Muneeza22
Pakistan
The kind of dramas I've come to enjoy are ones that make me think deeply about life, relationships, and family. This one manages that and much more. The main characters teach us what it means to have regrets, to bury your pain, to have hopes and to hope again after having them shattered, to grow up and to truly realize that age is just a number, to fall and get up, and keep moving. This was truly a series that moved me. Here are my two favorite quotes out of a multitude:
"People mostly fall apart because they don't say enough. They stop themselves from saying the one thing that matters." - Jennifer
"If you know what you have, you know what to throw away." - Julie Morgenstern (cited by Jennifer)
There are a tad too many coincidences, but since those are common in romcoms, I learned to overlook them. This is mainly because there are so many things about this drama that are so entertaining that one should willingly turn away from such things and just enjoy the ride.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
For the first 10 episodes or so, I was a little lukewarm toward the series, mainly because I found the pacing to be a bit slow, and I wasn't on board with the main ship yet. However, my decision to persist was the best decision yet. I grew to love not only Gu Dong Mae (I'm obsessed!), but also Kim Hui-Seong, Eugene Choi, Lady Ae-Sin, Kudo Hina, and all those side characters as well. This drama is so heavy, and at times so light and uplifting. It has left me with so many feelings with my heart. I'm overwhelmed and utterly impressed by this experience. Others have said so much about this drama, but I just have to say this:
Humor is 10/10, and this is coming from a person who is very skeptical of humor in k-dramas. But this was so well-done, everything from Interpreter Im and Do-Mi, to the bromance between Eugene, Dong Mae and Hui Seong, to Ae-Sin's struggle to learn English. I'm left wanting a special episode for each of the main characters that I wanted to learn more about; namely Gu Dong Mae and Kudo Hina. I really, really wanted to learn how Kudo Hina came to be who she is when the drama begins. If you're looking for complex characters, this is the series to watch.
Acting 10/10: All characters, main or secondary, completely owned their roles and became them.
Cinematography 10/10 ... need I say more? Every shot was breathtaking.
Plot 10/10 I freaking love historical narratives.
Romance 9/10 I didn't buy Hui Seong's love for Ae Sin (that was too abrupt and I don't believe in love at first sight), but the Ae Sin - Dong Mae interactions were full of tension, and the Ae Sin Eugene interactions always made me smile. It was adorable and heartbreaking.
Pacing 8/10 If you're like me, you'll get impatient with the drawn out scenes where a character just stares into the distant with a pretty background and a melodic OST blaring in all its glory. I just zoomed past those, but there were too many of such scenes and I hungered for more action ... which I got after episode 12 (so hang on!).
I really liked how the drama portrays class conflict between characters entangled with political/military conflict and nationality. Eugene Choi is a Korean-born American captain who seems to struggle with how he should approach his feelings toward Joseon, a country that failed to protect him and his family. Ae-Sin is a noblewoman who is deeply loyal to her country, but is stuck between the patriarchal restraints on women, the need to pick up a weapon and fight, and a complex relationship with lower class like Gu Dong Mae. "The hierarchical system is destroyed, but we can't change our roots. Once a slave, always a slave." The series doesn't merely portray the unfailing courage of Joseon in the face of Japanese imperialism, it also highlights some key problems of the Joseon society. In Joseon there are the lower class butchers and slaves who are so oppressed they can't even protect their own children, there are traitors who are keen to sell Joseon to Japan, there are those who turn against their own parents and choose to be loyal to their country, and there are those who leave their country to survive, only to come back and take revenge against those who oppressed them.
This drama truly deserves the high ratings and accolades it's gotten.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I loved the first half of the show, especially with guests like Hong Jin Yong, Super Junior, and Kim Min Joon as well, but there were also guests that were rather boring. I admit that as they had to continue shows without audience for the sake of safety, it got a little lackluster, though it was necessary. I cringed when the show had a teenage fan of Kim Jong Kook wailing on the stage asking him to marry her, and when the Tone-Deaf Detectives assumed that because a contestant was good-looking he shouldn't be able to sing well ?
I admit that with the tone-deaf contestants always being 2 in number, it was easy to predict that the guest would end up with a good singer once 2 tone-deaf ones were weeded out.
I like that they've added this feature that the detectives can vote on which contestants they want to pick in each round. At the same time I wish they wouldn't get a guest or host to lip-sync in round 2. That part I tend to skip.
Anyways, this is one of my favorite variety shows, and I look forward to season 8.
Was this review helpful to you?
This is a masterpiece of a drama. I expected a lot of romance and fluff but I was pleasantly surprised by the raw realism, the emotion, and the human experiences portrayed here. This drama shows you how love isn't just hugs, kisses or yearning, that it matures with years, and is more about being open and honest with each other, and understanding each other than anything else.
