Not for all viewers..
It's my first time writing a review..but i had no choice, many disliked this drama. It's true that not every person might like this since it's a revenge based drama, but it was worth watching from my point of view..the story went on really quick in the beginning, but gradually began to slow down...the slow down was indeed necessary for character development.... But the story starts running fast from around ep 13...the major suspense was good... thought it could have been better... the main leads were really good in their acting skills but i found some improvement needed in the supporting characters.. and the story was really amazing, i liked the way how the writer tried to connect each character both in the past and present, yet the drama could have ended up with 12 episodes.. but truth to be told....it wasn't a waste..and ofcourse not everyone might have the same opinion..i wanted to skip this drama in the beginning after reading the comments..but then i found few positive ones too and i am glad i didn't skip it!!... 7.5 is low....if any of you haven't watched it yet, i hope you enjoy it..it was an open ending..i didn't like the music ...since it didn't match the revenge plot... I hope this review helps.. and since it's a story with suspense, thriller and secrets hidden...you might not really like re- watching it again after finding the truth in the end ...so re-watch value is low!!Thankyou!!
Was this review helpful to you?
I went into this show with Penthouse expectations, but it failed to deliver.
Initially, this show started off quite promising, but it soon petered out into something rather underwhelming that lacked any real substance. It really had so much potential on paper, particularly with that stellar cast, but somehow it all went awry, or perhaps it never really got off the ground to begin with. Either way, it's a great waste and a big shame.Disappointingly, the writers failed to give Lee Ji Ah an adequately strong and meaningful character, for which she so readily deserves and excels at. I can only hope that she lands a far better role in another show, pronto, as she is a superb actress. Notwithstanding, she was the saving grace of this show, despite her lacklustre roll.
Was this review helpful to you?
Not that bad...
The reason I started watching this show was because the plot intrigued me. Despite negative reviews and a low overall rating on MDL (7.5), I'm glad I took a chance on it.While the series is certainly not without flaws and can be confusing at times (especially in the beginning), I appreciate the well-developed story and multi-layered, mature characters.
If you enjoy mature dramas with complex characters, I recommend giving it a try.
My main criticisms would be the weak character development of Jang Gyo Jin throughout the series, and the need for a more impactful ending for Min Yeong Hwee, who was a standout character throughout the story.
The majority of the cast delivered high-quality performances, though Hong Woo Jin fell short in comparison.
Was this review helpful to you?
Disappointing
This show had a lot of promise. It had an interesting premise and also good actors. The leads have all had successful dramas under their belts so i was looking forward to a story of revenge, mystery, and a bit of sci-fi thrown in. I loved watching Lee Ji Ah kick ass, it was a refreshing change from the majority of her other roles.The show started off really promisingly in the first 4 episodes. It was fast-paced, filled with mysteries to uncover and revenge to boot. However, by episode 6, it started to become draining to watch. The actors, both lead and supporting, were all stalwarts with many solid roles under their belts. Puzzlingly, they (the actors playing Yoo Ra and Jang Geun Mo and Mother Director in particular) started to waaay overact - their growling and menacing looks really annoyed me while their maniacal laughing really grated on my nerves.
I held off watching as much as i could because I had Taxi Driver 2 to distract me. Since that's ended, I thought I'd hold my breath and speed through to finish this drama. However I'm not really sure I can stand sitting through another 6 episodes or so. This is one of those dramas that suffers from being dragged out to make 16 episodes, when 12 would probably have sufficed (the main mysteries are solved before episode 10). I'm gritting my teeth and hope I make it to the end. I'll be back with an update if that happens.
