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Nutjobs
Not enough alien juice! Another Netflix slop with no soul, rhyme or rhythm. Actually, this is a good example for having an interesting big idea but don't have a clue what to do with it. The first 2 episodes were interesting with a good build up, however, everything that followed up was a let down. After garnering enough attention in the initial episodes, it just wanted to get to the finish line quickly regardless of how it does it. All Netflix is good for is adding scenes of characters smoking, that's the typical Netflix-tax for you. On the bright side, at least the leads brought a decent performance.Was this review helpful to you?
A Bitter Aftertaste
It wouldn't have been a culinary piece without pulling the classic "like my mother used to make it" move with the nostalgia hit like Ratatouille. Cooking extravaganza, orgasm by taste, sabotaging rats, exotic ingredients, old rivals, and lvl 99 hidden chefs, they're all here as you would expect from such a theme. However, I wish it stuck to its culinary theme more tightly. There were a few detours here and there that didn't fit well. The butcher arc, specifically the first 2 rounds, was an example of the drama shifting away from the main characters and cooking. The drama also added a little bit of "supposed" romance but it was one of the driest displays of romance ever, they even turned it into a quick love square for one episode. The brothers rivalry was meh, I didn't like its progression nor its resolution. Aside from everything else, the one thing that pushed me to the limits was the inclusion of the deplorable trope of excessive constant interrupts. More often than not, cutting scenes and conversations short. This deplorable trope left such a nasty sour taste that I couldn't shake it off. It ruined what I might have liked about the drama.Was this review helpful to you?
Hyena and The City
Sex and the City is trashy in its own right, and this Korean spin on it was even worse. Their interpretation of Sex and the City was done mostly through raising the content rating and adding mature scenes here and there (mostly in the first half). There were a handful of stories split between each character, each one developed poorly and ended prematurely for the sake of ending it. Most of the cast members were fine despite being involved in this unfortunate project. On the other hand, Kim Min Jong proving once again that he is a dislikable main character and filling this slot remains an impossible task for him.Was this review helpful to you?
Season 5 in first place
God's Quiz in general was more mystery/thriller/investigation than medical. The main lead, who's a medical examiner, was doing more field detective work and following suspects than the real detectives. I didn't like how they setup the main lead character, he's genius because of a drug experiment in his childhood and this led to all kinds of made up scenarios stemming from his condition across different seasons. Every season, they twisted it in a different way which took away from having a consistent character. It's the eternal problem of any unplanned sequel seasons in a series. Which imposes an impossible task for any multi-seasons writers.Production: Seasons 1 to 4 were molded under the same OCN early days template, which all shared the same level of underwhelming production value. Soundtracks during season 1 & 2 were super generic stock background noise, only with season 3 they started to include music. Although season 3 was filmed better but had a much worse audio production in general. Season 4 was a noticeable improvement in production but it still wasn't quite there yet. This is all in comparison to regular shows that were released around early 2010s. On the other hand, season 5 brought with it a proper production and other improvements.
Characters: The dynamic and chemistry of the entire group during season 1 was abysmal, overacting from everyone, forced unnatural interactions and none of them clicked. Season 2 somewhat got better in that regard, you can notice that they got more relaxed but still not quite there yet. The ending scene of season 2 while the ML is kissing, his lips were shivering like crazy. It must have been super awkward to the point that they couldn't afford to have another take. Season 3 took a step backward with its changed cast. Detective Bae Tae Shik brought an awful dynamic to the table. Him and main lead didn't click together and created a bad on screen combination. It's probably why the writer didn't write him in for later seasons. The same can be said about other characters associated with Bae Tae Shik. The relationship and attempted romance between ML and Kyung Hee during season 1 & 2 was plain awful to watch. Only in season 4 it got reasonably better and season 5 fixed this issue completely by dropping the childish romantic tension and having them behave like adults. I liked seeing Kim Jae Won as a flashy villain in season 5, it was fun watching a different type of role from him.
Story: The structure of every season consisted of having a few cases then dedicate the last 3 episodes to the final case which had a personal connection with the characters. These last cases in every season were quite problematic for a variety of reasons, only season 5 had a better implementation despite its weak climax. More highlight across the seasons, the last episode of season 3 was the worst out of the entire series. The cloning plot in season 4 was super trashy and tacky, despite having an obvious playing room to take it into very interesting directions. The ending of season 4 featured another super weird and awkward kiss. The entire thing about AI in season 5 was really janky and a big stretch for the viewers to accept. In general, the cases were a mixed bag in every season, some were decent and interesting while others were boring, flawed or being stretched thin. However, season 3 featured mostly bad cases in addition to the handful of other problems which made season 3 to be the worst one in general.
