Two words that really describes this drama is: Dark humor. It seems to be a series you will either love or hate and clearly it is not a drama for everyone. A lot of people seem to really dislike the idea that they are somehow "romanticizing" the saesang behavior in the show, but I wouldn't say that that's the case. Instead they have taken a really weird and problematic situation and turned it to a very extreme and twisted story. There are a lot of things that are morally and behaviorally wrong in this drama but you just need to take everything with a pinch (maybe a scoop) of salt and just enjoy each episode.
Every actor did a good job portraying odd and eccentric roles and I really enjoyed how the drama went from a bad kidnapping story to an action/thriller filled with light slapstick comedy. It is a perfect "in-between" drama to watch for a break from heavier shows to just lighten up your mood. The only downside was the slow first episodes and the rushed ending (Ironic?) but it doesn't leave you irritated, just sad that there wasn't one more episode. You just need to plow through the first two episodes and after that you are up for a wild ride.
In conclusion, you will not regret watching this drama, especially if you have a really bad sense of humor.
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First I want to start off by talking about the premise for this drama, which is both crazy yet hilarious. One of the things that drew me in right away was this idea of an accidental kidnap. The premise instantly felt unique and interesting and like something I haven't seen in the drama world. In the beginning of the drama the plot of the accidental kidnapping was super humorous yet also absurd at the same time. Thinking back a lot of the characters decisions seem a bit over the top and far fetched but that's where I think this drama got a lot of it's charm. To a casual viewer they may feel uncomfortable with this idea of a kidnapped celebrity but the drama does it in such a way that the overall plot is more humorous and not sinister at all. Everything within the situation such as Joon Hyeok's attempts at escapes to Yeon Seo's attempt to keep the kidnapping a secret come across as somewhat absurd and over the top and make you think "well why doesn't he try this?" or "why is the neighbor so gullible?" but again that's where the charm comes from. In a way the drama gives off somewhat of a satirical vibe where you aren't supposed to take any of these situations seriously. The decisions are absurd and even down right insane sometimes but that just makes the situation and drama that much more comedic. I honestly couldn't stop laughing throughout each episode. This drama is one that does take awhile to get used to since it's taking a very disturbing situation of kidnapping and making it comedic and essentially bends genres but if you like a sort of absurdist, satirical almost borderline black comedy I would give this drama a try.
And now on to acting. When I first came into watching this drama I had already seen Sung Hoon and Kim Ga Eun in dramas and knew that they would be great actors (I had no worries here). It was nice to see Sung Hoon in a comedic role as the first role I saw him in was My Secret Romance, and I felt like he pulled of the comedy really well. Kim Ga Eun I had originally seen in Because This Is My First Life and I enjoyed seeing her in this different kind of role as Yeon Seo. I thought she did an exceptional job as well being able to go from crying to comedic within a scene. Other than the two main actors though I knew none of the other main and supporting actors which actually made this a really interesting watch, actor wise. Being an avid drama watcher I'm used to seeing the same actors within dramas so it was nice to see new faces. All the other main and supporting actors seemed to do a good job. (Honestly I'm not a very good acting expert). From my viewpoint everyone acted according to character and no one seemed stale or unemotional.
And now on to the bad. Even though I adored the first half of the drama near the end it began to morph genres a bit more than I would have liked and kind of adopted a new tone and overall feeling from the beginning episodes. Throughout the drama there were always great comedic moment but around a little over half way the drama seemed to change into something different from how it started. Near the end I did start to become a bit bored and missed the feeling of the first few episodes. Another complaint I had was how the drama seemed to lack a lot of character depth and backstory, the characters kind of just exist. I think Yeon Seo is the strongest character with more depth and backstory to her than other characters. When it came to Joon Hyeok and the neighbor Nam Goo there seemed to be less character depth there and I found myself wanting to know a lot more about them then just the basis information we are given about them throughout the drama. The hard thing though is how short this drama is which didn't leave a lot of room for backstories and character depth. That's where I think this drama both took on too little yet too much in terms of story. In the beginning there is the story line of the kidnapped celebrity, figuring out how to keep him secret which ensues a lot of crazy antics, the work life of Yeon Seo as she struggles to make money, and also the budding relationship of the two main characters within this kidnapping setting. But yet I feel like there could have been more meaningful conversations between the main characters. There was quite a bit of plot stuff but I feel like if that was cut back a bit more and the characters were given more of a chance to be explored the drama would be stronger (with this though it's hard to know if more character depth would sacrifice some of the hilarious decisions, so I'm kind of torn). Another gripe I have is the love story. This like many of the characters was really underdeveloped and unexplored.
