Flower of Evil (2020)

Genius Masterpiece!

I've been K-Drama fan since 20 years ago, and never seen such a perfect line story as I've seen on this drama. Beyond my expectation!!

The writer & director are genius, numerous plot twist in each episode (even until the last episode), the story gets more interesting and interesting as the episode increase. It reach its peak on episode 15. but episode 16 still able give us a roller coaster feeling and full of beautiful tears, it's such a PERFECT episode as an ending.

Lee Jun Gi as he usually does has been given the best acting, never disappointing! he is a genius in acting! his micro expression was amazing. When he gets mad on episode 15 was blowing my mind. Beside his outstanding acting skill, his visual is always enjoyable to look at! he's aging like a fine wine, his sharp eyes and nose tip are the best :)

Kim Ji Hun, this is my first time recognise him in drama, and he did such a wonderful acting too! I can see that he did his best (especially his acting at the edge of the cliff) and its shown on the drama that how great & professional actor he is! and his visual, damn hot!

Moon Chae Won, she's really able to make you in tears while watching her cry! she looks genuine when she cries! love it!
But, in my humble opinion, I think she can do better on kissing scene, since for me, she didn't look like someone who is falling in love as much as his husband did.

Seo hyeon woo has been done a great acting too! Sometimes, he's the funny part of the drama, refreshing. But, he actually played an important role on this drama.

Jun Gi's daughter, Eun Ha, what a cutest and talented young actress!

All the cast are very good in acting, ALL! including supporting actors!

The last but not least, the soundtrack & back-sounds, all of them describe flower of evil really well, it can add you more emotion while watching the drama.

This drama is unexpected!! a thrilling yet romance drama. full of mystery, but when it's time for romance it's really really deep.

Watch this drama without spoiler is the best! because that's how the excitement comes.

flower of evil team, all of you have done an excellent work!
they must be proud of themselves ✨

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LOVED IT!!!

I wanted to watch it when i saw the trailer but waited for it to finish airing since the genre is thriller.. i didnt want to bite my nails for an entire week to see what happens next and i am glad i did coz most of the episodes ended with a cliffhanger and makes you want to watch the next episode asap..

this one is a well written, well-directed and well-acted drama which stayed true to its genre till the end without any dragging or rushed ending.. i liked how they stayed true to the ML's personality disorder till the end and made it look believable.. he didnt change to a completely different person and it wasn't flowers and butterflies for the couple.. he was never treated properly for his disorder and it took him more than a decade to realise his true feelings for the FL.. so it was believable that he didnt change completely till the end..

the FL was very rational and logically and didnt end to conclusions on her own.. when she found out his real identity she went out to find the reason behind it and didnt belive everything till she got enough proof which is quite rare to see.. FL's most of the time act impulsive and get to conclusions on their own.. she was strong as well as emotional..

the leads had amazing chemistry and they complement each other well.. i have only seen lee joon gi in moon lovers and moon chae won in the movie mood of the day but liked their acting.. all the scenes b/w do hyun soo and his daughter was heartwarming to see.. lee joon gi was amazing.. he perfectly gave out the creepy vibe at the start and then got the audience emotional by the end.. moon chae won also did her part amazingly.. the difference b/w detective cha and a wife and mother were very evident.. she is like the pampered wify at home and a smart detective at work..

i loved the dynamo b/w cha ji won and her colleagues esp with the one who always have a different opinion than her.. they all truly cared about each other and supported each other..

both do min soo and baek hee sung had the creepy vibe from the start and they look believable as psychopaths..

i thought after jung mi sook was revealed to be alive i thought they will show a reunion with her husband.. after all the guy went psycho looking for her and never gave up.. that was a loose end..

i had more expectations from the mother.. she seemed to be the only one with some kind of humanity left in her and she seemed to like do hyun soo's daughter.. but after a point she got blinded by the love for her psycho son and helped him cover up murder and also trap do hyun soo..

i really felt bad for kim moo jin when do hae soo left but i hope the makers kind of indicated they will be together in the future. he did screw up in the beginning but then he was only a teenager at that time.. he was the funniest character..

overall its an amazing drama with little to no flaws and keep the audience interested till the end..

