The Penthouse Season 3: War in Life (2021)

Three Is Not Always Better Than Two

When it was announced Penthouse would have 2 more seasons, I was extremely excited since I loved the drama. Even though I stopped watching lots of western tv shows due to the drag with multiple seasons, I was happy for Penthouse to get more seasons... but now I don't think that was the best idea.

I don't want to spoil this season, but it's so hard to state how I truly feel without doing so, so major spoilers will be towards the end with possible small spoilers throughout my review.

Story:
With season 2 ending, I was extremely excited with season 3... but then that excitement turned into frustration. Slowly I realized that season 3 was erasing things that season 2 brought. For example, they all get arrested in the final episode of season 2, but then in the first episode of season 3, they are all roaming free. Why would you make them all arrested only for them to freely get out? I don't need this drama to make full-on sense- I mean, the way they got out just doesn't anyway, but I'm fine with that- but I don't understand what was the point of getting them arrested at the end of season 2 if it means nothing? I can't believe I didn't even worry when that happened. Of course, there are other problems, some I skipped over so, I don't even want to mention them, but the last thing I will mention is that it feels like more things happened in this season than the last 2. I think season 2 should've had 3 more episodes and wrap up the whole drama then since Season 3 added some things that I feel could've been left out. But regardless, I still enjoyed how hectic it was since that's Penthouse's signature style; over the top dramatic!

Characters:
One thing that I will always agree with between all 3 seasons is the acting was off the charts. Every actor did a fantastic job with the material given to them. Now, for the characters in general... Joo Dan Tae was the same crazy man who wanted revenge, and Cheon Seo Jin... I'll mention that in my spoil segment. I enjoyed the other characters and their "character development," except Joo Seok Kyung. I thought that she was finally getting that well-needed character development at the end of season 2, but the beginning of season 3 just erased that and made her a straight-up villain. I'm glad she was able to come to her senses at the end, even if it took shocking news for that to happen. I liked Ro Na this season and thought she was one of the best characters in this whole drama, including Shim Su Ryeon and Joo Seok Hoon. As I said in my previous reviews, no other actors can portray these characters, and I stand by that after this season.

Others:
I still think SBS should've had Penthouse air on Friday and Saturdays instead of just Fridays. I understand, in a way, why they would make it air once a week. The suspense kills, and it looks like SBS thought that season 3 will be their biggest and most successful, but they were wrong. The few OST's we got were good, but just like the last 2 seasons, I wish we got more.

Now, for my spoil segment:

I don't mind when the main character dies, but only if it makes sense with the plot. Oh Yoon Hee dying just makes 0 sense, and for it being Cheon Seo Jin? In season 1, sure, Cheon Seo Jin would push her off the edge without hesitation, but she went through season 2. This is another evidence of "season 2 erasure" that I mentioned earlier. Oh, Yoon Hee saved Eun Byul's life, and to thank her, Cheon Seo Jin kills her. When Logan Lee became the 3rd character to be brought back from the dead, I got even more upset with her death because I knew that there was no way they would do 2 fake deaths in one season, and her body being shown was proof of that.

And finally, the ending... 48 episodes... for that? Shim Su Ryeon did not deserve to die! I'm glad everything finally got resolved, character development was given to characters that deserved it (ex. Ma Ri), but killing the whole trio was too much for me and, in my opinion, not a good ending. You don't always need the main heroine to survive, but in Penthouse's case, it would have been a sense of victory. Even though she got victory regardless, her living was the biggest one of all because she would outlive those who had killed her child and ruined her life. It's rare for a drama to have such a perfect ending these days, but Penthouse was so close to achieving that.

Final thoughts:
If I were to watch this drama again, which I might since I did enjoy it, I think maybe I'll just stop a few minutes before season 2 ends. If you stop the last episode of season 2 after they all get arrested, season 3 isn't (exactly) necessary to watch. I still think this is one of the best makjangs out there and am glad I watched this drama since day 1. Even though I became frustrated with some things, I will miss this drama greatly, since It's been with me for almost a whole year.

