nevermind
Again, there's really, really good stuff going on here. I talk about character development literally every episode, but it is seriously this show's biggest strength. I also think that the performer playing the twist villain is doing an excellent job, and I love the chemistry they have with the rest of the cast. The end of the episode was especially great. Also, literally one episode after I mentioned wondering what happened to Si Mok's ear-ringing malady, they address it, so good on the writers for having a sense of when they should bring back things like that.
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Still good, but not as good as 12. Nice twist (though I did have it spoiled on accident). They keep adding more and more humanity to Si Mok, though I am sort curious about where the issue with his hearing went. At the beginning of the show, even after his surgery, he was having trouble with the ringing in his ears, but that hasn't popped up for while now. I wonder if that concept will ever reappear.
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Okay, so I wasn't all that impressed with the last episode, but this one really turned it around for me. Shows usually have to work pretty hard to surprise me with twists, seeing as I'm good at TV and I tend to see twists really far in advance. This episode of Stranger really did surprise me, though, and I am very pleased. There is a twist villain, and I was genuinely surprised. I had no idea that this person would be involved in any way in any of the crimes committed in the series, so the writer evidently did a really good job of hiding it from me. The manner in which the twist is revealed is not as good as the twist itself, but that does not negate how good the twist is. I'm really excited to see how the writer chooses to develop this character now that it's clear that they are evil and crazy, and I really want to know how they fit into the larger web of bad people. This twist made me excited to actually finish the series for a reason other than wanting to get it over with.
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Listen. Nothing is happening. And now I am exceedingly bored. We're back to just doing the same things over and over again. The twists aren't twisty and BOY am I not caring even a little bit. Maybe something interesting will happen next time.Onward and upward.
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There's a lot of team-switching and underhandedness going on here, far more than in the beginning of the show. The number of promises of loyalty and immediate betrayals are genuinely entertaining, though maybe not for the right reasons. This episode was very good and my complaints are few and far between.I'm loving the development the writers gave to Si Mok and Yeo Jin in this episode. Characterization and character development are definitely this screenwriter's strengths.
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We're back in business! The story slowed down significantly for a few episodes, but here we are, moving forward again. My biggest praise for the show, the character development, still takes the cake as of episode 9. Dong Jae, Shi Mok, and Yeo Jin are endlessly interesting, and now that the supporting cast is more involved in the main plot, they are proving to be very interesting as well. What this show lacks in complexity plotwise is more than makes up for in raw character development. The characters and how they interact are really the focus of the story, and I honestly really enjoy that.
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Love it, as usual. Seo Dong Jae being a snake is always entertaining, as is Shi Mok being exceptionally bland. I love it. I really have nothing new to say. Rather, I must reiterate: how far can we go with this ONE plot thread?
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Still loving the show, but I have to ask one question: where to next? How long does this one case last? Is this singular the case the sole focus of the series, or are there multiple cases that take a few episodes to sort out? I'm a bit concerned if this one Moo Sung plot thread and the corruption that surrounds it is the ONLY conflict in the series. I'm still enjoying the show VERY much, though. Resentment looks good on Lee Joon Hyuk ;)The character development in this show is to DIE for. I love how the screenwriter is building out the personalities of each character. I'm excited to see if Shit Mok is going to tell any of the people around him about his hearing issues as a child and why he's currently the human equivalent of an empty room painted eggshell white. I did some reading on alexithymia, and I want to see how the writer chooses to have Shi Mok explain it.Han Yeo Jin's relationship with Moo Sung's mother is just too sweet. I love it.
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I love how this writer is developing the characters in the show! Everyone is so unique and interesting. I love it! I'm especially drawn to Han Yeo Jin; the way the screenwriter gives life to her through the way her apartment is decorated and her interactions with Mr. Park's mother is so well done. I also really appreciate how Jo Seung Woo is choosing to portray Shi Mok. The character doesn't have emotions, but every now and then there's a little flicker of something behind his eyes and you almost thing there's some feeling there. This must be how the other character perceive him, as well. The fact that I as a viewer see him the exact same way as the other characters do is very important to the realism of the series.Loving Seo Dong Jae. He's a more compelling character than the main villain. I'm kind of living for how animated and salty he is.
