This review may contain spoilers
Powerful first half, unsatisfying second half.
I hopped on the hype train when I saw all those 10/10 reviews, but this certainly did not live up to the expectations for me. Here are my thoughts after watching the drama, as a dissenting opinion to all the 10s in the reviews. I would recommend watching Flower of Evil, but don't expect too much like I did.The first few episodes set the stage for the story, leaving you wondering what each characters' motivations are. However, as the drama progressed, new characters were introduced and they start to become plot devices just to push the story forward. Without spoiling too much of the plot, I felt like the damsel in distress sister and the comatose guy had highly convenient relationships with the main cast that would just be ridiculous in reality. Also, the whole human trafficking side plot was unnecessary...
There is some suspense of belief required here, as this is absolutely NOT a realistic drama. Of the several crime/police dramas I have watched before, this does not rank high. If you're watching this merely for Lee Joon ki, Lawless Lawyer has a much better and believable drama structure. I understand the need in Dramaland for some coincidences, but this drama has one too many. After a few near-death experiences, trapping Lee Joon ki in a burning building doesn't make my heart race anymore because you know that he is effectively immortal in Dramaland anyway. Skip 20 seconds of burning building footage and his wife will magically appear and save him. Towards the end, I also found myself skipping the romantic scenes to get to the end of the story. I just wanted to know how the good guys and bad guys stories end, and everything else was filler to me. Blame the writer for writing it this way, but there has to be a better way to cause conflict.
Overall, I agree with the consensus that the cinematography and directing was superb. However, the writing was a bit questionable, as it got pretty repetitive later on. If you're new to police dramas, there are much better ones than this. If you're looking for a melo disguised as a thriller, there are also better ones out there. Once you've watched those, come back for this one - it's not bad, but definitely not worth a 10.
*SPOILER*
Throughout the entire drama, I felt like the idea that Do Hyun su is not a bad guy is forced down our throats. Everyone's actions are very one-dimensional - all the police were always against the homicidal monster, while Hyun su's side was continuously trying to drive the narrative that serial killing does not run in the family. While the premise was interesting pre-watch, I think it got tiring towards the end when it was the exact same Good vs. Evil trope.
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An Unpopular Opinion
So I decided to watch this drama after seeing all the raving reviews and most importantly the interesting premise. The idea of the show is very intriguing but the drama failed to execute the plotline.The acting and filming were really well done. The relationships displayed between the characters were interesting but there was a lot of unrealism for a thriller for me personally. The number of coincidences to drive the plotline forward made the show predictable and when it was not predictable the characters displayed what felt like a trainwreck of decisions. For a crime thriller, the drama lacked finesse and story building that makes a viewer engaged in the drama. This drama is more focused on the human element of behaviour. That was all fine and all but the ending for me did not achieve closure. Instead, the end felt like a waste of time and was just filler, especially episode 15 & 16. Overall, this drama just left me feeling unsatisfied.
This drama would be for those who are okay with not needing a drama to have a well thought out crime and investigation component.
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A flower blooms where evil has been buried; suspenseful melodrama with a poetic narrative!
"I wanted to share the message that even where evil has been buried, flowers can still bloom." — Yoo Jung Hee, Flower of Evil writer.Despite its outer appearance of a thriller, the drama centers about love and how powerful it is. Flower of Evil, on its core, is a romance thriller of salvation and healing. And, while there are already dramas trying to prove those themes, no drama has been as successful and powerful as Flower of Evil. When you think you are going to be disappointed because your gruesome psychopathic nightmare of a drama doesn't happen, Flower of Evil proves better; it offers you a deep and breathtaking drama, with great acting skills, directing, and solid writing.
Flower of Evil is one of Korea's masterpieces and I'll stand on that argument of mine. The story soaked so many emotions in me and had given me so much catharsis. Its composition is 20% suspense with 80% melodrama, but despite that composition, the suspense and the melodrama were well-balanced and complemented one another in order to come to its warming and beautiful conclusion.
The drama centers on the character and relationship growth of the married couple as they find themselves closer to the cruel truth they don't want to face. It has its share of suspenseful events partnered with suspenseful orchestral instrumentals. It is thrilling, but instead of focusing only on those elements, it combines melodrama to give a powerful story. The rawness and vulnerability of the characters made the drama powerful. We have a questionable manipulative male lead who has a dark past and deceits, and a female lead who is strong, firm and a principled police officer that at the same time, still compassionate. Many put this drama as fast-paced, but in the end, it felt like just in the middle as everything was well thought-out and well-planned. It was deep. It was great. It was breathtaking. The writer proved this with the parallelisms and metaphorical messages she laid out in the overall narrative.
