samstones

S2 is already under production as we speak. And the show has been pitched and promoted heavily to the international market, when I say international I mean Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand. I think I also saw a promotional piece on CNN as well with Hyun Bin.

Post episode 5:

Hyun Bin and Woo Do Hwan are the real story, folks.

There's this whole Episode 5 running 1 hour 2 Minutes and 25 seconds, and then there is just this 3+ minutes of those two in it. Impecable 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻

Not a hair out of place in that scene. That scene for me is the mainstory of season 1.

I need more backstory about these two and their dynamic. I feel a little starved and shut out from that. Will there be more of it in Ep 6? I hope so.

Won Ji An who plays theYakuza's adopted zainichi daugther - her acting is so off. It feels forced. The whole avatar doesn't suit her. I can understand the casting choice but not the thing she's doing in scenes.

Okay - I am watching the 5th now.

a giant in Korean industry. His and Song Kang-ho's work was actually my gateway to Korean films. An absolute giant.

Think of this show in the context of the era it's set in. 1970. President Park Chung Hee was using the KCIA to terrorise the opposition and the population, pushing things into a fear-based police state. But then this same president gets assassinated by the Director of KCIA in 1979. From 1970 to 1980, Korea experienced significant political and social upheaval. Korea then experienced "Social Purification Campaigns" in the 1980s. The military-backed government under Chun Doo-hwan in the early 1980s implemented "social purification" projects that involved arresting and sending thousands of individuals, including some involved in "social ills" like smuggling and illegal drugs, to re-education camps.

So I am making an educated theory/guess about Season 2 that Baek Ki Tae will meet his end by the end of Season 2 after seeing the heights of power and influence that he so covets. Not just because of his crimes as a meth pushing civil servant, but also cos of the shift in political power and a military command taking more control under KCIA. It's just a guess. I'd be surprised if they did show Baek Ki Tae retiring and going off in the sunset with a glass of Negroni. Plus, the director of this show is not shy about making the protagonist meet a terrible end in his projects. Cos his protagonists are usually flawed human beings.

Completely agree - Yoo Ah In is the blueprint of acting choices for actors in Korea. He’s an intelligent actor and his performances have been deeply thoughtful. Although he did end up doing some preppy choices in the beginning of his career but what else do you do to get a foothold in the door. I suggest you watch Bloodhounds and , My Country - New Age (it’s a historical fiction / Sageuk) of Woo Do Hwan. I know Sageuk’s are not everyone’s cup of tea, but stay with it. His performance is so nuanced in it. Bloodhounds is just pure fun and action bromance.

I think Junho has struggled cos he was transitioning from his agency - plus he has been on a long acting hiatus, cos King The Land didn’t perform. It was his comeback to drama after Red Sleeve, but it was not well received. I mean those who like ultra cheese loved it. But predominantly people had started growing out of that chaebol and employee trope and there were too many writing flaws. I think he hasn’t been able to make brave acting choices. He keeps serving Junho after Junho. Hasn’t changed his look even for a character in years, unless people think those early blond extension highlights in Typhoon Family were “change of look”. If you take Woo Do Hwan for example, that guy has changed his look, morphed himself body, hair and wardrobe for every damn performance. From the start of his career he has made intelligent role choices. Even if it was a supporting role. He is one of the most promising Korean actors in the post Halleyu lot, and in my opinion the best among his peers. Unfortunately he doesn’t get much credit cos he isn’t doing Oppa or Binge On Greenflag Marathon roles.

The best thing about this show is it’s just 8 episodes and it ends quickly if you forward, So yeah, thankfully I finished the damn thing. It’s just bad. Bad storytelling, bad acting, bad writing. Junho is a good actor but both his projects this year were probably chosen by him to do something for the masses and get a foot in the Netflix originals-verse (Cashero only as Typhoon Family was a joint production with Tvn). And after watching both the only thought I had was damn that much money spent and the final product is that badly done. Anyway, I’m disappointed for Junho. But I know he’s a good actor.

