In-Sung Jo CARRIES this show on his back

sarahelizabethparker

Ugh I'm so conflicted about this show. On the one hand, it has great visuals, an AMAZING soundtrack, and In-Sung Jo is a standout. You can't help but fall in love with con-man Oh Soo.

On the other hand....ohmygod the writing could have been so much better. Other than Oh Soo all the other characters are so wishy-washy, with Oh Young being the WORST offender (but oh, I'll get to her later). Oh Soo is one of the only characters with any meaningful character development, and honestly, he's the only character I rooted for. I don't know if that's because of the writing or the fact that In-Sung Jo is such a charismatic actor.

Anyways, this show is SO toxic, with people constantly yelling at each other, slapping each other, just arguing the entire time. I know it's a melodrama, but for me there wasn't enough camaraderie between any of the characters to help offset all the melodrama. After each episode I usually had a headache and felt like I needed years of therapy.

At first, I was rooting for Oh Young. She was blind, had a brain tumor, was suicidal, and was lied to by everyone in her life. However, over the course of the show any sympathy for her that I had was swiftly gone by her constantly going back and forth between between opinions and emotions. Does she want the surgery? Does she forgive Oh Soo? Does she want to die? Who knows, because she couldn't make up her mind.

Also...she did not seem to care at all when she finally found out her her real brother was dead. Which was honestly hilarious because she was constantly playing the victim...and yet apparently her dead brother was the ONE thing she refused to complain about.

By that last episode when she slit her wrists I had so much contempt for her that I was actually hoping her suicide attempt would be successful. She had about ZERO meaningful character development until the last 10 minutes of the show. I feel bad because Hye-Kyo Song is a good actress and it isn't her fault that the writers let her down.

I don't even know if I'd recommend this to someone. I mean, In-Sung Jo is FANTASTIC in this show. So maybe just watch his scenes and fast forward everything else? Idek.

I'm giving it a 7 because:
--I made it through all 16 episodes somehow
--In-Sung Jo is a king
--FABULOUS music
--Beautiful scenery
--It has a unique aesthetic
--Hye-Kyo Song is a gorgeous actress
--The epilogue is a HUGE talking point for discussion (no spoilers)

....And yeah that's about all the positives.

score 7/10

sarahelizabethparker 24 May 2020

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5767917/