One thing I very loved about the drama is how they tackled and discussed questions about morality and ethics. It will always be fascinating to know how people can easily point out others' sins as if they are cleaned themselves.
Going to its downsides, there is a character that I wished was further explored and had given more narrative. Going critical, is the mental diagnosis accurate here? As I'm not a psychiatrist, I can't say about its accuracy, but, instead of putting Flower of Evil as a realistic one, I'd put Flower of Evil as a somewhat poetic and romantic tale. With those things said, I highly recommend Flower of Evil to those who enjoy deep, emotional and mature romances. As for viewers who enjoy gruesome thrillers, crime or procedural ones, as this drama is more on the melo side and on evoking multitudes of emotions to the viewers, they may feel unsatisfied with the turns the drama took and convenient drama troupes used in latter episodes (tho it didn't overshadowed the whole narrative).
As for the acting, it was exceptional. If you've seen the casts before and think that they are already good or you are not a big fan of them—whatever the case is, the drama stands a very high chance of changing your opinion about them. This is Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chae Won's best performance I've watched so far. Every character is incredibly well-acted even the side-ones and because of this huge factor—Flower of Evil is this effective. Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chae Won who played the leads complemented one another in acting as a married couple standing desperately in the broken bridge of trust; there was no overpowering acting, both of them give their all and you'll feel it. Their emotions intensified their chemistry and you'll feel how sincere, strong and vulnerable their characters are. Aside from the leads, I want to give praises to Nam Ki Ae, Kim Ji Hoon, Han Soo Yeon, Seoyeon (Eun Ha) and Seo Hyun Woo.
For the directing, it was well-done, this is my first time watching a drama of Kim Chul Gyu, so, I've been thinking of watching his other dramas. I was also personally in awe of the cinematography of the first part of the drama and its finale. The color tones used all through-out were exquisite and consistent for the melo and thrilling scenarios. The soundtrack has left me wanting for more songs but was good, suspenseful, and heart-wrenching. The suspense was thrilling but the melodrama and romance broke my heart into pieces then put it back into one whole piece.
PS: A year had passed and I was able to see again this masterpiece, unlike from before, I was able to even appreciate its soundtrack even more especially the orchestral ones. The rewatch value has been higher because as you rewatch the drama you will even find more.
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Sadly not a masterpiece and surprised by the ratings
I really wanted to love this, i like Lee Joongi and the synopsis looked interesting but it was really disappointing. It started interesting but then it keeps getting worse and worse and it gets ridiculous in the end, not enough attention to details to be a crime and thriller drama. Everything was too predictable, full of cliches and it get so frustrating at some point.I didn't hate the male lead even if he keeps doing the same mistakes again and again, he has a good character development throughout the show (sadly it all get destroyed with the last episode).
Joongi was amazing as always but even his acting couldn't save this drama for me but the little girl and her relationship with him was one of the few things that i loved, i adored every single moment with them.
The Fl was probably the most disappointing character, she keeps trusting the male lead and stop trusting him within a second and it gets ridiculous and irritating. She doesn't looks like a detective, she continue to be handcuffed with extreme ease, she also makes very serious mistakes. I liked the actress but not when she was crying or screaming (and it happens a lot) i'll like her more in other dramas probably.
A thing that i loved was the villain, WOW, his acting was so good (can't wait to see him again) and i loved his character despite all the clichés. The drama would it be so boring without him, it's thanks to him that i didn't dropped it. If you love evil characters usually you will love this one as well.
The other detectives and the journalist didn't shine for me honestly. I didn't felt attached to anyone .
The Ost was not bad, little few good songs but that i'll probably won't remember for a long time. We mostly hear the same song and it gets tiring at some point even if it was good.
Loved the cinematography though.
It doesn't even come close to be a masterpiece in my opinion. I'm honestly so surprised by the reviews, maybe i should've not have such high expectations.
If you want an intense and good thriller, a good crime with a lot of suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat this is not the drama for you.
But if you prefer a well acted melodrama and cheesy romance full of cliches then you will probably like it.
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It was so thrilling and suspenseful at first and then all of a sudden it just felt like a romantic melodrama. It was honestly so thrilling to watch till episode 5 and even after that till episode 9 it was mostly good but then it started going downhill from that point onwards.