The series as a whole was alright with a lot of ups and downs. It had a good concept with a varied degrees of execution. Although season 5 is the best one but it wouldn't have been that good as a stand alone drama without the accumulation of these characters journey. The ending of season 5 with both leads walking outside was very nicely done. On an unrelated note, it was impossible to not notice the ML's height.
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Incomplete by design!
As per usual, such dramas start with abroad locations and a big budget just to serve us with whatever later on. While the drama had action later on but it wasn't on the same level of its earlier episodes. The plot itself couldn't compensate for that. There was a certain level of carelessness and ridiculousness in a non-comical setting from the director that's impossible to explain other than being intentional to maintain the dumb action vibes like a B grade action flick. It got progressively challenging to tolerate regardless of its "supposed" entertainment value. After what they had done in this 16-episodes runtime, they had the audacity to keep all threads as open as possible for a direct sequel, which will never happen! Was it some kind of a practical joke? Other than some of the action scenes and a handful of selected moments, I can't see much value in this drama.Was this review helpful to you?
Now, I'm Breaking Up With This Drama!
There was something to be said along the lines of "it's about the journey not the destination" but there was no journey or destination to speak of here. At first, it seemed to be a worse version of Encounter (2018) but it turned out to be much worse than that with a stinky trashy tag engraved to its title. Usually Song Hye Kyo doesn't step this low but this proved to be otherwise, it was undeniably her worst project ever. The genius writer shamelessly adapted the deplorable trope of constant interruptions with any hints of a real conversation or dialogue at sight. I have no respect for creators who pull such moves. The drama was filled with the type of dialogue and cheesy one-liners that you would read in a fanfic, it was even filmed from the point of view of a one. Anyway, the drama was an unwatchable junk from a modern lens.Was this review helpful to you?
Live Up to Your Shame
Things can get really muddy when talking about the science of acupuncture, although this is a fantasy but to try and push one narrative over the other this desperately is a tough sell in this scenario. I don't think the drama managed to navigate mixed medicine practices from a modern medicine point of view successfully. In fact, the entire thing was dropped very quickly a few episodes later without being brought up again. So why did they ever bother? The first 5 episodes were enjoyable without overbearing time-travel cliches. However, everything turned to worse with episode 6, that's where they introduced your typical mundane cheese of someone who traveled in time. At this exact point, there was a harsh shift in the story, everything slowed down, and a plethora of extreme suspension of disbelief elements in contrast to the world building they had established were thrown in. Although we got brief hints of the story at the beginning from her grandpa and that one prisoner but it felt like it won't address these points until the last few episodes and that turned out to be true. Although I enjoyed the first 5 episodes but the rest were just disappointing.Was this review helpful to you?
The Lame Queen Seondeok
It would have been such a good show if they packaged it into 30 episodes. They had two subplots about Hwarang side quests that were a total waste of time, they paused the main story for them. While they might have served a small tiny purpose but the drama could've accomplished that without these easily. I read somewhere that the drama was extended from 50 to 62 episodes and I can't help but wonder if there was a direct correlation between extending the drama and introducing the character Kim Chun Chu at episode 36. Because both decisions were worse than one another. What made me more suspicious that this was the case was because it felt like someone has pushed the soft reset button on the story as a whole around episode 36 and everything took a big step backward. At this exact point I was about to mentally check out. Prior to episode 36, they had this Hwarang competition which was already the weakest checkpoint at this point so what came after only made things worse. Fast forward to the last chunk of episodes, all events post Lady Mi Shil involvement were clearly an unplanned afterthought which led to an underwhelming final climax. The is exactly at the extension gap between 50-62. Away from the poor pacing, the characters showed promise until they stopped. Guess what? It happened also after episode 36, the female lead who used to be a character full of characterization became a soulless blank of wood, boring, bland and dumb. There were many other examples of characters who went through the same downgraded transformation around the cursed episode 36.The story had one major point of disconnect that the writer blatantly swept under the rug, it single-handedly broke the story apart. The female lead came from a hermit living in the woods into her position of power immediately without any regard to any other factors concerning anything. The only justification we were given is that she read books while growing up and was raised in the streets. Her parents had no role in the process despite being the king and queen, not even for emotional support. All I see is just poor storytelling. The background music mixing was trash. Every scene started with low-ish background music, got progressively louder and became unbearably loud and intense until the scene is cut. Repeat this 20 times every episode and endure the nausea. Around midway through I was thinking this is a good 7/10 drama despite the Hwarang nonsense but it turns out that this drama was the perfect example of a drama having a good 1st half and fumbling the 2nd half so hard. I wouldn't give it more than a pitiful 5.5/10.
