The main character's development is kinda slow, but it matches the rhythm of the story. I can recommend this series to those who like zombie/ monster/ sick stories like Train to Bushan, All of us are dead or Sweet Home.
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I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, party because of Han Hyo Joo and Park Hyung Sik. They both play likeable and relatable characters whose friendship to lovers story is natural, despite the unnatural setting of the story. I've always enjoyed Han Hyo Joo's dramas. Park Hyung Sik is more hit and miss for me but this one is a hit for me. The drama raises interesting questions about how a government might respond to a frightening and highly contagious epidemic, how infected people are treated not just by the government but also by each other, and what people might do to fight for survival. It can be ugly -- people can behave pretty badly when they're frightened -- but this drama shows that people can also be surprisingly generous and self-sacrificing. I suspect that the inspiration for this drama comes from the first major COVID epidemic before vaccines were developed and the world was terrified. Was this review helpful to you?
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I can't feel invested when a story ignores logic just to create some drama and conflict
As stated above, characters making wrong decisions is great when handled well, but characters making brain dead decisions just to make tense moments, takes you out of the story and makes key moments pointless. I don't really give low ratings, this is as low as I've gone, but I just couldn't bring myself to engage with what I saw.The "villains" in the story were weak, and yet they got away with countless things not through ingenuity but through shitty writing. A man is a murderer and you caught him trying to poison everyone... do you tell people? Nope, keep it to yourself and let him continue to influence morons. Other man points a gun to your wife's head and leads a mob against her because he's an easily manipulated blob, do we get angry and do something about it? Nope, place a hand on his shoulder and say - not cool man, you're wrong about her trust me - this is a guy that described himself as hot headed and having a bad temper by the way.
There were countless actions that a real person would not make, and when they lead to danger, am I supposed to care for the characters? How can I, when for all I know in the next scene they might randomly trip and fall off a building, with no build up, because that's the level of writing being displayed. Sometimes important things aren't communicated, sometimes someone with no social rapport is suddenly believed wholeheartedly when they make things up, and we're supposed to just accept that and keep watching.
It was a tough watch. A comedy or romance can get away with being unrealistic, but when a show like this wants to create high adrenaline moments, it has to arrive there through good writing. This one did not.
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This drama will forever be close to my heart
God, where do I even start with this review????I guess with the fact that this was the first kdrama I ever watched so I may be a little biased. But I do genuinely believe this was absolutely phenomenal.
The characters, specifically our main couple, are my emotional support babies atp.
Sae Bom is a badass and a queen & anyone who disagrees is simply WRONG<3
Yi Hyun is the perfect husband material who worships the ground she walks on.
As he should tbh.
also, friends-to-lovers is my favourite trope so this drama was just made for me.
basically, if zombies + marriage of convenience (for real estate....OR WAS IT) sounds good to you, that's because it is.
NOW STOP READING THIS & WATCH THE HELL OUT OF IT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY!!!!!
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I could've finished it in 1 day if it weren't for my classes. THIS IS SO GOOD!
Happiness is so good what elsecan I say, I binged watched in 3
days, I could've finished it in 1 day
if it weren't for my classes. The
curiousness I got every episode was
making me watch this show every
time I had free time. Now that I
finished this and also satisfied with
the ending I think I'll focus on my
studies.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️💜❤️💜❤️💜💜💜💜💜❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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Plays Like a Bad American Horror Movie!
If this series had been a comedy, I probably would have laughed more and also in more of the right places. Unfortunately, it’s not a comedy. It plays like a bad American horror movie where the sheer level of stupidity that dominates the characters is the primary source for the laughter; the absolutely clueless and absurdity is not to be underestimated. If you've ever seen an American horror movie, you know how often characters make really dumb decisions, and when they're killed off, you just shake your head because their own stupidity did them in.A disease has broken out the causes the infected to attack and bite the victim in order to satiate their unquenching thirst. However, once bitten, the victim becomes infected. It’s like a cross between a vampire and a zombie. However, unlike Train to Busan, this series as virtually no suspense whatsoever.
Yoon Sae Bom is a member of an elite anti-terrorist unit. She’s sassy, capable, and has dreams and aspirations of moving into a nice new apartment complex; a complex that requires the applicant to have enough “points” to qualify (recommendations, marriage, etc.). She marries her childhood friend, Jung Yi Hyun, a detective who had aspirations of becoming a professional baseball player. They marry for the convenience of being co-owners of the apartment. However, we already know that Jung Yi Hyun has loved Yoon Sae Bom since they were in high school together. Yeah, we already know where this is going.
