This review may contain spoilers
when the remaining 50% are the most interesting.
this drama is a good natured absurd comedy, and i say that with all the affection in the world.
they took three of the most interesting actors in south korea, dropped them on a remote island with fake identities and bodies that no longer obey them like before, and said: “figure it out.” and it worked. completely.
the concept is already a joke in itself. a former elite n.i.s. agent who cooks in a chinese restaurant without being able to collect debts from customers. a former north korean operative considered a human weapon who lost his memory and has no idea who he really is or what he carries with him. a former crime syndicate boss who runs a small grocery store and spends his time packing lunchboxes to impress the policewoman he likes. if someone told me this as a premise, i’d think it was slapstick comedy. but no. it’s a spy thriller. with andropause. at the same time.
shin ha kyun carries the weight of being the serious man of the trio, with the expression of someone who waited ten years for a mission and the mission never shows up, but his wife does. oh jung se is pure chaos in a body that no longer remembers why it’s dangerous until it does, and then everyone around him is left speechless. and heo sung tae, happy with his quiet life: former number two of the hwasan gang, running a small grocery store while his only henchman, the loyal gong bok, eats fried pastries at ho-myeong’s restaurant pretending to be a normal customer.
what excites me for the rest of the series is exactly the balance that is still being built three forces converging toward the same point without knowing about each other’s existence, a villain with bigger ambitions than he lets on, and a prosecutor who pretends to step back but keeps moving forward. there are enough pieces on the board for this to be very good. the question is whether the series will have the courage to play them all well.
the main thematic bet the idea that at fifty years old there is still half a life left with potential is not subtle, but it is honest. and in a drama about men the world has already already considered obsolete, honesty matters more than subtlety.
it’s not perfect yet. but it’s exactly the kind of show you start on a friday night with no real expectations and find yourself at two in the morning trying to resist the next episode.
they took three of the most interesting actors in south korea, dropped them on a remote island with fake identities and bodies that no longer obey them like before, and said: “figure it out.” and it worked. completely.
the concept is already a joke in itself. a former elite n.i.s. agent who cooks in a chinese restaurant without being able to collect debts from customers. a former north korean operative considered a human weapon who lost his memory and has no idea who he really is or what he carries with him. a former crime syndicate boss who runs a small grocery store and spends his time packing lunchboxes to impress the policewoman he likes. if someone told me this as a premise, i’d think it was slapstick comedy. but no. it’s a spy thriller. with andropause. at the same time.
shin ha kyun carries the weight of being the serious man of the trio, with the expression of someone who waited ten years for a mission and the mission never shows up, but his wife does. oh jung se is pure chaos in a body that no longer remembers why it’s dangerous until it does, and then everyone around him is left speechless. and heo sung tae, happy with his quiet life: former number two of the hwasan gang, running a small grocery store while his only henchman, the loyal gong bok, eats fried pastries at ho-myeong’s restaurant pretending to be a normal customer.
what excites me for the rest of the series is exactly the balance that is still being built three forces converging toward the same point without knowing about each other’s existence, a villain with bigger ambitions than he lets on, and a prosecutor who pretends to step back but keeps moving forward. there are enough pieces on the board for this to be very good. the question is whether the series will have the courage to play them all well.
the main thematic bet the idea that at fifty years old there is still half a life left with potential is not subtle, but it is honest. and in a drama about men the world has already already considered obsolete, honesty matters more than subtlety.
it’s not perfect yet. but it’s exactly the kind of show you start on a friday night with no real expectations and find yourself at two in the morning trying to resist the next episode.
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