NoobieFan
This review may contain spoilers
Outstanding Story But Poor Writing Hurts It's Potential
Born Again had a lot of potential. We got a refreshing story regarding fate and destiny not being so concrete. About how our past lives don't dictate our present ones. Jong Bum’s life seemed destined to be a killer but he learned that he could be a normal man with a normal life. But this lost me at several points due to the writers over complicating things, which took away from the great elements this show had. For example, the standoff at the end of the “Past”scenes was the perfect conclusion to end that story and lead us into the present day. Everyone dies. Ji Chul kills himself after causing the death of Ha Eun and Hyung Bin
Perfect, but they opt to renege on that ending, and have this cult, that Ji Chul’s father is the figure of, save him from death and then he gets hung in prison anyway. All so we have a link to the present day. This was not needed whatsoever. Likewise with Jong Bum being related to the Gong Family. The past life link was all that was necessary. Obviously these things on their own are fine but there were too many instances where if the writers left things alone and stopped trying to add their magic to it, it would've been excellent. But the writers couldn't help themselves. I'll reiterate that the story upto a point had me in the palm of it's hand. I was ready to call it a 10/10 drama but the story falls apart in the 3rd gear. And while it's not terrible, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Thankfully the acting is terrific. Jin Se Yeon can struggle to capture the right emotions outside of the romantic character building (Doctor Stranger) but she was really solid in her overall performance, along with the always brilliant Jang Ki Yong and Lee Soo Hyuk. They all had to be two slightly different characters for each time period and they were successful in making all six characters distinct from each other in a subtle way. The low-key greatest performances come from Kim Jung Young, Jong Bum’s (adopted) mother. Her cameos always shine, even in the best dramas (One Spring Night, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, etc) and her portrayal as a Norma Bates inspired character blew me away. It's a shame that even this plotline faltered a little as well. Her and Jang Ki Yong had the most compelling scenes and relationship of them all. And this is a drama full of them.
Perfect, but they opt to renege on that ending, and have this cult, that Ji Chul’s father is the figure of, save him from death and then he gets hung in prison anyway. All so we have a link to the present day. This was not needed whatsoever. Likewise with Jong Bum being related to the Gong Family. The past life link was all that was necessary. Obviously these things on their own are fine but there were too many instances where if the writers left things alone and stopped trying to add their magic to it, it would've been excellent. But the writers couldn't help themselves. I'll reiterate that the story upto a point had me in the palm of it's hand. I was ready to call it a 10/10 drama but the story falls apart in the 3rd gear. And while it's not terrible, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Thankfully the acting is terrific. Jin Se Yeon can struggle to capture the right emotions outside of the romantic character building (Doctor Stranger) but she was really solid in her overall performance, along with the always brilliant Jang Ki Yong and Lee Soo Hyuk. They all had to be two slightly different characters for each time period and they were successful in making all six characters distinct from each other in a subtle way. The low-key greatest performances come from Kim Jung Young, Jong Bum’s (adopted) mother. Her cameos always shine, even in the best dramas (One Spring Night, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, etc) and her portrayal as a Norma Bates inspired character blew me away. It's a shame that even this plotline faltered a little as well. Her and Jang Ki Yong had the most compelling scenes and relationship of them all. And this is a drama full of them.
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