Pretty but soulless
The Silent Sea seems to have all the right ingredients, from premise to set design to casting, but unfortunately somehow failed to truly grab my full attention.I don’t consider my time with this show wasted at all, I did sit through all eight episodes in three days after all, but this is not a drama I see myself ever coming back to nor thinking about ever again
Visually speaking, this is a very impressive show. Probably the most expensive-looking Asian drama I have ever watched. The CGI definitely didn’t disappoint. And yet, for the most part, the cinematography didn’t leave a strong impression on me. Not implying that it was bad, not at all, I consider this to be a pretty visually stimulating drama, but it wasn’t anything more than competent. None of the shots felt bland or flat per-se but I can’t shake off the feeling, that The Silent Sea just lacked a certain something. Nice to look at, but not particularly interesting. The only thing I can say with certainty is that this show is dark, thematically, but also literally at many parts. So dark in fact, that at many points I was having real difficulties figuring out what was going on. That can be a stylistic choice of course, but I still don’t feel like it was an exactly smart one.
However, in my opinion, the biggest fault of the drama lies in the characters, which I couldn’t bring myself to really care about. For starters, I thought that many of them were too similar in personality. But I also just failed to connect with anyone emotionally. I don’t think that the actors are at fault here, if anything I was more than pleased with everyone’s performance, but it seems like The Silent Sea didn’t leave any room to showcase human emotion. For the most part, I don’t feel like we got to know anybody. There were very few scenes where I got a clear image of the crew’s dynamic with each other. I don’t need media to have banter and funny and witty one-liners every second scene, in a Marvel-movie-fashion, but I still needed something, anything from The Silent Sea that would have convinced me that these are truly individual people with their individual flaws, strengths, quirks, aspiration, and dreams.
Plot-wise I think this show was fine. The premise was what originally attracted me and the twists and turns kept me engaged, but I really do feel like a story can only be as strong as its characters and unfortunately, this drama just missed the mark here.
Please don't read this and conclude that I consider this to be a bad drama, I truly don't but it didn't really leave me feeling anything. It didn't make me smile (which, considering the genre, was to be expected), it didn't make me sad, it didn't frighten me, it didn't even really make me think about anything much.
Would I recommend The Silent Sea? Kinda a tough question. Personally speaking, it didn’t hit the spot, but I also feel like this might come down to a personal preference in genres. If you like science-fiction, violence, and (most importantly) cool-looking space-stuff, I’m sure you’ll have a field day with this. If you’re looking for a more emotional experience, maybe skip this one.
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Gong Yoo And Bae Doona Were My Main Reasons For Watching…
In all honesty I sort of feel as though opinions on this show are greatly divided and I can understand why.I’m a big Gong Yoo fan. I love his works and typically trust his project decisions just as Bae Doona is a brilliant actress and I’m often blown away by her performances. But I often struggled to warm up to their characters. The drama rarely gave us opportunities to really grow to any of the onscreen main leads and supporting cast? It’s hard to explain fully but there were never real moments which were particularly emotional or really made you fall in love with the characters.
As a non sci-fi fan I can’t really say that I’m overly familiar with this genre but I do know that a lot of the storyline did strike a slight chord with me as a bit same-old. I liked how the series helped to show you elements of the world that the series was set in but apart from that it did feel a bit boring.
The pacing was also very slow. I get that the intention was to make you wait and see what would happen but it did turn me off a little during scenes to actually engage in the storyline.
Overall I wouldn’t say this is a bad drama per say but mediocre. I know that South Korea is still pretty new to this kind of genre and I guess we have to take that on board as watchers, but I’ve certainly seen better takes on this genre by South-Korean directors in recent years.
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A lunar apocalypse.