I loved the subject matter more than anything else; difficulties in relationships, a parent's love for a child, dangers of hiding your feelings and lacking communication, youth, friendship, caring for each other, and learning to step into each other's shoes.
The acting was top notch. There's no one who can rival Jang Nara in her ability to make you cry when she cries. The other actors were all amazing as well.
I think the only thing that would be a weakness in the drama would be the explanation behind the time-travel, which is barely even considered as something worth an explanation, till the last 3 minutes of the last episode. But I think one can let go of such things, because it's the content and the subject matter that was much more important in this case, than technicalities.
This drama made me cry and laugh and smile, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is hesitating to watch this.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I started this drama only for the sake of D.O. because I love his acting (and singing), and having read reviews I already expected that this would not be an amazing story. Of course there are cliches and tropes, and there were some things I found problematic regarding the plot and story, but I was surprised I didn't drop this midway and ended up actually liking a few things about it. WHAT I LOVED:
A major plus point is naturally D.O.'s acting skills; his facial expressions, his voice, his gestures are all on point. He really became the character, and portrayed in the true spirit the amnesiac prince who is lousy and dumb at many things, tries to maintain an imperious carriage, but is kind-hearted on the inside. I also loved the costumes, the setting, the cinematography; it was all really well-done. The love-story itself is immensely adorable, and if you're going to watch this drama, watch it for the cute scenes between the main couple and for the sake of the masterpiece that is Do Kyungsoo. The humor is well-balanced, not too over the top, and well-placed. I found myself chuckling and smiling a goofy smile many times. The village life, the side-characters like Kim Soo Ji (crown princess's brother), Kkeut Nyeo and her husband, town officials, and others really brought the drama to life with their wholesomeness. I also felt bad for the crown princess, who was forced into a marriage she had no heart in, was the butt of her father's political intrigues and was essentially a prisoner in her own house.
WHAT I DIDN'T LOVE:
Major Plot-holes and weaknesses in story:
It really bothered me that Kim Cha Eon (Crown Prince's father-in-law) kept insisting that he had no son, yet we've got Kim Soo Ji wandering around claiming that he is Cha Eon's son. WHAT?? That's something no one can overlook. And you're telling me, Seok Hwan/Moo Yeon worked under the man who killed his father and threatens to kill his sister, for ten years, and didn't once try to find a way out of this deal?? And that he fell in love with this man's daughter, the crown princess, and even got her pregnant? And Kim Cha Eon didn't figure this out till much later?? I'm sorry but I just couldn't believe in absurdity like this. I also find it silly that both Moo Yeon and Yi Suh kept visiting the bridge on 15th of every month (okay maybe Moo Yeon didn't go there often) but they never once met up. Yi Yul had two sets of memories to retrieve, I found that bothersome. Jae Yoon rescued his eunuch after the latter's throat was slit, and didn't tell Yi Yul about it till much later. There are arrows flying everywhere, and too many flashbacks. Yi Suh seemed to have no purpose in life except to wait for her brother, and neither she nor her brother seemed to want to take revenge or at least seek some sort of justice. Yi Suh's adoptive father was really problematic; I found him really uncomfortable (heh). He should've realized that the man he was rescuing had a wound from an arrow, which would mean he was either a runaway convict or perhaps had been caught in some battle and it should've been a red flag. He also wanted to keep lying to Won Deuk/Yi Yul and Yi Suh. Jae Yoon's connection with the gisaeng was also weird. That was such a weird, unnecessary and random plot move that I don't even know what to say about it, except I wish they'd left it out.
Acting: This is the first drama I've watched with Nam Ji Hyun, and her acting left much to be desired. Her facial expressions are very limited, she didn't seem flustered when she should've, she often stared blankly back at Yi Yul when he would express his desire to stay with her or marry her. Compared to D.O's acting, she paled.
Characters: Most side-characters have little or no backstory and seem mere cardboard cutouts; I wanted to know more about Kim Soo Ji because he seemed like a very interesting guy. I also wanted at least once flashback to explain how the crown princess and Moo Yeon developed affection over the years. Theirs was such a strange love story that I felt nothing toward it. There was no chemistry and no backstory to prop it up. It felt so hollow I can't even begin to talk of it. That loan shark guy in the village was also very strange; is he a good guy or a bad guy? make up your mind.
In short, don't watch it for the story, just watch it for a light cute romance and for admiring D.O's acting.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I deliberated quite a lot whether this drama merited a full 10/10 rating, and I decided that the minor cliches and bloopers weren't important enough to put even the slightest dent in my utter love for this drama. I completely enjoyed every second, and this drama has soared to the top of my most favorite list. IMPORTANT NOTE: I'll admit that there are certain minor things you will have to overlook (like characters recovering from brutal torture and whipping within a day or two), but once you do you will agree that this drama deserves a 10/10. Here are a couple of reasons why:
MIND-BLOWING ACTING SKILLS:
This hasn't happened for a long time, but I ended up developing a crush on Joo Won for his superb acting skills. His crying will make you cry, and his smile will put a smile on your face automatically. The scenes involving his mother and brother's deaths, and his torture were utterly gut-wrenching. Joo Won has given his soul to his character, and one rarely gets to see such dedication. He completely blew my mind. He definitely deserves the awards and accolades he got for this role.
