This review may contain spoilers
When the Morally Gray Deuteragonist absolutely Steals the Show
Exactly as it says in the headline.It feels ironic that in a drama literally titled 'Warrior Baek Dong Soo', it was not the titular Dong Soo, but the man who (supposedly) stood opposite to him — Yeo Woon, who grabbed by heart right from the beginning up until the end. So much so, that I have to admit that, in contrast, I found Dong Soo's pride and arrogance in the beginning a little annoying and offputting, even though that's meant to be a part of his charm. He's mostly talk and little action, and it is not until the second half of the show that he finally begins to mature and his actions are able to back up his big talk, and that really hampered with my engagement with his character. JCW played him well, it's more the writing that was the issue here.
Dong Soo's argument about fate, though right, also lands rather weak when one considers that he was universally loved and had a strong father figure to lean on, as compared to Yeo Woon, whose own father was horribly abusive and tried to kill him, and then he got taken un by Chun, the textbook example of a narcissistic abuser, who manipulated and abused Woon on a level much worse than his biological father. His conditioning of Woon is much more subtle as compared to the outright violent bio father, but it's still VERY MUCH THERE. When their foundations are so vastly different, and DS knew little to nothing of YW's predicament, his words to Woon about defying fate come off as the empty boastings of a protagonist who has never actually had his beliefs tested. This isn't to justify YW's morally ambiguous actions, but it's simply unfair to put the blame solely on him, when he was dealt a rotten hand right from the beginning. He was a victim just as much as anyone else, and this is almost never acknowledged because of the drama's bs obsession with fate or whatever. It wasn't fate, it was Chun's extreme conditioning of him that rendered Woon unable to express himself in the most important moments, that led him to believe that there truly was no escape for him.
DS also constantly promises YW that he won't give up on him... without actually doing anything to help him. Again, it's a contrast to YW who kept helping them from the shadows. Yes, he did terrible things, but those don't nullify the good he did and the numerous times he helped them at a crucial point— those were his slight attempts at fighting the 'fate' that he had given himself up to, yet none of it is rewarded or acknowledged meaningfully— in the end, he is met with betrayal by one of the only two people he had ever felt happy with, the only ones in whom he had entrusted his hope for redemption of some sort. These elements, along with blaring plot holes and a storyline that was all over the place, were some of, if not my biggest gripe with the show.
Now, grievances aside, I want to talk about the silver lining that actually kept me watching, summed up in just two words: Yeo Woon.
It doesn't hurt that he's played by Yoo Seung Ho, and I can see why so many people who watch WBDS come out a YSH fan because sameee. He portrays Yeo Woon with such nuance, expressing his grief and conflict through his eyes alone, and that takes immense skill. This, juxtaposed with Dongsoo , who wears his heart on his sleeve and both cries and laughs freely, made Yeo Woon's reticent nature pop even more, throwing him into a much more poignant light as compared to all the other characters in the drama. The slightest flicker in his eyes, the delicate sheen of tears in scenes where Yeo Woon is emotionally and morally torn, yet it's all subdued because he has been conditioned both by his past and Chunsoo that vulnerability is not something he is allowed, especially as an assassin— it's all expressed so gut-wrenchingly well that it's impossible to not feel for him and hope that he would find his way out in the end (which is also why the ending lands as so pointlessly tragic; it denied him the honourable ending a character of his calibre deserved).
Another positive is undoubtedly the OST. It's beautiful and the background score that plays in fight scenes is simply awesome. Overall, I'd say it's worth a watch for the captivating Yeo Woon alone, and the specks of bromance that we get between him and Dong Soo, because the two actors have really, really good chemistry.
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This review may contain spoilers
A drama that can make its viewers feel a myriad of emotions. And plus points for high rewatch value!
If there's one thing I can say about this drama, it's that "by the time you finish it, it feels like home."The characters and the Gongjin setting are HCCC's biggest strengths, imo. From the first two episodes itself, it sucked me in with the variety among the characters we see- kind and caring but kinda stuck-up Hye-jin, handy-man Mr. Hong who goes around doing odd jobs for people, and of course, the Gongjin folks. I hardly ever rewatch dramas, but this one was a wonderful exception- I rewatched it straight-away after the drama finished airing! And I have feeling I'll be rewatching again, sometime soon.
The lead actors' chemistry has to be one of the best ones I've seen in a while. Be it their playful banter, or bickering, or being all cutesy while dating, to the sad scenes.. it all felt so unforced and natural. Especially the cutesy scenes were so SO adorable to watch, I couldn't help but squeal. The love triangle was handled excellently (and healthily) as well, and the bromance between the two male leads was just * chef's kiss *.
If there's any complaints I have about HCCC, it's probably the way the reveal of Du-sik's backstory was handled. The build-up to it felt a bit too long, and it would have been nice if at least two episodes were focused on it, instead of wrapping it all in episode 15. The show still delivered though, and considering the reveal happened in a single episode, it was handled really well! And while I do think it could have been done better, I still loved it. haha.
To anyone who wants a fun little rom-com with a good punch of the feels added to it, just jump right in. You won't regret it. <3
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a hidden gem, when viewed with the right lens
What got me the most about this show is the arc we got for our main character Baek-ho. The story is as much about him and his struggles and development as it is about the romance that is central to his journey. It's beautiful and honestly, it's more than worth the watch for him and Yoo Seung Ho's perfomance alone. The other actors were brilliant too. Just a really good drama overall.spoiler:
The scene in Ep15, where he meets the 'conductor' again after finding out that the man had been his father all along.. my heart, omg. There were a lot of emotionally charged moments in the show, but none tugged at my heart the way this one did— father and son reunited beyond the absolute separation of death. Beautifully bittersweet.
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