As a screenwriter I see a lot of things that I would like to change about this drama but at it's core it was an easy, enjoyable watch. I do think this drama has been getting a bad rep for possibly romanticizing kidnapping/saesang behavior which in some ways it could be viewed as but in reality this drama isn't going for realism and for things to make rational sense. I would argue that it's main goal seems to be an absurdist, over the top comedy and yet also a drama that ends up bending the expectations of what you think will happen. If you want to watch a quick, hilarious drama with an insane plot line I would definitely recommend.
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This review may contain spoilers
This was a disappointing drama.I was part of the subbing team on Viki, and my original plan was to either watch each episode after the initial English subs were put out then go in and do my part or go ahead and do my part and watch the episode in full afterward.
I quickly discovered that neither way was going to be possible, and the only way I Was going to be able to watch this drama without pulling out my hair was to just work on the subs and get the highlights as I worked.
Every time I attempted to sit down and watch a full episode...there were too many things I hated about the story for me to enjoy it. Namely almost everything around the kidnapping plotline, ie. the entire premise of the show and kind of an important aspect of the story that you need to enjoy if you want to enjoy the show overall.
When the drama focused on the female leads difficult work environment and her life growing up, it was very poignant. I found her to be the most relatable and empathetic in those moments, and I wanted to see more of them. When the drama focused on most everything else, I wanted to quit watching.
My main complaints with the kidnapping plotline are as follows:
1) The main characters behavior was unrealistic. The idea that a kidnapee would ever have enough power in a kidnapping situation to force the kidnapper to create and sign a contract between them was just dumb. Wholly and completely dumb. The idea that the kidnapee would be able to dictate to the kidnapper instructions on what food to cook for them and clothes to buy them and coffee to get them was dumb. Wholly and completely dumb. And the idea that the kidnapper would ever, for one moment, grant any of these demands is dumb.
Wholly and completely dumb.
2) The main characters behavior was maddening. The female lead made terrible decision after terrible decision that was never appropriately acknowledged as terrible and rarely had any repercussions and she never felt remorse or regret over them and I JUST WANTED HER TO FEEL A LITTLE BAD FOR KIDNAPPING A PERSON THAT'S ALL.
The male lead would get rightfully angry about being held hostage and then get over it within the same or next scene like he wasn't actually all that chuffed about it. At least be consistent, buddy.
They bickered with each other the entire time, and it was Not. Cute. because it was about the fact that she had kidnapped him and he rightfully wanted to not be kidnapped.
3) There was very little effort put into making the characters actually fall for each other. Feel sympathetic towards each other maybe, but not fall in love. And I wanted them to fall in love. Despite the myriad of flaws with this drama, the leads had spot on chemistry and could have brought a really great romance to the screen.
But they didn't.
I want to make it clear that I don't hate this drama because it was unrealistic. I don't have any problem with it being unrealistic. Stories like this Have to be a little bit unrealistic if they want to sell the idea of a kidnapper and kidnapee falling in love without it coming off as messed up and wrong. (Beauty and the Beast, anyone?) The problem is that the writers didn't understand how to write this story so that it didn't come off as messed up and wrong, so it always just felt Wrong.
There's plenty more to say about the rushed and poorly fleshed out story and the lack of real character or relationship growth throughout much of the drama and the terrible with a capital T ending that was clearly caused because of issues with the production company, but honestly, I don't care enough to talk about any of that. You'll have to read someone else's review if you want to know more.