Silence is not empty, it's full of answers. It's upon us to find them out and unless there is an effort, it remains in nothingness. The sea that is full of beings, has the capability to engulf the entire world in it's womb, yet it knows it's limits. But what about the sea that's sleeping silently somewhere out there in the universe and knows no way of self-control? That's what we are here to discover.THE SILENT SEA (고요의 바다) is a mixture of sci-fi, thriller and apocalypse; it has no romance elements and unlike most Netflix Korea shows, it's not gore and creepy, which means even for a thriller, it's not a heavy watch. The story is presumably an adaptation of "The Sea of Tranquility (2014), created by the director of this show. The drama is set up in far future (probably 100 years ahead). The world has changed a lot and the climate change has brought forward severe issues. Simultaneously, the development in case of aeroscience has sky-rocketed, resulting in easier travel to different planets and facile communication with earth.
A team of 11 has been formed to recover important samples from the moon, before they could shut down a station that faced a tragic accident 5 years ago, killing all the inmates. The team travels their on the spaceship 'Nuri 11' and sets out to 'Balhae Space Station' located on the lunar land. On their mission of retrieving the sample, they discover unusual activities and come to find out mysterious facts about the station that had happened 5 years back.
Song Ji An (Bae Doo Na) is a scientist who previously served as an astrobiologist but had to switch after a tragic incident to her sister. She was convinced to go on the mission. Han Yoon Jae (Gong Yoo) is a soldier for the space agency, who joins the team as it's captain. Dr. Jian's knowledge and Capt. Yoon Jae's leadership, are what drives the entire show.
Dr. Hong (Kim Sun Young) is a doctor who joined the team to provide medical assistance. Chief. Gong Soo Hyuk (Lee Moo Saeng) is also a space soldier who joins the team along with his space engineer brother Gong Soo Chan (Jung Soon Won). Lieutenant Ryu Tae Suk (Lee Joon), Chief Kim Jae Sun (Heo Sung Tae) are some other major characters.
The plot development is nice. The first 2 episodes that were expected to lay an introductory foundation, did a good job in establishing a good impression, except that they were slow paced. The space scenarios and the lunar premise were pretty intriguing to witness, for it also created a good amount of curiosity about what is next. I can't say that the entire story is immensely intriguing, because it had problems with pacing and storytelling. I expected some more back stories and for all of the characters, but it's understandable given the limited runtime. The gradual unfolding of mysterious facts and intentionally hidden secrets, were indeed intriguing. The ending, ummm, not something fabulous, that I was expecting but I liked how simple and meaningful it was.
Netflix Korea seems to be giving chances to previously failed or lesser experienced directors, writers and makers but it must try providing them with resources to nurture their skills. Just like Squid Game's, the director of this drama lacks profundity, though the show is not mediocre like SG. The pacing is inconsistent, not slow or rushed constantly that makes it boring or uninteresting of some sort, but a little noticeable.
The sound production is apt bcs it's Netflix, haha. The screen-editing is quite good; the connecting plots, revelations of elements and the suspense build up is up to par. CGI, well, Netflix is surely trying to improve thia area after serious criticisms; it was visible through this show. Even so, the CGI was actually poor in first 2 episodes, I can't lie about it though it improved with episode.
Writer Park Eun Kyo is an underutilized talent. She might seem a rookie to the audience, but she's the co-writer of the critically acclaimed Bong Joon Ho directed movie, "Mother (2009)". The basic concept of this show, though taken from another movie, had to rely on a well-written script, as the short movie was turned into a 360 minutes webseries. In that regard, jakka-nim has done a pretty good job. The overal story and screenwriting might not be something amazing, but overally as a show, it's a nice piece. Few things about the spaceship that went wary in the first episode could have been easily avoided but duh..
The drama addresses future world problems that we now only assume and predict with theoretical studies. The world has undergone enormous transformation due to severe climatic changes over years. Because of desertification, there is a scarcity of water as the water bodies including the sea dries down. All these are the concerns of future societies. The drama also narrates the possibilities that the future beholds in the area of space and planetary researches.