Other actors such as Park Ki Woong (Shunji) and Han Chae Ah (Ueno Rie) were remarkable as well, and very very convincing. I don't even need to mention how good the senior actors were, because that goes without saying.
COMPLEX CHARACTERS:
This is what I always look for and don't always find; dynamic characters with complex inner lives, making them seem very real and human. Lee Kang To's inner struggle and tug-of-war with his Korean loyalty and his need to earn money for his family's survival, Shunji's conflicting thought processes when he must either pick being loyal to his Japanese roots or being compassionate to fellow human beings regardless of nationality, Ueno Rie's similar dilemmas and other examples are all what contribute toward the greatness of this drama. Characters make difficult choices, regret their actions, project their own faults onto others, delude themselves, break down, and pick themselves up.
HISTORICALLY MEANINGFUL AND ENGAGING STORY:
Set in the 1930s, the story charts Japan's imperial dominion over Korean peninsula and Korean people's rebellion against this imperialism. It touches historically sensitive topics such as the shipment of Korean comfort women to Japanese soldiers, and the sheer brutality that the Korean people faced. I learned that the story is an adaptation from a manhwa, and that makes so much sense because while watching I often felt that the drama was much like a manga. I always have a high opinion of manhwa adaptations.
WELL-EXECUTED PLOT:
Apart from a few minor hiccups that can easily be overlooked, the plot is well-executed. There were no glaring plot-holes, and the pacing was excellent, making each episode entertaining, thrilling and entertaining. I can't recall a single episode where I felt bored or felt the plot was dragging. The ending is satisfactory and realistic.
As a rule I don't rewatch dramas, because there are so many new ones out there that I want to watch, but I'll make an exception for this one and will rewatch it sometime in the future. That should tell you how much I loved this show.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Prior to this, I had the misfortune of watching a couple of average dramas which were disappointing overall. So this one was a breath of fresh air and very welcome. THINGS I LOVED:
>Story: The idea of a girl and her family getting trapped in a creepy cult is not something often seen in kdrama land. It was very interesting. The pacing was good and the cliffhangers were well-placed. I also loved that there was a strong female lead. I'm also glad that there was little to no romance since that would've been completely out of place. I also like how the drama shows the gritty gruesome reality of bullying among males in particular and what it leads to. The story is also very realistic in the sense that the cult followers don't just snap out of a spell when their cult is exposed, but they hold on to their beliefs much more strongly when confronted with the reality.
>Acting: Seo Ye Ji's acting is amazing. Her fear, her outrage, her doubts, her mental breakdowns were all too real and very believable. She made the character come alive and turned into Sang Mi. Another actor who wowed me was Woo Do Hwan, who completely fits the bad boy-but-soft-inside vibe with his looks as well as his expressions. And his expressions were so on point! When he cried, he cried with his face and his whole body. He completely stole every scene he was in. I also loved the supporting characters, and the main villain was very good at making me hate him.
>Characters: I loved the strength of the main female lead. She fights for her brother, and then fights to keep her family hold on after his death, and then she fights against the cult till the very end. She's sharp-eyed and quick in reacting. She can keep a poker face and her wits when faced with life-threatening moments. She has her tender moments when she cares for Jeong Goo and mourns his death. Even when asking others to save her, she does more than half the saving by herself. The friendship of the male characters was nicely portrayed, and the few scenes containing humor were well-done though I'm glad there wasn't too much of that.
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
>Loose/Incomplete Plot Elements and Details:
(1) I wish the drama had shown a little more backstory to the main villain, Baek Jung Ki, and his relationship with Jo Wan Tae. There should've been a few flashbacks to show that they'd done this cult thing in other towns as well, and how they'd wrapped up and gotten away before being convicted. Baek Jung Ki's mental state is not pursued fully, and there was potential in that. They could've shown him as a person suffering from DID or a plain psychopath.
(2) The mystery behind the holy water blessed by the cult leader wasn't taken to it's end. Was it drugged as well? Was it just a placebo? I mean it worked instantly on Sang Mi's father so I'm assuming at least some kind of hallucinogen was involved?
