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This review may contain spoilers
Notes from someone who thought the drama was good, but could've been better...
*** BEWARE OF SPOILERS...READ AT YOUR OWN RISK ***
Cora’s review basically sums up all my thoughts. The drama is at its best when examining how fiction informs reality and vice versa. The first big "reveal" in front of the hotel was really good, but the drama loses itself with the rest of the makjang elements.
Lee Gang’s motivation also waters down the entire thing. Him embarking on an intricate, 12-year revenge plan after meeting Mun Oh ONCE was underwhelming. It didn't justify his hatred, much less his commitment to destroying Mun Oh's entire life.
Overall, I enjoyed the drama. I was torn about whether to give it a 7 or 7.5 out of 10 because I LOVED episodes 2 and 3, but the longer my review got, the more I realized a 7 would do just fine . The acting was fantastic. Choi Min Sik carried the drama on his back, and at times his performance gave me goosebumps. That's why he's a respected veteran. Choi Hyun Wook held his own, and Jin Kyung, who played Mun Oh’s wife, Hyeon Suk, also delivered a noteworthy performance. I really felt her vulnerability and long-suffering. The suspense was good, and so was the script, although at times the dialogue was a bit heavy-handed. The pacing was decent, but the exploration of Mun Oh's feelings of inadequacy, ego, jealousy, and obsession would’ve felt less…shallow if we'd gotten an episode or two somewhere in the beginning showing his college experience with an emphasis on his first love (How did it develop? How long did he pine? What else did he do besides give her that book of poetry?) and budding rivalry with Su Hun (similar questions). What about Hyeon Suk's miscarriages? The drama drops this bomb on us, and never goes any deeper. That's one of the hardest things for a couple to go through yet the audience never finds out how Mun Oh feels about it. Unless he's a complete sociopath, he would feel SOMETHING. Did he even want kids??? All of this was necessary for a fuller, more grounded and impactful story, but because "Notes from the Last Row" only had 6 episodes to get the job done, its potential is never fully realized.
Bonus Thought: Am I the only one who thought the English songs they chose to play during certain scenes were corny??? The original score and background music were great, but the song they played when Mun Oh was running through campus feeling "liberated" in episode 1 almost ruined the scene. It sounded like something I'd hear on pop radio on a Top 25 countdown or something. The lyrics were so on-the-nose. There were a couple of other cheesy English songs that made me wrinkle my nose, but I can't recall them right now. It felt like the music supervisor was trying to be cool, and ran the songs through Google translate to see if the lyrics matched the scene.
Cora’s review basically sums up all my thoughts. The drama is at its best when examining how fiction informs reality and vice versa. The first big "reveal" in front of the hotel was really good, but the drama loses itself with the rest of the makjang elements.
Lee Gang’s motivation also waters down the entire thing. Him embarking on an intricate, 12-year revenge plan after meeting Mun Oh ONCE was underwhelming. It didn't justify his hatred, much less his commitment to destroying Mun Oh's entire life.
Overall, I enjoyed the drama. I was torn about whether to give it a 7 or 7.5 out of 10 because I LOVED episodes 2 and 3, but the longer my review got, the more I realized a 7 would do just fine . The acting was fantastic. Choi Min Sik carried the drama on his back, and at times his performance gave me goosebumps. That's why he's a respected veteran. Choi Hyun Wook held his own, and Jin Kyung, who played Mun Oh’s wife, Hyeon Suk, also delivered a noteworthy performance. I really felt her vulnerability and long-suffering. The suspense was good, and so was the script, although at times the dialogue was a bit heavy-handed. The pacing was decent, but the exploration of Mun Oh's feelings of inadequacy, ego, jealousy, and obsession would’ve felt less…shallow if we'd gotten an episode or two somewhere in the beginning showing his college experience with an emphasis on his first love (How did it develop? How long did he pine? What else did he do besides give her that book of poetry?) and budding rivalry with Su Hun (similar questions). What about Hyeon Suk's miscarriages? The drama drops this bomb on us, and never goes any deeper. That's one of the hardest things for a couple to go through yet the audience never finds out how Mun Oh feels about it. Unless he's a complete sociopath, he would feel SOMETHING. Did he even want kids??? All of this was necessary for a fuller, more grounded and impactful story, but because "Notes from the Last Row" only had 6 episodes to get the job done, its potential is never fully realized.
Bonus Thought: Am I the only one who thought the English songs they chose to play during certain scenes were corny??? The original score and background music were great, but the song they played when Mun Oh was running through campus feeling "liberated" in episode 1 almost ruined the scene. It sounded like something I'd hear on pop radio on a Top 25 countdown or something. The lyrics were so on-the-nose. There were a couple of other cheesy English songs that made me wrinkle my nose, but I can't recall them right now. It felt like the music supervisor was trying to be cool, and ran the songs through Google translate to see if the lyrics matched the scene.
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