So yeah the reason why I don't love this drama is cause of the story. It started out well and then was getting progressively ridiculous and cheesy...and gosh there was just way too much going on. Too many coincidences and overly dramatic. And lol don't get me started on the last episode...gosh why did they have to add in that overly used trope?! It was too cliched and frankly painful to watch.
Buuuut I must say I really liked the cast in this drama. Every single actor was pretty good, especially Lee Joon Gi.❤
In fact, the best thing about this drama was LJG. Like holy cow can we talk about how brilliant his acting was?...honestly, despite all the problems I had with the story, the reason why I was able to watch it till the very end and actually even enjoy it somewhat overall was cause of his outstanding performance.❤❤ Moon Chae Won too was pretty good though at times her acting wasn't very convincing. However, the chemistry between her character and LJG's character was so good!♡
And I love love love the ending theme!!♡♡
I don't regret watching this cause I got to see an awesome performance by LJG but this drama is certainly overrated imo..
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Wow!
Okay! This was a GREAT drama! The reason I started watching this was because of Lee Joon Gi, but at the end of this show I fell in love with all the characters.The reason why I gave this drama an overall of 9.5 rather than 10 is because of the semi-predictable plot. I kind of knew where it was going from the beginning and there was only one plot twist that truly shocked me, though I'm not going to get into detail about that. Other than the predictable plot, the ending. Oh gosh, now that was an ending. Again, I'm not going into detail about it so I don't spoil it for you guys, but all of those people who have already watched this show, are totally aware of my feelings and probably feel the same way as I do.
The acting/cast was amazing! The cast was amazing, all of them were on point and drew emotions from me (which, by the way, is hard to do). They made me feel the anguish, happiness, and darkness. Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chae Won together was honestly the best thing the writers have done and that's not to forget little Jung Seo Yeon who just wowed me away with her acting skills. Although she got little screen time, she still is one of my favorite characters in this show. Kudos to the writers who found this precious little girl!
The music to this kdrama was fantastic! It was played at just the right moment. Whenever there's a suspenseful scene, the music always made things ten times scarier. Whenever there was an emotional scene, the music would make it ten times more emotional, and yeah, you get my drift. The music played a great part in my liking of this show because they managed to find just the right tune that hits the right spot.
This is one of my favorite dramas of all time and actually one of the first dramas that I watched. It was quite an experience waiting every week for two episodes and leaving off on cliffhangers. If you're considering whether or not to watch it, please go ahead and do :)
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One of the best
As a fan of Lee Joon Gi, you know I had to check this drama, and boi when I tell you I became all over again, this show had everything I could ever ask for in a drama.Romance, suspense, thriller, emotions, acting, music,, literally if I could describe a perfect drama, this would be it.
I have watched it 3 times already, and every time I catch something I missed, so I will be re-watching it again for a forth time, and despite how many I have watched it, I have yet to get bored from it.
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This drama was surprisingly so good.
How the story unfolded kept you in suspense but didn't make you feel annoyed as if it was being dragged out. The reveals were purposeful and linear so that each preceding mystery to unravel felt appropriate.Let's just say that this cast and the acting was definitely topnotch. Some of the best K-Drama acting you could find.
When new characters were added to the mix, they played a key role but not meant to distract or cause chaos to generate false intensity. The intensity always stayed on the core plot and didn't divert into any secondary stories, or triangles, or just plain stupid people doing stupid things, that you see in lazy writing. This writer had a story they wanted to tell and they told it well.
For a story about people lacking in emotions, there were far more emotions than you get in drama plots meant to be tearjerkers.
Lastly, the writer really did want to give a statement on the state of humanity with its gossip, quick judgments, misconceptions, and the influence of social media with its group think, and cancel culture tactics. How good people are driven to do certain things because they know this dynamic and want to avoid it at all costs. Topping this aura out with the mistrust and maltreatment of people who have mental health issues based in circumstances and genetics completely outside their own control and the unfairness of it all.
I really truly appreciate that the writer made these cases in the drama without wielding a heavy hammer in doing so. They were blunt yet sophisticated in their subtlety as well that you could choose to take this drama at face value or open the message within in it. This way, you attract the respect of more viewers with differing POVs. Well done by the writer. I'm certainly impressed.
