DramaAjumma

https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/the-worst-of-evil-2023-in-the-final

While I wouldn't call this a masterpiece I enjoyed the ride from start to finish. I came here for Ji Chang-wook and Wi Ha-jun and I wasn't disappointed. I don't think it was a gangster story as much as it was a morality tale featuring cops and gangsters with a drug cartel angle. There were a number of ways the show could have ended but I think the one they went with was generally consistent with the themes. Could the show have done better? Sure. Were the women necessary to the story? It was for the story they wanted to tell. In the final analysis it is a cautionary parable of two men with similar backgrounds but making completely different choices.

It's the first Ji Chang-wook drama I've been able to finish since Suspicious Partner -- I consider that a win.

More thoughts under spoiler tags.

C dramas and their lacklustre endings. :D Will it never end?

Certainly not for Gi-cheul. The married couple... that was another story. But after what they did in Episode 8... yeah it's not beyond the pale.

I thought it was pretty much jail or death for him. How he died -- that was a surprise. But it works... for me. :D

I am genuinely surprised that anybody thought that Gi-cheul would come out of this situation unscathed and drive off into the sunset with the girl. There's no way that would ever happen in this story. He'd gone too far. He was unrepentant to the last sadly and only saw himself the victim of betrayal.

In spades.

Yes, I have. I'm working on a review at the moment.

I remember Ning Li from Ordinary Greatness. He was really good there as Zhang Ruoyun's mentor and also good here. His voice is so soothing to listen to.

I was certain that Gi-cheul would die or go to prison. But what they did was much darker. It was too late for him.

Like Jung Gi-cheul he wanted respect and to be honest, he got more of that from Gi-cheul than his wife's cop family and his colleagues.

It's the ending I expected but not in the way I expected. If that makes any sense. :P

I was uneasy about Eui-jeong's part in this but the ending proved that it was deliberate -- she was written as a double-edged sword. To both men she was a lifeline and held out the possibility of redemption. On the other hand, to both she became a stumbling block, confusion and a downfall. She tried to save two men and couldn't hold on to either. It's very very subversive. And dark. Not to mention a brutal overturning of the first love trope.

A tragic and melancholy tale of evil lurking in every soul. I liked it.

You're welcome. Thanks for reading and commenting.

Thoughts about the latest episodes. Read them here:
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/my-week-in-dramas-25-october-my-dearest

It's okay. I'm fine. :D Been watching K dramas for over a decade and been on different forums for about 8 of those years. It's partly the fault of the industry and their tropes. ;)

I watched Empress Ki first. Didn't like it all that much -- gave up half way. Then it was Healer, The K2, Suspicious Partner. I haven't liked anything or been interested in anything he's done since his return from military service. The Worst of Evil is the exception.

Healer was good. But for some reason the romance didn't do it for me. I liked the journalism angle and Yoo Ji-tae.

I had mixed feelings about Maleficent. She was impressive on some level. But frankly even with all that power and intelligence what she really wanted in the end was to be loved sincerely.

It's a zero sum game story. Nobody can have everything. Anna didn't have much and she was treated like a puppet by the adults in her life but she got the guy in the end. I think that's fair.

Frankly, this is my favourite JCW drama so far. I like it more than Healer.

I thought the same thing as well. I thought she was absolutely necessary to the plot because he needed some kind of second chance/redemption after what happened overseas and there was no way Je-ha would have gone for Maleficent. Not a chance. She was not his type.

Further thoughts regarding the more recent episodes. Go here:
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/the-worst-of-evil-2023-episodes-8

As someone who has worked for a government funded organization, I really appreciated the bureaucratic nuttiness of Under the Microscope. But I'm sure I'll enjoy this one as long as there's no cliffhanger ending.
Thanks for that.