This review may contain spoilers
I think I can say with absolute certainty that Vincenzo has ruined all other K-dramas for me—I’d even go so far as to say it’s ruined other shows as well.
I started watching it and finished it in 4 days. To finish a 20-episode series with episodes over an hour long in 4 days, one of two things is true: either you’re unemployed or the series is some kind of drug. In my case, it was a mix of both, since I watched it for the first time during the pandemic and spent practically 100% of my time at home. It was quite an experience—and what an experience it was.
Starting with our beloved protagonist, Vincenzo Cassano. And what a performance by Song Joong-ki! It was my first drama starring him, and he didn’t disappoint. When I saw that he’d be the lead and would play a murderous mobster, I was a bit skeptical. The actor had a baby face and didn’t give off the vibe of a bad guy. In my mind, there was no way this could work. And I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. Vincenzo was MADE to be played by Song Joong-ki. I can’t imagine any other actor capable of conveying the character’s coldness and “almost” psychopathic nature, while at the same time captivating the audience with his charisma and making us root for him throughout the entire drama.
I have to admit that when I got ready to watch a series where the protagonist was an antihero, I thought they’d take the character down a path of redemption. The fact that they didn’t do that was a relief. Vincenzo is a man who does terrible, cruel things, who has clear moral flaws, and he remains that way until the end. Many times during the drama, I found myself forgetting about that side of him, precisely because he’s such a charismatic and even funny character, but the fact that the drama is a mix of action and comedy added an extra layer to that. You’re there laughing at a scene, and suddenly the drama pulls the rug out from under you and reminds you: he’s not the good guy in this story.
Following a story where the protagonist isn’t a moralist and makes people pay for their actions is nothing less than satisfying. Vincenzo won’t refuse to do something evil just because he’s “better than that.” In reality, he’s worse. Vincenzo finds justice weak and hollow; he lives by the principle that you only pay for your actions if you suffer an equivalent punishment. I confess that even my own principles were called into question during this series, especially when I found myself laughing out loud at the sight of a woman being burned alive.
I love how, in this show, the famous “power of the protagonist” doesn’t need to be used — at least not as often as it is in other dramas. Simply because the protagonist is self-sufficient on his own. Vincenzo manages to get out of impossible situations because he’s extremely intelligent, but the drama justifies this. He’s the mafia’s advisor; it’s obvious he’ll always be thinking one step ahead of everyone else, he was trained for that. It’s not unrealistic. He loses several times, but for realistic reasons as well.
His growth is also admirable. We clearly see at the beginning how he is a guy completely closed off in his own bubble; he only cares about his own problems and the things that affect him. He pretends not to care about his mother even when he visits her; he has emotional blocks and nightmares that keep him from sleeping due to the violent environment in which he lives. It’s beautiful to see how he gradually develops affection for the building’s residents, begins to understand and forgive his own mother, and falls in love with Chaeyoung. These are such human feelings, but ones he never thought he deserved to feel, since he was taught that “villains don’t deserve love.”
Since 2021, I’ve watched this series more than 10 times, and yes, I stopped counting after the tenth time. I’ll definitely watch it again, because I never get tired of it.
I started watching it and finished it in 4 days. To finish a 20-episode series with episodes over an hour long in 4 days, one of two things is true: either you’re unemployed or the series is some kind of drug. In my case, it was a mix of both, since I watched it for the first time during the pandemic and spent practically 100% of my time at home. It was quite an experience—and what an experience it was.
Starting with our beloved protagonist, Vincenzo Cassano. And what a performance by Song Joong-ki! It was my first drama starring him, and he didn’t disappoint. When I saw that he’d be the lead and would play a murderous mobster, I was a bit skeptical. The actor had a baby face and didn’t give off the vibe of a bad guy. In my mind, there was no way this could work. And I’ve never been so happy to be wrong. Vincenzo was MADE to be played by Song Joong-ki. I can’t imagine any other actor capable of conveying the character’s coldness and “almost” psychopathic nature, while at the same time captivating the audience with his charisma and making us root for him throughout the entire drama.
I have to admit that when I got ready to watch a series where the protagonist was an antihero, I thought they’d take the character down a path of redemption. The fact that they didn’t do that was a relief. Vincenzo is a man who does terrible, cruel things, who has clear moral flaws, and he remains that way until the end. Many times during the drama, I found myself forgetting about that side of him, precisely because he’s such a charismatic and even funny character, but the fact that the drama is a mix of action and comedy added an extra layer to that. You’re there laughing at a scene, and suddenly the drama pulls the rug out from under you and reminds you: he’s not the good guy in this story.
Following a story where the protagonist isn’t a moralist and makes people pay for their actions is nothing less than satisfying. Vincenzo won’t refuse to do something evil just because he’s “better than that.” In reality, he’s worse. Vincenzo finds justice weak and hollow; he lives by the principle that you only pay for your actions if you suffer an equivalent punishment. I confess that even my own principles were called into question during this series, especially when I found myself laughing out loud at the sight of a woman being burned alive.
I love how, in this show, the famous “power of the protagonist” doesn’t need to be used — at least not as often as it is in other dramas. Simply because the protagonist is self-sufficient on his own. Vincenzo manages to get out of impossible situations because he’s extremely intelligent, but the drama justifies this. He’s the mafia’s advisor; it’s obvious he’ll always be thinking one step ahead of everyone else, he was trained for that. It’s not unrealistic. He loses several times, but for realistic reasons as well.
His growth is also admirable. We clearly see at the beginning how he is a guy completely closed off in his own bubble; he only cares about his own problems and the things that affect him. He pretends not to care about his mother even when he visits her; he has emotional blocks and nightmares that keep him from sleeping due to the violent environment in which he lives. It’s beautiful to see how he gradually develops affection for the building’s residents, begins to understand and forgive his own mother, and falls in love with Chaeyoung. These are such human feelings, but ones he never thought he deserved to feel, since he was taught that “villains don’t deserve love.”
Since 2021, I’ve watched this series more than 10 times, and yes, I stopped counting after the tenth time. I’ll definitely watch it again, because I never get tired of it.
Was this review helpful to you?
