bidulgi

This drama is bonkers on so many levels, and I love it so damn much for it.

I don't write reviews but I wanted to at least for my favorite drama, and Vincenzo has a special place in my heart <3

FYI: Long one (like REALLY long)—Just dumping my love letter for the show here to show some more appreciation amidst all the negative reviews & misjudgment. Rarely do I love a show so much I wish for amnesia to experience it all over again.

Vincenzo is an eventful, fast-paced dark comedy that had me at the edge of my seat anticipating or dreading what's to come, crying of either laughter or sadness, or simply wanting to applaud at the sheer audacity of its plot (happened a lot). While there's an abundance of corruption, broken bones and back and forth between protagonists and antagonists, there's also a large chunk of comedy and lightheartedness. Add in some romance & just the right amount of emotional depth and you have a perfect mix.
I myself didn't find the start slow at all; it's true that in ep. 4 things truly pick up (thanks to one of the best reveals I've ever seen in a show), but the beginning is just as fun and crucial in setting up the story—Hong Yu-chan is a central character that lays the foundation for Vincenzo and Cha-young's motivation to take on the fight against Babel. From then on it's a rollercoaster of a K-Drama; the story constantly keeping you busy with barely a dull moment as lots of twists & turns keep it interesting. The ending is the definition of cathartic and shows again that this drama, despite the funny exterior, has no problem becoming unflinchingly dark with its approach on retribution and justice.

You just can't wait to find out what shenanigans the characters will be up to next, and when you do find out, it's a joy to watch. Many of the schemes that Vincenzo, Cha-young and the tenants pull against Babel range from absolute tomfoolery to well-thought-out, meticulous plans. The scenarios are yes, over the top, but at the same time ironically believable and more importantly, fun! You can tell how much fun the writer, actors and production team had with this project; tons of creative choices feel like they were handled with some sense of wild abandon, which might as well be the secret as to why the show is such a blast.
Considering all the improv, this rings quite true. Many of the characters' mannerisms/quirks and some entire scenes were completely adlibbed (after consuming copious amounts of BTS content, I can genuinely confirm this). It's something I really loved about the show and which tells you just how well the cast and director collaborated.

I feel like many people don't understand it for what it essentially is and thus kind of miss the whole point of it. They claim it's bad for example, due to its absurdist comedy which of course isn't everyone's cup of tea, but that doesn't make it a bad drama, just a matter of preference. Without the jarring contrast of silliness and seriousness, Vincenzo wouldn't be what it's supposed to be. The show works so well precisely *because* it's not a single bit afraid to take the piss out of anything or anyone, be it villains or protagonists—no one gets spared. It's about relishing in the ridiculousness of it all and one has to be willing to do that in order to really enjoy it.
So yes, this show is very contradictory and lots of people did not like or even hated that, but I loved it all the more. It's both parody and homage in the way it blends the tropes of anti-corruption K-Drama, ensemble comedies and gangster movies alike. It can be funny and satirical but also knows when to be badass or tense. And while it's true that it's a blatant combination of so many things, it proves through the way it navigates its script & characters that it's really not that derivative after all, but something much more engaging, original and worthy of paying attention to than the sum of its parts would lead you to believe.

In the end, this drama does have its own style and you do need to vibe with the writer's humor or intentions, so it's natural that it might be too much for those with different tastes or who don't see eye to eye with his execution etc. But this show is unrealistic on purpose! The protagonist comes out on top all the time on purpose! I've read some say they liked the show but drew the line at a certain scene in episode 15 for being too unrealistic, which is funny, considering it's a drama about a mafia lawyer who accidentally fights for justice while trying to get some gold bars out of a basement. It's bizarre, ridiculous and in-your-face on purpose! It is The Whole Point Of It All™. When we get tired of the whole corrupt, capitalist hellhole that we live in, this show wants to offer some escapism and makes it fun while it's at it.

This quirky setting of a K-Drama is pretty damn important, and it's why Vincenzo as a character feels so fresh. At first, he expectedly conducts his business in-between lavish Italian manors and cobblestone alleyways, but writer Park Jae Bum has other ideas, and decides to kick him out of his grand mafia epic and straight into a Korean drama. A different world, one where no one takes him seriously at first but where he quickly realizes that it too, is capable of being as sinister as the "faded newspaper" he may have escaped out of. That's the point PJB wants to prove—he didn't just pick a guy like Vincenzo for no reason. Because to realize his furious what-if-scenario, what better than to take a notorious movie-like supercriminal, a representative of classic evil, pit him against the modern evils of our own society, and let them step on each other's toes?
The result of this is one hell of an entertaining show, and one of the most unique takes on a mobster character I've ever seen. Here, Vincenzo is allowed to subvert his own archetype. Unlike others who often face doom or damn themselves to some catholic hell, he not only gets to live, but gets to continue on his work through buddhist words of wisdom. He gets peace and identity and community. You'd be hard pressed to find something like this anywhere else, no matter how much you tried.

