tenoh27

As the OP said, TG is more brutal/gory/crime compared to The Revenant. But the true heart of TG is its brilliant emotional core. It is definitely worth a watch, but might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

Completed story as of now.

No sequel at the moment. Park Hong Joo rose in ranks to become the president of her party.

I am happy with the ending and the season we got. As much as I love it, I am not keen on S2 but will watch if the cast come back, of course.

TG is one of my favourites.

I love “romance” but never expect the show to have it, and neither is there room for any except as a “joke”. They did deliver though (because the chemistry is so awesome the romance happens in my head-canon, post-canon).

I agree that it is perfect as it is with only “love”/friendship as depicted in the show.

I am still quite stuck on this show two and a half years after I finished it. 😅

Yes! I love Kang Gil Young to bits and she pulled me from start to finish. JEC did a brilliant job here!

It should be Park Il Do, the guy who killed his servants and family and then committed suicide so that he could become a “great spirit”. If not mistaken, the picture is of Hwa Pyeong’s (taxi driver) family and himself .

They are all good looking and it is a matter of preference who you find “better looking”. My real obsession in TG is Kang Gil Young (aka Jung Eun Chae. She rocked my world two years ago and never stopped).

This is one of the few Taigas I have enjoyed for the storyline and characterisations. The first half (the few episodes I watched) was at times played for a lark, but the second half was much more gripping and interesting.

This will be a memorable Taiga for me, mostly for the fact that they did not wholly paint the characters as “admirable” people with lofty, idealistic goals, but greedy, ambitious and ruthless for their own reasons. Much more “realistic” than the all-too-common whitewashing of and propagandistic portrayals of historical persons in Taigas.

This is a fabulous review, thanks so much! I agree a lot with your points and was highly satisfied by the ending and how they chose to end Ji-Hyo’s (Bo Ra’s too) arc in the show. It was beautiful and empowering.

This is a fantastic show for what it was, and I actually enjoyed the plot and the ending a lot due to its unconventional takes and satisfying conclusion. Thanks a lot for a wonderful review.

I love her from the first till the last, sorry.

Thank you so much for this lovely comment. Could not agree more. After so many years and other dramas, this still remains that rare favourite, and Go Eun Chan is as iconic as ever. Truly, the love story is still progressive, and even the more “makjang” elements were only played for laughs and resolved with little drama. Rewatching this never fails to bring back the feels. Perfect or not, this will always be a favourite.

I watched it recently, and frankly, it is still fantastic ! It did what it wanted in the way it wanted, and the messages came across well.

Classics are great productions and considered such for good reasons. It is natural people will have different tastes and expectations, so no one show/film will satisfy everyone, but I wish people could separate those out from their criticisms of a show/movie/drama; not my preferences/tastes =/= not good/overrated.

I love the shows I love but can still see their flaws, and those who pinpoint those get my respect.

Too many comments - which are also valid, but be prepared to get on the nerves of those who do love it - were simply, ‘I don’t like, so bad/overrated’, which is very different from, I don’t like/not my preferences/style/expectations, so I did not enjoy it’?

The fate of Park Hong-Joo was mentioned at the end. She became the president (leader) of her political party. It would be a disservice to what the writers/PD envisioned for the show if PHJ was simply “defeated” by the end of the drama. Her arc/trajectory slotted right in with the the social/political commentaries the show wanted to put forward.

TG ended on a very good note. (Although there was talk about a - so far - unfinalised movie). TBH, I am extremely happy with the ending we got and have no wish for more because it started and ended “realistically”, and highly consistent with the themes/messages of the show.

I love this show beyond many others, and because of how well it tied up everything (in general), I do not want another another. And because this is a more conventional KDrama in terms of episodes, I am quite rest assured that there won’t be another one.

No. There is no space in the story for it.

I loved the fact that The Guest had 16 episodes because that allowed for a better trajectory and development in the emotional beats to the story. Ultimately, I am in love with the characters, aesthetics, visuals and themes of the show, more than simply the plot.

I wished we got a bit more on the dynamics between the characters, but am happy with what we did get, even if two of the deaths were heartbreakingly sad (they all are, but…). As much as I love TG, I do not want a second season. The show was perfectly concluded as it was, and the writers, cast and crew did justice to the story they wanted to tell.

Yes, the ending was the perfect combination of cynicism, despair and that sliver of bright hope, doesn’t it? Consistent with the themes and message of the show.

It is so satisfying to find a show which is consistent with what it wants to say.

I completed The Guest more than six months ago, but I still rewatch segments nearly everyday, and have not been able to complete any other shows (even some objectively better ones) until now. That’s how obsessed I am. (And I am not a horror/thriller fan).

This show was at times bloody, gory and violent (they did blur the worst elements), though not much of jump scares. For non-horror fans, this could be quite a harrowing watch, but totally worth it. Watching during the day might help.