So far I loved this Drama so Much that I was compelled to write a review
Direction- 10/10
I was so impressed by the direction of this drama that I specifically went an extra mile to search for Director Kim Sang-ho and his other works. South Korea is very lenient when it comes to writing and directing credits and this drama prooves that why credits should be given importance. Anybody watching this drama will feel like they are watching a piece of an Art. Some of the shots were cinematic brilliance. I liked how director made the choice of keep the film rolling and capturing the actors while they were doing absolutely nothing and just stairing out of the window or corner. Its hard to act when you are asked to portray your emotions of guilt, anger, frustration, sadness while saying and doing absolutely nothing but those were the actully best captured shots. He looked like the director who gets best out of his actors. Acting from everybody seemed top notch, not only casting director ( Whose name I couldnt find even after searching) should be commended but Director should also be given fair share of praise for getting best out of the actors.
In short this drama is NOTHING SHORT OF A PIECE OF AN ART.
Actors.- 10/10
Acting: After certain tragic event when 3 people of IFB seemed worried, distreesed and disheartened they looked like your average people mouring the loss of a colleague. Their weeping and tension was so real that I felt like that I have came out from real funeral. Eveyone acted so well that it feels like you are watching people in their everyday life. None of them looked Actor except Eugene Han( his style of acting was different but I still liked him though believability of his character was lowest). Actors were simply doing nothing but just being there and you still can figure out what kind of emotions they are feeling. That is best acting when actors can portray everything by doing nothing. Its too easy to over act in such situations but none of them did. Acting so far is so good that I am afraid that just one mistake and it ll ruin a master piece.
Story- 7.5/10
Based on 8 episodes so far story was too good for first 7 episodes. It never feels like your typical Kdrama from the core topic of the story to the events. But in the 8th episode they lost huge point where they introduced romantic elements although Romace is quite believable but they could have managed without it. I think making a K drama without Typical elements of Kdrama isnt easy in Korea, people simply refuse to watch it. Hence they must not have any choice apart from that. But core story of finacial situation is good. Storywise Its a breath of fresh air in typical Korean Drama Industry. Apart from cliche Romantic element I would give this story and writing 10/10.
Research- 10/10
I am not an economic expert but while watching this drama you can feel like they did and enormous amount of research on economic conditions of differen countries in the world. Like in the 8th episode when they mentioned that many reports were made to publicise BRICS so that their funds can be sold. That was true in BRICS apart from CHINA & INDIA other countries didnt show much of a dramatic growth. Its just that Growth of China and India was so much big that it inceased the value of BRICS and people failed to notice faliure of such growth in BRAZIL, SA and RUSSIA. Not just this part but facts they mentioned about different currencies, foreign reserve held buy different nations, East Asia finacial crisis and political blunders that caused it, were so great. There were many situations where I didnt agree with finacial ideologies of Show but they were backed by strong facts hence I ended up accepting them as a different view on same situation.
Score 9.5/10
Choices of the music score were intresting specifivcally when they chose south of heavy breathing out at very important decisive moments, it felt like they are playing with lungs of the country ( Finacial situation metaphorically compared to lungs). Through out the drama I have watched so far score took a back seat highlighting the acting and story. The indication of good score is that when you can feel for story and actors. Score wasn't very strong hence it did its jobs quite perfectly. Apart from repetitive theme score (song) which gets annoying at times bcoz it doesnt suit the story everything with the score was perfect. Sometimes they chose to not use the score and go complete silent and those monets were great too.
TVN- 10/10
TVN is known for making best Kdramas and they have prooved it once again.
So Far this drama has been treat to watch, it ll be a great watch for people who are tired of cliche Korean Dramas.

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This story really made me appreciate Last emperor of Han dynasty a lot. I always have thought of him as incompetent person. But now after watching the series I realized that he Could have easily decided to go against Cao family and landed to Kingdom into war directly but he didn't. I never get it even after abdication he was given best thing to live on later upon his death was given funeral befitting emperor with Wei emperor present there. He must have done something incredible in eyes of usurpers and people that he was honored as emperor even after his death. Now I look back at it than I realize it he could have made capital fall into chaos too.
As for Sima Yi he was not allowed to show his talent through out reign of Cao cao to Cao pi. But still manage to take throne for his family and established a new dynasty. He must have been a genius for doing so. It was intresting to see three kingdoms from his eyes.

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It was such a great show but they ruined it so badly in last 4 episodes that I wont reccomend it to anybody who loves cinema.
Story- 10/10 I am giving 10 because main heart of the story was mid life crisis and all other mental problems faced by middle class adults of all ages. It was frighteningly real. I will not go into romance part bcoz I will not even consider it in actual story.
Writer - (7/10) Park Hae-Young wrote such a wonderful script but in order to write a romance she ended up ruining it. It could have been a perfect masterpiece but it felt short of it bcoz of Romance. Writer lost her sense of purpose in last 4 episodes. In first episode it has been clearly said that without romance drama couldn't be successful thats why they included woman in the drama and it actually felt like it, romance was the most unnecessary part of this drama and that's what ruined the last 4 episodes. They could have easily skipped the romance part and presented as normal healing relation bw boss and employee. I will deduct 3 points out of her work because I feel like she forcefully added romance to make it a hit, either she was forced or decided to earn money by sacrificing a great story. She is such a big writer she could have easily held her ground and would have decided against it but she didn't.
Camera work: (5/10 ) Camera work for such a great drama was not upto standard, felt like somebody has employed novice to the work. In the first five minutes of drama they chose shaky effect but it was so shaky that I felt dizzy and in later episodes it was quite lacking too. In one of the episodes where ML enrters in the restaurant to meet his ex director, just when he opens the door, his face is covered with foggy apearance and not clear bcoz of shitty camera work. Effect chosen for the Drama are of some1 who is new to effects.
Director- I didn't find much of reason to criticise the direction, director pretty much held the drama together.
OST- 10/10. I have not found a single drama where IU has acted and OST want good. Every IU drama makes me wanna search for OST.
Acting-7.5/10 Although Acting was decent on everybody's part but some stalwarts like Park Ho-san seriously failed to give his best, he is such a good actor but I felt like he never really felt like acting in the Drama hence he decided not to put his heart into it. This drama made good actors look bad. And dont let me start on actress Lee Ji-Ah, her acting never looked good in front of great actors. I dont get it who decided to emply her for the role.
Makeup artists, Costume designer- (4/10) in last 4 episodes it felt like even they have given up on drama. They dressed the ML so badly in last 4 episodes that it felt like ML has changed to some other actor. To make IU look too miserable, they chose a makeup that would look good on a person who has been forzen in ice, I mean what's up with too much red undereyes.
Apart from that a great story depicting the realistic lifestyle of Korean middle aged men, Hardships in life faced by both young people who didnt get to meet right persons in their childhood and Hardships faced by adults even after trying living their life the way society expects them to be.

