Another drama that a serial killer killed
They should’ve scrapped the unnecessary sociopathic serial killer mess and made the story about him, her and the phone.Two people living together in silence and apathy until the phone rings. What starts off as threatening phone calls grows into a shared connection. They spend their nights talking and sharing everything with each other on the phone. He falls for her without realizing and she falls for him but has to pretend to be indifferent.
And the mystery (for him) is who is the caller?
Wouldn’t have minded a whole drama with him running around trying to find the caller and pretending not to know it’s her once he does to keep the calls coming.
It also would’ve fixed the issue of him “having feelings for her for 20 years” and never learning sign language🤷🏾♀️ because in my version, there was no childhood connection or secret feelings and they really were strangers in a contract marriage.
The side plot would’ve focused on the abuse she faced in her family.
But as it stands, with the story we got…I’m gonna give it a 7/10
And that’s me being kind cause the last 2 episodes were absolute shit from a butt (and the mystery was nonsensical trash)
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Never been let down hard enough to write a review
As an ardent k-drama fan for the last 10 years when I saw the trailers of When the Phone Rings i expected it to have everything I have come to expect from k-drama Mystery/Thriller Romances.The first 4 eps were one of the most promising starts i have seen to a show, which, convinced me to watch it while it was on air (when i'm the type to binge watch).
Where it went wrong:
=> The calls: in the first few calls there was tension, there was anger, there was suspense but after ep 4 they just turn into banter, and somehow Paik Sae On just keeps spilling things about his personal life and just turns dumb???
=> Paik Sae On: Yoo Yeon Seok is wonderful in the role, like most of his other works his acting is incredible, but the character was written in a very amateur manner, isn't his character a master negotiator who has certification from like the FBI, and isn't a negotiator's first task is to not show any emotion to the threats but somehow to 406 he keeps losing control, like I get it, you are worried about your wife but bro you are smarter than that.
=> Hong Hee Joo's talking: Hong Hee Joo's selective mutism was just utter bullshit, after one point she just started talking to anyone and everyone???!!!! like isn't that the first point in her character sketch. Her entire deal was to not talk to anyone and only talk to him on the burner phone. Honestly it would have been better to stretch that bit out a little more.
=> The emotional abuse: Paik Sae On literally abuses Hong Hee Joo for 3 years only to be forgiven in one dialogue. Like sis where is your self respect?? and she justifies it by saying that its okay as she also lied about not being able to talk. Did he give her the safety of talking about it... no... so did she have to tell him also... no.
=> The entire last ep: not required... the arden arc... the 2 billion won... the name change.... just no.
In my opinion the only smart and sane person here was Hong In-A cause she left when she realized what was going on, got herself fixed, came back to save her sister, asked her father to take action, and supported her sister when she was alone.
Never been this disappointed with a show that started this well.
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Good entertainment but bad drama
Before reading please note that this review can contain some spoilers.I must admit that zi had a great time with this drama for most of the time. However in my personal opinion kdramas are geting worse and worse this days.
The strongest part of this drama was acting. Actors surely nailed their roles and made the climate so it was very enjoyable to watch. And that would be end of good parts.
As I watched literally hundreds of kdramas the plot was rather predictible. Maybe two or three things suprised me. So the story itself wasn't anything special or innovative. I would say it was full of typical kdramas cliches.
I didn't like the relation between the FL and ML. This guy literally was treating his wife like invisible for three years but when she wanted a divorce he had a change of heart. As always it was also unbelievable for me that FL suddenly fell in love with ML after being ignored for about three years.
And the ending... i know it was also in the web novel but still it could be made better.
To sum up you can have a good fun watching but sorry this drama definitely is not a masterpiece.
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Ending ruined the whole drama
Last 2 episodes where the biggest load of horse shit. I am so honestly disappointed with the ending. My mind can't even comprehend how stupid it was, and how long they made us suffer that stupidity. Last 2 hours could have been 10 minutes.And the big long secret that was whispered in his ear.... nonsense... stuff we already knew and makes no sense for him to be so broken up about.
It makes 0 sense for Paik Sa Eon to "punish" himself in a way that meant ghosting her and causing Hee Joo pain. Also random entry of a made up African country where the rebels were white....? Korea if you are going to try and include international content at least make it obvious that you didn't just round up some foreigners as extras and actually put some effort in.
