No one is saying that the male lead's role is useless. Of course he's a key character here. What people are saying is: 1) There's little/no romantic spark between the leads (an issue of chemistry) 2) Romance may or may not have been necessary between the leads.
The criticism is how the romance was executed with the actors that were cast. It's never been about whether the Yeo-jung was "needed" in the story or the overall plot.
I think people are too harsh on this one.In general I think Kdramas have dipped in quality a lot since Squid Game…
If anything we're not being harsh enough. Even by the lights of your argument, we should demand better of our drama providers. I certainly agree that the oversaturation of K dramas among the rival streaming platforms has led to the dip in quality over the last two years because they are madly pushing out content just to compete on quantity. So it feels like any half-baked script can pass muster. As paying consumers we should hold these providers to account or otherwise they'll think we're just suckers who will go for anything because it comes out of South Korea.
This is in large part what's killing Hollywood. The same disease will infect the K drama industry if it hasn't already.
The first couple of episodes of Part 2 gave me the mistaken impression that the show had fixed some of its problems. But no, the pacing was still off. There really wasn't enough plot for 12 episodes. In fact I'm inclined to think that this show was very poorly plotted from its inception. There are elements of potentially interesting ideas floating around in this story but the storytelling lacks discipline. The lack of cohesion is glaring. More than that the placement of plot reveals in this show just drives me up the wall.
At a time when there's been a glut of superhero shows and when most people are now very familiar with the beats of the genre, this show not only does very little that's unique but it never rises above the flash and the bang. The world building is all over the place and the characters act as lone rangers for most of the show when there's supposed to be an end of the world threat looming.
Episode 8 was great. Very Cafe Minamdang-like. My daughter and I cackled raucously during the "Mother" medium scene. Lee Je-hoon is an absolute treasure.
I agree with you, nobody really got a bad ending. People who really deserved a bad ending just died, he didn't…
It isn't a question of realism or fantasy for me. To me it's a writing issue. Redeeming characters isn't the work of a single episode or even two. To me it's just plain lazy to hand out happy endings that hasn't been earned in the storytelling.
Narratively I can see why the romance might be necessary. However, if that's indeed the case then I think -- perhaps…
I think when audiences are split down the middle over something, there's usually something amiss with the script or the execution. Rather than blaming half the people watching it for "not understanding" what's going on, I think it's obvious that something's off. That the show runners made a decision that wasn't fully convincing... that they couldn't sell. It's the same with Reborn Rich. When half or more than half the viewers are raging over the ending, it shows that whatever it was they were going for just didn't work.
I like Lee Do-hyun who was very good in Sweet Home and 18 Again but here... he should have been her younger brother. It isn't as if there aren't other younger male actors who couldn't have played this role either.. I don't think the situation was helped by the fact that Jung Sung-il had far better romantic tension with Song Hye-kyo and it became a point of comparison.
As a huge fan of The Count of Monte Cristo, I think the series did a fantastic job following its story beats.…
Narratively I can see why the romance might be necessary. However, if that's indeed the case then I think -- perhaps a controversial thing to say -- that Lee Do-hyun who is a very likeable actor, was miscast in the role. First of all he was hard to buy as a consultant/specialist clinician. Secondly, his vibe with Song Hye-kyo feels like that between siblings especially with his banter. Everything about him feels "young" and "boyish" even though it's clear that he's a highly intelligent person.
I kept wondering the whole time what difference an actor like a Wi Ha-joon, or a Shin Jae-ha or even Jang Dong-yoon could add to the role that's not there for me.
As a huge fan of The Count of Monte Cristo, I think the series did a fantastic job following its story beats. It's very well-plotted. It's also a classy revenge melodrama because it recognizes what revenge does to the protagonist's soul as much as it might satisfy their need for justice. More importantly it isn't afraid to delve into the evil that human beings are capable of in their pursuit of desires. The religious overtones which were in TCoMC has a far more nihilistic twist here. Except for an instance or two of dubious casting, the performances are top-notch. The villains of the piece in particular were just fantastic. And I just adore Yeom Hye-ram in anything she's in.
It's almost become a rarity to see a good K drama ending. One that makes sense and is consistent with what came before. But this one was a sight for sore eyes. If anything the wrap up is a little too neat. Some of the last minute twists and turns weren't necessary. But it's a minor quibble considering how well the journey plays out for the protagonist, her allies and her antagonists.
4 
1) There's little/no romantic spark between the leads (an issue of chemistry)
2) Romance may or may not have been necessary between the leads.
The criticism is how the romance was executed with the actors that were cast. It's never been about whether the Yeo-jung was "needed" in the story or the overall plot.
Jang Hyuk the action hero is always worth a look. The fight sequences in this are terrific.
This is in large part what's killing Hollywood. The same disease will infect the K drama industry if it hasn't already.
At a time when there's been a glut of superhero shows and when most people are now very familiar with the beats of the genre, this show not only does very little that's unique but it never rises above the flash and the bang. The world building is all over the place and the characters act as lone rangers for most of the show when there's supposed to be an end of the world threat looming.
What a waste of a competent cast of actors.
Episode 8 was great. Very Cafe Minamdang-like. My daughter and I cackled raucously during the "Mother" medium scene. Lee Je-hoon is an absolute treasure.
I like Lee Do-hyun who was very good in Sweet Home and 18 Again but here... he should have been her younger brother. It isn't as if there aren't other younger male actors who couldn't have played this role either.. I don't think the situation was helped by the fact that Jung Sung-il had far better romantic tension with Song Hye-kyo and it became a point of comparison.
Has Idris Elba done Othello on telly?
Have you read The Black Count? It's about Dumas' dad. I'm about to pick it up.
I kept wondering the whole time what difference an actor like a Wi Ha-joon, or a Shin Jae-ha or even Jang Dong-yoon could add to the role that's not there for me.
It's almost become a rarity to see a good K drama ending. One that makes sense and is consistent with what came before. But this one was a sight for sore eyes. If anything the wrap up is a little too neat. Some of the last minute twists and turns weren't necessary. But it's a minor quibble considering how well the journey plays out for the protagonist, her allies and her antagonists.