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"Bad" Characters vs. Bad Writing: Shifting Standards in How We Critique Kdramas?

TOHBADDI

Following this year of dramas, I've seen a real shift in how we critique shows. Notably, "Bad" Character = Bad Show, "Good" Character = Good Show. I was wondering, when did how morally upstanding a character is become the barometer for good storytelling/writing in kdramas? When did the criterion shift to something so rudimentary? Or am I analysing this incorrectly?

I’ve seen this critique several times and find it kinda simplistic, as it doesn't leave room for complex or flawed characters. I don't know if I'm making sense, but the critiques in question aren’t necessarily that the characters are written poorly/badly, it’s that the characters by nature are not “good”. I've seen a lot of "red flag" and "green flag" terms lately in discussions and reviews. What particular bearing does a character’s good or bad nature have on the quality and execution of a show?

I've been thinking about this a lot and welcome any thoughts. Has anyone else seen this recent uptick?

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LouM VIP

We live in an era where feelings prevail logic at every situation so people can't differentiate.They need someone to root for or root againist and if someone isnt perfect they cant root for them and if he isnt a bad guy they cant root againist him.

However there are cases where a sole character is simply unbearable (Example: Lee Seung Gi in Shining Inheritance  and Lee Min Ho in boys over flowers)  they make the show terrible.

In Conclusion,I agree that the morality has nothing to do with whether a show is good and many people rate that way nowadays but a character can ruin a show regardless of moral values.

Edit:I just realised i have shining inheritance rated too high lol,time to drop it down but han hyo joo and moon chae won salvaged it a lot.

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TOHBADDI

I agree. I've had instances where I was watching a show but couldn't really invest because there wasn't a particular character for me to cling to. So, I could see that being a thing. 

To the second point, that is also very much a thing 😭 I'm not familiar with Shining Inheritance but there's definitely an art to writing an antagonist (or protagonist). Whatever feelings you evoke from the viewers—like annoyance,  you want so because of the right reasons, not poor/flat writing. 

I think I'm just sceptical because some really good shows are being written off because they lack the cookie-cutter "good" guy.  

Also, a Han Hyo Joo mention got me excited, but now hearing your review... 🤣

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TOHBADDI

Another layer for me is the portrayal of toxic behaviours. I don’t believe that the mere depiction of toxic or maladaptive behaviour in a drama is the same as endorsing it. It’s just that... a depiction. These shows act like a looking glass into real life. 

There's been a shift toward a very binary view of storytelling, where these poor behaviours automatically condemn the work itself. This perspective literally snuffs out any sort of nuance.

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