(3) The dead female reporter's body was never found, nor was Sang Mi very grieved to hear of her disappearance. I mean, she was a super strong ally, even though she was not very close to Sang Mi as a friend. Her boss's reaction to her death wasn't shown either. It made the whole reporter plotline seem very irrelevant. She didn't get any concrete evidence and Deong Cheol was way better at spying and ferreting out evidence than she was. She was careless enough to get caught as well. So I guess I didn't get the point of her being included.
(4) I didn't really get the point of the plotline with the ex-convicts/thugs and what their motives were. Also, the scenes involving one thug taking on dozens of armed men was just too cliche.
(5) The last episode was a bit of a let down. Sang Mi's mother meeting Sang Hwan's mother by chance when the latter was brought to Guseonwon, and the sudden immolation of Baek Jung Ki (although ironic and apt) was a bit hard to swallow.
(6) I'm surprised Sang Mi's dad didn't go along with Apostle Kang in her new cult. Rather than a loner, he seemed like an eager-to-serve slave who likes to remain in the shadows of the leader and become his arms. It would've made so much sense for him to latch onto Apostle Kang and do her dirty work in the new cult.
(7) Sang Hwan's mom regains control of her body in the nick of time. Now you're stretching my suspension of disbelief.
>Acting:
I don't know if I'm the only one, but Taecyeon's acting in this drama sucked. He had the exact same face when shocked, grieved, disappointed, thoughtful, heartbroken, or angry. It was the same face. It was disappointing.
>Character:
Again, Taecyeon's character, Sang Hwan was dull and naive, especially when compared to Sang Mi's. He was too trusting of his father, he kept making mistake after mistake, and he seemed to rely too much on his friends. If Sang Mi was sharp and quick-witted, Sang Hwan was the opposite. I guess you can say it was like a gender role reversal, with the male being naive and slow to act and the female being a bold character. But Sang Hwan often seemed a little childish.
So yeah, I enjoyed it but there was definitely room for improvement.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Despite being the minority with this opinion, I will go ahead and say it: the show was a major disappointment. WHAT I LOVED:
ACTING:
I mean, it started out great, and I remember thinking that the plot was Robin Hood trope, but was at the same time unique when it came to kdramas. I love Ma Dong Seok, and right from the start I fell in love with Seo In Guk's acting. He really truly makes you believe that he is a con-artist, and a simple look at the various accents he pulls off in episode 2 while calling different people is a testament to his acting prowess. Ma Dong Seok too completely embodied his character, in voice, looks, and gestures.
This was my first time watching Lee Sun Bin act (all I knew about her was that she's Lee Kwang Soo's girlfriend and I saw her on that one episode of I Can Hear Your Voice 2019) , and I have to say I loved it. Of course many other actors were veterans and masters of the craft.
ACTION:
Despite not liking the way the drama turned out, I have to admit that at least for the first half, the episodes were not boring at all, there were cliffhangers and suspense, as well as the right balance of dialogue and action.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
PLOT:
There were loopholes and missing aspects in the plot which at first I had some difficulty pinpointing, and I got this vauge feeling that there was something missing from the drama. I've concluded that among the few things that bothered me were:
(1) the way the whole team got together. Initially, of course they were all in for the money that was promised to them for duping Ma Jin Seok, but what bothered me was that all the con-artists in the team were actually good guys. Wait... what? What are the odds of that? The plot got boiled down to good guys masquerading as bad guys (Robin Hoods), and these "respectable" so-called good guys who are actually bad guys (like the police, the businessmen, the higher ups, their families). I wanted there to be more grey areas, and I also wanted at least one con artist to be actually greedy and selfish. [Yes I know Hak Joo betrayed the team for a little bit but then he went back to being nice in the span of one episode]. I was also waiting for someone to elaborate on how Seo In Guk's character came to save the "Chairman"'s life twice. Idk what that was all about.
(2) how Sung Il's (Ma Jin Seok) family got left behind after the first few episodes and were never heard from again. This guy has joined all these conartists, he's meeting them secretly almost everyday, he's roaming around the entire city, he's been to the police station several times, and he got demoted, but we don't get to really see his relationship in depth with his wife and daughter. I also found his relationship with his brother-in-law in flashbacks to be kind of hollow, so the motive of ensuring that no one else dies like he did was a little flimsy for me.
(3) how the plot twists got redundant and tedious: the plan B's and the counter plans to the plans of the enemy, the feints and the always-one-step-aheads got really boring really fast, because they were really similar.
(4) the fact that Jeong Do was cheated by Sung Il when the latter agreed to give testimony against Jeong Do and send him to jail for ten years, and it wasn't made that much of a big deal? And somehow Jeong Do got let out in 2 years on parole despite having priors? and that he and Sung Il made up fairly quickly? and we don't even know how the other con artists reacted to that whole thing? I was so baffled. I did not know how to react.
(4) how there was one bad guy on top of the other, more powerful than the last, like a final boss in a game except there's a final final boss, and then a super boss, aand a mega-super-awesome boss. Boring? Boring.