Yoon Sae Bom quickly finds out just how shady the residents are in the apartment complex. There is really nobody good. And this is what she dreamed of, eh? We have a doctor who’s killed his wife. A seemingly affluent woman who wants to be the resident business leader of the complex. Power and money become the sole driving force of nearly every resident. This doesn’t even change when the complex comes under quarantine due to the disease. Soon, residents are fighting over food, water, or any means of trying to get ahead. Oh, and we also have a serial killer among the residents, as if everything else wasn’t quite enough. How so many “bad eggs” can all be in one place at the same time is like rolling “snake eyes” in Vegas twelve times in a row.
The lockdown aspect was intriguing until we find out that the infected only reach a “ravenous state” for about fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, a military colonel is trying to find a cure without letting the higher-ups know about it, as he’s afraid that they will use their perpetual greed to control the cure, and the colonel’s wife is one of the infected.
Yoon Sae Bom and Jung Yi Hyun try their best (well, not really!) to control the crazies and the situation. Ironically enough, for two people in law enforcement, they consistently make horrible decisions.
First, we have Dr. Oh Joo Hyeong who’s being arrested for the murder of his wife just as the lockdown takes place. However, instead of taking him into custody and at least locking him in a room, he’s given free reign to move around. Of course, knowing that he’s likely facing a prison sentence, he does everything in his power to subvert and plot against Yoon Sae Bom and Jung Yi Hyun. And each time they stop him, he’s STILL given a license to move about freely. Talk about stupid! This was one of the comedic elements that wasn’t really funny. I was simply laughing at how inept and pathetic our two main characters were.
Next, we have “Andrew” the serial killer. It’s funny that neither of our two leads suspect him for anything, given that he never shows his face which is constantly hidden behind a mask, and that the face on the ID card is scraped up so that you can see the photo. Now, it’s understandable that this story takes place on the cusp of COVID. It’s already been scientifically proven that masks do not have very much of an effect in preventing you from catching a disease. It’s more of a suggestion which is why so many people still believe that they do. However, given that Andrew goes to great lengths to hide his face, especially when eating or drinking, you would think that this might be a “red flag” to our two veteran members of law enforcement (three if you count Jung Yi Hyun’s cowardly, inept partner, Kim Jeong Gook who can only whine, cry, and complain at every turn).
We also have Oh Yeon Ok, the woman attempting to become the elected representative who is more worried about losing her position than anything else. She frequently goes into frantic rages when it becomes clear that she’s willing to do anything (even commit murder) to be elected. Bae Hae Seon plays her a bit over-the-top, and our two resident cops allow her to walk all over them rather than take charge of the situation. Instead, they try to be political rather than act like officers, which makes everything even worse.
The first six or seven episodes are quite good when the viewer is trying to figure out everything that is going on, but when the infected all but disappear, and the focus shifts to the residents and their power plays, the whole script falls apart, and we no longer really care what happens to most of them.
The last episode attempts to drag things out with an absolutely pathetic ending; all done for effect, of course. Jung Yi Hyun has been shot and taken captive by Andrew after Jung Yi Hyun somehow fails to disarm him (who knew a kid without any fighting skills could out-fight a cop who’s shown his hand-to-hand prowess up until now?). Jung Yi Hyun is on the ground being held up by Andrew but only covering his lower half. Yoon Sae Bom has a clear shot at Andrew. Instead, she shoots herself in the arm in order to get the infected Andrew to transform. Talk about making a really dumb choice! He staggers toward her, allowing Jung Yi Hyun (who has reclaimed the gun) to shoot Andrew in the head. Never mind that he’s already weak and also ignoring the fact the Yoon Sae Bom still has her own gun but shoots anyway, even though she’s in the direct line of fire. Talk about being lucky!
Yoon Sae Bom and Jung Yi Hyun are about as believable as cops as Donald Trump is of being president. Yes, that’s how bad these two were. It's sad that this is a wasted effort because both characters are likable and I like that Yoon Sae Bom is a strong woman who is no wallflower by any stretch of the imagination.
I was glad that this series only went 12 episodes. It should have been cut down to half that. The writer should be drummed out of the business for breaking one of the most basic and cardinal rules: never change a character for the sake of moving the plot. In other words, never make a character do something they would never do just to make the plot work. Yoon Sae Bom and Jung Yi Hyun make so many bad decisions, it’s a wonder they live to tell the tale. Well, when you have a writer who can make it happen, then that’s the blessing of it!
What’s sad is that most of the performances were pretty good, despite having some of the most depraved and sick people occupying one apartment complex (and no, I’m obviously not talking about the infected). These people should have been quarantined long before any disease entered the picture. Frankly, this series should be quarantined to the basement shelves too.
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Sadness
The drama began on a promising note, depicting the inception of their journey with great detail. However, as the plot unfolded, the emergence of the disease became the central focus, leading to relentless battles with infected individuals until the final episodes where the cure was discovered, concluding the story. While I was eager to witness the chemistry between the leads, their interactions were disappointingly sparse. Nevertheless, both the lead actors and actress delivered exceptional performances. Despite their efforts, I failed to find any joy throughout the entirety of the drama, ultimately deeming it dull and unengaging.Was this review helpful to you?