Regarding the what-if-scenario, Vincenzo himself represents what the drama wants to convey to the audience. Quite specific to South Korea but still widely applicable, it's an answer to the kind of feeling when watching the news and being angry at yet another corruption scandal, nasty politician or powerful figure/group that still reigns at the top and goes on about their unscrupulous business, and you sit there, not being able to do anything about it. In such moments we just want to see the worst of society be uncompromisingly punished for their actions, "whether it is legal or not", as Hong Yu-chan said.
An activist through and through, his character is proof that even the most righteous people can't do much more than just try their best, yet they too may harbor a desire to go beyond their own means to win. In a perfect world, it would have been him to fight tirelessly and successfully against the antagonists, achieving justice by the book. But that sadly isn't the world we, or the characters, live in. Sometimes just "fighting the good fight" isn't enough, the efforts of the virtuous and pure are trampled on without remorse, and the corrupt system resembles an indestructible wall.
And so we wish to see it collapse fully and we want to feel good about seeing that, want to feel vindicated in our desire to rid the world of The Powers That Be. Like many other protagonists of this K-Drama category locals like to call 사이다 (="Cider", as in slang for "refreshing pay-off"), Vincenzo wants to scratch exactly that itch, through an anti-hero without qualms or strict moral compass that hold him back in anything. He's the personification of what none of us can ever allow ourselves to be because in reality we've got laws and morals and couldn't ever justify what he does to be of actual reasoning. Thankfully this isn't reality! He allows us to live vicariously through his persona, who stops at nothing to deliver retribution—whether or not it's a viable solution to corruption & crime—and maybe leaves us a bit of romantic hope for a better future, albeit in his own darkly twisted way.

An interesting point that Song Joong-ki once made is how he found the audience's unwavering support of Vincenzo to be quite sad. So while this show isn't supposed to offer any solution, I think it offers an interesting observation; how easily, and maybe even desperately, we want to cling to outlandish and fictional escapism like this. How bad is our own reality, that we're able to cheer on even a character like Vincenzo with all his brazen, reckless vigilantism, and not even bat an eye—what does that say about us? The show makes us root for him all the way up until the end, then turns the mirror at us and literally and figuratively looks us in the eye. Yes, evil in its many forms is prevalent and vehement and will always be, but what we choose to do with it is ultimately our choice.
You might somewhat agree with the show's ideology—that when all else is lost, the only way to fight a monster is another monster—or strongly oppose it. Either way, by the end, you’ve likely understood the societal lamentations echoing through the narrative, and maybe even have felt a tiny bit of satisfaction and relief in watching Vincenzo be unapologetically himself. I know I did.

Besides him, there's lots to be said about Hong Cha-young because people just don't seem to get her. It was intended for her to be "annoying" at the start and Jeon Yeo-been knew she'd get judged for that, yet she took on the role and made it her own. She nailed all her traits, from her weirdness, ambition and anger up to her loneliness and kind heart. Cha-young, like Vincenzo himself, hides her utmost vulnerabilities behind a razor-sharp gaze and only opens up to those she's truly comfortable with. Yet her soft side isn't a contradiction to her loud one at all; both are two sides of the same coin. She too doesn't compromise and is always the most unapologetic version of herself—a rarity in a world that deems types like her "too out there" or "too much", and she looks past such criticisms with but a glance and blows you a kiss while donning expensive sunglasses. If you paid attention, you'd know her character isn't one-dimensional. She's an amazing female lead and one of the most unique out there, fight me at 3 AM in a parking lot about this. Technically, you'd have to fight Vincenzo first.

Both are morally complex protagonists that don't fall into clichés and instead boast a healthy, respectful relationship. It's riveting to watch them go from strangers to partners in crime to genuine friends and self-proclaimed soulmates by the end. The moment they meet they complement each other, in their joint revenge (it helps they're both relentless opportunists) as in all other things. Their connection ran so deep; excessive skinship or dramatic confessions weren't needed.
I'm biased, but they're the best example of "soulmates" I know. Despite what some dramas tell you, soulmates are born of choice, not fate, and they made that choice for themselves. And above all, they're just fun to watch! They have some of the best chemistry between two leads I've ever seen and I've yet to find a pair I love just as much as them.

