Stellar acting compensates for plot gaps
Generally, plot holes of the size and frequency of the ones in this series have me dropping a show like it's a hot rock, but the depth of the characters and the outstanding cast kept me binging Red Swan. There are a lot of gaps in the story and deux ex machina has to be called in when reality and the space/time continuum threaten to get in the way of script absurdities, but I still enjoyed the series.The entire cast is great, without exception, and they make the show addictively watchable despite its boatload of flaws. I ended up sympathetic to characters I thought I'd hate and hating characters for whom I started out sympathetic.
Kim Ha Neul plays O Wan Su, a self-made rags-to-riches success story. She's a woman determined that other children be spared the fear, uncertainty, and deprivation of her own childhood. Putting herself in a position to realize that goal cost the lives of her loved ones, and puts her own life at risk.
Rain is Seo Do Yun, a former police officer on a mission to solve the murder of his brother cop. His investigation entangles him with O Wan Su when it appears the same killer is gunning for her. Don't ask how we know that, just roll with it.
The two leads hooked me from the get-go. A near foxhole type lust moment between O Wan Su and Seo Do Yun after the sniper incident was smoking, and I loved their restrained intensity and moments of tenderness throughout the series.
Despite how well Rain and Kim Ha-Neul worked as the lead couple, comments on the ML/FL dynamic follow the standard MDL pattern: ML is a perfect swoon worthy hunk whom the inferior-in-every-way FL doesn't deserve or measure up to. That comment pattern is so predictable it ought to be baked into the MDL plot synopses just to save time.
My advice: ignore that drivel.
Some commenters are bothered that Kim Ha-Neul's characterization of O Wan Su wasn't more demonstrative. She's presented with the vulnerable stoicism of a woman who has faced unbearable loss and has no choice but to persevere.
Perhaps Kim Ha-Neul could have played O Wan Su as a weeping damsel, swooning with the vapors, back of her hand pressed melodramatically against her forehead, but O Wan Su has to be strong and relentless to survive, and a strong, relentless woman doesn't have the luxury to wail, flutter, fall apart, or swoon.
One more place I'll diverge from the pack: I thought the ending was perfect.
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This show is a hot mess
Aside from the repulsiveness of using external beauty as an absolute metaphor for internal beauty, the questionable standards and moral relativism of that standard's application gave me whiplash.STORY
ML, who is absolutely every bit as obsessed with beauty in seeking a romantic partner as FL, is given a free pass on his shallowness, and even gets to lecture FL about it. Naturally, he is rewarded with a near flawless new appearance.
Apparently, it's right and normal for a man to choose a partner based on physical appearance, but a woman with the same propensity must be punished. Theoretically, anyway, since despite the script telling us FL came back as unattractive, she actually came back as equally pretty, only shorter and with glasses. Huh. That's it, I suppose a teeny bit shorter than average height, nearsighted woman is the absolute standard for "not attractive". Now we know. Meanwhile, an indisputably evil serial killer is revived with no defects that some push-ups, a shampoo, and a haircut wouldn't overcome.
All that not withstanding, the reason I dropped the show after episode 5 is that the producers/writers randomly and mid episode changed an established plot/script point with no explanation and then gas-lighted. What the heck? Formerly Dead Girl 2's appearance had changed after revival, as per usual, in this case coming back with freckles and thinner eyebrows seems to be the giveaway to her flawed nature, but in her next scene, with no explanation, she's back to her formerly lovely appearance. How does that make sense? She's an habitual fraudster and liar who just framed her ex for murder.
What makes even less sense is that FL, aka Formerly Dead Girl 1, acts like it never happened, even says it never happened(!), and we're clearly supposed to forget it, also. Nope. Nope-a-dope nope.
I started watching episode 6, but it only got more non-sensical, so I threw in the towel. A plot that relies on the assumed stupidity of the viewers (including me, how dare they!?) is an absolute deal breaker for me
[Side note: the script included the obligatory evil mother and I am truly baffled why mothers of adult children in Korean drama are near universally appalling characters who need to either be bitch-slapped HARD or arrested for assault/child abuse. That can't be true, right? Right?]
ACTING:
The many, many flaws in this production weren't due to the acting. The performances were decent enough for what they had to work with. I was especially impressed with Park Bo Young's range, even given the limitations of her character. Overall, the only thing the cast can be faulted for is still taking the jobs after they saw the script.
MUSIC:
Honestly, I didn't notice it.
REWATCH VALUE:
I hate that I was not allowed to rate it less than 1.0.
IMO this show is a waste of time, and a waste of a truly interesting premise, but it's your time, so yours to waste, if you wish.
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I REALLY wanted to like this drama
The action was great, the actors even better, special effects were good, production values were top notch, and I'm throwing a serious shout out to the stunt performers. Everything worked except the script.I loathe plots that rely on the stupidity of the protagonist because the scriptwriter couldn't be bothered to find another way to move the plot. When that stupidity is mired in mach 10 sexism I'm even less forgiving. I watch enough kdrama that I'm resigned to the sexism that pervades its stories, but even with that built in allowance, this script leaned too heavily on bimbo stereotypes to drive the action.
I won't spill anything that will spoil your experience if sexism and stupidity aren't deal breakers for you, and sadly they aren't for many people - that's why there's so much of it, but I will point out a few of the details that had me trotting back to my watch list for something more worthy of my time: A trained covert agent of the a Korean National Intelligence Service hides her multiple fake passports and IDs in her underwear box, because who would ever rifle through a woman's lingerie to find evidence? She keeps her gun unloaded, presumably because she's never heard of a gun safe, so it's never ready when she needs it. No matter how many times this recurs, her behavior doesn't change. It seems even superstar Bae Suzy did not have the clout to plead for a production that didn't make her character an idiot.
And, yes, I'm calling it sexism because, unless it's slapstick comedy, a script for a male agent would not have his go-bag tossed in with his underwear, his gun unloaded when he needed it, or his hands shaking too badly to load that gun; nor would he be the only character in the series that didn't qualify for at least a semi-automatic weapon. The script wouldn't have a male agent hand off his weapon to an untrained civilian to do the bang-bang stuff, even if that civilian IS a manly Mary Sue who could do everything but don a cape and fly - although he did some impressive parkour that was close to flying. Finally, I'm pretty sure the scriptwriter would not have a male agent advocate to flee the county where ALL the known suspects are because "our lives are at stake," like that's not in the job description.
The sexist stereotypes and dependence on stupidity are not, by far, the only saboteurs of a script that stretches credulity on so many levels, but if you're still undeterred, those things probably won't bother you either.
The actors, all of whom delivered on their performances, deserved better than they got. So did the viewers. Life is short and there are too many wonderful kdramas to waste time on a contrived story line with a Swiss cheese plot. I dropped the series after three episodes.
I won't hesitate to find other dramas these actors are in, because every one of them was excellent in their roles, but I'll avoid the scriptwriters like they're patient zero for the plague.
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