(5) the nearly romantic plot line between Seong Hee and Jeong Do was not satisfactory at all. I wanted them to at least get together or have some sort of proper closure which I felt was missing. No, more than that, I wanted them to shake hands and start over to get to know each other. It was just underwhelming.
CHARACTERS:
(1) Let's face it, Seong Hee's character was irrelevant to the entire drama. I guess they wanted a girl in the taxation department, just for a change, but her character added nothing to the plot itself and contributed nothing to any sort of development except in the first 2 episodes. In the start she was really annoying because she kept butting in what wasn't her concern at all, but later on she just became this broken record, always calling her favorite chief and always worrying for him, trying to save him etc. Hers was a very flat character.
(2) Speaking of flat characters, Jeong Do despite being the main protagonist was astonishingly flat. I wanted him to learn something about human nature, about his own self, about this world, but he stayed a good guy throughout, one who is just trying to take revenge for what happened with his parents, who despite having a rough exterior actually cares for his team and for his ex-gf, who never realizes that Mi Joo loves him, and who takes the fall for the rest of them selflessly.
(3) With the exception of the mayor, the bad guys were all greedy politicians who had no driving force, no depth and were very flat.
CONCLUSION: I get that a lot of people love this drama, and I got into it with high expectations, but for the reasons stated above I was unable to join the majority, which is a bummer. Also, I keep wondering why the show is titled 38 Task Force. Hm.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I admit that the first major half of the series I was actually invested, and I wanted to continue, but there were so many little things that kept bugging me. I'm listing them as follows:1) The Characters and the Insufficient Backstory: I couldn't sympathize with most of the characters because there was just not enough depth in flashbacks to make me feel for them. For example the relationship between Seo Hui and Sang Hun seemed really empty to me, considering he had spent so much time abroad, and when he returned he didn't live with her. He kept some heavy, HEAVY secrets from her and she was basically clueless about everything. If their relationship was that bad, I can't see why she was so desperate to find him, especially if she even suspected that he was cheating on her. It just didn't add up. The relationship between Sang Hun and his step-father wasn't really explored in depth either. I don't know what made Sang Hun think that his stepdad would care much if he got kidnapped or mutilated. I mean the old man basically stopped caring after the eye was discovered at the news agency, and he was ready to shut down the investigation for the son. The relationship of Yeong Min and Seo Hyun (the reporter) was so out of the blue, unnecessary and superficial that I didn't know what to think. The relationship between Yeong Min and Sang Hun wasn't satisfactorily pursued either, since Yeong Min's feelings were actually very complex but not explored at all.
2) The Disbelief in the Storyline: I'm sorry but I just can't imagine that any human being, any sane person, even a dying man would willingly suggest that his limbs be cut off, and that other 'sane' human beings, especially a brother-like relation would agree to do it. I can't believe Sang Hun would do it thinking it would help stop his stepdad who clearly stopped caring at one point. I also can't believe he would make his own wife undergo this torture, keeping her in the dark about all of this, knowing how she would feel upon discovery of his severed foot, hand, eye and then the heart. That last organ was a bit too much. What friend/brother can take out his brother's heart? without the proper tools or the know-how? I mean, is it that easy to extract a human heart that any lay person can do it without going stark raving mad? I can't forgive that Sang Hun made Seo Hui undergo all of this just so that the bill would be stopped and there was no guarantee that it would be stopped. And that last minute 'oh Sang Hun is dying anyway so it's all good' was very offensive I mean it was just meant to make it all convenient.
3) The Cliche: Corrupt old men covering up their corruption, cruelties, and greed while using henchmen who would go to any length to serve them is getting really old. Also the corrupt insiders in the police, the erased CCTV footages, the insufficient evidence to convict the obvious killer. Please stop it.
Little things kept bothering me, like the fact that I just couldn't get how Seo Hui could be such a dumb clueless person, who never tried to investigate just what it was that was bothering Sang Hun, why he didn't want to work in the company, what he did in his secret time away from her, and what was on his mind. You're his wife! How can you be so disinterested? She did good acting, but the character wasn't very likeable. I mean, girl, your laptop got hacked once, why are you using it again to check out a secret USB which you know will have top-secret content?
It was an overall meh drama. Lee Min Ki is amazing in his acting though.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
First of all, I did not expect this drama to turn out the way it did. I guess I expected more philosophical, light musings on human nature and less gore? But it still turned out pretty well. THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
I think what bothered me the most through every episode was this feeling that something was lacking. I can pinpoint it down to the cinematography and the camera angles at times, as well as this feeling that the producers didn't want us to take this drama too seriously.
For example, the scene where the camera revolves 360 degrees around Jong Woo and Mun Jo looked like bad CGI and just took out the enjoyment of it. This kind of revolving happened 2 or 3 times and was off putting. The scenes with the pervert confronting Jong Woo or vice versa were kinda disappointing after the first time.