They and the rest of the cast know how to act believably in even the most preposterous situations, another reason why I love this show so much: While it's very farcical, it stays grounded in the way characters react emotionally and accordingly to their goals or motivations. And so you can't help but cheer along with—or against—them as they go through all of these ridiculous, unbelievable things. By the end, I got so attached that I just sat in disbelief as the end-credits ran and didn't want to believe it was really over. With any good story ending, you don't want to let go, want to spend more time in its world, but are instead left with a giant, bloody hole in your heart. Then again that should be par for the course.

Everyone has a drama that left a big impression on them and for me it was this crime-comedy about a Korean-Italian Mafia lawyer who has arson and murder on his daily schedule, yet is at his wit's end because of a pigeon on his windowsill. I sure didn't expect that when watching ep. 1 with the hope of trying to stay awake during nightshift (needless to say it woke me the fuck up), but the best shows come to you when you least expect it.

TLDR; Vincenzo has much to offer for those who want to be fully engrossed by a show, without sacrificing one genre for the other. But in no way does it play it safe, it 100% goes all in. And if you like to have fun with TV, then it's definitely something you shouldn't miss!

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"There’s all kinds of people in this world, you know."

(I lied, another review.) Mainly a thematic interpretation, because I have so many thoughts about this drama that needed to get out.

This show is something very special. I'm in love with the approach to its premise, it could've easily been a common superhero story, but it's a fully character-driven drama. It never was about superheroes, but rather people that just happen to have superpowers.

Here, superpowered life is anything but flashy. Our main characters aren't heroes so much as they're people having to live in the shadow of their own past or their parents' past, always cautious about being found out. Their supernaturalism is certainly what makes them special and different, but is most often more liability than badge of pride. It's something that, for better or for worse, they must always carry with them as they try to be just like anyone else.
For both the parents and the kids, this otherness doesn't make their lives easier. It weighs on them, binding them to external forces eager to exploit them in exchange for the promise of a secure life. The institutions that prey on them see them as non-human, as monsters who they get to hold hostage, deeming them as otherwise worthless to society, or even threats.
The characters too accept their superpowers as something that will always set them apart from others. But when they do find out of that loneliness, it has a tremendous impact on them.
I'm sure that this show wouldn't really be as compelling as it is, if it didn't actually deal how living such a life affects your personhood, your parent- and childhood. The powers contribute an integral part to the characters' sense of self and identity, next to being a vessel for some incredible action sequences.
(lots of subtext here in regards to marginalized identities IMO!)

Though even with all their baggage, moving's characters are still completely ordinary people. They're someone who might be your classmate or your neighbor, who is also trying to make it through the day just like the rest of us.
Unlike other superheroes who exist in the gleam of the public eye laden with glamour or otherworldly expectations, personal survival and protection become the characters' number one priority. They have to hide or obey orders, but what they want the most above all else is to be able to simply live their life and protect those they care about, and in this they become even more synonymous with the everyman among us.
Even within the cycle of secrecy and inhuman exploitation they find themselves in, their burdens feel consistently grounded, feel the same as ours (this is most obvious when the show deals with its familial relationships that are at the center of the story).
The want for integrity, for companionship, the want to be someone who belongs and contributes to their community, to be a good parent or child, to be your own person. And the characters strive for these things until the very end, including those on the other side.

In Moving there's no costumes, no saving the world and no revering applause. However it's exactly in how the characters carry themselves and their own ideals that they do become heroes, and this thematic aspect ties the narrative together, next to all the suspense and action that the overarching plot offers. Ultimately the foundation of their individual heroism doesn't lie in big public gestures or unwavering loyalty to their country, but humanism: recognizing their own worth and the empathy they carry for one another despite everything.

Simple themes like this are something that a lot of superhero media easily forgets in its exceedingly grand plot ambitions. But with some recent releases it seems like we're Moving™ back into the right direction—that is no matter how crazy or epic it may be what truly makes a superhero story great is when it tries to tell a deeply human story at its core. At least that's what I think.
Of course Moving is much more of a "supernatural drama" than anything else and has the length and breathing room to even tell such a nuanced story, but I'd still say it categorizes itself within the superhero genre. And it's great to see that there are storytellers like Kang Full out there who have so much love for it to give.

I love you, Moving, and I can't wait to see how this universe continues 💛
Also sharing my favorite edit of the show here, because it's what prompted me to write this review:
https://x.com/i/status/1704953243493970141

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