This review may contain spoilers
a viciously well-acted thriller
First things first: the actors deserve all the praise here, Jeon Do Yeon and Kim Go Eun were absolutely brilliant. I could go on about them, honestly, but I feel that there would be too many spoilers so I'll just say that I think that they're two of the most talented actors working in Korea right now. No slouches in the supporting cast either - there were plenty of great performances but I'll highlight scene stealer Kim Sun Young, who played my favorite supporting character.In terms of the story, it's a gripping psychological thriller that builds tension very effectively and unravels in a satisfying way. The first half of the show is maybe more successful than the second half in that respect - the reveal of the biggest mystery was perhaps not as impactful as earlier ones but it fit kind of nicely with the overall themes so I didn't dislike it. There are plenty of other merits. Most significantly, it's a show that is blisteringly furious about well, a whole lot: the catastrophic, compounding failures of the justice system, the myriad of ways our society fails to protect victims of sexual violence, the dehumanization of prisoners, unethical journalism & the public's rabid thirst for salacious headlines over the truth - all that and more. But still there are moments of compassion, big and small: Lawyer Jung's trust, kindness & empathy shown by the prison warden and others that work within the system, loyalty & camaraderie even among the prisoners, Mo Eun (despite everything), Yun Su (despite everything), and that final scene.
Overall, probably one of my favourite shows this year and one I will definitely want to revisit!
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most entertaining show about taxes I've ever seen
Very enjoyable. Yes, it is about accountants and tax collectors which sounds like a snore but it is executed like a heist story. Im Si-Wan is reliably charismatic here, and I thought the rest of the supporting cast played their parts well. The show's charm for me was that it blends the fun (if predictable) beats of a caper film with the protagonist's emotional motivations and the underexplored subject matter of white collar crimes. It has its overly melodramatic and (in my opinion) boring moments, but overall it makes for a pretty engaging show.Was this review helpful to you?