Apart from episode 11 and 12 the rest where great episodes
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Most horrible thing I have seen
I started watching this drama because I saw many people talking about how amazing it is and decided to check it out. To say I was let down would be an understatement. From the very beginning, the ML is a complete a**hole and we are supposed to root for the ML and FL's relationship?! I would understand if he was indifferent or cold, but instead, he was straight-up mean. As the drama continued, his character improved, but the same could not be said about the plot. The breaking point is the 12th episode, where the writers just throw the entire plot out the window. The finale is a complete sh*tshow. The ML going to Argan makes no sense, not to mention that Argan is clearly a country in either Africa or the Middle East, while the rebels and children there are blonde, blue-eyed white people?! Also, almost at the end of the episode, they mention Paltima and Izmael (aka we know what) and portray Paltima as the villain, saying that it is the one attacking Izmael, like... If the writers are so incredibly uneducated, they should save themselves the embarrassment, and don't make a show mentioning other countries.Was this review helpful to you?
I'm head over heels in love with this drama. The last time I'm drawn to a kdrama like this was during CLOY.
i hope they will work together again or perform on a same stage.
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Why the phone calls turn into marriage counseling? i wanted a psychotic wife!! weird ending
There's not really any spoilers in this review but the last two episodes were weird just so you know. This drama has been a rollercoaster. I think a 7 is fair. Previously, I gave it a 6.5 but maybe I was too harsh. Despite the plot issues, I did find it decently entertaining to watch weekly.The first few episodes had me extremely interested. I generally like all the set pieces it has, like the enemies to lovers and the mysterious background. But it fell apart halfway through for me because I was personally expecting the FL to do some crazy stuff.
So here's the summary: Due to a childhood accident, FL became selectively mute.
FL gets kidnapped because she's the wife of the CEO ML and some guy really hates him. She steals the kidnapper's cell phone and starts threatening her husband with it that she wants a divorce. Then she didn't want a divorce. Then he found out she did it, and they talked on the phone, even though she was mute. But she's only occasionally mute and she thinks he doesn't know it's her on the kidnapper's cell phone. xD
Side characters: I felt like 2nd ML Ji sang U's(the YouTube investigator) storyline was implemented randomly throughout the show. You don't really see why he cares so much about the missing children until the end.
Glad the FL's sister wasn't annoying.
The actual romance: The leads' relationship was fake in the beginning. So, I found it hard to care about them actually wanting to reciprocate feelings. I continued watching it because it felt funny.
The acting is what made me keep watching. The male lead & the villain are really the soul of this drama (I totally didn't realize ML's the one who played Gu dong mae in Mr. Sunshine). This has got to be the most lighthearted role Choi Soo-bin has ever played. But yeah, the guy is the best villain i've seen in a long time.
Episode 8- the mystery of ML's past /and what their parents have done has made the plot interesting again. I still can't get over how traumatized FL is that she thinks the situation is ok and his love makes it all better now. Lol.
Music- nothing memorable to me.
I still don't think this drama is worth 8.9 points. ml just runs away at the end to join a war in another country lol ???
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It's the best
Everything about the drama excited me.I wasn't engaged with kdrama this year cause they've lost it touch, but few kept me glued this year and this one of the best 2024 offered in kdrama.
I'm seriously anticipating for episode 9&10. I keep on checking the release date everyday. I keep on checking the reviews and it's always exciting to discuss, argue and laugh on the comments or groups or fandom.
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Addicting first half that manages to flounder in the middle just to drown right at the finish line
When the Phone Rings hooked us with its trailer and the expectation of a suspenseful thriller that appeared to boast of intense chemistry and exciting action. And those first 6 episodes? The did deliver a good portion of that. The chemistry between the main cast, the riveting characters and their secrets, the well paced and engaging movement of the plot. It was all there and kept me as a viewer addicted to the screen waiting for the next episodes to appear. But then the show pivots from the thriller we were enjoying into a romance that morphed the characters, slowed the plot, and threw logic out the window. Ultimately leaving a bad taste in your mouth by the end of the finale.We begin with Baek Sa Eon, a high profile political figure from a prestigious family, marrying the youngest daughter of another prestigious family. For the selectively mute youngest daughter, Hong Hui Ju, the marriage is but a cage where she is the replacement for her sister and used to connect the families for political reasons. She is told never to reveal that she is married to him and he treats her with a cold indifference while living in the same home for 3 years. But someone becomes aware of her existence and attempts to use her to threaten Baek Sa Eon by kidnapping her. This is where the plot really begins. While Hui Ju manages to get away from the kidnapper she also takes with her the phone that he used to call Sa Eon and ends up using it to try to escape her marriage thus unknowingly beginning to unravel Sa Eon's true nature and intentions. Now caught between learning more about her husband and being used by the kidnapper threatening him Hui Ju and Sa Eon race to find answers and undo misunderstandings.