Was this review helpful to you?
good start, bad writing
The first 4 episodes is quite interesting, mysteries, action, drama. But it started to go downhill pretty fast. The writer is the one to blame. Characters were written inconsistent and shallow. Reporter /best friend of 13 years, take on an unknown tip and jump straight on a witch hunt without doing any due diligence. Not once ask, what is FL motive, what purpose, who benefits for the murder? If I were to get some unknown tip of my BFF doing shady things, I would have a hard time to belive it. How can a reporter not have such basic analytical thinking? and FL supposed to be so in love with her husband, can just flip off the love button and be so calculating cold, without any internal conflict is beyond me. K-drama quality in recent years is declining and the script/writer is always the culprit. So sad for all the talented actors.Was this review helpful to you?
Steve Jobs on Crack
Where would you even begin with this crazy hot mess? The first 3-4 episodes were acceptable despite moving too fast and creating many gaps. However, as the drama unfolded, it became clear that it was biting off more than it could chew. Right off from episode 5, the drama became an irrecoverable mess. The pacing was erratic, jumping between weak fabricated plot twists, jarring narrative and bloated segments with no sense of cohesion. The drama was throwing everything at the viewers to see what sticks. Action, thriller, fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, melodrama, the drama couldn't decide what it wanted to be nor it managed to mix any of them well. The characters felt like caricatures rather than fully developed individuals, and their motivations often seemed arbitrary, inconsistent and generally weak. If the drama wanted to go for stupid ridiculousness then why not raise the stakes to match? Not even the ending could measure up to its intent despite its "supposed" twist.Was this review helpful to you?
Not Good Enough
Korean Drama '' Pandora : Beneath the Paradise '' is a sci fi melodrama.The drama is messy, using too many genres, but failing to deliver in any of the fronts it opens. From a boring melodrama, to an eye-rolling spy thriller, the drama didn't handle its twists well, and so the story ended up being hard to keep up and hard to believe, even for a makjang. It seemed like the drama wanted to explain things that got out of hand by using unbelievable technological achievements without explaining anything further. Also, there were a lot of plotlines that were left half baked or unfinished.
Finally, the performances were good enough, even though the script didn't aid them.
So, overall, three out of ten.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
All over the place
Pandora :Beneath the paradise had great casts and most importantly great characters too, but i was sad that they made it too complicated that I can't even catch on to what's happening.But honestly for me, as a makjang lover i enjoyed it every bit.The only thing I'm not so happy about is the ending, they left so many characters' fate unanswered (ex:sungchan, mr.joo, and many more) plus what was the ending?? I'm assuming it's just hagyeong's hallucinations since she's too stressed about what happened a year ago.The other thing i loved too is the punishment that jaehyun got, so deserved!Why did i think that there's gonna be some character revival from those who died??i watched too many penthouse LOLOL
But kidding aside, this is a must watch from a makjang drama, tho there's so many plot holes, i still enjoyed it.The thing that i disliked is that yura's death didn't even got acknowledged from jaehyun's crimes??And the fact that we didn't know if sungchan was in prison because of what they did to sujeong, is frustrating, plus he almost killed gyojin, like girl JAIL TIME.(Honestly i kinda wished if dojin went to jail because of the illegal human experimentation they did to sujeong)
But overall i had a great time laughing at the plot twists!
Was this review helpful to you?
Not the greatest, but certainly not the worst
It is not even that bad fr! I enjoyed it for the most part, but the ending could've been better.Was this review helpful to you?
I Opened the Pandora's Box...Chaotic
I was initially intrigued as I somehow enjoyed The Penthouse and love revenge dramas. Little have I known that I would be wasting my precious time watching this. In the middle episodes, I started questioning why I watched this drama. Oh yes because of Lee Sang Yoon.I knew that I have to stop this nonsense but alas! I kept on watching said drama until the very end. The last episodes were chaotic and unrealistic. I mean what? I have been warned by a few reviews on this drama but I didn't listen.
If you have time to waste, then go ahead and be my guest and watched this drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
Smart Patches Diabolical Minds & Victims' Circles °3.9° °disastrous°
The one sentence review: Don't let the snazzy opening fool you. Keep the lid shut on this show or suffer the consequences.Pandora, in Greek legend, was created by the gods as payback for people obtaining the power of fire from Prometheus. As the first woman, she was designed for evil, and carried a jar (later described as a box) that contained all evil. When opened, evil and misery entered the world. Therefore, the title only serves as a metaphor for the show. Open this “jar,” and misery will follow.