The pseudo-science created for the drama is compelling for sure. It is less of space science and more of a creative or fictional astro-biology. The lunar premise and the technological advancements are what we are gonna see in far future. Space show, in all aspects, is a new premise in the K-drama industry and it's good to see that it didn't entirely go phut. This is to a great extent an experimental drama. Just keep in mind that, the basic idea of the drama relies on astro-biology and not aero or lunar science.
There is a clear message of how greed and over-ambitious anticipations can bring destruction to mankind, even when it gives greater scope of research in science. Regret, responsibility and guilt are some other major elements incorporated in the characters. Good news is that, unlike many other Netflix Korea shows, The Silent Sea doesn't end with a cliffhanger. It didn't leave any single thing open or showcase any possibility of another season.
Overally, "The Silent Sea" is a good and interesting one time watch. The sci-fi elements and the actors are the prior reasons to watch this drama. I wasn't expecting anything excellent outta it since it's after all a Netflix Korea original show which is famous for creating 6/10 stupid shows. But anyways, this was good and moderately likable judging from all the points; be it technical and cinematic aspects or the message it wanted to convey. It's not very nice, still a decent watch, for sure.
P. S. Can't cite it bad just because of the poor CGI and faulty space facts used solely. There are plenty of aspects in a drama to be judged.
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Did I watch the same show as everyone else?
After watching this, I've found myself so disappointed that I really have to ask myself: did I watch the same show as everyone else?This was a show I eagerly anticipated watching. I was over the moon (haha) when I heard this drama was airing soon. I was expecting something amazing. A stellar cast, with a celestial horror/mystery? Count me in!!
Looking at the other reviews and comments about this show, it looks like, generally, most people have been really liking this show. So it puzzles me that I had such major issues with this show that it seems that other people did not have. I'm honestly wondering if there's just something I'm missing here.
One of my biggest problems with this show was the characters. I had no problems with the characters during the first episode. They seemed interesting and unique, and I was curious to see where they'd go with Bae Doo Na's character. And I had no doubt that the excellent cast, which was one of the main reasons I was excited for the show, would be able to deliver quality performances.
Where the drama went sharply downhill for me was about the second episode or so. My problem was that I could not understand why the characters were acting the way they were acting. Here's what I mean. As soon as the scientists make it to the space station, it is exceedingly obvious that there's something not right here at all. The drowning victims, the lack of radiation. More importantly, there's the people dying terrifying, unnatural deaths. But during all of this, I could not understand why the scientists seemed to unbothered?? Obviously, they shouldn't start panicking or running around like headless chickens but I feel like they don't seemed fazed enough? There's not enough of a sense of urgency in their actions despite the profoundly distressing situation. It's so bizarre to me I felt like a crazy person watching the show. I just could not understand these characters. Now, I think this does improve later in the show, where the characters act more logically. But by this point I'd already lost much of my interest in the characters and their success.
However, my biggest problem with the show was probably the plot. I hate crying plagiarism for no reason and I'm NOT saying that this drama plagiarized. But the set up was so similar to this Doctor Who episode I watched in the past. I think it's called "The Waters of Mars" or something? Anyways, both of them have the set up of these astronauts in space at the mercy of a sickness spread by water. I think they both even have the infected person expelling huge quantities of water, though that might just be in this show. And, to be fair, I can't remember enough of the details regarding the backstory and the characters to say that the two are similar in this regard. I digress. But what the problem for me was that the novel premise of the threatening water in the space station fell flat for me because I'd already seen it before. I was able to predict so much what happened, which killed a lot of the mystery and suspense for me. And I'm usually someone that's terrible at predicting what's going to happen next when I'm watching dramas!
To be fair to the show, the backstory behind the water, Luna, and the newer parts of the plot were in the last two or so episodes, which I skipped through a lot. I probably should've given the show more of a chance with these elements of it, but by this point I was so disappointed and annoyed I couldn't care enough. And the elements with the drought on Earth were interesting, but they weren't explored enough for me to give the show much more credit there.