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It is too far from happiness !
First of all, I dont like the dramas that contain survival journey or zombie apoclyps things ^^”but I enjoy this show, finish it in two days .. worth my time
the story overall 9/10
what I like is the main charchters who were brave and good in desision making :)
well, the bulding ppl were sick 😃 specially that aguma 🤢and the doctor ! I wish they were bitten and died in terrible way 🙂
there are twists in some of the show but predictable actually >_<
It is happy ending though, dont worry 😹
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10 out of 10
I am not used to give 10 stars to dramas about viruses or zombie because most of them are not much different from one another. But let me say that this one surprised me in any possible way. The acting was superb, they made me feel like I was actually living in the building and the people that got the virus were immaculate in their acting. I felt really anxious and especially in the last few episodes I felt like I stopped breathing for ho much I was invested in the story. The perfect comeback for our Hyunsik.Was this review helpful to you?
It's not all about zombies
This movie got my attention watching a short on Insta. The character first opening scene where they jumped and he asked her to go out. That it was about zombies was an extra bonus 🤣.The story is good enough, interesting, it got everything... Expect what I tought it was going to be a love storyline
Love the social fact of this drama everyone has their own value when they panic.
I personally would have liked a more dramatic ending, and the last episode the storyline was chaotic.
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Crazy how many unlikeable characters can fit into a drama
I honestly don't know how many times I've tried to watch this drama and always dropped it around ep 2 or 3 because of the boring atmosphere, the slow pace, the unbearable and bossy FL and the weak and annoying ML. Didn't like both of them, especially since both were abusing their power as members of the police/special force unit so often. They were acting sometimes so reckless, know-it-all and stupid that it was hard to imagine that both went through a professional training and are actually civil servants who were bound by law. Later I learned that the male actor has a huge fan base. Well this explains the extreme high rating.Now I tried to watch this drama again since I needed badly something to watch and this time I completed it. I guess for every drama you just need to be in the right mood.
It was overall a good drama, rated it with 7.5. If you love survival stuff and you are a zombie veteran like me you will also like this new approach on a zombie apocalypse. New that it doesn't focus so much on gore and explicit themes. Sometimes the pace was so slow that it felt like a slice of life drama. So not your typical action filled thriller. Unfortunately there were many plot holes, infuriating and unbelievable scenes (like when the stupid FL jumps into a truck full of zombies and doesn't get bitten at all?!), dumb descisions and dubious and weird motives (like the secret behind Andrew's identity was so disappointing and didn't fit all). And like always you would wonder why the villains were so slow and not killing the hero and heroine asap... The music also didn't fit always and the ending was so rushed and disappointing and with many unanswered questions. Wish they would have focused on Han Tae Seok instead of that cringey scene in the epilogue.
The acting was overall good, but weak from the FL (her facial expressions weren't really strong). The ML did a decent job especially in the last episode when he showed his more vulnerable side. Both didn't have much chemistry. The acting of the side characters, though many of them were really dumb, was excellent, especially the crazy house represent and the doctor. Overall a well done thriller with a couple of scary scenes (like the truck scene or when the FL was stuck in the bathroom) but many many unlikeable characters. Even the child was annoying.
Most likeable characters: the brother and the sister.
Well appreciated: no dumb drunken scene.
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Good start but getting worse
As usual, I didn’t read anything or watch trailer before watching this show. I only knew it was a survival genre, a bit similar to Sweet Home. I didn’t even know casting.Things of first episodes I’ve enjoyed the most:
- Han Hyo Joo as FL : for a long time I wanted to watch a drama she stars. Her acting skills are very good ! Even if she looks nice and sweet, she portrays a strong/badass character very well !
- Park Hyung Sik as ML : even if I didn’t like Dr Slump, I think is a great actor (loved him in Soundtrack #1)
- High level of action and intensity from the beginning/first episode of the show. It’s been a while first episodes of a drama hooked me that much.
But from ep4 action level lowered. There was more resident relationship scenes than survival (residents vs infected) scenes.
The show is mainly focused on manipulations, lies and plots… almost every man for himself.
It shown the worst side of human nature/behavior (I really don’t like this kind of drama, it is hard for me to watch this. I’ve almost gave up at ep10…but only 2 episodes left so I kept watching).
To finish, the « Andrew » twist is from my point of view a total nonsense ! And the 2 last episodes have been rushed (so predictable/cliché)
This is sooo disappointing because I really expected « action/survival » drama (safe vs infected) and I haven’t got :(
About leads chemistry, it is very good. FL and ML portray lead couple in a very natural way (one of the best couple I’ve seen among a lot of dramas).
A few songs of OST are good enough to be added to a playlist.
To summarize, I’ve watched this show, it is not one of my favorite and I won’t rewatch it…
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