There's little doubt that the plotting is the highlight of the show -- the competing agendas, the double-crossing, the table-turning. Even the most random people and titbits find their significance eventually. The production values might not be as good as something like The Heart but the plot more than makes up for it.
This show is a hoot. I don't watch too many makjangs in general but this one's hilarious. The male lead's family is so much fun. I love Lee Mi-sook. She's always good value.
A Cinderella contract marriage. What's not to like. Plus there's smouldering Sung Hoon.
The cat and mouse game among the 3 interested parties intensified in Episode 11 and 12 with measures, countermeasures and shifting alliances. Some interesting reveals along the way as well. It's great to see all the threads beginning to coalesce in these two episodes. What's also heartening is to see how resourceful Nana is despite having no skills outside of dancing.
There are aspects of this show that remind me of the US tv show Justified. It's an absolute blast. (But without the witty dialogue)
I am enjoying the heck out of this one. It's fast moving, action packed and the script's pretty decent. Wang Ziqi is definitely pulling out all the stops for this in a role quite unlike the one he played in The Imperial Coroner. He's a bit of a maverick but really shines as an undercover cop. His fighting skills are certainly top-notch. But more importantly he's quick on his feet, can make stuff up as he goes along, adapt accordingly. He's certainly got the swagger and bravado down pat. Su Xiaotong's character hasn't made much of an appearance at this point but I'm sensing a Romeo and Juliet type scenario in the offing.
Of all the gangster shows I've seen this year, this one is the most entertaining even if the editing isn't up there with the K dramas.
Episodes 3 and 4 were definitely a step up from the first two. Having Yoo Ji-tae and Lee Joon-hyuk in the mix playing rather dubious characters certainly helps makes things interesting. Otherwise the show was pretty generic to begin with. This is really an ideas show rather than about characters. It is about the battle of ideas and a propaganda war over crime. There are a lot of bad people who get off scot free or with a slap on the wrist so what are the cops doing? What's the criminal justice system up to? Instead it's become about the vigilante. He's become an idea. The whole point of his crusade highlighting the failures of the system but now it's about him. He's now a potent symbol -- a champion of justice in the eyes of the people -- rather than an outlaw taking matters into his own hands.
My final thoughts about the show. "Unless they’ve been living under a rock all this time, anyone over the age of 25 is likely to have heard of Nietzsche’s cautionary line about those who battle monsters and stare into the abyss. It has a habit of popping up in crime K dramas especially the ones with the words “evil” or “darkness” in their titles. Evillive is tragic tale about one man’s gradual descent into the pit of hell itself. It isn’t the love of money necessarily that drives him there although the prospect of more wealth has its attractions. Temptations abound but not everyone succumbs. Simply put, Han Dong-soo is a man exhausted from the existential threat posed by corrupt politicians and psychopathic gangsters."
Acting is just wow, but the ending is annoyingly predictable! I wish it was a bit different than this.
Is it predictable or is it logical? Unpredictability for unpredictability's sake is not always a good thing. The show could have ended logically in one of two possible ways.
4 
The production values might not be as good as something like The Heart but the plot more than makes up for it.
A Cinderella contract marriage. What's not to like. Plus there's smouldering Sung Hoon.
There are aspects of this show that remind me of the US tv show Justified. It's an absolute blast. (But without the witty dialogue)
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/my-dearest-2023-episodes-18-21
Of all the gangster shows I've seen this year, this one is the most entertaining even if the editing isn't up there with the K dramas.
So far so good. A lot of fun. Cool action sequences and short episodes.
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/my-week-in-dramas-15-november-2023
"Unless they’ve been living under a rock all this time, anyone over the age of 25 is likely to have heard of Nietzsche’s cautionary line about those who battle monsters and stare into the abyss. It has a habit of popping up in crime K dramas especially the ones with the words “evil” or “darkness” in their titles. Evillive is tragic tale about one man’s gradual descent into the pit of hell itself. It isn’t the love of money necessarily that drives him there although the prospect of more wealth has its attractions. Temptations abound but not everyone succumbs. Simply put, Han Dong-soo is a man exhausted from the existential threat posed by corrupt politicians and psychopathic gangsters."
The rest can be found here:
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/my-week-in-dramas-15-november-2023
Unpredictability for unpredictability's sake is not always a good thing.
The show could have ended logically in one of two possible ways.