Basically, to sum up my feelings, I really did not like this show. The suggested overall rating that MDL is giving me for this review is a 5/10, and that probably would be more fair. But I'm just so bitter about this show I can't give it more than a 3/10. I really wanted to like it, and I was so sure I would. However, this show just really didn't work for me. I would still recommend it if you're interested, though, since a lot of people seem to like it a lot.
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How to Survive a 24hours mission on the moon: The Silent Sea Method
1. You need Gong Yoo, Bae Doona and great physique (well, the actors do, I’m just pretending I can run). Be prepare to run. Run. Run. Run. And jump. Communication with Gong Yoo is a must. He’s the captain and the guy in charge. If you don’t maintain comms and do what he says, he will remind you. Bae Doona will only answer you if you have something scientific to add into the conversation.2. Prepare to go on a mission with minimal information. Remember, you’re a good soldier. So, do what Capt. Gong say, and you will be alright. Information will only be feed to you by second and fourth episode. Fifth episode, you sort off get the full picture.
3. Get your Binge-session/marathon-session routine ready. Comfy clothing is a must. Air-conditioner/heater needs to be in working order. Don’t forget food and drinks. If you’re watching via your laptop, ensure your charger is within reach. You can also thanks to the Netflix crew to do a full release of this 8-episode drama.
4. Be thankful of the clean water you’re drinking right now. Just do.
5. If you’re not into genres of space and pseudo thriller, this not the tv series for you. If you’re into some mindless thriller fluff with fantastic cast, you may enjoy this to end 2021.
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Amazing Cast !
I have mixed- feelings about’ The Silent Sea’ and it seems a lot of people on the platform shared likewise emotions.On one hand I think that the storyline was intriguing and having read prior reviews I think that it was amazing that the director of the original film also decided to film this one.
I also loved the main cast. I’m familiar with our leads as if you begin to become immersed in Korean dramas then you become accustomed to these names and their involvement in their works.
However where my more critical views came through a few factors; the storyline and the filming styles and techniques .
The biggest problem I found with the storyline was that in theory it should’ve been impactful but I struggled to become enticed by the characters as their presence onscreen felt very controlled and enforced by the screenwriter rather than natural. This often resulted in characters feeling a bit boring onscreen.
My other peeve was that the series was really reliant on CGI. I don’t think this is always necessarily a bad thing entirely as after all it is a series set in space and the future but in all honesty the CGI wasn’t entirely the best. It wouldn’t be too bad perhaps if the series had attempted to present this more with real-life scenes but this often created a sort of trippy feel to scenes.
The ending wasn’t entirely bad per day but I did feel like it didn’t quite finish off the events of the storyline.
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The “Silent” Show
“The Silent Sea” tells the story of the critical space mission that will determine the future of planet earth. Even though the drama had its problems, it ended up an enjoyable and interesting ride.The drama is a mystery horror thriller without any romantic aspect as it only focuses on the mission. Generally speaking, it isn’t creepy as it is gore and (a little) disgusting so I don’t consider it a heavy drama. The drama is also a Sci-Fi and that makes it not everyone’s cup of tea.
~~The Sci-Fi~~
The Sci-Fi of the drama is mainly about Biology, especially Astrobiology. I have to say that I found the Sci-Fi part pretty interesting and it was very well presented and delivered through the episodes. Using Astrobiology was one of the keys to success for the Sci-Fi theme because space is endless, full of mysteries and that lets the human’s imagination arise and make unique stories. Also, as we don’t know many things about space, the Sci-Fi part is more acceptable and less frustrating (unless you are an Astrobiologist I guess).
The Sci-Fi part reminded me of the “Panspermia Hypothesis” which basically says that “life began on Earth when the "seeds" of life, already present in the universe, arrived here from space”. I don’t know if the creators know about this hypothesis but I really like the fact that the resemblance with this hypothesis existed even if it wasn’t on purpose. If you watch the drama, you will understand this resemblance too.