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Partly thrilling, sometimes boring suspense

Likes
1. I liked this from episode 2 to 8 but once Jiwon found out about Hyunsu, the story started going downhill.
2. I loved the suspenseful chase and i thought there was going to be episodic cases but that only happened in the first 2 episodes.
3. Hyunsu and Jiwon and the super cute Eunha! Sometimes i dislike Jiwon for always not trusting Hyunsu enough. i know it was done to add the extra drama but it got repeated several times that i am disappointed in her.
4. The Baek Family. One look at the actors playing the parents i knew they were bad. But somehow i actually felt sympathy for them in the end. They just wanted to protect their son who turned out to be too much.
5. The real Baek Hee Sung waking up put an interesting and scary spin on the story but also very unbelievable.
6. I partly like Moojin as Hyunsu's friend but not as Haesu's ex. Im glad they didnt end up together like what Haesu said, he was always scared or ran away whenever she needed him the most.

Dislikes
1. So boring!!! Took me months before i finished this one. I was distracted or felt sleepy and couldn't finish one full episode without yawning, fast forwarding some scenes or googling and wishing the episode ends.
2. The last episode was so bad it felt like it could have been finished in less than 30 mins but writers decided to put a lot of unnecessary scenes and drama.
3. I didnt find Hee Seong sexy at all! His voice and his actions felt like he was still immature and mentally unstable and not a smart psychopath. And how can he look so muscular and strong when he spent years in bed?
4. Would have loved some explanations why Do Minseok and Hee seong were that way. Were they inherently evil or was it because of a past trauma? (nature vs nurture)

Rating: 8/10 (7.5 for the story but adding 0.5 because Lee Joon Gi acted so well)

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Being married to a possible serial killer doesn't have to be a bad thing!

I mean if he cooks, cleans, cherishes you and your child, takes care of the house, creates beautiful metal works of art, and looks like Lee Joon Gi, does it really matter if he is *allegedly* murdering someone in your basement?! I mean no marriage is perfect!!!!Right?!
Jokes aside, this show was one of my favorite shows that I watched this year. I didn't so much as watch it as I inhaled the show!

Let's get to it!

You should watch this show if you like:
1.Mystery stories
2.Detective stories that develop in a non-traditional manner (not a police procedural standard plot)
3.Established relationships
4.Handsome husbands who do the domestic works while their wife kicks ass
5."Sometimes I look at my spouse and wonder if they ever murdered someone..."
6.Psychological thrillers
7.ROMANCE THAT CUTS YOUR HEART OUT AND LAUGHS AT YOU AS YOU BLEED ON THE FLOOR
8.Happy endings that really put you through the wringer for it!
9.Cliffhangers
10.Childhood Trauma
11.You know this east Asia trend of watching hot men suffer and cry A LOT? It has that! (I love it!)

This show starts with a happily married couple, Baek Hee Sung and Cha Ji Won, and their little daughter. Everything seems great about their marriage. Ji Woon is a detective and the show starts when she gets assigned to a case of domestic violence. She believes in the sanctity of family (since hers is so perfect) but this journalist she knows tells her about this really terrifying serial killing case from almost 20 years before, and how families can cover some messed up secrets. Then she ends up exhuming that very same case when a copycat shows up. Soon, she keeps getting vibes that her perfect (truly perfect) husband might be involved in this gruesome serial killing case from the past, in a very sinister way and everything starts to fall apart.