Penthouse is not perfect, as it has its flaws, especially in season 3, but in my eyes, it is still a masterpiece, and forever will be.

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I'm just disappointed at this point

That ending made the least sense in all the nonsense of this season. One Logan's dead was defo tacked on for no reason, if his cancer came back, Seok Hyung could have donated her stem cell just like Seol A did before since they are twin so mostly she would be a match for Logan. But I get that he might not have wanted to keep living cause Sim Su Ryeon was dead, but according to his character, he would have tried to survive to take care of the Seok 'twins' and Bae Ro Na or something. Sim Su Ryeon basically killing herself is so unlike her character, I get that she lost a lot but she had a lot to live for, mainly her children, especially after finding out that Seok Hyun was her biological daughter, and her 'fake' other daughter in USA that was forgotten about, also Seok Hoon and Logan and Bae Rona. Stupid death in my opinion. Also I fully believed that the wedding/engagement was purposely planned to catch Ju Dan Tae, it doesn't make sense that they would have such a big event and not expect him to show up and sabotage it. Logan even saw him before he went up to see Su Ryeon but then he magically forgot about him and was shocked when he was there. What kind of trash security did they have! And who picks up a call on their wedding/engagement walking down the aisle.
To even talk about Oh Yoon Hee's death, makes my brain hurt, excuse me but when did Penthouse turn to a Marvel movie, Yoon Hee was pushing back her car at the edge of a cliff while another car with a brick on the accelerator is pushing on her car, how? What kinda super solider serum, hulk ass power does she have? Before she got to the back of the car, she opened the door where Eun Byeol was unconscious and was shouting at her to wake up, instead of dragging her out like Seo Jin did later on. It was just so dumb.
Lastly, Ju Dan Tae, his man, for the amount of stress and hatred I felt in my body for his guy, his death was not it. It did not satisfy me at all, the amount of evil he's done and gotten away with it, he should have dead way worse, a bullet to the head and falling from the penthouse onto the statue. dead. I wanted Vincenzo level of torture and death, he deserved that. Remember how he tried to kill Bae Ro Na by stabbing her in the brain, ruthlessly and returning like he did nothing. No, that man is truly evil and he deserved more pain in his death. Same goes for Cheon Seo Jin, she did too much to end up killing herself, I get that she's remorseful after what her daughter said in the court room and her ex told Su Ryeon to not kill her but na she should have lived a long life in prison, paying for her punishment.
Also I agree with people who said that this season should have happened if they were just gonna kill the main 2 good guys, Su Ryeon and Logan, cause in season 1, it was Su Ryeon that 'died' then season 2, it was Logan. Might as well have finished it at season 2 cause Logan coming back was no needed, lowkey Su Ryeon could have done all of this by herself with the help of the other people.
I feel like the writers were very inconsistent about the characters, one minute, Su Ryeon and Logan are super smart and they thought of every possibility and planned for it, other times, they are super dumb and fall for everything. Same with Ju Dan Tae, to be honest, Ju Dan Tae's character, he would have survived season 3 (not the part where he was shot but before that when people were coming to him to ask for money for the copy of him/Seo Jin killing Oh Yoon Hee. He would have just planned to kill them like he normally does, but this time he folds and gives them money til he was broke? Just feel like his character got really dumb at the end just so they can kill him and end it all. So to me its unsatisfying.
Also what happened to Alex and his black bodyguards?
What happened to Sim Su Ryeon's fake daughter?
What happened to Jennie's Dad?
And the real Ju Dan Tae?
Also Cheon Seo Jin's assistant should defo be in jail too with his evidence hidden ass

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A great start but fell flatter than flat...

Penthouse was really worth watching during its early seasons. Sadly, by the third season, everything just got boring.

Frankly, you lose sight of what the story was all about. Never ending people rising from the dead, twins, actors playing dual roles..... it was like milking something just because it became popular. I felt that the writer got too tired and ran out of ideas.
This is a classic example of knowing when to stop. Just because it got high reviews when it started doesn't automatically mean it will run true till the end.

