The Smile Has Left Your Eyes Review: Brilliant performance by Seo In-guk

This review has MASSIVE SPOILERS for TSHLYE and the JDrama Hundred Million Stars From the Sky

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm a new Seo In-guk fan thanks to Doom At Your Service so I went looking for more of his dramas and discovered The Smile Has Left Your Eyes. I spoiled myself for the ending because I kept reading how tragic it was and wanted to know what I was in for, but despite serious misgivings I watched anyway and HOLY SH*T I was absolutely blown away.

Does the drama have serious flaws? Yes

Does it kind of make no sense because of changes from the Japanese original? Big yes

Is it worth watching anyway? ???

Lemme break it down:

Plot:
A sociopathic young man with a mysterious past gets tangled up in a murder mystery. The detective investigating the murder has secrets of his own, some of which may involve the male lead. The detective's younger sister is irresistibly attracted to the ML despite screaming red flags and the frantic efforts of her older brother to keep them apart. Oh yeah, the ML and FL have literal matching burn scars that hint at a shared tragedy in their pasts...

Performances:
SIG is who got me to watch this show in the first place and his performance is phenomenal. Kim Moo-yeong is a literal sociopath with dead eyes, a sardonic smile and no remorse. Someone whose actions directly and indirectly lead to the deaths of five (!!!) people in the drama. And yet, he's sexy, magnetic, compelling and, in later episodes, sympathetic. He never stops being crazy dangerous but despite that you can't help but be attracted to him. SIG's looks are a bit strange (tho I find him very handsome, just kind of weird looking at the same time) and that suits the role perfectly.

Jung So-min was also amazing as Yoo Jin-kang. She's someone who carries deep wounds from childhood that she covers with a cheerful smile. Someone who is crushed by the weight of guilt and obligation toward the adoptive brother who raised her. Someone who is well-liked but who isn't truly understood by any of the people in her life -- until she meets the male lead. He's a terrible, dangerous person in many ways but he's also the only person with whom she can be completely naked physically (showing him her burn scar) and emotionally.

The chemistry between SIG and JSM is off the charts. Sometimes it's almost painful to watch them together because of their desperate need for each other. I particularly loved the scenes of them clinging to one another as they shared painful childhood memories.

Park Sung-woon is also strong as the female lead's overprotective brother. His character is initially framed as a noble police officer with integrity but as the story unfolds his dark secrets and hypocrisy become more and more evident. He has great chemistry with both SIG and JSM and the three of them form the points of a deeply screwed up triangle.

Direction:
The drama is beautifully filmed and the OST is mesmerizing. Overall I'd describe the drama's atmosphere as dark, enveloping, and at times suffocating, which really works for the story being told. There are some interesting instances of visual storytelling, such as a scene where a flashback showing Jin-kang falling asleep while holding her brother's hand cuts to a shot of Moo-yeong and Jin-kang holding hands after making love for the first time.

Oh and let me shoutout the skinship in the drama, particularly the first love scene. It starts when Moo-yeong tells Jin-kang "I want to sleep with you" and she replies "I do too." It then cuts to them playfully undressing each other and lots of natural kisses. It is so different from the ridiculous portrayal of physical intimacy in most dramas. SIG isn't known as the master of kissing for nothing and his skinship moments with JSM are a joy -- not just the kissing and lovemaking but also things like a scene where they cook dinner while still keeping a tight hold on one another.

Flaws:
This drama is based on the Japanese drama Hundred Million Stars From the Sky which -- SPOILER -- ends with a murder suicide after the leads discover they are brother and sister and have committed incest. The Kdrama couldn't go there (probably because of broadcast standards) so instead the incest connection is a misunderstanding. The problem is without actual incest a lot of the plot points make no sense, particularly the actions of the older brother who hides information from the leads that would've made it clear they aren't siblings. They wanted to keep the tragic ending (transformed into a double murder instead of a suicide) without fully committing to the story. Ah well. I still cried buckets through the last two episodes.

Bottom Line:
This drama is unlike any other I've seen. It combines thriller, mystery and melo elements with a unique romance that grips you right away and doesn't let go for the full 16 episodes. Despite gaping plot holes this is a must watch for SIG and JSM fans. It was announced in the spring that they are going to star together again in a film called Wolf Watch and I'm skippy clapping with anticipation.

Read More

I can't forget about it.

I watched this drama a while ago, in 2018, little time after it came out. I didn't know it was about a crime, as you can see I didn't even read the drama description, I just started watching it because of Jung So Min. I can't be more grateful, because if I had, I probably wouldn't have watched it, as it's not my favorite drama topic. I started the drama with a smile and ended up crying, that's true, but that's probably one of the best things about this drama. It makes you feel. You feel everything every character is feeling, the mix between mystery, romance and every character's backstory is just perfect.

Read More