Not convinced? We'll keep going.
Introducing Clover, a neural implant smart patch. It's a revolutionary medical device brought to us by Hatch. It allows direct input of data into the brain. No more studying! The chimp they've been testing on, “Red”, has an IQ of 120. After the demonstration that opens the show, Hatch is primed to make gazillions.
What could go wrong here?
The viewer is tipped off that things will go horribly wrong in many ways.The filming is dark and near psychedelic at times, while the soundtrack is heavy and portentous. ‘This isn't going to be a lite feel-good watch,’ I was thinking. That woulda been okay. The problem is that P is patched together worse than Hanul Psychiatric Hospital's worst attempt at reconstructing Frankenstein.
P is a 2023 release that is overrated at 89 on AWiki, which is just shocking to me. It is 1 season consisting of 16 increasingly difficult to watch 60ish-minute episodes. It gets off to a hot start. The opening eps are fantastic. “So far, I don't understand the low ratings,” I was thinking. Over half the time I'm within a point, and 85% of the time within 2 points of the crowd. Here the IMDB crowd is at 6.2. I thought they were being harsh. Turns out, the crowd is being overly generous. People must have weighed in before completing the show, because P is a disaster. It doesn't become obvious until the 2nd half, though.
In the first half, they sell it well. I love how Tae, the main protag, wears a very heavy gold chain that's wrapped around her neck twice. It's emblematic of being shackled. Such attention to detail elevates programming. The palette is usually dark and extremely heavy. The soundtrack reinforces the pressure constantly; it's appropriate for the tone they want to create, but it gets to be too much. At times the action is great, especially early on. They promised the audience more, but their promises were unfulfilled. The filmcraft and cinematography are consistently outstanding - truly stunning, at times. It's a shame that it was wasted on this effort.
Gradually, the viewer slowly realizes that there is no cohesive plot. They bring up tantalizing possibilities, but they don't follow through on any of them. P is not an assassin thriller, or a girl-kicks-butt thriller; it's not a political thriller nor a science thriller. It dips his toes into lots of puddles but never dives in. Characters haphazardly shift their allegiances. There's also gross over-acting. It's so thoroughly incompetent that it really is breathtaking. It actually stoops to the level of insulting.
These people, who seem so happy, sure do turn on eachother.
The women:
Lee Ji Ah (The Penthouse series, My Mister-9.5) is FL Hong “Tae” Ra. On paper her life is perfect. Tae, however, doesn't have any memory of her past. She is starting to get creepy flashbacks. The actress plays someone who inspires disgust in My Mister-9.5, a show that everybody should watch. Here she's relatable, which speaks to her skill. She's a victim. Her family life ended when her parents were killed in a car “accident “ that may not have been an accident. As an orphan, her victimization intensified.
Jang Hee Jin (Flower of Evil-8.9, The Red Sleeve) plays Ko Haesoo “HSoo,” a reporter with a painful past. Her husband and Tae's spouse head up Hatch. Her father is a former president who was assassinated and the crime has never been solved. Heartbreak drove her mother to suicide. Hsoo's a victim. She's also an irritating lunatic. It's hard to root for a person who is that toxic and self-absorbed, even if she's been through legitimate trauma. She acts like she's the only one who has suffered loss, but none of these protags still has both parents. Something true of mentally ill people is replete self-absorption. (Not all self-consumed individuals are mentally ill, but all mentally ill people are completely self-absorbed). HSoo is unhinged and blind to everyone else's pain. What's more tragically ironic is that too much self-focus only leads to despair, and HSoo crossed that threshold over a decade before the show even starts. Later on, they try to turn her into some kind of mastermind, but it isn't convincing, nor is it emotionally satisfying as she's still so tediously odious. She's also raising a monster, so we can't even give her credit for being a good mom.
