Editorials 
The Scandal — My Honest Thoughts
I wouldn’t call The Scandal a masterpiece, especially with the expectations I had going in, but it’s still a very good drama. I had a good time watching it, and the performances were genuinely too good. It started so well, with so much momentum, and towards the end, there was some sense of fulfilment, but it still wasn’t enough for me.
The biggest problem is that the momentum faded in the middle. For an 8-episode drama with such a strict runtime, there isn’t much room to explore character growth, but even within that runtime, there were a lot of scenes that felt too slow. There were moments where the drama went into a very dead zone. At the same time, there were so many relationship dynamics, especially between the supporting characters, that could’ve been explored much more. I kept thinking about certain scenes that could’ve been replaced with something more meaningful.
The most disappointing part for me is that it never became as dark as I wanted it to be. The potential for obsession, jealousy, possessiveness and all those complicated emotions was clearly there, but the drama didn’t explore them deeply enough. That doesn’t mean there are no such moments. There are moments where it absolutely explodes, and I really loved those scenes. But they are too few, and the progression of the characters could’ve been much stronger.
And the chemistry… somehow, it was missing. I don’t think this is on the actors. Ji Chang-wook, Nana and everyone else portrayed their characters really well and were consistent throughout. But chemistry is also part of the director’s job. It’s the director who has to bring that chemistry out of the actors and make you feel the attraction, tension and relationship dynamics. So for me, that part definitely falls more on the direction.
Technically, though, the drama is really good. The production value is excellent, the music is top-notch, and I loved the visual representation of the er0tic and sensual scenes. Some of the choices were genuinely creative. The er0tic and sensual scenes are not bad at all, and honestly, some are very well-crafted. There could’ve been more, and they could’ve been more direct, but that doesn’t mean what we got was bad. They do show emotion and serve their purpose; they just don’t hit as hard as they could have.
I also loved that long shot of the whole area towards the end. Little technical choices like that reminded me of the potential this drama had. Somehow, I feel like the soul of the drama got a little lost in the middle.
But I still had a good time watching it. I binged the whole thing, and it’s definitely not a bad watch. The hate it’s getting feels unnecessary to me. I also think people need to be a little more open-minded about the er0ticism and sensuality. Yes, it could’ve been better, but that doesn’t mean those scenes were bad. They had something to say and, in many moments, they worked.
And I really have to applaud Ji Chang-wook and Nana for having the courage to take on characters like this. When you have that level of popularity and status, taking challenging roles comes with a lot of risk. I have nothing but praise for them.
I honestly want more K-dramas in this space: obsession, er0ticism, sensuality, thriller, jealousy, forbidden love, and that feeling of not being able to have the person you want because you’re not powerful enough. I’d love to see more of this genre.
The biggest problem is that the momentum faded in the middle. For an 8-episode drama with such a strict runtime, there isn’t much room to explore character growth, but even within that runtime, there were a lot of scenes that felt too slow. There were moments where the drama went into a very dead zone. At the same time, there were so many relationship dynamics, especially between the supporting characters, that could’ve been explored much more. I kept thinking about certain scenes that could’ve been replaced with something more meaningful.
The most disappointing part for me is that it never became as dark as I wanted it to be. The potential for obsession, jealousy, possessiveness and all those complicated emotions was clearly there, but the drama didn’t explore them deeply enough. That doesn’t mean there are no such moments. There are moments where it absolutely explodes, and I really loved those scenes. But they are too few, and the progression of the characters could’ve been much stronger.
And the chemistry… somehow, it was missing. I don’t think this is on the actors. Ji Chang-wook, Nana and everyone else portrayed their characters really well and were consistent throughout. But chemistry is also part of the director’s job. It’s the director who has to bring that chemistry out of the actors and make you feel the attraction, tension and relationship dynamics. So for me, that part definitely falls more on the direction.
Technically, though, the drama is really good. The production value is excellent, the music is top-notch, and I loved the visual representation of the er0tic and sensual scenes. Some of the choices were genuinely creative. The er0tic and sensual scenes are not bad at all, and honestly, some are very well-crafted. There could’ve been more, and they could’ve been more direct, but that doesn’t mean what we got was bad. They do show emotion and serve their purpose; they just don’t hit as hard as they could have.
I also loved that long shot of the whole area towards the end. Little technical choices like that reminded me of the potential this drama had. Somehow, I feel like the soul of the drama got a little lost in the middle.
But I still had a good time watching it. I binged the whole thing, and it’s definitely not a bad watch. The hate it’s getting feels unnecessary to me. I also think people need to be a little more open-minded about the er0ticism and sensuality. Yes, it could’ve been better, but that doesn’t mean those scenes were bad. They had something to say and, in many moments, they worked.
And I really have to applaud Ji Chang-wook and Nana for having the courage to take on characters like this. When you have that level of popularity and status, taking challenging roles comes with a lot of risk. I have nothing but praise for them.
I honestly want more K-dramas in this space: obsession, er0ticism, sensuality, thriller, jealousy, forbidden love, and that feeling of not being able to have the person you want because you’re not powerful enough. I’d love to see more of this genre.
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