Beautifully shot, well styled, well acted, and with a great OST this drama had the beginnings to become a really great drama. Then the second half began and this is where you see both characters fall in love and we lose the interesting, intelligent, and cold Baek Sa Eon to the fool for love version of himself and the strong, independent, snarky, and determined Hui Ju to the stereotypical damsel in distress. The reveals are predictable at this point and the plot dissolves into a bit of nonsense. The antagonists aren't given enough development to make their movements and motivations completely believable and the last two episodes fail to bring any excitement and instead deliver more annoyance than anything. The final episode was the last straw as the first 40minutes offer only ridiculous choices made through motivations that make no sense and could have been completely removed to only see the last 20minutes.
While I did really enjoy the first half of this show the second half managed to remove all the original good things about the show and ultimately delivered a disappointing, nonsensical mess.
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When the Phone rongs, anything can happen
This is one of those dramas that is more or less guaranteed to keep you on your toes, give you butterflies in your stomach and make your head spin from all the theories about who, is who, why and what will happen next.Or at least for the first 11 episodes or so, the last episode however kind of flopped and failed to live up to my expectations, offering a bit to much cringe and unnecessary stuff.
A bit of a mix of John MclCain in Die Hard 3 meets all that we love in k-dramas. Suits, great chemistry, corruption, mistery, murder, contract marriage... ohand sign language.
A great binge, just make sure to take small breaks to work on your theories between episodes. While some of the twist caught me by surprise others did not...
A strong 8,5 that could have been a 9 or a 10 for the first half but started ruling a bit down hill towards the end.
P.s I watched it with my husband, he loved it too.
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When the Phone Rings: A Promising Start Derailed by Confusing Plot Twists and a Chaotic Finale
When the Phone Rings is a K-drama that begins with a promising premise but quickly loses its way, leaving viewers confused and unsatisfied. I’d rate it a 5.5 out of 10 because while it had potential, it failed to deliver on multiple levels. The first few episodes were genuinely engaging, with an intriguing mystery surrounding the strange calls and their connection to the characters’ pasts. The cinematography was solid, and the pacing was tight in the beginning, keeping the audience hooked. However, as the episodes progressed, the narrative became increasingly convoluted. Instead of providing answers, it piled on more subplots and cryptic hints that ultimately led nowhere.The last episode deserves a special mention—mostly for how bewildering it was. The supposed “resolution” felt more like a rushed, incoherent mess than a proper conclusion. The introduction of Zinoism, a fictional philosophy that claimed to bridge destiny and free will, felt like a last-minute addition meant to seem profound. However, it was poorly explained and failed to connect to the broader story. Paik Sa Eon’s decision to go to war was one of the most baffling plot points. Why would a character who had been portrayed as someone trying to escape violence suddenly decide to become a martyr in a conflict that was barely explained? The show’s attempt to make this a symbolic act of “freedom from fate” felt forced and unearned, leaving viewers scratching their heads.
Overall, When the Phone Rings is an example of a series that started strong but suffered from poor writing, a lack of coherent storytelling, and overly ambitious themes that it couldn’t execute well.
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Wattpad-y type of drama but executed well
This drama brought on so many wattpad and fanfiction tropes that I savored when I was a teenager. Marriage contract, cohabitation, and giving kinda enemy to lover vibe with the wicked family history plot. The first hald was fun and intriguing, it's been a long time since we have a drama with cliche plots but somehow still running pretty well.The second half, not so much. Maybe because of the limited episodes, some scenes felt "jumped". I knew it was based on a manhwa and this was a work of fiction, but sometimes it just didn't make any sense. And for me, ep 12 was a let down, only their steamy scenes made up for it.
No complaints on the actors acting, Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soobin potrayed their roles well, and the others are fine too. Overall, just a fun drama and you didn't need to use your brain which was kinda the point.
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