This review may contain spoilers
There's no way everyone watched this with a straight face...
SPOILERS AHEAD FOR LAST EP SORRY..First of all, the effects and editing were so bad. When they started to shoot down their little hideout, the effects of the shooting were FRYING ME. Was the hideout made of metal? How did it not go through? Another thing that pissed me off was just how, when people got shot, it didn't look realistic at all. The effects were sloppy, and the fake blood was, too.
The whole family thing with Pheem was fine i guess. The whole plot of the show was who was going to get the hospital, which kinda made NO SENSE. Did the whole family just want power over each other?? Evil villians I guess. Pheem's backstory is kinda sad. I mean, his mom did die, but how come he didn't die in the car crash? Unrealistic, like I said. The whole rivalry with his brother felt repetitive. His brother and his bodyguard had the potential to become a thing, but we didn't get anything. I was actually rooting for them. Pheem's sister, I feel, they wanted female representation to run too, but knew in the end, Pheem would end up on top? The whole family just pissed me off.
Pheem's character. In the beginning, we see him and feel bad for him, right? Pheem had a downfall as soon as he got control of the hospital, making him become a villain. He became obsessed with control and power; he seemed to forget how he was bullied by the power? To the point where you shoot your own lover..okay cause I was wondering..?
The romance acpect of it. The idea of Than just becoming his bodyguard randomly when they were lowkey enemies does not go over my brain. Yeah, Than saved him and shit, but cmon now. I bet he didn't even get paid. Then literally did so much for Pheem, to the point where he got shot like a thousand times, and didn't die? Same with Pheem..The whole lovey-dovey period was one episode long and ended as soon as Than found out Pheem was evil. AND THEN PHEEM SHOT HIM??? WHAT. Pheem acted like he did nothing and then PROCEEDED TO SHOW UP AT THE HOSPITAL AND BRING ORAGE JUIICE AND FLOWERS?! HE PROCEEDED TO CRY AND ACT LIKE HE WAS THE VICTIM. Than did not deserve his ass, but then it was so easy, and he forgave him in the end? I liked how he dropped him and left him. Period, as he should..BUT THEN OF COURSE HAD TO COME BACK BECAUSE PHEEM WAS IN TROUBLE. Also, the idea of them meeting as kids just didn't stick with me. How convenient they met. I guess it was cute for Than to protect Pheem when they were kids and called him "Thunderman" or whatever it was. Unnecessary, I'd like to say, but it was a fun idea.
The final episode. I will not try to spoil it, but let's just say I had to 2x speed that because it was so bad. Everyone was thinking Pheem died, and then he didn't? Unrealistic again. The whole family dying, and then Than and Pheem just living happily ever after? Sounds like they got tired and lazy at the end. What happened to the hospital? Did the police just say, oh they shot eachtoher lets pack it up. Did Than become a police officer after this? WHY DID HE FORGIVE PHEEM IN THE END? Holy pmo.
The first eps were the only good ones of the whole show. I don't recommend it, but I love the actors and the acting was okay, so?
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A Dark, Twisted For Power
The Wicked Game is a stressful watch, but I was 100% seated for all the drama and chaos. The story flow does feel quite repetitive in the first half—the siblings keep fighting over who will become the successor and run the hospital, and it seems like the father always sides with whoever currently has the upper hand. Just when you think things have settled, the story flips again and the cycle repeats. But honestly, it never bored me.This series is heavy, filled with lies, deceit, betrayal, manipulation, greed, revenge—basically everything dark. As much as I hated Pheem’s character, I genuinely enjoyed the show. His character was clearly written that way, and he’s also heavily shaped by childhood trauma. This is one of those dramas where a main character is both the protagonist and the antagonist. If that kind of character isn’t your cup of tea, you might want to stay away from this series.
Pheem
A cunning, heartless, and greedy person shaped by insecurity and childhood trauma.
Than
An ex-police officer who meets Pheem by accident, later becoming his bodyguard and getting dragged into the family’s chaos. He’s righteous, honest, and easygoing.
Chet
Pheem’s half-brother and rival in almost everything. He’s also cunning, greedy, and a fentanyl addict. Like Pheem, he clearly needed love and care too.
Risa
The sister of Pheem and Chet. Although she appears quiet and innocent, I knew from the start she was the most dangerous among them. Whoever has the upper hand between her brothers, she can easily manipulate to climb her way to the highest position in the hospital. She constantly switches sides depending on who benefits her the most.