The story itself felt outrageous at times, as if the writers had deliberately aimed at shattering any suspension of disbelief the viewers might entertain. I mean, the building owner Bok Soon has a history of odd deaths all around her and nobody found it suspicious except the lone local policewoman? A detective goes missing and nobody blinks an eye? People (like the reporter) get killed or kidnapped in broad daylight or in busy places and no witnesses? There are other buildings around Eden Studio, and no still no one sees anything? What about that church lady? What happened to her? What about that other lady who made predictions? Did she die? I was also surprised when Jong Woo didn't notice the other twin go missing (also dead). It really bothered me when no one asked after the other twin.
I wanted Mun Jo to have some real background, and the lone twin as well. All characters except Im Si Wan's felt one dimensional, perhaps because there's only ten episodes.
THINGS I LIKED:
The ACTING OH WOW! Im Si Wan has outdone himself, and Lee Dong Wook as well. I utterly fell in love with Im Si Wan's facial expressions and his inner struggle that one could see in his eyes. I loved the creepy smiles he threw in episodes and the times he would break down and look like a baby about to cry. I thoroughly enjoyed Lee Dong Wook's expressions, the curve of his lips, the death and mirth in his eyes. The creepy pervert guy and the sniggering twin were also portrayed extremely well.
The psychological and philosophical angle of the story was very good. The drama shows us various kinds of 'good' and 'bad' and how these often blend or tend to make little hierarchies in our minds. For example, the bullying that Jong Woo's girlfriend and Jong Woo himself faced at the office was done in these civilized, professional environments but caused a lot of emotional damage to the victims. How is it any better than physically hurting or killing people? Can emotional trauma be taken less seriously than physical trauma? Especially if the former leads to the latter? I liked how the drama showed that nobody took Jong Woo's distress seriously, and he never truly sought professional help for what went down in his army days. All the little things added up like dominos and led to the eventual end that the drama came to. I also liked the hints towards Kafka's Metamorphosis: a person dedicates his whole life working and working and working, and yet is treated like trash in the end. Jong Woo and his girlfriend are prime examples of modern Korean (in face the modern world's) condition. You work your way to death, and you remain poor, unhappy, unappreciated and unloved, yet you're supposed to smile and bow and say 'thank you'. Gregor Samsa laid down and died when nobody wanted him around, but Jong Woo retaliated and fought back. Is Jong Woo really the bad guy?
For me, these deeper messages of the drama trump the complaints I had with it, and so the 8.5 rating.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
"Eenie, meenie, miney, mo — who’s the vessel for Park Il-do?" - Dramabeans (Recap Ep 12)The above line perfectly captures what the drama quickly descends into after the first episode. I'll admit that the first episode was scary, and I almost wanted to stop watching because I was spooked, but by episode two's end I could tell there was going to be a pattern to this. Hwa Pyung will reunite with Kang Gil Young and Mateo, and go from case to case trying to find where Park Il Do is. The funny thing is that he has no plan whatsoever for vanquishing the stubborn, superior demon, and is aware that previous attempt of exorcising the spirit failed. His shaman friend continues to dissuade him from his mission, reminding him that no one can deal with the demon as it is extremely strong. However, Hwa Pyung refuses to heed the numerous advices given to him by various secondary and main characters over the course of the series.
I was bothered by the lack of character development in all three of the main characters. We are not told what Hwa Pyung has been up to during the time gap between his childhood and his adulthood. His bosses in the taxi service apparently allow him to wander wherever, shirk his duties, damage the taxi he drives, spend large bouts of time not doing his job, and still pay him. He remains stubborn, emotional and reckless throughout the series, at least up until where I watched. Honestly I got sick and tired of the name Park Il Do coming out of his lips every five seconds in every episode. There are no obvious traumatic signs from his childhood incidents, and he doesn't really display any guilt or internal torture after having killed his mother and grandmother while being possessed. He doesn't seem afraid that he might get possessed again and might end up killing the remainder of his family (there's no immunity against being possessed you know!).
As for Kang Gil Young, initially I disliked her character because she is equally stubborn and remarkably slow-witted in the first few episodes. Her interactions with her partner became so repetitive and cringeworthy after a while. He keeps jumping when Hwa Pyung shows up, keeps asking why Gil Young hangs out with him, and she continues to keep him in the dark. Lather, rinse and repeat. A similar pattern is seen with Hwa Pyung and the shaman, with the latter being meek and reluctant, trying to dissuade Hwa Pyung from his reckless endeavors, and essentially being used and discarded as per Hwa Pyung's needs. Shockingly I was fine with Mateo's character, perhaps because his hard-to-read physiognomy suited his job as an exorcist and his background. He displays emotion when the possessed people remind him of the horrors his big brother committed, and he starts to care for Hwa Pyung and Gil Young, while the latter two don't seem to have much attachment toward him.