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The Return of The illegitimate Thief
Watching a drama with so much narration was kind of weird. It didn't help it case when the leads were whispering all the time with this monotone voice, almost like they were just reading lines off a script. Moreover, both of their performance was quite poor in general, I know they have the talent but not in this drama. The story itself felt like it was dragging its feet endlessly. The ending was a weak attempt at redemption. It rushed major sections with too many skips to rush progression and conclusion but ended up creating even more problems, leaving major gaps to what could have been a very simple wrap up. Releasing another version of Iljimae within 1 year turned out to be a poor decision when they have had learned nothing from the previous one.Was this review helpful to you?
The Forbidden Scam
A girl pretending to be the Crown Princess's ghost, a spirited leading lady, and a minor hiccup in the grand scheme of historical tales—the ban on love. It sold itself as this wild, carefree series, promising easy laughs and a blissful escape. However, the writers tripped hard trying to weave in melodramatic and political plots because the original concept was unsustainable for more than a couple of episodes. They birthed these laughable plots and pitiful antagonists in the process. The female lead, originally devious and witty, took this nosedive into becoming this sad, serious persona spouting profound but empty and hypocritical lines. It was hard to believe or feel anything she said or did after this drastic change in character. Again, forcing a systematic change across the board after a couple of episodes. At the end of the day, this is just another poor cosplay show.Was this review helpful to you?
The Drama Queen
While it may have had a gripping introduction and an attractive selection of cast, however, it couldn't maintain its momentum later on. It started off as a fully fledged political drama then added a mix of other genres and cliches with an overpowering flavor of Netflix-esque type of production. Within a few episodes, it quickly lost its creative edge and began to recycle and re-skin the same attacks and counter-attacks between the involved parties. It made the scoop of the drama quite limited for its +11 hours runtime. It's a female centered plot so naturally the spotlight was on them. Each received decent characterization, good introductions, showcased interesting dynamics, and donned fashionable attire. However, by the end of the drama, all of them blended into a bland and vexing mix, losing their initial allure. The drama may have been alright but it's not quite there. At least it didn't stretch for the typical 16 episodes so that's a small win. On another note, the superheroes slo-mo walking shots were cringe. And the brief teaser at the end for a potential 2nd season was tasteless.Was this review helpful to you?
Polymonogamy: The Prequel
The way they handled things was just all over the place. This loathsome love triangle infested its core amidst everything else. Forcefully pushing it in our throats around every single detour. It got trashier the longer it kept going. The drama was covered with palace politics, as always, but it was impossible to care about anything because they just obsessed over who's in love with whom, overshadowing anything the drama tried to offer. The pacing followed through in that regard—slow moments that dragged on forever for what could have been a quick tale. The drama fell way short of establishing a watchable narrative. It was like biting into a cookie and finding out it's all crumbs.Was this review helpful to you?
Didn't hit the jackpot
A strong, solid and gripping introduction that captured the expected theme perfectly, accompanied with thrilling gambling scenes. Choi Min Soo instantly pulled all the attention to himself. He did such an amazing job embodying this harsh intimidating king. However, it wasn't all sunshine and roses, most of the glamorous elements that made the drama attractive were evaporated after 3 episodes. A handful of useless characters may come and go. The gambling became a secondary plot device. Stretching the drama thin and long by introducing three mini-bosses like an anime arc. The main lead was equipped with impervious plot armor eliminating the tension and risks. He may suffer irrecoverable fatal damage just to be resurrected from the depths of hell because the drama can't continue otherwise. A handful of other writing problems that kept holding the drama back sprinkled throughout. The only character that remained interesting was King Suk Jong, waiting desperately for his next scene of which they were scarce for a main lead. Yeo Jin Goo should stop picking up king/historical roles, he might be one drama away from being entrapped in typecasting hell forever.Was this review helpful to you?
Secret Dealer
This drama was like a rollercoaster ride without the thrills or the rails. That first episode was unbelievably bad and a huge turn off to kick start the drama but I kept going regardless. The whole mystical shaman vibe in a historical setting turned out to be quite an unsuccessful combo in this case, it felt like they slapped on those elements without any real thought. The entire story felt so limited and restricted, even the cast, when taking into consideration its length. All of that was accompanied by poor pacing, you can imagine how they were trying to push it to reach the 20 episodes mark.Was this review helpful to you?
An embarrasing piece
It started off on a decent note but hit a major roadblock somewhere shortly after, a big nosedive out of nowhere! Disrespectful atrocious writing, to say the least. You may witness one of the worst written plot devices and tension management here. I was willing to give it a chance in the beginning despite the setback, but my interest plummeted faster than a rock when the male lead got entangled with that deplorable love interest plot. In fact, this applied to all of the four female leads. The momentum sputtered and stalled like a car running on fumes and the leads were stuck in first gear the whole time. The potential for a captivating narrative was there, hanging in the air, but the execution was practically non-existent. I'm fairly certain this is the worst drama Jang Hyuk picked up in his career, hopefully the last.Was this review helpful to you?