This show has an amazing plot! Everything moves so seamlessly and the plots connect so well. There is not much time wasted on pointless B plots and what it does have in that regard is connected to the main story in a way that moves the story forward while still being compelling separately. It does wrap everything up in the end with a neat little bow but I personally liked it. Some people prefer dangling unrelated B plots that just waste time and lead nowhere and mean nothing to the main plot, maybe, but I preferred the way the show did it. It's such a thrilling plot too, I mean I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Now I didn't totally get hung up on the "Is he? Is he not?" suspense of the show because I just liked the character immediately. Halo effect activated (or was already activated, I won't get into it because SPOILERS!) and I was just rooting for the story to move forward instead.
The romance is very good in this story too. I usually prefer detective shows without family drama but this show managed to change my mind by intertwining love, family, and trauma so perfectly together with the murder, mystery, thriller side that I was in love with where it was going with it. Every episode has some kind of tie-in from the romance into the events and the couple is so endearing that it just melts your heart. The supporting couple duo was also well-done. I really liked how that relationship developed so realistically. It was very mature and self-aware and not just there to be cute which I really appreciated. I know some didn't like the happy ending because it seemed like fan-service. I have my own theories on why it wasn't fanservice and why it mattered that it ended like it did but that will be spoilery so I won't write it here.
There are essentially two timelines in the show which slowly come together. I really liked how we got a drip of information from the past, it made everything that much more interesting.

The acting in this show was PHENOMENAL! Even then the 3-year-old baby was good! Lee Joon Gi was perfect obviously. He just acts so hard it's like a punch in your gut, right? Anyway, Moon Chae Won was amazing too. She did this thing with her voice when she got emotional that was just perfect. Their chemistry was perfect too. I think they are my favorite pairing from the 2020 shows that I have watched. They really sell the "we are already married" dynamic and they are both good in both the emotional scenes and action ones. Jang Hee Jin's performance was subtle, Nam Ki Ae and Son Jong Hak were terrifying. Kim Ji Hoon was...a bit too much for me. I felt like it was a bit too melodramatic next to the other actors and it amped up the whole show's melodrama level because then Lee Joon Gi became too melodramatic and ... I get why it was like that but...didn't love it! The detective trio was great. Their comradery was so organic and endearing. And the baby was also great! So cute.

Cinematography, lighting, and set-design was aesthetically homogenous. They all looked like they belonged to the right show. They were all well-matched for the psychological thriller set up and helped amp up the tension and atmosphere.
The music was ok. -_- I don't know. It was music!
Negatives: Some would complain about "coincidences" in the story but let me just get that out of the way. There are really only two coincidences in the story (the rest are just, at least to me, natural consequences of the situation the story has laid out) and I wouldn't call them that either. I would say they were rhetorics of the story. These two coincidences are not really there for the convenience of the plot but there to actually set up the plot. What I mean is that each story starts with some given facts. The "what if X happened/what if Y did this and then... the plot starts". So basically in order to tell a story, you have to create a situation that you will put the characters into and then see how they react in those circumstances. That's what this show does on several fronts.
What if a detective is married to a high-functioning sociopath who has been tricking her, their whole life?
What if two characters' fates are forever entangled because of a mutual acquaintance?
What if your past comes back to haunt you?
What if you get a chance to solve the mystery that has been haunting your adult life?
These are all the situations that the plot wants to address. If we say "well, it's too coincidental for a policewoman to meet a psychopath" then maybe you shouldn't watch this show because that's literally what this story wants to explore. There are tons of shows where the detective is married to a fridged-spouse or a teacher or something. You can watch those if you hate this plot! lol. So yeah...not a valid complaint. Especially when you consider the fact that every single Kdrama has ridiculous coincidences right and left. Everyone knows everyone since childhood. All ten Korean characters who make the main cast have all met each other in a foreign country at the same time! Everybody is related... that's just how they are. Just turn off your coincidence-meter when you watch Kdramas!
Now I'm not saying there weren't any plotholes or that situations weren't conveniently solved BUT overall, the show was enjoyable enough that it didn't matter. The point is to have a good time watching a show and this delivered and it was above average. WAY above average.
Also, just asking viewers, if they'll forgive a murderer husband in favor of him cooking, is such a profound question. I have been thinking about it for weeks and I still can't come up with a genuinely moral answer to the question!!!! I mean he's super handsome too! He's not just a good cook and a perfect dad!