The CGI was a little disappointing as well. The multiple eye stabbings and people gulping down water like crazy became overused and redundant. The background of the Park Il Do spirit was lackluster and vague. A guy goes to Japan and comes back evil, kills his wife and kid and gives himself over to the devil. That's it?
I found that clicking the next episode was becoming very difficult, and I was watching the drama at nearly 2x speed till I quit and wondered why I should continue to waste my time. The drama was not scary at all after episode 1, and I find it really odd that so many people seem to have enjoyed it.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
What I loved:ACTING: Every single actor, either main, secondary or guest did an excellent job. I don't need to mention that the two main leads, Park Seo Joon, and Ahn Sung Ki were mindblowing. The emotions that they portrayed through their facial expressions, the feeling showing through the eyes, the warm budding relationship of these two characters and every single time they shared the screen, it was magic. I was completely floored by the child actor, Jung Ji Hoon, too.
What I didn't love:
PLOT: Park Seo Joon's character continues to rave and hate God throughout the movie, till the bit before the end where he rushes into the church to yell at God, and yet he is selected to become this harbringer of so-called divine fury because his dad said so? Really? He shows no particular religious feeling, no actual connection with God, and seems to have taken on the role of an exorcist's disciple simply because he somehow chanced upon an exorcism. I suppose the most that you can say about it is that he doesn't like ignoring people who are in pain or who need him, but honestly that wasn't well-developed and I wish the director had pursued that more.
THE HERO: Needed more character development! Everything is rushed; his relationship with his dad and with Father Ahn. He also seems to lack a clear motive, at least in my opinion. He's pretty much lost in his life during the pre-Father Ahn years, but afterwards, what motivates him to suddenly jump into exorcism? Is there a clear reconciliation between him and God? Would he have continued on this path had Father Ahn died? I think what the movie needed was a powerful moment where he witnesses people who lose loved ones and still continue to have faith in God, or who still smile. There was just something missing in this character that I can't seem to put exactly in words.
THE VILLAIN: My biggest disappointment is the fact that the villain is just this bland evil guy who is evil for the sake of it. There's no background, no motives, no depth at all. He just worships his Snake Lord for the sake of immortality but boy, what you gonna do with your eternal life? Party away in that club of yours? Heck, Doctor Faustus had a better motive than you, though he was pretty stupid too. There was just so much potential and room here and it was a big let-down.
THE ENDING: Everybody lives happily ever after. Ew.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Rarely do I come across a well-rated, oft-recommended drama that fulfills all my expectations, and this is certainly one of them. This drama had everything I typically look for in a good drama, namely: good characterization, excellent acting, well laid-out plot, well executed and entertaining. While a story based on slaves or oppressed servants/people rising up against the corrupt and the cruel people in power is a well-worn and cliche idea, yet I have come to believe that it is not what the story is, but how it is executed; journey before destination, after all.I will first talk about my two favorite characters/actors I've completely fallen in love with: Nok Su (played by Lee Na Hui), and King Yi Yung (played by [i] Kim Ji Suk [/i] ). I'm a sucker for well-portrayed villains and characters caught in the grey area, not quite good but not entirely bad either. Nok Su's background, the motives behind her actions, her inner struggles and her determination make her an excellent character. Lee Na Hui's acting is beyond superb! Her expressions are everything! I've seen her in Come Back Mister and the film Extreme Job, and let me tell you, she becomes the character and owns it. She is the best at what she does. I was equally floored by the villainy of Yi Yung, his twisted mind, and yet he is not simply evil. Though Nok Su claimed that Yi Yung was incapable of love, yet he was capable of recognizing and valuing the loyalty and love of Nok Su and Second Eunuch Ja Won, the only two people who stayed by his side throughout. Kim Ji Suk's dialogue delivery, his expressions and his body language brought the character alive, and I could tell that he had completely owned the character.
Worth mentioning is the acting of Chae Soo Bin (I loved her acting so much! Glad she pursued her love for storywriting), and our main hero played by Yoon Gyun Sang. It was my first time watching both act, and I was extremely pleased with what I saw. I enjoyed Kim Jung Hyun's (who played Mo Ri) acting as well, though I have to admit that the character was not much fleshed out.
The plot and the episodes themselves were laid out and planned very well, and the drama did not falter nor became boring for me at any single point, which is a BIG PLUS. Usually there are one or two episodes where I just skip quickly, but not with this drama. Every single episode had meaningful, well executed scenes that added something to the story, and fleshed out even the minor characters Lady Jo, or Eom Cha Ji. There were very few scenes where I had trouble believing in what the story was trying to tell me (like the arrival of Oh Ri Ni and Ga Ryoung at court, and their close proximity to the King) , and I appreciate that.
