Night Light (2016)

It’s very difficult to talk about Night Light. A very unique and uncommon drama than what we’re used to in kdramaland, it almost feels completely foreign in a land of romance melodramas and romantic comedies.

Story
Welcome to the ugly side of the business and enterprise world. The drama talks strictly about the ways CEOs and company presidents try to multiply their revenue, manipulating each other, using and abusing their power and money in order to achieve their goals.

In its core the drama wants to express how in such power games there are no friends, presidents are ready to form alliances to destroy their opponents and then turn their back on their “friends” to become the winners. It is a constant, never-ending battle for power filled with dirty scheming and despicable plotting. Therefore the drama ends up being quite unfulfilling and frustrating as it makes us feel like it goes nowhere.

Night Light focuses on a female ceo who wants to become the richest woman in Korea destroying her opponents, having no friends, using and throwing away people in order to accomplish her ambitious goal.

The drama does not offer any comic relief, no side stories, no romance at all, no sad backstory, nothing. It is firm and brutal staying in the same strict line of corporations.

Best thing I could mention about the drama was the constant turning of tables, the winner never stays the winner for more than 1-2 episodes while the alliances between the power people changed all the time depending on their interests.

My favourite thing however was easily the amazing underlying chemistry of Lee Yo Won and Uee in their roles. Usually in kdramas the female leads are enemies or frenemies at best. Here on the other hand, the chemistry was off the charts and the relationship was a lot more fluid which made the drama very interesting and kept me going. Moreover, i feel inclined to mention the incredible clothes fashion by the main cast that was a pleasure to watch as well as the spotless background music instrumentals that made most of the drama pretty atmospheric.

At this point i feel inclined to talk about the girl power in the drama. The drama is all about female empowerment. We get a female lead who is vicious and strong beyond imagination. Saying something sophisticated and memorable whenever she opened her mouth, slaying men, scheming and plotting, destroying them in their own game. If this isn't stimulating and exhilarating in a sea of weak female characters in kdramaland, i don't know what is!

The first half of the drama was more interesting for me as there was some background story and the relationship between the main characters was quite intriguing as well as the drama talked about relatable stuff like the importance of money. That being said, the second half of the drama focused almost completely in the subtle battles between the companies and that in combination with the characters being completely difficult to empathize with and the situations being thoroughly unrelatable made the drama very difficult to keep up with and rather boring.

Acting
I read quite some viewers had issues with the acting, but I beg to differ.

I could easily say that acting is the best part of the drama mainly because of Lee Yo Won. Her naturally cold aura fitted perfectly with her strong, cold-blooded and ruthless character. I was utterly impressed by her performance from start to finish. Best and most vicious character I’ve seen in a kdrama and best portrayal of such character!

Uee has a lot of haters but I think her acting was equally as good in a very sweet but determined character. She stood well next to Lee Yo Won and in a very weird but beautiful way they complemented each other. It was a blast seeing them on screen together hope they can work together again.

Jin Goo’s character was rather weak and a pushover. I think he didn’t suit the character well at all, it was almost annoying seeing him act but I can’t say his acting was bad per-se, he just wasn’t a good choice I think.

Recommend/Rewatch
The drama is difficult and not for everyone. If you want romance, melodrama, comedy or anything usually found in kdramaland, this is not for you. This is strictly a business drama only for lovers of the backstabbing and the fluidity of such situations which is the beauty of them. I will never rewatch this.

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This Drama is a chess match composed of insight, focus, and will. Understanding the essence of individuals, always keeping one's goal as the decision maker, and the determination to follow through are the strengths of the main character. There is no chosen protagonist. The audience decides. The antagonist is our own bias. If people see Lee Yo Won's character as "cold and calculating", it is a reaction to her blunt honesty in her assessment of people and relations.

I absolutely enjoyed this Drama. It exposed yet another aspect of us. A side of us we so quickly dismiss.

Lee Yo Won is an incredible professional. She is adept at communicating complex and mixed emotions without overt expressions. This is a talent and gift.

Kudos to the writers, directors, and actors. Very well done.

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