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Gripping stuff

Excellently written, directed and acted.
Fab cast who all portrayed their characters so well.
I loved the dynamic between the leads and also the sibling relationship between Hyun-soo and Hae-soo.
The story twists and turns, is gripping, sad, but also humorous at times.
Moon Chae-won's portrayal of Cha Ji-won, I thought was excellent. Her trust in her husband was harshly tested and even though she had moments of self-doubt, she was determined to uncover the truth. She was sometimes vulnerable, but also strong willed and very emotional. I felt she was an anchor for her husband and a massive part if his emotional development. Her investment in him and their family was, I felt, one reason she was easily brought to tears when all might be lost.
The only reason I didn't give a 10 for re-watch value is because being a thriller, I now know what's coming and who's who. However, I would happily revisit it one day.
A definite one to watch.

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An absolutely splendid show ruined by unnecessary Melodrama!

A really well written and gripping drama but somehow got really disappointed by the way it turned out into a typical cliché Kdrama. Expected some nerve wrecking noire psychopathic thriller genre but got served a melodramatic soap opera.

Though indeed I really loved the meticulous and fine details taken into consideration and amazing transitions and cinematography by the director! Beautiful OSTs give a breath of fresh air! And how could you forget the amazing acting by Lee Joon-gi! This guy really gave his all! I literally refused to believe that he wasn't actually the antagonist until the reveal! The show really did not fail to keep me on the edge till the end!

I definitely did not understand the thought process behind the writer, like she was really inspired by Hollywood psychological thrillers yet wanted to maintain the likes of typical KDrama watchers, but I really feel negating or at least subduing a little bit of the melodrama would've heightened the psyche of the show multifold! They seemed really unnecessary and forced to me and took away the charm the show would've otherwise upheld! Have a look at Bates Motel if you guys want and see what I'm trying to say! You can literally travel through the protagonists mind!

YET A THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE SHOW! Period XD

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Unforgettable

Korean series for many years. This series has made it into my top 3 ever. Outstanding performances, very good music with only two songs but wonderful, fabulous script, it catches you without failing in any of the chapters. I needed a series like that. He deserves my first 10 for all the emotions he has made me feel. No one should miss it. Hopefully it won't be long before I find a series with such quality. All the actors do a perfect job although logically you have to highlight the 2 protagonists. Don't be fooled into thinking it's just an action or suspense series. This series is more a story of love and improvement even

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Love Endures. Love accepts.

Although Flower of Evil is a thriller-suspense-mystery drama, it is first and foremost a love story for me too.

Hyun Soo, Lee Joon Gi’s character is a husband and a schizophrenic. Finding someone who will love him, made him change and forget the past is something to be contested with if that will happen in real life. The human brain is the largest and most complex organ in the human body and hardest to understand after all, but if you add in the heart, pretty much sums it all up…this is a love story.

Long before this drama aired, Joon Gi, in one of his promotional interviews, emphasized how he is going to portray the role of a husband when he has never been one. It is his first time portraying the character. Of course, he needs to make the romance and intimate moments only a husband and a wife shares realistic enough. I must say, considering how much skin or kisses you can show in a weekday TV drama (considering the censorship), he did a pretty good job!

I was amazed at how our female lead, Cha Ji Won (Moon Chae Won) battled with herself on the drama. She was in a constant battle with her principles. She was torn between her beliefs as a citizen of the law versus a wife.

I cannot imagine knowing someone who isn’t capable of feeling anything. It must be pretty hard on both. Even if this drama falls on the genre of a thriller or suspense mystery, it's a drama that is full of vent up emotions and for someone who isn’t in touch with his emotions but turned out to be the most caring, doting husband and father is a sick twisting reality for me. This drama resonates with me as I was watching it.

If I had to watch this when it was still airing, I would end up getting frustrated waiting for a week for the next episode. Good thing though I let the drama end first before binge-watching!

Thoughts to ponder:
What is the difference between important and precious?

The stuff that you think were important ends up becoming less important as time goes by. But when something is precious to you, it hurts you as time goes by

What is amazing about FOE is that the writers, cast, director, writer, and the whole production team paid much attention to detail. A minor thing or minor detail may appear to be insignificant in the early episodes but turned out to have a significant role in the end.

