A psychological TV masterpiece... except for the final 5 episodes
(*Preface: I rarely rewatch TV series and that has nothing to do with the quality! My overall rating of the series is my final rating of the series!)
Episodes 1-5 (+8) was a gripping, psychological mystery part family drama about a murder crime and the complicated relationship between a profiler father and his estranged and elusive daughter. Describing it as a slow burn does a disservice to its impeccable visual storytelling, cinematography and blocking. I was hooked by everything; from Han Suk-kyu’s Jang Tae-soo’s inner struggles as a father to (newcomer Chae Won-bin’s) Jang Ha-bin’s multifaceted personality. The carefully crafted plot about how Ha-bin’s alleged involvement in the murder and how that forces her and her father to face unresolved issues in their family made me tune in episode after episode;
but by Episode 6, I felt something was off. More screen time was being given to side characters that were fated to just be plot devices, instead of the actual main characters and noticeably Jang Ha-bin. The plot twists that made me gasp and appreciate past character moments from Episodes 1-5 were significantly lost and were now present as signs of lazy writing and shock factor. Scenes of character development between the father and daughter were so rushed, I’m honestly sad this is how I’m going to think of the final episode.
As sad as I am, I’ll still cherish the first five episodes because this was my first proper deep dive into the psychological mystery/crime thriller genre and Jang Ha-bin is one of my favourite female characters from the thriller genre. No other series can replace that. I am still genuinely happy that Chae Won-bin and the rest of the cast got their wins during awards season! I look forward to seeing her and the rest of the crew in front and behind my screens again! 🖤
Episodes 1-5 (+8) was a gripping, psychological mystery part family drama about a murder crime and the complicated relationship between a profiler father and his estranged and elusive daughter. Describing it as a slow burn does a disservice to its impeccable visual storytelling, cinematography and blocking. I was hooked by everything; from Han Suk-kyu’s Jang Tae-soo’s inner struggles as a father to (newcomer Chae Won-bin’s) Jang Ha-bin’s multifaceted personality. The carefully crafted plot about how Ha-bin’s alleged involvement in the murder and how that forces her and her father to face unresolved issues in their family made me tune in episode after episode;
but by Episode 6, I felt something was off. More screen time was being given to side characters that were fated to just be plot devices, instead of the actual main characters and noticeably Jang Ha-bin. The plot twists that made me gasp and appreciate past character moments from Episodes 1-5 were significantly lost and were now present as signs of lazy writing and shock factor. Scenes of character development between the father and daughter were so rushed, I’m honestly sad this is how I’m going to think of the final episode.
As sad as I am, I’ll still cherish the first five episodes because this was my first proper deep dive into the psychological mystery/crime thriller genre and Jang Ha-bin is one of my favourite female characters from the thriller genre. No other series can replace that. I am still genuinely happy that Chae Won-bin and the rest of the cast got their wins during awards season! I look forward to seeing her and the rest of the crew in front and behind my screens again! 🖤
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