alon-luna
This review may contain spoilers
***MAJOR SPOILERS***
No kdrama has topped Signal yet for me when it comes to thrillers, but this came pretty close. Just like the previous drama I watched, this was also about second chances.
Like Signal, Train (I guess OCN just really likes single title dramas!) did well in balancing the supernatural aspects with the crime solving. I figured out who the main antagonist was early on but I like who they chose, and also the backstory that came with it. I’m not sure how I felt about the killer’s motivation (it’s not exactly realistic compared to real life serial killers) but they made a good story out of it. The length of the drama also works…I’m just really glad it was only 12 episodes because if it weren’t, they would’ve added useless filler and some of the middle episodes would've dragged on. Train also manages to pull off a creepy atmosphere convincingly. I’ve seen other thriller kdramas try to do this, but with plots so ridiculous, I just ended up getting annoyed. Not so here.
This is a male centric story where the male lead, Do Won, is the protagonist and the rest are supporting characters. Do Won is a very strong but vulnerable, brave and yet in over his head type of hero. His parallel self is an addicted junkie who is consumed by bitterness and does nothing but harm himself and others in a downward spiral. The actor portrays both opposites well.
The actress playing the female lead Seo Kyung is also efficient in playing 2 different roles. I like how Seo Kyung was more stubborn and bitter in the parallel world and yet, she knew how to apologize when wrong and acknowledge misconceptions she’s had about one of the other characters. I also like how protective Do Won was over her and how regretful he was of his behavior towards her in the original world.
The chemistry between the main couple was good and the romance was very touching without eclipsing the main plot.
The drama also does well in connecting the parallel worlds in terms of the fate of its characters. There is this question of whether history is doomed to repeat itself and in some cases, yes but in others, the results can be quite different.
One thing I disliked about Train is how, in several instances, characters who would have been dead (getting shot in such close range?) managed to survive. I’m glad they did but it just seemed too unbelievable, given how the scenes were presented. Also, the ending, while happy, was still too open ended.
No kdrama has topped Signal yet for me when it comes to thrillers, but this came pretty close. Just like the previous drama I watched, this was also about second chances.
Like Signal, Train (I guess OCN just really likes single title dramas!) did well in balancing the supernatural aspects with the crime solving. I figured out who the main antagonist was early on but I like who they chose, and also the backstory that came with it. I’m not sure how I felt about the killer’s motivation (it’s not exactly realistic compared to real life serial killers) but they made a good story out of it. The length of the drama also works…I’m just really glad it was only 12 episodes because if it weren’t, they would’ve added useless filler and some of the middle episodes would've dragged on. Train also manages to pull off a creepy atmosphere convincingly. I’ve seen other thriller kdramas try to do this, but with plots so ridiculous, I just ended up getting annoyed. Not so here.
This is a male centric story where the male lead, Do Won, is the protagonist and the rest are supporting characters. Do Won is a very strong but vulnerable, brave and yet in over his head type of hero. His parallel self is an addicted junkie who is consumed by bitterness and does nothing but harm himself and others in a downward spiral. The actor portrays both opposites well.
The actress playing the female lead Seo Kyung is also efficient in playing 2 different roles. I like how Seo Kyung was more stubborn and bitter in the parallel world and yet, she knew how to apologize when wrong and acknowledge misconceptions she’s had about one of the other characters. I also like how protective Do Won was over her and how regretful he was of his behavior towards her in the original world.
The chemistry between the main couple was good and the romance was very touching without eclipsing the main plot.
The drama also does well in connecting the parallel worlds in terms of the fate of its characters. There is this question of whether history is doomed to repeat itself and in some cases, yes but in others, the results can be quite different.
One thing I disliked about Train is how, in several instances, characters who would have been dead (getting shot in such close range?) managed to survive. I’m glad they did but it just seemed too unbelievable, given how the scenes were presented. Also, the ending, while happy, was still too open ended.
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