Han Soo-Yeon (Flower of Evil-8.9, I Hate Going to Work, The King of Pigs) is Tae's sister, compadre, and business partner Hong Yura. She has a new bf, but she's rather cryptic about him. She seems perfect ~ at first glance only. Soon the viewer realizes that she is horrible. Yura ends up a victim as well. Kyeon Mi Ri (Love and Sympathy) is his mother, Min Yeong Hwee. She is often tagged to play the rich mom for shows like Revolutionary Love-5.7 & Backstreet Rookie-6.4. She's a cutie, but she's distasteful in most of P. Shim So-Young (Alchemy of Souls Season 2) plays the mental hospital director, Kim Sun-Deok. Her laugh is really too much and her character is loathsome. Even for a heavy show, her part is over the top.
Let's hear it for Red, she really wowed the crowd. Then Red becomes a victim.
The men:
Lee Sang Yoon (Liar Game, Twenty Again, Lovestruck in the City-7.3) plays Tae's husband, Pyo “Jae” Hyun. They appear to be deeply in love, and he seems unfazed by her shrouded, mysterious past. He's preparing to take a sabbatical as Hatch CEO so that he can run for president. He's a victim. His mother was killed in the same accident that took Tae's parents.
Park Ki Woong/KiW (The Bridal Mask, Rookie Historian-7.6, The King's Affection-8.3) is Jang “Do” Jin, the other half of the Hatch helm and HSoo's husband. Early on we see that KiW is not the devoted partner that Jae is. When we meet his toxic parents, we understand him alittle more: He's a victim caught in his family's web of intrigues. Bong Tae Kyu (The Penthouse series, Return) plays the nerdy creative force behind Hatch"s success, “Koo” Sung Chan. He's weak and has low self-esteem issues which turns him into more of a victimizer. Hong Woo Jin (Six Flying Dragons, Squid Game-8.4) is Jang Kyojin/”Kyo”. He's a victim. He's been comatose since a motorbike accident that was probably not accidental.
Jung Jae-Sung is politician Han Kyung-Rok. Actors from Korea do the arrogant “knowing laugh” better than anyone in the world, and he's among the best. (A funny guy I know always does a mock-up of the “knowing laugh,” so while it used to make me want to strangle the person inflicting it on my eardrums, now it just reminds me of him doing it for fun, so I giggle instead. Humor is the best medicine, indeed). He's typecast as an @$$h0le with power. I've seen him in Hospital Playlist-9, Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency-7.4, My Mister-9.5, Clean With Passion For Now-7, The King's Affection-8.3, and Big Mouth-7.4. He's been in many other wildly successful shows that I intend to get to asap, such as Prison Playbook, Navillera, The Devil Judge, Miss Night and Day… On MDL, his only show rated under a 7 is The Interest of Love at 6.8. He must have eaten magic beans to be in that many stellar features - magic beans that make him entirely loathsome but wildly successful.
This is Screenwriter Hyun Ji Min's first credited work. The director is Choi Young Hoon ofOne the Woman, and the original creator is Kim HSoon Ok of The Penthouse series & The Last Empress.
The theme is Victims. Sadly, most of us have been victimized in small or big ways. Being victimized leaves a person w/ a choice: Heal & move on, or let the pain rule (and ruin) your life. Healing must, at some point, involve forgiveness. (That has nothing to do w/ justice; for the benefit of society, crimes must be punished). HSoo personifies the concept that becoming a victim does not a saint create. Being victimized will tempt a person to wallow in anger, hatred, unforgiveness & bitterness. It's understandable, but in the end, those dark indulgences will only rot us out from within. Almost every character in ? has been victimized, & almost every character chooses the path of bitterness & revenge. A mess it does make.
