3
Zogitt
Australia
This review may contain spoilers
The bang became a whimper
This show started as promising as you'd expect. Decent actors, interesting plot premises and genre hopping opportunities.
The Show has potential, to be sure. Different ideas worked for a few episodes and then fade away. Just when you thought this is getting interesting, it’d change tack. Case in point, the idea that magic acts were done by ghosts manipulating the props was cute and clever. That soon changed to talking about magic tricks rather than doing the deed. Similarly, several crimes were solved by communicating directly with the recently deceased. That is not new but the potential is there to create some engaging subplots and it did work for a while but that too petered out. The idea that the ghosts have their own set of rules was intriguing but towards the end, the ghost just behave like normal people. Probably the most disappointing aspect is the overarching Big Evil Spirit revenge plot which was so diminished by the end that it was more like little evil.
The Show also suffers from tonal shifts. I get that it is a rom-com at heart but it also tried to include fantasy, sageuk, crime/corruption and other social issues. A lot of the time, the impact of these themes is diminished because the show would suddenly switch to slapstick comedy or a sweet romantic scene just after a poignant moment. It does make you wonder what’s the point of the transition.
Speaking of romantic scenes, the leads do have decent chemistry but the Show swings from heavy push-pull to aegyo overload in record speed. You want it to happen but you also feel that it was not very natural. The 2OTP was a done deal and they are cute together.
The last couple of episodes were largely fan service. Most threads were closed with pink bows. I like the way they provided the ghosts closure and reward them justly. It was as sweet an ending as you could ask for but it got messy towards the end and added more plot holes. Some scenes are shoehorned in with scant logic. While some closures are heartfelt, others are farcical. The final demise of the Big Evil Spirit was a cop out.
To be fair, it is a decent, enjoyable show but it could have been better. IMHO, it felt like the writer has good ideas and they tried some out but whether it was budget constraint or difficulties in tying the various threads together, the show decided to play it safe, watered it down and fall back onto the standard rom-com tropes in the end. Am I being harsh on this Show? In a sense, yes, but not because I hated the Show. Quite to the contrary, I really liked the Show and the beginning hooked me straight away but I can also see where and how it changed over the course of the run and it wasn't for the better. The Show could have ended with a bang but, in the end, it was a sugar coated whimper.
It is not a rewatch for me. I’ll let those ghosts RIP.
The Show has potential, to be sure. Different ideas worked for a few episodes and then fade away. Just when you thought this is getting interesting, it’d change tack. Case in point, the idea that magic acts were done by ghosts manipulating the props was cute and clever. That soon changed to talking about magic tricks rather than doing the deed. Similarly, several crimes were solved by communicating directly with the recently deceased. That is not new but the potential is there to create some engaging subplots and it did work for a while but that too petered out. The idea that the ghosts have their own set of rules was intriguing but towards the end, the ghost just behave like normal people. Probably the most disappointing aspect is the overarching Big Evil Spirit revenge plot which was so diminished by the end that it was more like little evil.
The Show also suffers from tonal shifts. I get that it is a rom-com at heart but it also tried to include fantasy, sageuk, crime/corruption and other social issues. A lot of the time, the impact of these themes is diminished because the show would suddenly switch to slapstick comedy or a sweet romantic scene just after a poignant moment. It does make you wonder what’s the point of the transition.
Speaking of romantic scenes, the leads do have decent chemistry but the Show swings from heavy push-pull to aegyo overload in record speed. You want it to happen but you also feel that it was not very natural. The 2OTP was a done deal and they are cute together.
The last couple of episodes were largely fan service. Most threads were closed with pink bows. I like the way they provided the ghosts closure and reward them justly. It was as sweet an ending as you could ask for but it got messy towards the end and added more plot holes. Some scenes are shoehorned in with scant logic. While some closures are heartfelt, others are farcical. The final demise of the Big Evil Spirit was a cop out.
To be fair, it is a decent, enjoyable show but it could have been better. IMHO, it felt like the writer has good ideas and they tried some out but whether it was budget constraint or difficulties in tying the various threads together, the show decided to play it safe, watered it down and fall back onto the standard rom-com tropes in the end. Am I being harsh on this Show? In a sense, yes, but not because I hated the Show. Quite to the contrary, I really liked the Show and the beginning hooked me straight away but I can also see where and how it changed over the course of the run and it wasn't for the better. The Show could have ended with a bang but, in the end, it was a sugar coated whimper.
It is not a rewatch for me. I’ll let those ghosts RIP.
Was this review helpful to you?
