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My Liberation Notes
Citizen of the World🕊️
This review may contain spoilers
Intriguingly Controversial yet Complicatedly Satisfying
A longer-than-usual review to a very complex drama. The simile between the mouse and the killer's sneakiness was definitely not lost on me from the drama's opening scene, which dictated the nature of the drama. Well done, show. I love crime shows, and to have Lee Seung-gi back as what seemed like a kind, honest rookie police officer in Jung Ba Reum after Vagabond (still waiting on season 2) was a wonderful treat. And as unassuming as Jung Ba Reum's character sounded, it's what happens to him when he one day comes face to face with the evil he probably didn't recognize at the time that completely impacts him, his life, the people around him, and career path that makes him interestingly complicated to watch.
On the other hand, having Lee Hee Joon as Ko Moo Chi; was my first encounter with Hee Joon as an actor, seeing how he navigated the persona of a hardened detective whose life was motivated by the tragedies he suffered as a young child and subsequently as an adult was intriguing to watch; a job beyond well done. I am a fan. I completely understood his obsession; guilt is a terrible burden.
As great as it was to have Kyung Soo-Jin in another reporter role after the outstanding splash she had with her short but powerful role in Hush but this time as Choi, Hong Joo a tenacious and a dedicated journalist who gives her all to her work as disappointing for not using the full potential her character could've made in the flow of the drama.
Park Joo Hyun was another new face for me, but the synopsis on her role as Oh Bong Yi, a troubled high school student scared by a decade-old incident who lives with her grandmother and would rather go to the gym than study, piqued my interest. All the characters had the most interesting development as the drama progressed in a very complicated kind of way, but then the same could be said of all the characters.
Everybody has a story, and from its first episode, Mouse gave the vibe of a drama, willing to take the dark path to not only capture a horrific serial killer but raise and explore the complex issues around psychopathic behaviors through the use of fetal genetic testing to predict or detect antisocial behavior and psychopathic traits in the womb and the suitability of bringing such a child into the world. Ahn Jae Wook as the demented Han Seo Jun was splendid, and he does for sure give credence to the issues the drama raises. Talk about the controversy and the drama stayed true to its complicated tone throughout its run and brought to the forefront the preconceived notions a society may have on what it means to be born with psychopathic traits and its effects on those labeled as such.
By the end of the drama, I understood how everybody felt broken for Yo Han (great acting by Kwon Hwa Woon) for the hopeless life he lived and how he died, but I am more broken for Jung Ba Reum. He never had a chance of becoming anything other than what they all perceived him to be from when he was born; everybody who crossed his life failed him desperately. The one good thing Ba Reum's father ever did for him was to give him part of Yo Han's brain, and that in itself was ironic. I am glad his end was at the hand of the very son he so willfully tried to save. Daniel Lee, in my opinion, was the culprit that started the whole mess that miserably directed Yo Han and Ba Reum's life. He planted the most atrocious seed in everybody's mind with the psychopathic gene.
And even if Daniel Lee wasn't responsible for how everyone behaved after, he was for sure responsible for the power of the suggestion. Not all psychopaths are criminals. It's a fact that some psychopathic traits link to success. So, rather than work so hard to try and pass into law aborting fetuses and whatnot, wouldn't it have been more meaningful if they'd worked just as hard at ensuring they became upstanding members of society as they did, making them into predators. All Ba Reum ever wanted was for someone to love him, hug him, and let him know he wasn't a monster. Kudos to Lee Seung Gi for a job beyond well done in one of the most complicated roles I have ever seen him do. And if Seung Gi was excellent, Lee Hee Joon was phenomenal. Despite how complicated this drama gets, I enjoyed it to the fullest, and I highly recommend it.
On the other hand, having Lee Hee Joon as Ko Moo Chi; was my first encounter with Hee Joon as an actor, seeing how he navigated the persona of a hardened detective whose life was motivated by the tragedies he suffered as a young child and subsequently as an adult was intriguing to watch; a job beyond well done. I am a fan. I completely understood his obsession; guilt is a terrible burden.
As great as it was to have Kyung Soo-Jin in another reporter role after the outstanding splash she had with her short but powerful role in Hush but this time as Choi, Hong Joo a tenacious and a dedicated journalist who gives her all to her work as disappointing for not using the full potential her character could've made in the flow of the drama.
Park Joo Hyun was another new face for me, but the synopsis on her role as Oh Bong Yi, a troubled high school student scared by a decade-old incident who lives with her grandmother and would rather go to the gym than study, piqued my interest. All the characters had the most interesting development as the drama progressed in a very complicated kind of way, but then the same could be said of all the characters.
Everybody has a story, and from its first episode, Mouse gave the vibe of a drama, willing to take the dark path to not only capture a horrific serial killer but raise and explore the complex issues around psychopathic behaviors through the use of fetal genetic testing to predict or detect antisocial behavior and psychopathic traits in the womb and the suitability of bringing such a child into the world. Ahn Jae Wook as the demented Han Seo Jun was splendid, and he does for sure give credence to the issues the drama raises. Talk about the controversy and the drama stayed true to its complicated tone throughout its run and brought to the forefront the preconceived notions a society may have on what it means to be born with psychopathic traits and its effects on those labeled as such.
By the end of the drama, I understood how everybody felt broken for Yo Han (great acting by Kwon Hwa Woon) for the hopeless life he lived and how he died, but I am more broken for Jung Ba Reum. He never had a chance of becoming anything other than what they all perceived him to be from when he was born; everybody who crossed his life failed him desperately. The one good thing Ba Reum's father ever did for him was to give him part of Yo Han's brain, and that in itself was ironic. I am glad his end was at the hand of the very son he so willfully tried to save. Daniel Lee, in my opinion, was the culprit that started the whole mess that miserably directed Yo Han and Ba Reum's life. He planted the most atrocious seed in everybody's mind with the psychopathic gene.
And even if Daniel Lee wasn't responsible for how everyone behaved after, he was for sure responsible for the power of the suggestion. Not all psychopaths are criminals. It's a fact that some psychopathic traits link to success. So, rather than work so hard to try and pass into law aborting fetuses and whatnot, wouldn't it have been more meaningful if they'd worked just as hard at ensuring they became upstanding members of society as they did, making them into predators. All Ba Reum ever wanted was for someone to love him, hug him, and let him know he wasn't a monster. Kudos to Lee Seung Gi for a job beyond well done in one of the most complicated roles I have ever seen him do. And if Seung Gi was excellent, Lee Hee Joon was phenomenal. Despite how complicated this drama gets, I enjoyed it to the fullest, and I highly recommend it.
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