Ttanveer14
This review may contain spoilers
What a ride!
I find that many dramas have male leads that are jerks in the beginning, and Cheoljong is no exception in that he makes some very bad choices. However, the drama contextualizes those choices in a setting of violence and upheaval that would naturally instill a "dog eat dog" mentality in anyone. There are flashback scenes, but while they are sad, I didn't feel that they were there just to make me feel bad for the jerk male lead and to excuse his behavior. It actually wasn't difficult for me to come around to understanding Cheoljong, which is not something I can say about the male leads in many other dramas. I appreciated that the writers didn't make him unattractive in the beginning in the typical chaebol-arrogant way, but rather by making him seem like an idiot. Most importantly, it was also refreshing to see that his change in thinking is not spurred by "the power of love" but by hearing the powerful truths delivered to him by his would-be victim.I love Kim Jung Hyun and Shin Hye Sun so much!
I was amazed by Shin Hye Sun's ability to embody such different personalities within the single body of Kim So Young. She felt so real in every episode, no matter how ridiculous or outlandish her situation was. While all of the actors in this drama were wonderful, I felt that her performance stole the show. The drama makes her character selfish and lovable. I rooted for her to be better, and I loved watching it happen.
Kim Jung Hyun really took me on a journey with Cheoljong. He plays the fool king so perfectly that I really did not expect him to be the romantic male lead. This was unusual and refreshing for me. Perhaps I missed the tell-tale signs, but it really caught me by surprise to see the gradual change in my feelings towards this character as more of the truth is revealed throughout the drama.
The leads have wonderful chemistry with each other, and it is honestly one of the most believable enemies-to-lovers journeys I have witnessed in K dramas.
The story is gripping, but the drama keeps a good balance between humor and drama. I loved watching all of the main characters vacillate between good and bad, right and wrong. They felt human.
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I am genuinely confused as to what rating is appropriate for this show. I would honestly give it a 10, if it weren't for the disturbing romance between the female lead, Hong Seol and the male lead, Yoo Jung. As the show went on, I definitely felt genuine sympathy for Yoo Jung and wanted him to learn and grow. I did not, however, appreciate how his character was validated in his unhealthy tendencies by Hong Seol. There is a difference between feeling sympathy for someone and engaging in a relationship with them. It is not Hong Seol's job to fix him! It just felt like a toxic relationship to me.
Similarly, I understood Yoo Jung's resentment towards Baek In-ho, but his sense of entitlement was out of control. Being hurt by someone does not entitle you to hurt someone the way Yoo Jung hurt Baek In-ho. By the way, Baek In-ho demonstrated a much healthier way of interacting with Hong Seol and caring for her, but for some reason Hong Seol chooses toxicity over him.
Other than these criticisms, everything was fantastic! The music was phenomenal. Every track was on point for each moment, and the songs are excellent listening in and of themselves. The characters felt three-dimensional and compelling; I loved Baek In-ho, Baek In-ha, Eun Taek, and Bo Ra! All of the actors (including Park Hae-jin) did a great job, and it was so refreshing to see such realism in a K Drama.
In summary, I believe this is an excellently crafted K Drama. It feels real and compelling. But I personally can't get over how the show rewards and exalts a toxic relationship, and this alone results in my relatively low rating of the show.
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While I wouldn't listen to the soundtrack outside of watching the show, this is one of the few K-dramas I have watched where I felt the music was spot on for each dramatic moment. Everything was carefully orchestrated for each mood. The plot was always thrilling, with actual twists and turns that I did not expect. I would say that the justifications for some of those plot twists were a bit shaky, but I was kept from losing interest by the way that the plot actually helped to develop the characters, their motivations, and their backstories. I generally hate suspenseful dramas because they usually have twists that do not reveal anything about the characters, but this was a refreshing change.
At the most basic level, I would say that this drama's strength is really its characters and its acting. I have never seen a K drama make me sympathize with so many "villains" and doubt so many "heroes."
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