Mirae13
However, Beauty Inside is a complete waste of time. It looks like the writer and producers just vaguely thought they could make money out of the movie's good plot idea. They turned it into a "healing drama" to follow the 2018 trend, and stuffed it with as many clichés as possible.
We have to bear once again the boring chaebol settings. So the male lead is of course a CEO, who has much more power than our actress heroine. He's a jerk but he hides a terrible disease (he doesn't recognize faces), so we are bound to soon pity him and find him "cute". The heroine has a weird condition of changing appearance once a month during one week (!). She is supposed to be strong but she is just as cliché as most drama heroines. It's hard to believe that it's a JTBC drama.
This main couple is unbelievably boring, not only because the characters are empty shells, but also because the 2 lead actors have no chemistry. Lee Min Ki has zero expression on his face during the whole drama, to the point that he looks ice cold even when he reunites with his lost love after 1 year. I like this actor usually, but here he is just lazy, acting the same as he did in his previous drama (except that it was justified, then). Seo Hyun Jin was much better in Temperature of Love, but she takes her job seriously in Beauty Inside, and puts efforts into her character although Se Gye is very poorly written.
The second couple is not interesting either, even if Lee Da Hee stands out among the cast.
There wasn't enough substance in the script to make a whole drama, moreover a 16-episode drama. Hence they tried to add unnecessary drama to keep the viewers interested, like this absurd melodramatic plot device in episodes 9 and 10, that made me lose the last tiny bit of interest I could have in this drama.
They also accessorized the drama as much as possible to fill time, adding some supposedly cute elements to bring the rom-com feel. They added a little dog like in Thirty But Seventeen, a drama that was broadcasted on SBS just before this one. But contrary to Thirty But Seventeen, they never treated this dog as an animal, rather as a prop, a toy. They put it on the sofa or on the dining table like a decorative object. They customized it with clothes to fit the actors' clothes in each scene. They even made it wear dresses and hats that covered its ears! Poor dog. it's my first time being shocked by this kind of thing in a drama.
Beauty Inside is one of those dramas that should never have been made in the first place. I hope Seo Hyun Jin finds a better work to showcase her acting skills next time.
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Dramas of this quality are not common. The story balances exceptionally well the personal struggles of each character and the politics at play. The pacing is perfect. Although it deals with heavy content, My Country is a character driven drama that is full of raw emotion. It’s because behind the dark politics, it tells a simple story, the story of the absolute and heartbreaking friendship of two young men. And it does it in such a meaningful way. The series also displays some of the greatest action scenes ever seen on the small screen - the one-take action battle scene of episode 3 is legendary, to name just one of them.
My Country is a masterpiece.
Among those great characters, Seo Hwi shines brightly as a fascinating hero. He is an introvert person, but a flamboyant warrior. He's sad, but warm. He's a kind and sweet man, but he can kill without hesitation to protect his loved ones. Because his best friend Nam Seon Ho betrays him in the beginning of the story, he loses everything. Then, his journey becomes more and more painful, so painful that he almost loses himself along the way. Despite that, Hwi stays loyal to his friends. Always.
At the same time, Hwi's way of capturing the ambiguous prince Lee Bang Won’s attention is also riveting throughout the drama. In fact, the more we know Hwi, the more we understand why Nam Seon Ho and Lee Bang Won are so passionate about him.
Yang Se Jong created such a beautiful hero. No other young actor could have brought such depth to Seo Hwi. He expresses in such a detailed way the multiple layers of his character. He can act extremely soft as well as incredibly intense, and all the nuances between those extremes. His fierce and desperate acting is extraordinary in the two episodes when he rushes for his sister and confronts his enemy Nam Jeon! On top of that, he is also majestic in action scenes.
During the drama, Yang Se Jong is the actor who manages the best to make us feel the weight of the years, hence the weight of the suffering. Hwi at the end looks so much older compared to the beginning. He still looks strong, but so vulnerable at the same time. It's very rare to encounter a young actor capable of showing this kind of deep transformation.
As Hwi, Yang Se Jong captivated me with his every breath and move. He delivered an extremely touching and powerful performance.
Yang Se Jong also has great chemistry Woo Do Hwan, Jang Hyuk and Ahn Nae Sang, who are all good. I like Seon Ho, even if he is a more cliched character - his whining scenes in the last part of the drama felt a bit unnecessary, but Seon Ho has his moments. From the leads to the supporting cast, everyone acts very well. Im Gyo Jin and Ji Seung Hyun especially are really compelling as Hwi’s close friends. Director Kim Jin Won is of course to thank for this overall perfection.
Well, I can't wait to watch My Country again. In the meantime, I will keep listening to the gorgeous OST over and over.
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