I just watched this season to get closure. Sadly, I used to really wait for the next episodes to come out. But for Season 3, I could go for days without watching it.

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The Penthouse 3: War in Review

I was insanely skeptical about watching the 3rd season because of the ratings and the backlash it was receiving but, I because I am a die-hard fan of the Penthouse so I got through my fear of let down and watched it, and here is my review:

First, the pros, remarkable jobs creating such strong characters out of weak characters from seasons 1 and 2. An example of this is Bae Ro Na, who went from a person who couldn't even get anything her way to stealing Eun Byeol's spotlight completely. Another strong character was Seok-hoon who before couldn't even stop Joo Dan-Tae's abuse was now helping him receive the punishment he deserved.

Second is the incredible character development from some of the worst characters in the show such as Seok Kyung and Kang Ma-ri. Throughout seasons 1 and 2 Ma-ri treated Bae Ro Na like trash but later was able to steal the hearts of many viewers with her change of character filling in the role as Bae Ro Na's mother. Seok Hyung went from not even caring one bit about others to caring about an old man who she doesn't even know. She also became independent and worked without needing others. Her attitude towards others was a major character development that made viewers love her and her realization of all the bad things she's done.

Cons, the deaths... The deaths of major characters seemed too small. I felt like Joo Dan Tae's death was boring in a way that nobody really cared and it seemed like the death wasn't fit for his character because we all thought her would be the villain till the end. The same goes for Oh Yoon He and Yoon Cheol their deaths were made to lengthen the show but only let viewers down.

Next is the played-out deaths where they make viewers believe that characters die then bring them back to life as a way to wow the viewers or to please them. The ridiculous 'twin' trick played on for 3 people and it made it seem like the scripter writers just lost their touch. Every time a character dies viewers such as myself instantly think, "No they're not dead, It's the Penthouse after all."

Last is the ending. Such a cruel ending, Shim Su Ryeon killed herself for no good reason resulting in Logan also later killing himself. Finally they actually truly kill off a character but for the wrong reasons. Both their deaths were unnecessary, Seo-jin's cancer was also an unnecessary plot twist that didn't allow her to pay for her crimes because she was able to escape through death. The major deaths of all the parents with the exception of Kang Ma-ri and Min Hyeok's parents were all because of them wanting to leave a more peaceful living for their children and this can be seen in the way all of their children were living peacefully Bae Ro Na claimed her rightful place as a Soprano with Seok-hoon by her side, Jenny and Min Hyeok both lives peacefully by their parent's side and Seok Kyung was able to find peace in the simple life paying for all that she's done.

When Kang Ma-ri saw a figure that looked like Shim Su Ryeon I instantly went "see? She's not dead." I couldn't stop crying and was confused once the part where Bae Ro Na comes to Logan with flowers only to see a portrait and an empty chair different from the last scene. As the part played out we slowly start to figure why it was shown and this was one of the best but heart-breaking scenes from the show.

All in all this entire show as a whole was a rollercoaster with an incredible but sometimes ridiculous plot twist. I was able to watch and see such amazing actors and actresses. Sadly this is the last time we will all see them together. In my opinion, they should have ended at season 2 where all the key players get punished but I get why they sort of had to create and show what would happen once they are out of prison to ease the mind of people but all were wasted once they were killed off. The happy ending of this show was the most anticipated but we were only given 1/2 of it because of the main character's deaths. Though they die we are given a sense of peace once Logan and Shim Su Ryeon reunite with all their dead loved ones.

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Pretend Penthouse ended in season 2

First time writing a review on a drama because I think Penthouse deserves one lol. I tried my best.
No Spoilers: these are my thoughts for those who are thinking of watching it and what to expect. DO NOT READ THE “SPOILERS” section if you’re thinking of starting the season.
- First of all, I’d really like to appreciate the actors and their amazing acting skills AND pieces of music & OSTS of this show. The acting and the musics are what made this show very thrilling and exciting.