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This review may contain spoilers
Weird Science
There’s no actual serial killer-catching or mystery solving here until the last few episodes. The main villain, the male lead’s father, is already dead when the story starts. He had an accomplice working with him but this person does not play an active role until the last few episodes. The story mostly deals with the male lead Hyeon-su, and his trauma about his past and how he copes with it. This isn’t a bad premise and I think that exploring the stigma that children of serial killers encounter could be interesting, but they don’t really get into this.I was confused about what the story was trying to say. Was it trying to say that children of serial killers could somehow inherit a psychopathic gene or that, when bullied by their communities, could eventually become psychopaths themselves? I get that a bunch of narrow-minded people mistreated Hyeon-su and his sister but it was a little unbelievable to me that not one person outside their community (not one person in the city, or even one doctor or person of science) thought he was innocent when there was really nothing to tie him to any of his father’s murders, other than the fact that he was this evil guy’s son.
Hyeon-su was so convinced that he could not feel any emotions and could not care about anyone…if so, why did he take the blame for what his sister did? If he was traumatized by the experience (if one can feel trauma then doesn't that mean he/she has feelings?) and became a ‘psychopath’, how come his sister wasn’t similarly affected? I don’t understand why he could suddenly see these visions of their father when his sister couldn’t . Given that SHE was the one who actually killed someone, why wasn’t she suffering and as traumatized as he was?
When he meets the female lead Jin-ha, he doesn’t really care about her, but decides to enter into a relationship because being with her made his ‘visions go away.’ Why did she have this effect on him if he didn’t have any feelings for her to begin with?
Later, it was pointed out how clumsy the killer’s accomplice (the ’second killer’) was and yet, nobody could tell what he looked like or find any clue about him. Also, the actor playing him was so over-the-top and deranged that even a blind man could have spotted him. The only person who met him in the past was Hyeon-su’s sister, Hyeon-ha…and yet she had to take hypnotherapy to remember him. In her hypnotherapy session, she still couldn't remember what he looked like because he was wearing a hat* in their father’s funeral.
A hat, not any kind of facial covering.
I don’t get why Hyeon-su later decided to take on the identity of a rich man’s son. This rich man’s son (Baek Hee Song) was in a coma, but was technically still alive, so what he did was completely unethical. Also, not one of them even considered what would happen if this guy woke up. Why didn’t Hyeon-su just do a Jean Valjean and assume a brand new identity with false papers?
The female lead, Jin-ha, had an unconditional love for Hyeon-su, which I normally would have appreciated but she crossed a line both legally and unprofessionally when she burned evidence that could be used against him. She was convinced he was innocent and that the investigation would clear him, so why did she have to do that? After talking to Hyeon-ha (who wanted to confess at this point), she insists that nothing be revealed. What kind of decent cop would insist that someone take the blame for another’s crime? When her detective squad discover that Baek Hee Song and Hyeon-su (the guy they’ve been looking for) are the same person and that she had been lying to them, instead of suspending her for a bit because she was personally connected to the case, they decide to believe in both of them and let them continue…based on nothing. In fact, the reporter working with the male and female lead who was once forcibly tied up and kept in their basement for a few days suddenly develops Stockholm syndrome and becomes a loyal friend to them.
One of the serial-killer-duo’s victims is a woman named Jung Mi Sook. For some reason, they decide not to kill her and predictably, she reappears later to add more drama. During all this time, she somehow ended up imprisoned by a human trafficking group. This group had no connection to the story whatsoever but they forced it in by making this gang have ties with the rich old couple and the second killer...who conveniently turned out to be Baek Hee Song! This means that by taking his identity, Hyeon-su got himself into deeper trouble..but it’s nicely resolved in the end because he has a lot of plot armor. Also, the rich couple try to get rid of Hyeon-su using this trafficking group.
One of the last dramas I watched had a man get up miraculously from a wheelchair. It also happens here, but the difference is that the real Baek Hee Song had been in a coma for more than 10 years and had not used his legs/muscles. How could he not only get up but outrun someone instantly? How can a maid, who was hired by the Hee Song's because she was deaf, suddenly hear and tell what is going on? It also turns out that Baek Hee Song killed his mentor, the main villain and the original serial killer, by bashing him in the back of the head. For some reason, people conclude that he committed suicide but how does one do that by getting smashed from the back?
The story actually ends at episode 15 but they decide to extend it by giving Hyeon-su amnesia. This is not a trope I care for, but some of the dramas I like have had it, so it was not a deal breaker. In here, they added it to prolong Jin-ha’s suffering over Hyeon-su, as if he didn’t have enough baggage to give her. He also spends 15 minutes crying in a self pitying mess over the fact that he ‘can’t have emotions.'