~~The Pace and Storytelling~~
Slow but interesting, without action but suspenseful. This drama is very insidious, even though “silent” it manages to make the louder noise.
“The Silent Sea” is a slow burn drama, but it’s not boring. It takes it’s time to unfold the mystery and to create the right atmosphere. The suspense of the drama is built through the “unknown” factor and the process which will eventually lead to the knowledge and not through the violence and action scenes. Even the music of the drama is slow, mysterious, calm, hypotonic but also very interesting and aesthetically pleasing. As a lover of slow burn dramas, I really appreciate this drama’s aura.
“The Silent Sea” felt like a movie and this is a good but also, a bad thing.
The good thing first, it felt like a 7-hour movie, it was easy to binge and it didn’t lose its interest. The storytelling was very meticulously made. It had a start, a middle and an end united with a very good coherence. In other words, the story is a well-completed chapter.
The bad thing was that as a movie due to the lack of time has some undeveloped parts, “The Silent Sea” has some undeveloped parts too. The main undeveloped thing is the character’s depth. One of the advantages that series have over movies, is that they have the comfort to dedicate time to spend on the character building and on its development. “The Silent Sea” though didn’t dedicate the necessary time on this. All the characters were one-dimensional, even the ones with the backstories, and also, there isn’t any character development.
The second bad thing is the ending. Unfortunately, the story only focuses on the space mission and the mystery behind the accident but not to what happens after. As many movies, “The Silent Sea '' is dedicated to one action but not to the universe that this action is part of. Thus, I believe that “The Silent Sea” might have a second season.
~~Production and Acting~~
I don’t have much to say here, I am fully satisfied with both production and acting. Netflix paid much attention to their last Korean Drama of the year and the result was beautiful. “The Silent Sea” is just visually stunning with neat directing that contains beautiful space sceneries and scene transitions and with good quality VFX and CGI. The acting was great but the actors didn’t have the needed space to develop their portrayal through the drama and reach their full potential. Still, it was so nice to see these lovable actors on the screen again.
~~Overall~~
If you are a lover of Sci-Fi and slow burn dramas, but also a binge watcher, “The Silent Sea” is a very good choice. The story has some mistakes and some loose, rough points but generally, the storytelling is comprehensive in terms of its main theme and quite interesting. I don’t know if you will end up loving the drama or hate it but I believe that this drama will be an entertaining watching experience.
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"In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream…"
Choi Han Yong’s ‘ The Silent Sea’ is a series which will like divide its audience demographic greatly. Notable A-listers such as Bae Doona and Gong Yoo will likely attract drama enthusiasts towards the drama’s cast lineup and involvement. However ‘The Silent Sea’’s amalgamation of different sci-fi stories and Han Yong’s attempted execution of these plot points may naturally lead to some divided opinions amongst drama enthusiasts and sci-fi aficionados alike.
The plot takes place in a dystopian alternative-future where the earth’s water coverage has been reduced by nearly forty -percent. In an attempt to govern humanity and ration supplies, citizens are assigned a “water grade” based on a hierarchy ranking system that determines how much of the liquid they’re allowed to access. So in an attempt to resolve problems humanity attempts to look for answers ( quite literally) in the stars.
Astrobiologist Dr. Song Ji-an ( Bae Doona )is sent on a salvage mission alongside gruff soldier Han Yoon-Jae ( Gong Yoo) in order to collect samples at the deserted Balhae moon station. With both characters having their own personal motives for taking on the assigned task the duo come across some startling and horrifying secrets as they begin their mission.
Netflix’s ‘The Silent Sea’ origins were admittedly still quite visionary by being based upon Han Yong’s notable short movie ‘ The Sea of Tranquillity’. Yet unlike the art-house-style influences of Yong’s original directed work, ‘ The Silent Sea’ notably markets itself to a wider audience demographic as a “ sci-fi and dystopian epic” with slow- burn mystery ; a mini-series that is likely to eagerly please and disappoint in equal measure.