The only reason I gave less stars to rewatch value is because I don't rewatch dramas. Period. There are too many new ones watch lol.
Overall, if you are hesitating in watching this drama, worry no more and just dive in!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I suppose I may be the only one on this planet who didn't enjoy this drama. I confess that after the first two episodes I watched the rest of it on 2x speed, I felt that detached. None of the characters were worth my sympathy, despite the writers giving them supposedly moving backstories. The main lead Jeong Hwan is revealed to have a deadly brain tumor in the start of the drama. I knew next to nothing about the character and thus felt no sympathy for him. Similarly Lee Tae Joon tells us what a destitute life he grew up in, his father's alcoholism and his drive to rise on top, however his actions and his villainy made it very difficult for me to feel anything for him. His brother's death and the scenes leading up to it were painted as very angsty emotional scenes, however I knew that Lee Tae Seop was a murderer, and that both brothers had committed crimes to make money. Furthermore I hardly think one episode is enough for the audience to feel sympathy for the brothers. Jeong Hwan's sister was a very useless doctor. She kept hiding things from other family members which showed her lack of feelings for them, and despite being a doctor was of no help to her brother at all. She was unable to judge that Jeong Hwan was hiding his illness from everyone, she was of no comfort to her mother and simply served as a newsbearer to Ha Gyoung or Jeong Hwan. I didn't understand why her character existed at all. Ye Rin too was simply there to make the audience's lip tremble every time she cried. Most of the time the child was absent from the scene and her parents would be running around being prosecutors or criminals. Every character in the legal scene except Ha Gyoung was corrupt and that made very hard for me to attach myself to any single character. The worst of all was Minister Yoon Ji Sook whose drive and motivation was completely lacking. Why did she pit herself against Lee Tae Joon? What was her personal grudge with him that she wanted to tear him down no matter what? Again, I felt nothing but frustration every time her character came on screen. Jeong Hwan's mother was an unlikeable character as well. She seemed to harbor hate against Ye Rin, would never comfort the child when she would be sad, and against Ye Rin's mother as well. Speaking of Ye Rin, you're telling me that her dad who didn't bat an eye when he found out that his daughter nearly died in a bus accident, who picked his boss over his wife and his child, suddenly has feelings for his child and wife when he finds out he's dying of a brain tumor? I didn't think that Jeong Hwan's fierce loyalty towards Tae Joon and his subsequent actions where very justified. Again, I wasn't convinced of his flimsy motivations.
The other characters kept switching sides between Tae Joon and the Minister, often making calls to each other in the blink of an eye, threatening each other, demeaning and mocking each other and in the very next moment grovelling in front of each other for help.
This brings me to the plot, which frankly was a bit of a mess. The characters switched sides and snitched on each other multiple times in a single episode that it at first baffled, then bored me. It was a pattern repeated like crazy, and it made me stop caring or being surprised. Ho Sung's betrayal was just beyond my understanding. Fine, you're telling me that everyone holding any sort of position/office is corrupt and greedy like hell, but then you present me with a very idealistic fairytale ending in which the evil is banished and the good reigns supreme. Really? The ending was unbelievable. Both Jeong Hwan and Ha Gyoung are on the operating table, one losing the brain and the other losing the heart. The doctors quickly do a heart transplant and behold! Ha Gyoung is back! -rolls eyes- It was such an Indian soap move that I had to shake my head in disappointment. None of the characters really changed for the better, leading me to think they were all very two dimensional and static. Jeong Hwan's desire for vengeance against Tae Joon wouldn't have come if he hadn't been dying, Ha Gyoung remains the same throughout, the Minister was nasty from the start and posed to be righteous till the end, Lee Tae Joon too remained villainous through it all.
The things I did like: (1) the acting was superb, especially Lee Tae Joon's and Jeong Hwan's facial expressions and dialogue delivery were on the spot, (2) I did like the love-hate relationship of Lee Tae Joon and Jeong Hwan.
I think that the big mistake was that there was so little information about the characters' pasts that it made their motivations flimsy and their actions a little hollow. For example, did Jeong Hwan break down and have depression after his divorce with Ha Gyoung? Did he really love her to pieces? I don't know. But he surely became angered when Ha Gyoung was falsely convicted of murder. Things don't add up.
If you want to watch the drama, go ahead. I hope you enjoy it better than I did.
Was this review helpful to you?
If I must point out, there are only two things I did not particularly enjoy: The one-dimensionality of Woo Joo's character, and the not very enjoyable humor coming out of Jin Jin Hee's family, it got a little boring after a while and I found myself skipping her scenes entirely.
You must watch this drama, if only for the villain, and that is reason enough I assure you.
Was this review helpful to you?
