My Honest Thoughts After episode seventeen
I don't know about everyone else, but I'm definitely one of the people who waited almost a year for Overdo. My expectations were through the roof. The cast, the Republican-era setting, the leaked stills, the costumes, the synopsis—everything made it feel like this was going to be a landmark C-drama.
I was so invested that when it finally premiered, I was glued to the screen. Even after finishing 17 episodes, I couldn't bring myself to write anything because I kept hoping the next episode would give me that feeling I'd been waiting for. Unfortunately, it never did.
Don't get me wrong, Overdo isn't a very bad drama. But it's nowhere near the level I expected.
My biggest issue is the direction. It feels surprisingly weak. The dialogue doesn't leave much of an impact, the action choreography lacks intensity, there are too many plot holes, and the story feels like it's moving in circles instead of building momentum. The pacing isn't necessarily slow, but it rarely feels like it's progressing.
Visually, it's stunning. The cinematography, costumes, and overall aesthetic are beautiful. But for me, the soul is missing.
Zhang Linghe also deserved much better writing. The drama wants him to come across as this intimidating, charismatic figure, but the script doesn't support it. His dialogue and character moments just aren't strong enough. One of the few scenes that really worked for me was his confrontation with Old huo in Episode 7. That was the kind of intensity I wanted throughout the drama.
The relationship writing is another weak point. They keep pushing the leads apart and bringing them back together, but the emotional payoff never feels earned. Instead of making me more invested, it left me wondering where the story was actually going.
At times, it even feels like the drama is trying to recreate moments from other shows but it never lands with the same impact because the character writing isn't strong enough to sell it.
Maybe my expectations were simply too high, and that's on me. But when a drama builds this much anticipation, "good" or "average" just isn't enough. I wanted something unforgettable, and after 17 episodes, I'm mostly left feeling disappointed.
I was so invested that when it finally premiered, I was glued to the screen. Even after finishing 17 episodes, I couldn't bring myself to write anything because I kept hoping the next episode would give me that feeling I'd been waiting for. Unfortunately, it never did.
Don't get me wrong, Overdo isn't a very bad drama. But it's nowhere near the level I expected.
My biggest issue is the direction. It feels surprisingly weak. The dialogue doesn't leave much of an impact, the action choreography lacks intensity, there are too many plot holes, and the story feels like it's moving in circles instead of building momentum. The pacing isn't necessarily slow, but it rarely feels like it's progressing.
Visually, it's stunning. The cinematography, costumes, and overall aesthetic are beautiful. But for me, the soul is missing.
Zhang Linghe also deserved much better writing. The drama wants him to come across as this intimidating, charismatic figure, but the script doesn't support it. His dialogue and character moments just aren't strong enough. One of the few scenes that really worked for me was his confrontation with Old huo in Episode 7. That was the kind of intensity I wanted throughout the drama.
The relationship writing is another weak point. They keep pushing the leads apart and bringing them back together, but the emotional payoff never feels earned. Instead of making me more invested, it left me wondering where the story was actually going.
At times, it even feels like the drama is trying to recreate moments from other shows but it never lands with the same impact because the character writing isn't strong enough to sell it.
Maybe my expectations were simply too high, and that's on me. But when a drama builds this much anticipation, "good" or "average" just isn't enough. I wanted something unforgettable, and after 17 episodes, I'm mostly left feeling disappointed.
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