Climax

Climax or Anticlimax?

Climax is a political thriller series that started really strong and fell short by the end.

I was really intrigued with the first episodes, a couple married out of interest, he was using her to get powerful and she was doing the same and never truly cared about him, a relationship that is build entirely on interest and you are there seeing that struggle and how they go from the bottom to the top fighting the upper class.

Right in the middle of the series, the issues started to emerge, but slowly. The serie started turning into a lesbian love story, and you're there like wtf I'm watching? I don't understand the reason why the director decided to go that route when he could've just made them friends and instead gave us more struggle between the couple because we really needed that. You be in a point where that's not even the central point anymore, it started to get confusing and you don't what are you even watching.

Things got even worse by the 8th and 9th episodes and the final ep had some positives but that didn't really save the series. The meaningless side stories (like the FL love story) did lot of harm to the quality of the story, it took me out personally out of the series, i was like, let's just move and finish it already.

The reason I'm giving it a 7 and not a 5 or 4, is simple though. The series started strong as i said (at one point i was thinking it's a solid 8 or 9 series), it had all the tools to be a great series but with everything I've said and more is what really put it down. And why do we even need a season 2? (I don't know if there's a S2 but apparently we will). Why not just a normal ending?

This is very common in Korean series where we're left with so much to discover, lot of confusion just for a season 2.

So, yeah this is my personal opinion. I give it a a 8/10 (till the 6th episode) and a 6.5/10 overall.

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8/10 well written and gripping drama

Every now and then, a drama sneaks up on you and completely delivers-and Climax absolutely does. It's a gripping, edge-of-your-seat ride with a plot that hooks you early and never really lets go, all while keeping a sharp, satisfying pace.
I'll admit, I'm a pretty picky K-drama watcher, so it takes a lot to impress me-but this one? It nailed it. It felt like a very tightly woven Korean version of House of Cards, and it, funnily, uses the phrase "house of cards" in the dialogue...but this is just my observation.
I actually stumbled across this series "Climax" by accident when I heard "Black Star" by Nana-the MV caught my attention just enough to make me curious. Safe to say, that curiosity paid off. What I found was an unexpected gem that quickly became a binge-worthy drama.
The plot kept me glued to the screen from minute one. I kept wanting to know how each character was going to deal with the situation. The pacing was well done, never felt like it was dragging on, no wasted scenes.
The acting by the two female leads are superb, very realistic and both are not afraid to look bad in front of the camera and both uses small facial expressions to carry the scenes.
I'll admit some of the characters are bit one-dimensional and doesn't change throughout, but at the same there, but the show balances that out with others who are layered, unpredictable, and hard to fully reads. That contrast ended up working in its favor-l found the overall character dynamics surprisingly well-balanced and engaging.
I did find Climax a tad confusing in terms of they use they edited their flashback scenes with the present scenes.
There are a few moments I couldn't quite tell if it was the present or the past I was watching. This doesn't steer me away from the overall enjoyment of the series, but it does require more concentration while watching.
The show gets surprisingly meta, using a film-within-the-series to reflect the characters' inner thoughts. While it does lean into some classic K-drama tropes, the way the director and editor handle them-both in the "movie" segments and the main storyline-feels polished, restrained, and refreshingly tasteful rather than over-the-top.
Overall, well entertaining binge-worthy drama. I feel the low rating people never really watched the drama nor really put much thought into the writing. Recommended to people who enjoy drama, politic drama, thrillers and fans of Nana and Ha Ji Won. 8.5/10!

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