The plot twists—both early and late in the series—are somewhat predictable, but the way the story unfolds keeps viewers wondering how all the conflicts will be resolved, especially since everyone wants power and there’s so much happening. It keeps you engaged. It feels like it’s either someone has to die or someone has to compromise. There are a few plot holes, but I honestly didn’t mind.
If you rated this low because of Pheem or the other villains, that might not be entirely fair. The series has a heavy, dark theme with multiple antagonists, and that won’t suit everyone. If that’s not your style, it’s better to stop early instead of judging the show for something that’s part of its core tone. And to be fair, Pheem does get some character growth in the end.
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Thoroughly enjoyable watch
I'm surprised by the negative reviews on this page, and I don't agree with them. (I mean, okay, I agree that the gun/bullet/blood Adobe After Effects were a bit lame. I bet they just ran out of budget. It didn't ruin the show for me.)I loved this series. It had my attention from start to finish, which is rare for me. I'm more inclined to either give up on a series halfway or speed it up to get it over with faster. I wanted this series to keep going.
I was very impressed with the acting by the entire cast. Special mentions though: I think Offroad has really grown as an actor since Love in Translation, which is always a pleasure to see in successful actors. So many actors stop working as hard on their craft when they become successful, and I appreciate the obvious work Offroad put into this role. I was blown away by Tongtong. I must have seen him in To Sir with Love, but he really shines here. This was a difficult role to pull off well, and he impressed me. I'm going to keep an eye on his future work.
The production value and direction were both excellent (bar the obvious After Effects, of course). The story was clearly communicated, even with all the twists and turns.
All in all, I highly recommend this series. It's worth your time.
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The beginning is so exciting but The Ending is Bad
Till Episode 6/7, I loved it and was truly excited for it. But the way they just rushed the ending and everyone just kept on dying without any head or tail to the matter.. It was just senseless violence and nothing made any sense after the father's death, it was just chaos and an absolute disaster. The acting was overall okay and the production too but the shooting sequences, the blood, even the acting from male leads ... Everything just kept getting worse and worse.The DaouOffroad kiss and intimacy scenes were lacklustre. The kisses seemed so awkward and passion-less.. They were kissing with pursed lips, their body language or anything else didn't scream 'longing'..
The show after episode 7 truly felt like formality. Disappointing, to say the least. To my dismay, it left a sour aftertaste when the beginning promised me a rollercoaster ride and an exciting, diff storyline.
Unfortunately, not every series is KinnPorsche or has its level of logic.
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This review may contain spoilers
The Shallow Game
Honestly, this series is a mess. Unfortunately, there's not much to salvage here and it's sad to see protagonists with so much chemistry wasted in such a poor series.The biggest problem here is that the series doesn't know how to work with suspense and create a coherent narrative. Everything is thrown onto the screen and shown right away. All the conflicts, all the secrets, everything is revealed at the start. Everything is obvious and blatant.
And this makes the script spin in the same place the entire series. It's the same dynamic and the same dialogues all the time.
It's downright boring how many times Chet tries to kill Pheem. Or the countless times their father hits Chet and his bodyguard. Or Chet yelling in every scene.
The characters lack depth. It's all too shallow. The revelation that Risa was behind everything should be the plot twist of the series, but it's just another piece of information that's blatantly revealed from the beginning.
And unfortunately, not even the incredible chemistry between the protagonists can save the series. The entire construction of their relationship is lazy and relies on this cliché of their past as children – something I deeply hate in BLs.
It makes no sense for Pheem to shoot Than, then apologize, then fake Than's death, then run away with him and then suddenly they're getting married!! Only for him to run away in the end, fake his death and change his name – which certainly means their marriage certificate is no longer valid.
The script fails to dissect and elaborate on each moment with the necessary depth. The series tries to be edge and dark by including random fight scenes and shootouts with amateurish CGI but that's not enough.
And the ending... all this only for everyone to die in the same way and the hospital to be deserted.
It's a series that tries but falls short due to a weak script that fails to develop the plot in an interesting way, a direction that doesn't know how to extract complexity from its actors and a repetitive storyline with washed-out cinematography and a production that tries to be deeper than it actually is.
Honestly, the relationship between Chet and the bodyguard would be much more interesting than this whole boring plot about inheriting a hospital.
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frustrating games...
This was a bland boring drama where there is minimal character development and plot progression. The characters are unidimensional who swing between screaming, scheming and betraying. Also dont start with me about the father charcter, winner of the worst father of the year award.If anyone is planning to watch this drama because of their love for the lead pair, just keep it in check as this drama can test your patience. this drama is a step down for the lead pair who was fantastic in Century of Love, the story runs in circles like a headless chicken and the audience is made to run along it.
