone atp and revealing yohan to taejoong so early on removed a lot of potential tension
- the prison gangster arc; bringing back the mob boss only for yohan to end up killing him? also, it would’ve been more compelling if one of prison gangsters end up helping taejoong instead.
- yohan’s backstory; he’s such an intriguing character yet we barely see his upbringing/family.
- eunbi’s one-sided crush; would’ve been more fitting if they gave them a close sibling relationship
that said, the action was undeniably intense.. my heart was definitely racing for many of the scenes. as expected,the ji changwook and action combo never fails. they did a good job keeping the show suspenseful, but as everyone already mentioned, the plot armor went crazy. from delivery boy to tackling 100 skilled men at once. and the fact that he had numerous enemies (everyone wanted him dead!) but he still made it out (a bit too easily, i’d say). it would’ve been more awe-worthy/satisyfing if he was able to win with some wits and not just fists.
taejoong’s character felt a bit bland. there was so much potential for him to evolve into a darker anti-hero after enduring prison, learning about his brother’s death, and discovering others had been framed in the same situation, but he remained pure and kind, even risking his life to save the hair salon mother and daughter. while admirable, it limited his complexity and made it frustrating to watch at times. at the same time, the narrative focused too heavily on him, leaving the side characters underdeveloped. they had so many opportunities to build from the prisoners, the doctor (bae nara), nanny, taejoong’s three friends, etc. but they completely missed. i think it would’ve been more entertaining to build the doctor to be stronger and more of yohan’s right hand man (instead of the random chinese girl??) instead of killing him off.
yohan was also a really interesting character, but they failed to elaborate on his upbringing/backstory. with that being said, his death was so random and the “revenge” was extremely underwhelming and emotionally unsatisfying. or i’d like to think that he didn’t die and nanny covered it up with the fire. im torn if i liked kyungsoo as the villain though he portrayed him convincingly—“just a boy”. he was terrifyingly powerful both physically and mentally. the way he killed with no remorse but excitement was so chilling man.
on a more positive note, yongsik and eunbi were good additions to the very bland supporting characters. i liked how they built their relationship development and it was heartwarming to see that they reconciled because of taejoong. i’m glad the writers gave them a happy ending.
overall, the drama had a powerful start, strong action sequences, and compelling character foundations but it ultimately fell short due to uneven pacing, excessive plot armor, and missed opportunities in character development.
“Time is the greatest enemy that you’ll ever have to face while you’re in here. The secret is, the only way to defeat time is to surrender to it.” - Yongsik
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