-If you watched seasons 1 and 2 and haven’t watched season 3 yet, and expect a happy ending, then I don’t recommend watching this season. Pretend the ending of Penthouse was in season 2.

- The first 3 episodes of this season are very interesting, but when you get up to episode 4 and until the end of the show, you’ll feel like Penthouse has lost its charm of keeping the audience engaged and addicted. The thing about this season is that once you start it, you’ll be disappointed and lose interest (not in the first 3 eps tho) but you’ll come back because you will be curious and hopeful of characters coming back alive but you won’t be happy and get the result you wanted until you watch ep 14.

SPOILERS!!!!

-The time the show loses its charm, is when YoonHee ends up being dead. No, she won’t be coming back alive as you hope, which is why this season got a little boring and less interesting unlike seasons 1 and 2.
- The ending of this season is DISAPPOINTING! I don’t understand why the writer recklessly decided to kill off Oh YoonHee, Dr. Ha, SuRyeon, AND Logan. SuRyeon and Logan meeting in heaven didn’t satisfy me. It gave a very sad vibe.
- Opinion: The death of Dan Tae was well deserved but killing a villain like him should’ve been harsher than what the show gave us (The writer should’ve killed the villain more harshly like in Vincenzo).
- Seo Jin and Dan Tae won’t be asking for forgiveness at the end of the show like you expect. They will die without feeling guilty (Seo Jin did feel guilty for her daughter but not YoonHee, SuRyeon, and everyone else who she did dirty on the show).

Last thoughts:
Honestly, though, I can’t believe after 3 seasons of stress, this show has come to an end. I started watching Penthouse because I saw a TikTok clip of the scene, in ep 8 of season 1, where Goo Ho Dong catching Rona from falling and I thought that was cool lol. BUT I did not expect the show to be crazier than I expected. I never became so obsessed with a drama like this ever before, the rage of excitement for waiting for seasons 2 and 3 was a good ride. I was really amazed at how the drama had so many symbolisms’ to Greek mythology which made the show even more interesting and enjoyable to watch. It was nice meeting so many users watching this show online along with me and sharing our reactions and predictions. I got so used to the actors in this drama so I guess I have to wait to see them in their future projects. I will definitely look forward to writer Kim Sun-Ok’s future dramas (even tho I was disappointed at the ending of this season). I got so used to her makjang shows (The Last Empress and Penthouse).
I can’t believe SuRyeon and Logan, and even YOONHEE died just like that. Rona’s performance was very emotional ( I even cried). I really hoped I’d see YoonHee and Seol A in heaven with SuRyeon and Logan. But I guess that will never happen. I thought EunByeol would commit suicide but I’m glad she’s healthily living her new life.

For me, season 3 will never surpass seasons 1 and 2. Season 1 and 2 will always be my fav Bc the ending for season 2 was perfect and it was like a continuation for the ending of season 1. I honestly don’t understand why season 3 even came to be. If the director added some more scenes or extended the ending for season 2, then the ending would’ve probably been more satisfying than this season’s finale. However, I’m glad season 3 came out bc I wouldn’t have a drama like this to look forward to in the summer. I really had fun commenting in the comment sections online and watching this show with so many others.
- I don’t think I will rewatch this season at all. But I will most definitely rewatch seasons 1 and 2.
Season 1 and 2 are 10/10 tho for me.
P.S. I will pretend Penthouse ended in season 2 ?