Its a shame that both the leads brought their A game for such a poorly written and sloppily produced drama. One can categorise it under a lakorn but it fails to measure up to that.
Hoping DaouOffroad lands better projects in future... certainly not another hot mess like this.
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I was hyped at first but I lost focus on it after a few weeks. I kept watching it only because of DaouOffRoad (And because I don't usualy drop). Too much happening for my dumb brain (and maybe I wasn't in the right mood to follow this story)
Obviously the actors are all great and the chemistry is on top.
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well, that was disappointing.
well, that was disappointing.Like, actually one of the biggest disappointments this year because it failed in every aspect. I love Daou-Offroad and I find Offroad to be a fantastic actor - I was so excited for this series! I genuinely don't understand what happened and how this happened but the quality of the production is terrible, which is especially bizarre considering the previous works they've done together. The audio was peaking throughout the entire series, the music was corny and didn't match the tone of most scenes, the camera struggled to stay in focus, the story was flat and repetitive, the actors were mediocre and all of this combined (accentuated by the music) felt like a soap opera. It was almost comical whenever the "DUHH" sound effect hit for every reveal\mistake\show of emotion\etc. and whenever the actors repeated the exact same things over and over and over again. Take Chet for example, the man is unable to resist the urge to throw an object across the floor at every minor inconvenience. All he does is throw a table around while throwing a tantrum and throwing weak insults consisting of "you're just the son of a mistress. You and your mom are useless. I'm very important. Mine, mine mine". And the father is just as bad with throwing punches at his children. Again, instead of using his words, he kept hitting them and repeating equally, annoyingly repetitive words "you're useless. I never liked you. I gave you a chance and you ruined it. You're not worthy. useless, useless, useless."
Very quickly in the story do these series of events repeat themselves. Someone does something, the siblings voice how incapable the other is, the father is happy, it backfires, father hits and then banishes them away. repeat. anyway, the last thing I'll mention was the inconsistencies. Lots of continuity errors and also just general events that don't make sense. I can't tell you the amount of times someone got severely injured but it's as though their bodies magically healed itself right away. other than smaller continuity issues scattered here and there, I remember a pretty big one near the start of the show where one moment, Pheem is covered in blood but then the next shot he's completely fine and then it cuts back to him being all bloodied lol.
I'm not someone who enjoys hating on art, I really don't, but I cannot understand for the life of me how this series had a near perfect rating?????
Je ne comprends pas lol
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Daou and Offroad the only good thing
using one of the best pairing with one of the best chimestry in the industry to do this drama... the only thing that is good here is Daou and Offroad, they together are the only thing that made me watch until the end.the story, the action...everything feels unreal. Starting by the really need of a shooting classes that all of them need. Bro, they shoot like 1000 times and only four or five wasn't a waste of munition.
But I have to say that the scene of Daou shooting in a slow mood was sooo nice
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I knew it's gonna be so good
YES. IT HAPPENED. I've been waiting SO LONG for this series to happen. Today aired the first episode and it looks promising. The plot is entertaining, contains details and a lot of action - which is the most important thing in dramas for me. I hate those too cute stories, where the storyline is boring and easily predictable. I put a strong faith in this drama and hope that next episodes will be even better and won't disappoint me. Also I am a huge fan of Daou and Offroad. Their chemistry is INSANE and i see it in every of their shows - counting this one too. The looks they give each other are screaming of love and admiration. Daou sings beautifully and i'm glad the directors contained it in the first episode. I'm looking forward for the upcoming episodes, but for now my rating is already high.Was this review helpful to you?
Promising Start But Unfortunately…
I hate to say this, I almost did not want to leave this review, but I have to!First, let me start by saying WHEN I catch the writer and director of this show!!!!!!!!! Because how could they???!!
Wasted such good pairings (Daou-Off-road) and one of my favorites too. What could have been a very good BL turned out to be below average.
Now, let me say this, the bad quality of this show has nothing to do with the actors and everything to do with the terrible scripting.
It is…unbelievable, I’ll say. Especially since the story started out so strong and with such great potential but it got boring quickly and we have the plot line to blame for that.
I will be very honest here… this is not a series I would recommend … unfortunately.
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I was waiting for decades for this series.
Already watched 2 episodes and can't wait for next Saturday. Sach a heavy bl . Actually ML not BL . Love watching men leads
Highly recommended storyline looks everything perfect.
Must try it and u r gonna love it ❤️❤️
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