shanij

Stunning show that was let down by pacing and writing

The show looks gorgeous, the production value overall was amazing, the acting was good for the most part. But still, I considered dnf-ing after episode 4. The mostly strong performances kept me watching.

The first episode really hooked me. The setup is great and I loved that we had an ambiguous main character. In the beginning, I found Kim Han Saem a bit too grumpy and distrustful, but he really grew on me and was my favourite character by the end. Son Suk Ku gave such a strong performance and played the character with a lot of nuance. Kim Da Mi is a solid actor as well, she was believable as this quirky but traumatised young woman. However, she went overboard on the quirky mannerisms and expressions a few times. She also really cannot pull off smiling / laughing in a moment of confrontation or tension, it just looks like someone's trying to act and doesn't succeed at making it look natural or fitting in the scene. She unfortunately ventured into annoying territory too often to still make her a good lead that you feel for (which is not Kim Da Mi's fault, it's writing and directing, I think). The rest of the cast was really amazing, no notes.

Now comes the biggest issue: the pacing and writing. The show is just too long for the story they had. 2 or 3 episodes less would have made it much tighter. Unfortunately a lot of the conclusion is quite predictable. If you look at the reddit discussion, most people clocked the therapist as at least very suspicious very early on. Her storyline is ridiculously badly written. You mean to tell me a 7 year old can't give enough information to find her mother at an amusement park? Her mother doesn't go back to look for her there? No one in the orphanage could put 2 and 2 together for a child that was on the missing list and this child? And she stopped killing for 10 years because no one recognised the puzzle pieces? Come on. She could've send the puzzle pieces to anyone in the police force or to the press, as she later does. And when she puts her hand in her pocket at the end, the cop doesn't shoot her hand? They just let her burn herself and watch her die in agony, Jesus Christ.
The characters were mostly consistently written, but Jung-Ho really irked me. He just let her continue her killing spree and wanted to take the fall. As soon as he realised it was her and that she wouldn't stop (which she told him flat out when he went to give back her handkerchief) he should've arrested her. I understand his guilt, but I don't understand his motivation for letting her keep going. Also, I-Na was always so perceptive (almost ventures into the knowing by magic trope) and then she goes to Dr. Hwang's house and it is very clear from the pictures that he's gay, but she still thinks he has a crush on Lee Seong Ju. Doesn't make sense. I also don't like the messaging about mental health and mental health professionals. There are already too many shows and movies out there that demonise mental illnesses or make therapists manipulative evil people you cannot trust.

I wouldn't really recommend this show, nor would I watch a second season. It is really strong in some parts, but lacks depth and a true vision or story that needed to be told. Maybe that's the point, though, since they constantly reference movies and detective novels that shaped the genre. Unfortunately, this show went with the cookie cutter formula that was new and fresh in the referenced works, but feels old and boring now.

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