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This was definitely a great pilot. I was enraptured nearly the whole time, and I'm loving the cast so far. This is my first time seeing Bae Doo Na in anything, but I can already say I like her a lot. I can definitely see her character becoming a favorite of mine. Her introduction was good and I really like that the character isn't feeding off of too many common lady-detective stereotypes. Jo Seung Woo is definitely pulling off the whole emotionless thing very well. As a stage actor myself, I know how hard it can be to turn off your facial expressions, so I can confidently say he's doing a great job so far. I can already say I don't like the villain (or at least, who I assume will be the villain, the Deputy Prosecutor). He's a bit bland; there's nothing about him that makes him unique, yet. I'll give him some more time before I pass my final judgement, but I'm not enthralled by him quite yet. I am VERY pleased to see Lee Joon Hyuk in a morally-grey (maybe even villainous) role. It'll be a nice break from the nice-guy roles I've seen him in before. I am very excited to see how his character progresses because I like the actor so much.Music is good, sets look nice, filming is solid. All the technical aspects of the show look good. The color palette is suitably depressing. Here's to the rest of the series being good!
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Arang and the Magistrate Episode 1
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Way to start with a bang!
Funny story- I tried watching this show about 6 months ago, and dropped it because I didn't think it was interesting enough. After seeing the first episode again though, I'm quite excited to watch this.
I really love Lee Joon Gi, and he's performing just as well as I expect him to. I've never watched any of Shin Min Ah's previous roles, but I'm honestly quite in love with her at the moment. Eun Oh really isn't that nice, but he sure is funny. Arang is quirky and an absolute joy to see on screen. It's nice to see a woman who takes charge of her own life (death?) and does what she wants. She's the kind of female lead I can really root for (which is REALLY rare for me).
It looks like we've got a very typical, "Corrupt official is a jerk to the people," thing going on (it is a sageuk, after all), which I don't mind, but it seems to be the only conflict writers of sageuk dramas ever seem to crank out. Hopefully the inclusion of ghosts will spice things up a bit.
The special effects are really nice compared to the cheesy, poorly done stuff I've seen in other dramas (namely "Scholar Who Walks the Night", where the super-speed and wire-jumping all over the place literally made me laugh). I have to say though that the King of Heaven and King of Hell were... kind of hilarious. There will never be a day that I can take either one of them seriously.
This show is off to a great start, and I'm looking forward to what will happen next.
Funny story- I tried watching this show about 6 months ago, and dropped it because I didn't think it was interesting enough. After seeing the first episode again though, I'm quite excited to watch this.
I really love Lee Joon Gi, and he's performing just as well as I expect him to. I've never watched any of Shin Min Ah's previous roles, but I'm honestly quite in love with her at the moment. Eun Oh really isn't that nice, but he sure is funny. Arang is quirky and an absolute joy to see on screen. It's nice to see a woman who takes charge of her own life (death?) and does what she wants. She's the kind of female lead I can really root for (which is REALLY rare for me).
It looks like we've got a very typical, "Corrupt official is a jerk to the people," thing going on (it is a sageuk, after all), which I don't mind, but it seems to be the only conflict writers of sageuk dramas ever seem to crank out. Hopefully the inclusion of ghosts will spice things up a bit.
The special effects are really nice compared to the cheesy, poorly done stuff I've seen in other dramas (namely "Scholar Who Walks the Night", where the super-speed and wire-jumping all over the place literally made me laugh). I have to say though that the King of Heaven and King of Hell were... kind of hilarious. There will never be a day that I can take either one of them seriously.
This show is off to a great start, and I'm looking forward to what will happen next.
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