In ep2 we go back 15 years. The president is being inaugurated… and assassinated. The crime has never been solved. Flashes of the past start to haunt Tae. A furtive missive, delivered by an untraceable tattooed motorcyclist, entices her to come to the Hanul Psychiatric Hospital, a visit that breaks the seal that's locked her past. Her life hasn't been simple. Soon we are looking at shades of the show Hanna-7, which is about teen girls being turned into assassins. This isn't the first time such a plot has come out of hiding: The 1990 film, La Femme Nikita, also involves young Iron Maidens. Bridget Fonda starred in 1993's Point Of No Return, which was Hollywood's version of the same film. (The French one is better). Let's not forget the absolute bang-jammy of the dudette insurgent bunch - Kickass. That is still the one to beat. Ooo, the Swedish version of The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo (+2 sequels) is also as good as it gets. Once again, skip Hollywood's variant of these flicks. I could go on.... Hunger Ga..... Enuff. Y'all know 'em too. When thugs come at Tae, muscle memory kicks… then punches, slashes and tosses. It's SO (swordless) KILL BILL - for a scant moment, but then that excitement goes away. It goes away and never reappears. Whaaaa?
There's plenty of logical head-scratchers. Here's a couple samples. Enemies seem to have unfettered access to a helpless person who has suffered a stroke. It makes no sense that they can get near the person. There's a USB that supposedly contains research files but it's inexplicably necessary to run the company's programs, too. Jae's presidential campaign should have been dead in the water after a voice file was released during the first debate. Yet that problem seems to evaporate. We've all seen that happen in politics, but not on the same scale. It's alittle too easy for enemies to sneak up on Tae, at one point. She's flawless until the show makes her suddenly impotent to further the plot agenda. Inconsistencies like that are sloppy: Is she a female terminator, or a pathetic woman in distress? They should have made a reference early on, when we are introduced to Tae, about how she stays in shape and is committed to a vigorous workout routine. It would bolster credibility when she starts kicking butt out of the blue. In ep13, CEO Kummo is sent a packet of shocking evidence. He's elated. The problem is that all of it had already been on the national news - as reported by his own daughter i/l.
In the last half, I no longer cared what happened as I rolled my eyes at every development. I just wanted the show to be over. In eps14-16 I reached the level of ‘officially offended’. Pain avoidance kicked in rendering me unable to fully pay attention. This is when they attempt to manufacture emotion by way of some deaths, but it all falls utterly flat. In the last ep, they attempt to wrap it up with some tinsel and pretty bows, but it is too little too late. One thing I can say about ep16 is that it's not as painful to watch as the previous 3 or 4 eps, but it is painful, still the same with a sacrifice shown in that is unnecessary and plain silly. Not that I cared who lived or died by then. Kill ‘em all. Ease my pain.
Another thing that will ease my pain is by helping anyone who stumbles onto this review avoid that pain altogether. This one is simply not worth anyone's time. In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ try these instead:
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Law School -8,
Call It Love-8.4,
Anna-8.1,
My Mister 9.5,
Uncle Samsik-8.4,
Mine-8,
The King's Affection 8.3,
Parasite-9
Action/Crime/Sci-fi -
Private Lives 8.1,
K2 8,
Vagabond-8,
Blood Free-8.5
The Cursed 8.3,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
The Man from Nowhere 8.9
〰 IMHO
RATINGS
Directing 4
Writing 3
Acting 5
Romance 3
Flutters 2
Art 8
Sound & music 5.5
Ending 2
LEVELS
Warmth 3
Action 5.5
Laughs 0
Tears 4
Fright 4
Tension / Anxiety 4
Gore 2.5
Thought provocation 1
Snores 4
?4 ?3 ?5 ?3 ?2 ?8 ?/?5.5 ?2 ▪ ?3 ⚡5.5 ?0 ?4 ?4 ?4 ?2.5 ?1 ?4
Poli-wagging: 3/10. They make politicians in, general, look bad. That's fair.
Age 15+ for graphic, heavy violence
Language: R-rated $h!+, b!÷ch F?s
Rated TV-MA: Mature Audience Only. Not that any mature person would enjoy this.
Was this review helpful to you?