Downside.
I wish that Do Hae Soo’s character (Jang Hee Jin) should have been stronger. Being an older sister myself, she appears to have a lot of fights within her at the beginning. I guess that change after the fact. I wish that she put up the same fight in the late episodes when confronted with the thing from her past.

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*No spoilers in this part of review*
Acting-The acting was amazing, it was my first time seeing Moon Chae Won act, and I'm very surprised she did a really good job. I was already familiar with Lee Joon Gi's acting and it was no surprise seeing him being able to pull off his character so well.
Overall- I think the drama did a good job overall. The drama had me by the edge of my seat, anticipating what would happen next. It was definitely thrilling. The chemistry between the main couple was also good. The issues they had in the relationship and how it was developed, I think was realistic for the most part. Some parts in the drama were predictable though.
My one problem with this drama is that the ending is dragged out. Some episodes had a lot of things which I felt was unnecessary, and I'll explain that below in Spoiler section of review.



*Below, contains heavy SPOILERS*

The drama kept tried painting Do Hyun Su as a villain in the start and make it look like it was Do Hyun So who killed people, and after a point, I realized the drama's just using the same tactics over again and trying to mess with you which kinda got annoying.
Around Ep 13 I believe is where I got initially frustrated. I wanted them to quickly find out Baek Hee Song's identity, but then seeing how he was cunning enough to plant evidence for Park Soon Young's murder to frame Hyun So, I was like "Oh no. They're going to drag Hyun Su again and this is going to start over with him being a suspect" But I was glad that even though Ji Won & the rest suspected him, the drama went in an way where Ji Won goes with him half way to the hotel to see his innocence. Then everything till episode 15 was great.
Now Ep. 16 starts, you find out Hyun So has forgotten his memories. NOW that was unnecessary. They could have kept that out honestly. Ep 16 should have been where everything was tied up, they should have kept how they found a witness for Hae Su and everything BUT Hyun So should have his memories. They added another problem in the last episode where he's trying to figure out his feelings for Ji Won again and if he was sincere, like there's no time for that. He already realized that he loved her and cared for her before he lost his memories knowing he deceived her. There's no need for them to establish that again and have him go through a journey where he tries to figure out what he wants when he clearly realized before he lost his memories.
Ending was still happy, but that part frustrated me a bit.

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Definitly a must watch

How can I describe properly the experience that was watching "flower of evil"? I don't even know if I can.
This was one of the most amazing dramas i've ever watched, and trust me, I've watched a lot of those. Even the small details are perfect, like the casting - where the younger versions of the characters look so much like the actors -, or even the music that makes you so immersed in the moment.
It was an exhilarating experience to figure out the whole plot of the drama, and it was almost agonizing having to wait a week for the following episodes, but i'd do it all over again because this drama is simply amazing!
The only thing I didn't actually enjoyed was the last episode, I think that they could have done a better ending than that, but at the same time I understand the intent behind it and I don't think it makes the drama less amazing than it is.

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OMG, Flawless Acting and Series

It took a minute to express my feel lints about this series. What can I say, but “I loved it.” The acting, plot, scenery. Everything was great. The character development, the plot buildup and the ending were amazing.
The series revolves around a male, with a somewhat unclear past at least initially anyway and the female lead who enters his life and makes such a significant impact on him. This series head so many heartfelt moments and I don’t mean the cliché tight I mean genuine heartfelt moments where you really wanted to reach out and give the characters a hug and squeeze. I mean those type of heartfelt moments. The tears of each cast member seem so genuine. I am not surprised because watching it you may want to cry along with it as well. But that didn’t deter me from watching it, although they were many heartfelt moments within the series they were absolutely even more action packed moments in mystery moments that leave you on the edge of your seat wondering what in the world is going to happen next. You really couldn’t tell. It was top notch.

The two leads were superb. I am a big fan of the male lead and I have to tell you he does not disappoint. His expressions, his tears, even his quirks were flawless.

Even the music was good.

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