Also the writing and storytelling of this show - it’s an intersection between constipating the plot suddenly when it’s about to unfold its potential or letting it sway off course and out of control when it’s just unloading all the semi-cooked ideas the writers had. And also, Kang Sang Ung’s inner dialogue is the worst storytelling tool used for the format in which the story is told.

The girl who plays Bang Eun Mi wasn’t ready to do an action role. Her action sequences are badly acted plus her acting is also bad. She’s supposed to be this cliched Gen Z character that’s petulant, disrespecting and dismissive of authority. Her best impression of that is a knotted forehead and weird huff and puff voices she makes after action sequences that are badly performed.

Also the villainess is just a badly written and performed thing. And the girlfriend / fiancée is just problematic

This show is so bad 😭. It’s just meant to be rage bait I guess. Junho has made terrible choices for an acting comeback

This show is just annoying. I’m semi- loathing it

Primarily, his own family, the one reason he claims to be doing all this for. That's what I have pieced together from the clues they are giving us about Baek Kihyun. Plus, the sister has come across as a dunce too, which has already ensnared her in the trap of an undercover prosecutor, who is so curious from day 1 about her life, but the sister doesn't seem to feel it's off.
The cat and mouse between BKT and JGY will continue till the end of season 1. We also have to see this show from the context of the era it is set in. Right now, everything is "all the president's men and their vices", if you understand what I mean. If season 2 opens at the tail end of that era of upheaval, with the head of the snake being cut off (the President getting assassinated by none other than the director of the KCIA of the time) and then his hanging etc. We will see that both external and internal events around Baek Ki Tae will contribute to his undoing and eventual fall. This is just my theory, but since you asked lol so I explained it in a little more detail than necessary

Can't be. He is just a operations head of the meth cooking factory. Produce and handover to Baek Ki Tae. He can't dictate what happens to it after that. Nor has he been informed of this. Baek Gi Tae is a spy/undercover operative himself. He knows how important compartmentalization is. Also, he does not control how and where the Yakuza lady operates.

The guy: I was hiding this to protect this person. I was evasive cos I forgot. I can’t tell right now. I have to handle something.

then goes on a rampage of blunders and juvenile tantrums exposing himself to more damage while the lawyer is running after him in those goddamn heels. 🤦🏻‍♀️

I love that they have shown the girl as a competent lawyer and her competence as a lawyer isn't getting swayed by her fangirl life. I did however feel a little cringe at the start of episode 3. But the girl is acting really nice.

Now I will say the unpopular part - Do Ra Ik's character is undercooked and overly relying on Idol tropes and exaggerating the heck out of the myth of the character. Tortured idol, bad behaviour has a reason and a story, i.e. troubled past, irresponsible parent, hubris that is hiding vulnerability, jealous groupies, doesn't trust anyone, not even his legal counsel (lol), has a condition (tinnitus) that makes him curl up in a fetal like incapacitated creature. But he does end up throwing fits of tantrums and flying bouts of rage while being irresponsible about his safety and/or legal troubles, while an active investigation is going on he is walking around neighbourhoods getting beat by teen punks or having gangster outbursts, causing more drama than necessary, acting all insufferable uncooperative with his lawyer right after she lulled him into a calm and he agreed in front of reporters that he will find the killer to the very end. And when faced with the prosecutor, becoming all tongue-tied and meek. It's just a frustrating drag. Totally unnecessary. I don't feel sorry for such cartoonishly exaggerated characters.

I don't think Jang Gun Yeong will be able to catch Baek Ki Tae in season 1. lol That's gonna be for season 2 for sure.

not in episode 3 and 4. His only appearance has been in episode 2 so far.

So instead of using his mass acclaim from that cheese trap of a show (Lovely Runner) BWS is gonna continue to work in cheese traps after cheese traps? I can't take an actor seriously if they don't even change their look for a role. From project to project, all you get is BWS adorning the idol look and serving BWS.