All I'm gonna say is this drama was terrible, and those of us who watched it deserved better.
And so did the actors.
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That said, the start was good, with some suspence vibes and thriller scenes. The characters were odd and the situations even wierder. The events that followed one another and lead to the girl actually kidnaping the male lead were entartaining and funny. However, the rest of the story just didn't fit that fresh mold that the drama promised. The plot started getting predictable.
And then, there were the characters. The leading lady was cute, but kind of annoying. The male lead was just okay, but kind of weak. The second lead, however, was the real deal and I really enjoyed him. And their overall performances were really good.
So, six and a half out of ten for this drama.
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Unexpectedly thrilling, funny and ridiculous at the same time
When it comes to the story plot, it's actually unique given that it has all the genres you cannot possibly think of together. At first I thought it would be just a typical rom-com story just a different scenario but I was shocked because it explored drama and mystery genre while keeping it's romantic comedy side. It was good overall however the combination of mystery and comedy at some scenes makes it look childish to me because it shows how serious the character is then suddenly it becomes a comedy out of nowhere. Also at the ending part for the reveal, the story seems not connecting to me. It didn't gave much of what I expected like an impact or the 'wow factor'. But still a nice drama to watch for starter plus the story isn't that long either consisting 10 episodes.The casts is like a bunch of good catch. I got to know new faces that I haven't seen before like the 2nd lead and also Mir, the main lead's rival.
It's irritating when the sounds gives off that creepy/mystery vibe because I think it's exaggerating. Sometimes I get confused about the emotions to feel. I'm not so sure if they want me to feel thrilled or if they want to make me laugh so I just ended up confused and appalled. But plus points for the songs that NakGu sang. It is sooooo cool. Double thumbs up for that.
The story is overall cute and it's also unpredictable so I might be part of the 'out-of-nowhere I want to re-watch' drama
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This review may contain spoilers
This is my first time ever writing a review and will probably suck majorly but here goes nothing.I started watching I Picked Up a Star on the Road mainly because of Sung Hoon (after I saw him in Oh My Venus) and feel in love with him cause why not. My decision to watch this drama was based on him and because I needed something sweet and light before diving headfirst into my watch list before exams. I totally did't expect the first episode at all. I got a bunch of questions.
1) I mean whats up with that eerie intro? I really thought I read the tags wrong for a couple minutes and had to keep coming back after episode
2) That unexpected plot twist with the guy?
3) Kim Ga Eun being the definition of an airhead? If your job sucks sis leave it. Those people were a bunch of asshats anyway
4) The girl she was friends with in the office could've had more character development than being just a fangirl
5) The mother served absolutely no purpose in the show. Yeah I mean she sent that gift to her daughter to send to the boss? Then what ? *She goes poof poof*
6) The bloody irony of the end was...I don't know...honestly I don't know
But in all this was a good drama if you want something to past the time before moving unto a drama with a more intense plot.
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Full of anger towards her boss, she confidently glides up behind him.
Full of anger towards her boss, she confidently glides up behind him.Deciding that taking a 'swing' at him, is the best possible outcome, to an otherwise ridiculously disappointing day.
Come on! If this isn't God's will, or at least a TREMENDOUS opportunity presented to her, then what is?
No, Really?
Chances of her getting done for this must be small, after all, this is a seedy little alley way, behind some bar.
Taking this bastard down with her, would not only be a pleasure, but in this moment, worth it.
He unceremoniously goes down like a sack of potatoes, and much like any sack of potatoes, he doesn't do much else but lay there....seriously, he's NOT moving.... OH FUC-
This is a very warm story that's all heart, murder, various forms of anxiety, but most of all it's a story about KIDNAPPING.
And of course, the neighbour who presents very competitive pricing, when it comes to babysitting your OPPA.
