The Deal (2023)

A Perfectly Written and Directed Thriller/Suspense Drama with Versatile Acting!

As a Yoo Seung Ho’s die-hard fan, I had been waiting for this drama to air since the casting news last year.

Here are my thoughts about this drama, divided into 3 categories:

1. The Plot

I haven’t found a truly good thriller/suspense Kdrama for a while (I was in a Kdrama slump for almost 2 years). Just like why Yoo Seungho picked up this drama, one of the reasons I decided to watch it is also out of ‘curiosity’.

This kind of plot is quite unusual (as expected from Yoo Seungho’s dramas, most of the time). Kidnapping a FRIEND for ransom money? I’m totally bought!

And this drama gave me the tense that I needed. Every episode ends with scenes that left me feeling shocked and intrigued. It reminds me of Yoo Seungho’s previous thriller drama, “Memorist”, in some ways, especially the camera movements.

2. The Character-Building

I love that every character, from main to side characters, have their own roles that are useful to the story development. Nothing feels unnecessary. Then again, it’s only 8 episodes. I don’t think there’re rooms for fillers.

The main characters make me feel what they feel, especially Lee Junseong (Yoo Seungho). His life is so miserable that it pains my heart to watch his parts. He still has a pure soul though he has been tested a lot in his life.

Song Jaehyo (Kim Donghwi), how he starts to be out of his rational mind when his whole life depends on the money. We can’t help but pity him because of his poor situations.

Park Minwoo (Yoo Soobin), he was used to being taken advantage of for money since high school. He’s physically weak, and people see him as a fool, when in fact he’s not. He has a kind heart and trusts people that treat him good.

3. The Acting

YOO SEUNG HO. The authentic, versatile, and trustworthy actor that he is. His eye acting, his facial expressions, his body movements, his voice control in every situation, how he shifts from action to emotional scenes. Smooth. PERFECT!

Of course, I will not discredit other actors, especially Yoo Soobin and Kim Donghwi. They amaze me the most at scenes that show their ‘desperation’. Yoo Soobin’s cries when he was begging to be spared. Kim Donghwi’s voice intonation when his mind becomes more distorted.

So yes, I am truly satisfied with everything about this drama, so far.

I genuinely hope that it will end on a high note, though I am curious about the ending and how their friendship will become after the whole kidnapping events.

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A hidden gem

This drama is going straight to my favorites. It's a shame that it's so underrated and unknown. I recommend it to everyone who loves darker dramas and who, like me, is tired of convoluted storyline in thrillers and too much melodrama. This one is short and simple, but very intense and emotional.

The leading trio (and the other actors too, to a lesser degree) did an excellent job here; they didn't overact, but instead they delivered a performance that felt raw and genuine. Not only they did justice to the script, but they also elevated it.

Another thing I appreciated is how grey this is: there is no explicit moral of the story, the writers avoided giving any preaching in the ending, which is very refreshing in a kdrama and it makes it feel more real and down to earth. Sure, there are bad guys and good guys, there are objectively wrong things, but the story make you empathize with Jun Seong and Jae Hyo for the desperate situation they're in that led them to their crime, meanwhile it doesn't sugorcoat how ruthless rich people can be when you get in their way and how it's easy for them to escape punishment compared to poor people like Jun Seong and Jae Hyo. And yet there is no doubt that Min Woo was truly the victim here, because being born with money is not a crime by itself. It's this kind of ambiguity that made it more interesting for me, as it made me feel conflicted on who to root for.

Kudos to everyone involved. Definitely my kdrama of the year so far.

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