The plot twists and turns that become apparent throughout ‘ The Silent Sea’ will likely divide those familiar with the sci-if genre; action sequences straight out of Ridley Scott’s ‘ Alien’, a suspenseful tone familiar to Christopher Nolan’s ‘ Interstellar’, bilingual exchanges paying an evident homage to Joss Whedon’s ‘ Firefly’( changed evidently to Korean and English ) , a key plot point nearly strikingly familiar to Jo Sung Hee’s ‘ Space Sweepers’, and an unsurprising likeliness to the water -themed 2009 British series’ ‘Doctor Who’ special ‘The Waters of Mars’, will possibly highlight the fine-line between paying homage and striking similarities to other notable works throughout the drama.
Of course whilst the familiarity of some of these plot twists does come into question when looking back at ‘ The Silent Sea’ it’s important to point out that the series does facilitate a solid pace with its revelations and twists right up till the last episode. However while the plot surprises are still interesting to some extent , ‘The Silent Sea’ could often neglect a crucial element to delivering its attempted tour de force moments: the cast and the characters.
Bae Doona and Gong Yoo are the undeniable star- attractions of the drama through their idiosyncratic performances offering a subtle touch of mystique and heartache as their onscreen counterparts.
Nevertheless given the evident potential for character depth in a series which explores the complexity of humanity, it will likely strike viewers as slightly unusual that ‘ The Silent Sea’ rarely diverged into using even initial exposition for establishing character personalities and adding a tweak of depth to their seemingly profound egocentric motives . Whilst later episodes place a quintessential limelight upon the characters’ roles to play in the events of the series and plot-drive, without baseline personalities ( aside from Doctor Song), notable main and important characters in the series could often slightly shallow and uninteresting .
The design of ‘The Silent Sea‘’s “ advanced” technological world and the cinematography are decent enough during viewings. There is an undeniable high reliance on CGI throughout the filming of the series; not out of the question for a series set in space, but also leading to some heavy artistic licensing by Han Yong. ( Astrophysicists, engineers and science experts may want to look away from these scenes as the logic is often devoid during these scenes .) The established setting is also not too preposterous for audiences ; several holographic displays subtly reminding the audience that this is series is set in the near-future every so often but admittedly not quite being awe-inspiring either.
‘The Silent Sea’ delivered a promising sci-fi mystery epic that brought together a myriad of sci-fi plot point twists to an original concept. With that said the series felt as though it could’ve had more episodes in order to actually flesh-out characters and the world-building of the series , leading to a mixture of mixed-reception with the final production. Viewers looking for a quick binge-watch investment with some familiar faces along the way may revel in the series’ end result . However fans of the sci-fi genre may be slightly disappointed by Netflix’s s high- budget extravaganza which whilst satisfactory for the most part did lack more of an impactful punch.
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This is why everyone needs lab safety training
This drama definitely had a bunch of people making bad decisions about lab safety. (Not to mention ethics, but we're setting those aside because the moon has no ethics board, so it's fine.) I was constantly torn between yelling PUT ON YOUR HELMET at everyone as they wandered around the station and the knowledge that if Gong Yoo put on his helmet, I would not be able to see him and his neck tattoo as well. I would like to thank whoever is responsible for that character detail. He and Bae Doona were great together, especially as the show went on, but I enjoyed the cast in general!After an episode or two, I got really worried that the whole drama was going to be basically the plot of the Doctor Who episode "The Waters of Mars", but thankfully, it was not! It did feel predictable at times, but I wouldn't say that in a bad way. More like it set things up rather than going for shocking ~omg it's a twist~ twists out of nowhere.
It did feel like they were setting up a few things for a potential second season, which made me sigh, but I'd consider watching it if they made one.
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Mixed emotions on this one
I had high expectations but the length (at least 1/3 too much) and the biological/physical nonsense heavily damaged watching this series.I liked the idea of discussing the future of water, which covers most of the world today, makes up most of the human body, and was even understood as a principle in the formation of the universe in early Greek philosophy, and is threatened by human activities. I liked the experiment on the goldfish. I liked the clashes of interests regarding the mission on the Moon.