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Very silly dark comedy
This is an absurd show that requires you to switch your brain off, lower your expectations, and not take anything too seriously. I found about 50% of it fairly entertaining. This show is at its best when it's a dark comedy and the earlier episodes are genuinely amusing at times. However it then introduces a murderous plot and a love triangle and sadly takes them both vaguely seriously and moves away from dark humour to more conventional silliness, casting aside the show's main strength. It continued to amuse me, but often unintentionally.Things I liked
This show was very funny at times. Intentionally at first, then mostly unintentionally. The concept was bonkers. She doesn't just accidentally kidnap someone; she preps an acid bath to dissolve his corpse. She nearly buries him alive at one point. If you're thinking there's no way you could find humour in such situations then this is almost certainly not the show for you. I was amused. Everyone in the show is very stupid. This was the catalyst for most of the shows plot and humour and I found it best just to accept that I was watching incredibly stupid people doing incredibly stupid things and allow myself to be entertained by it.
The ML is a spoiled, self absorbed jerk. This means that you probably won't feel any sympathy for him despite the fact that he's been kidnapped by an idiotic lunatic who keeps him chained up in her apartment for weeks on end. I feel this was key to the tone of the show and trying to make us like him later on was a mistake. The FL and SML are both pretty charming and handle the comedic aspects well. Kim Ga Eun did a great job as the FL, somehow managing to make a character who has repeatedly tried to kill someone fairly likeable. Kim Jong Hoon was also endearing and funny as Nak Goo- the oddball neighbour who accidentally becomes an accomplice to the kidnapping. They are both only marginally likable idiots but because the ML is such an obnoxious douchecanoe, you'll probably be rooting for them over him.
The romance between SML and FL was pretty sweet. They’re both complete idiots so they’re perfect for each other. The romance between ML and FL was so ridiculous and underdeveloped that I actually found it funny. I don't think I was meant to though. He mostly fell for her through scenes of romantic music playing whilst they looked at each other. Similarly, the murder mystery plot in the second half was pretty funny at times, but calling this entirely intentional would be giving the show too much credit, other than in the final showdown. I think it’s meant to be a bit silly, but I don’t think I was meant to laugh whenever they played dramatic music or the leads were in danger. I still did though.
Both the FL and the ML’s bad singing made me laugh.
There were a lot of montages. This made me feel nostalgic for 80s movie montages so I’m calling them a positive.
Things I didn't Like
The humorous moments were too sporadic and interspersed with too much drama. They should have thrown way more dark comedy in there and stopped trying to make us care about what was happening to these people. I didn’t care. I just found their stupidity entertaining. The show's tone veered away from black humour in the later episodes despite not having any other strengths.
They tried to redeem the ML. This was a mistake. He's a selfish arse who goes through no character development. Much of the earlier humour hinged on the viewer not liking him; they should never have tried to change that. We could have had humour to the very end of the show at his expense but the writers somehow decided that we should instead care about silly things like his career and his life. Fools.
The love triangle was handled poorly. The writer seemed to actually take it seriously, when they should have played it for laughs. Have the famous bellend fall for his kidnapper and have his overconfidence leave him stunned as he realises the FL doesn't like him and SML wins her heart. That would have been funny. Sung Hoon was amusing as a hateful arse, but he wasn’t up to the wider range of acting required of him in the latter half. Another reason they should have stuck to comedy at the MLs expense.
The pacing was off. The story takes a while to crank into black comedy territory and we get at least an episode of plot build up before we get to any jokes. Then they veer off into a different plot in the latter half of the show and everything changes pace once again before accelerating in the final episode to the extent that the main plot wraps up with about 2 minutes to go.
I don't think the stylist liked the female lead. Her lounging around at home clothes were suitably comfy but whenever she left the home she looked like a crazy person had dressed her. Which I suppose is technically true given the character, but probably not what they were going for.
TLDR: This is an occasionally funny black comedy that should have leaned further into the crazy, but lost its nerve and tried to be something a bit more conventional, losing its main charm in the process. It still made me laugh though.
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