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Finale didn´t do justice to the greatness of the drama in general

Over the course of three seasons the writer came up with this beautifully written makjang (one of the best I´ve seen in a while).
It was full of plot twists which sometimes we didn t see them coming, making the drama even more enthusiastic, and even when the twists were a little (tag fantasy) the writer made sure to explain everything in detail which made them more realistic.
In the first 2 seasons i gave full 10 stars, and even in this final season with many incongruities, the drama stayed true to its nature, giving briliant twists till the end. However this season was not the best, because even if ALL Hera kids had their own character development and had a fairly happy ending, most adult characters, the good ones had a soulless, heartless ending or the bad guys ending that wasn´t bad enough for their evil deeds.
I must point out Shim su ryeon, who was my favorite character throughout the whole seasons because of her strong attitude, resillience and kindness, didnt match these traits in the finale of penthouse, however I can still understand her ending and others too. It was bad because it was a beautiful makjang but in the end turned out just a simple drama with a basic ending, it doesn´t make any sense, still sad with the ending. Nevertheless I still recommend it to everyone to watch all seasons, cuz only then will you witness the greatness of this series, it is still one of the most brilliant makjangs with greatly developed characters despite the (in my opinion) not so fitting end.
Hope it helped!

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Ridiculously addicting

I am at a loss for words after finishing the last episode and writing this. I've watched this from the beginning and honestly, it's an extremely ridiculous and absurd drama but still, it's lowkey addicting. I think I really enjoyed the chaos and will be missing my weekly dose of craziness but at the same time, I really hate the storyline and the way some characters are written!

I definitely wasn't a huge fan of the ending and not even the whole s3. Sometimes it was dragging and the other times it was pacing so fast! The pacing was very bad and the butchered storyline was so annoying but I just have to say one thing which is I've never seen any drama like Penthouse before so props to Penthouse for being one of the craziest kdramas in existence!!

In the end, the writer literally killed off most of the liked characters and the ones who were alive had a character development(?) I really loved our Seokrona couple - was one of my favourite things about this drama and I'm glad they got a good ending.

There were a lot of plot holes and explanations undone such as 'Where is real Dantae/fake Junki?' 'How did Kang Mari see Suryeon in the last episode? She saw a ghost?' 'How did Seojin get out?' 'Where is Hyein?' I think they could've done this way better and the ending wasn't satisfactory but I guess it is what it is.

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Honestly, the drama can end at season 2 already if Logan did not "died" on that scene but it will leave us a lot of questions of course.

But I just realized that it's not so easy to get rid of Joo Dante and other villains. I remembered what Vincenzo and Shim Suryeon said that "Only evil can punish/end evil." and I believe that's why they add another season because the ending in s2 is quite "enough" but it's not certainly end a d convincing.


Imagine if Joo Dante just died/killed on the story it will never be a happy ending for everyone, if Joo Dante just live in jail forever it will never be a happy ending either because he can do anything in just a single snap and can get out of prison anytime he want to.

I think the reason why there's a season 3 is to end everything convincingly. Law can't punish Joo Dante so they need to make Joo Dante fall and suffer from evil things he did. But in season 2 he's just end up on jail and still get out easily.

P.S. and the reason why I still like the new season is I am sill hooked in this drama. The writer and director is awesome! The ending and some scene is still unpredictable ? It looks like I'm building a puzzle one by one haha.

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I'm not happy...

I am the type of drama watcher that will wait until the entire series is completed and binge the whole series at once. When I watched Penthouse S1, I was so pissed that it ended in a cliffhanger. So I waited for season 3 to completed before I watched this. This drama should have either ended with two seasons or 13 episodes. While I'm happy that the children all turned out OK, I hate that none of the main characters survived for one reason or another. Even Logan! And what the hell kind of ending was that? Why did it turn into "Hotel De Luna"? I apologize if my review offends anyone for whatever reason, but I am really not happy with the way they killed everyone off. I definitely will not be watching this again. Now I have to go find a palette cleanser drama after that ending!

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i barely write reviews unless i rlly want my thoughts out there

for the plot ? don't watch it. it is insanely messed up and all over the place. the writers took advantage of the hype that was building around the twists that they took it to an excessive amount.

for the acting ? definitely watch it. i hated everything about the drama's plot but i come back to it weekly because it was beautifully casted. the ending is horrible - literally the worst of all - but everyone's acting made up for its shitiness.

also spoiler but why was yoonchul disregarded just like that? rona didnt grieve for the dude, and eunbyul didnt even talk about his death in her testimony ? girl ??

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