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If you have watched dramas like Joy of life, Story of Ming lan etc. you will like it but wont enjoy it as much as enjoyed them.
This drama gives the exact feeling which you get while watching Game of the throne you start watching LOTR. You understand that this drama started the trend of cunning plot genre with badass characters. You will be lucky if this is included in the first few C dramas you watched but if if you have already watched later dramas which were inspired from Nirvana in Fire than you will not get that same joy.
Points that were best in this drama
Acting- specifically the guy who was playing the king, I watched his scenes many times on repeat he is such a good actor. Although I didn't like the acting on only character which was mother of Prince Jingyan the consort Jing and annoying chinese dubbing made it more unbearable.
Plot- Plot is the main thing in this drama which is the reason it inspred many other later dramas.
No Romance- I liked it that creators dared to make a drama with barely any romance in a time where Romance was very important part in the dramas.

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Story: Synopsis here is missleading. Although Romance is present in the drama but that's never a major plot. Major plot is how both Female and Male lead use their genius ways to either win something or get out of tough situations.I will describe both differently here.
Minglan- Our Female Lead, born to a mother who was bought to marry her husband. Her mother was 3rd wife of his husband whom he never cared about. Even when her mother was murdered her husband didnt care. Ming lan then was brought up my her grandma who was very intelligent and Ming lan learned this from her. Minglan acted to be dumb, sumbissive and as a good girl till her adult hood, so that she can never be percived as threat to any of herstep siblings. But she still played games behind doors to get out of dangerous situations or to make herstep sister or stepmother pay for her wrong doings but nobody ever judged that It was Minglan who was behind everything. She even made a very dangerous plot to MURDER her stepmother who was responsible for her mothers death. She not only succeeded in Murdering her same way her mother died but she also made sure that her step sister who was the daughter of eveil stepmom can never have a good life. Nobody ever came to know that minglan was behind all of this. Once she got married to marquis she started showing her true intelligence and how dangerous is she. After her marriage people started to realise that it's imposible to deal with her and if anybody tried to harm her or anybody close to her they will definetly loose their life. She even got empress out of many difficult situations by her intelligence. She was not only intelligent but highly brave who could fight against world if any body close to her was harmed.
Gu Tingye- I find him equally talented and intelligent But Gu tingye always have had the opportunity and title as son of marquis and later General and Marquis himslef to show his intelligence but he rarely did. He was opressed as child but never knew till his father passed away. He was deliquant hence was never believed to be a better person. Later on when he decided to turn around his life after Ming Lan convinced him only then you can start to see how good of a planner he was himself. Unlike Minglan Gun tingye was always direct and never pretended even in dangeroud of situations.
Minglan was cool, Composed and Defensive Guntingye was Fiery and Offensive but both were highly intelligent and hence as a pair when they married it became imposible for anybody to defeat them as a pair.
Direction 5/10- I saw shaky footage atleast 3 times in entire show and apart from that there were many flaws but still they were digestable.
Character Development- Character development of each and every character from Main leads to mother of supporting characters to even servents was very good. You grow attached to these characters and this character development was also the reason why show is 73 episode long. You never feel that drama was draggy its imposible to skip even a second of drama.
All in all one of the best C dramas out there.

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Unlike every other drama coming out of Korea with same repeat stories this drama was totally different, both leads of the drama were worst ever criminal possible. Leads were pimps who sold men and women of all ages including minors for sexual favors. They didn't stop even when things got complicated like attempted murder, police getting involved later on murder. Worst part both the leads were minors.
This drama is depiction of how extreme circumstances bring out worst in humans even worse when persons are genius and are very difficult to be suspected. They manipulate every circumstance in their favor but you can't even blame them because they had no other choice.
Best part of Drama
Acting by male lead- I have watched all 3-4 of his drama and this guy took me buy surpsrise he acted so well that he desreve daesang for the drama. If he can conti nue this acting he will end up as one of the best actors ever produced by South Korea.

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I think makers of this drama should have made Original Doctor foster
It is a remake but is 100 times better than original series. I can't comment on story because original story is taken out of Doctor Foster english series and have had 2 remakes one is Indian and nother is this one and all three of them are highly successfull.
Lead actress has potrayed the characyter so well. Throughout the drama you ll at first love her for the brave choices she made but later on you will get dissapointed in her because she can't let go off the last bit of feelings she has for her ex husband. But that's what life is nobody is perfect.
This drama even though adultary and married life is involved is really never about them but in actual it's an intense thriller. I wont be shocked if this drama soon replace SKY castle fromm its highest rating position.

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