In my eyes, showing how lunar water had been identified, then mined, leading to the establishment of the base, would have improved the production.
The problems now.
The plot is meaningless as - even accepting the biological impossibilities presented - the company interested in putting its paws on the resources in the base could have just sent its own craft and crew. There was no need to infiltrate the space agency mission.
The plot is - separately - meaningless because of the many impossibilities presented:
1. One can't see a virus using the microscope used,
2. and can't even see a bacterium unless one prepares the bacterium by first staining it.
3. Genetic modifications in one biosystem cannot become antibodies in another one.
4. The girl would have died of starvation,
5. and if she had exited the base, would have immediately frozen to death and be without breath.
6. Water cannot replicate as reported.
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
The writer(s) should have consulted KAIST and/or some other group/institute to mitigate the nonsense in the series. Bae Doona could have done chromatography on the water, investigated the plants, worked under hoods, irradiated/autoclaved stuff, and she would have realized if liquid water exists inside the base, parts thereof would exist as water vapor and thus cause the same effects as the liquid, ...
Now "The Silent Sea" will negatively affect me watching "Stranger 3" (if it comes out), since Bae Doona would have the leading female role (like in "Stranger" and "Stranger 2").
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Too many gaps ...
The series promised to be interesting, not original but interesting. Unfortunately it had more and more gaps in the script with each episode. Later events contradicted logic and earlier events, e. g. {{"From the dialogues it appeared that water was multiplied by living blood. Upon the death of the host, water reproduction ceased. . . ok logical. . . Suddenly in the last episode we have an ocean of water. . . . From 4 dead bodies? Another example: a captain locked in a lock where he is flooded by water. Then, after being pressurized by the ever-increasing water level (no one knows from where), water flows out of the space station and automatically freezes. . . . Meanwhile, in the final scene, our captain. . . suddenly he's leaning against the moon rocks? How?}} So I'm deluded. . .Nevertheless, I liked the acting . :)
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A Shallow Pond
This one was easy to marathon because of its small amount of episodes, and with a duration of 45 min each, they kept even those kinda short.The title is dope. Can't deny this, I'm a sucker for those things. And it fits, too.
As for the story... I'm always in for a nice Sci fi plot (as a writer you can let your imagination run wild and create so many things, as long as you can make them believable) and the basic idea here is indeed interesting. But when you look at every element, there sadly is nothing new. The overall story is very similar to The Expanse (some of you might be familiar with that show) and some other interstellar movies. The storyline and the characters are very stereotype and predictable. There's the team leader who wouldn't move and wants to finish the mission, the rebellious biologist, the spy and a mix of some different crew members. The politician who is a follower of capitalism and confidentiality, and a hidden third party.
The thing that annoyed me the most was the technical execution. It's set in the future, there should be a certain digital and technical progress in everything. Some things did indeed look that way, but then again there were so many things that didn't fit in. Usually I like to overlook things like that but in these kinds of shows I want to see the progress in every little detail, no matter how small it might be. I want to admire them. I want to ~feel that the story is located in the future. Not to mention the medical parts. Come on, the doc only needs one look at a patient and already knows what's wrong with him. Yeah, right...
There are things happening and decisions made that seem weird. You want to know why they did what they did, but you don't get an exact answer.
So, with all the criticism above I couldn't decide whether the show was either too long or too short. The second half felt dragging (funny considering that it has only 8 eps in total), yet I wish they would have added more episodes to explain every single puzzle in more detail.
The inaccuracies turned The Silent Sea into a shallow pond.
I do praise the cast, they at least did a fantastic job with an otherwise lacking script. Some extra points for them, the cinematography and the idea. This doesn't mean it was a complete failure though. It had its good parts as well, I did enjoy certain things and also completed the show.
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