The reason I gave this drama a higher rating is because the actors Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chai Won performed well..but that’s it. It lacked more logic than anything I have ever seen before.
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Let's try to fit Romance anywhere under False Pretense
As usual, I'm gonna be completely honest,I started this drama after reading the synopsis thinking it'll be a great thriller, A psychopath husband deceiving his wife and everybody.
Even the initial actions of the protagonist were fun to watch but then bam! *FLUSH*
The writer lost in her mind and converted it to a melodrama.
I'm surprised how so many people liked this drama, do you people don't even care if the writer tries to change the theme in b/w?
The acting was good, the script was terrible and the ending was super cliche'.
Decent enough drama I guess.
For people wondering how to easily describe my basic thought, It's like the writer started from Stranger from Hell and made it a melodrama xD
Absolutely Disgusting, right? xD
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This review may contain spoilers
A good dose of thriller, dark and gripping moments and a nice romance. Hugely entertaining.
STORY:A perfect couple with a perfect life is caught up by the tragical past of one of them. They have to admit the reality they tried to ignore, escape and forget and fight hard the dangers which threaten their couple, family and loved ones.
I see the story in 3 parts:
- The Unveiling : One has to hide the truth when the other is slowly finding clues of the usurpation. Well written, fast paced, good sub plots to bring clues and inevitably unveil the truth.
- The Aftermath: The time of daze, anger, misunderstanding, self reflection about themselves, what matters for them, what is their red line, what can they do in the name of family, love, friendship, camaraderie...
- The Showdown: After the evil from the past found them. Dark, gripping, breathtaking, with schemes and confrontations which put me on the edge of my seat.
CHARACTERS/ ACTORS:
- Baek Hee Sung / Du Hyun So : A kid broken by events in his childhood. To escape the consequences, he built a web of lies but he will be confronted to his past and to himself to admit who he is and become who he wishes to be. Lee Joon Gi amazed me. I saw sides of his acting that I have never seen before. Great portrayal of a man inbetween being a nice lie and becoming the monster they say he is.
- Cha Ji Won : A strong policewoman who discovers the truth about her husband and has to question herself to know where she stands and what to do for the ones important for her. I left Moon Chae Won an aging not attractive not interesting woman in MamaFairyATW. Here she is stunning. beautiful, classy, to portray a stubborn, strong, determined woman shaked emotionally to her core but who will stand strong.
The secondary characters had their share of depth and complexity and their great moments.
- Adoptive parent: Annoying, scheming, despicable, pitiful
- Police team : Competent, incompetent, funny, friendly, understanding, committed, a nice brotherhood
- Kim Moo Jin: Enemy then fun and courageous sidekick
- The Evil from the past: An evil hidden perfectly and slowly unveiled until it unleashes its madness for revenge
MUSIC:
Perfectly adapted to the different situations to create the right mood.
REWATCH VALUE:
Often it is hard to rewatch when the story is known and the suspense is blown up but in this drama there are many excellent scenes to make it worth. From their romantic scenes as teens to the "explanation scenes" or " I will outsmart you" scenes, "my cops my family" scenes... The ones with the evil from the past are just great.
OVERALL: One of the best kdrama this year. In my top 2. Very well made, well written, lots of interesting and complex characters. Many intricate connections. A very human vision of people compared to the notions of good or evil. Totally recommended. 10/10 for being so entertaining, smart and human.
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AWESOME~!
Story: Can I just tell you that this has been the best mystery drama I have ever watched. Honestly, the plot, as far as I know, isn't like anything I've seen before and it's just so exciting to watch. You do die a little bit from all of he tension build up sometimes but that is what is enjoyable since you never really know what to expect.Acting/Cast: Like, do I even need to say anything about the cast? They are all so talented and complete ~visuals~, I have no complaints. They did such a good job portraying their characters. Truly splendid.
Music: The music was honestly something that really enhanced the drama experience. It went with the occasion and always made the scenes better while keeping it simple and not overbearing the scene.
Re-watch Value: The only reason why I score it with a low re-watch value is because since the whole drama is about a mystery. So once you finish the drama the first time, you already know all the twists and turn the drama takes and you also already know all of the identities of the "bad guys". So, in it's original purpose to build up tension, the drama wouldn't do that anymore since you already know the plot.
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