I came to watch this show because I liked the two leads when they played a couple in the 2012 drama My Daughter Seo Young. So a part of my enjoyment is from a fan's perspective following these two leads' interaction. Are they on the same or opposing sides? Will they help or betray each other? Will they fall in love or out of love? Will they prevail or destroy each other at the end? No spoiler here but I'll say it's lots of fun.
If I try to review this series more objectively as a thriller, I'd say it is extremely fast paced with twists and turns at practically every episode. Almost everybody is a villain and nobody is blameless, even our heroine detective who breaks the law many times to try to save her dad, including one very morally questionable tactic. To be honest, I was initially put off by the number of successive twists at first as there's no breathing space. After several episodes, as all the main villains are sufficiently introduced and we begin to understand the complexIty of their relationship, I began to more fully appreciate the dynamics of their power play and constantly evolving motivation. The show became an intricate multi-player chess battle where alliances can swiftly change as each character adjust his/her actions to counter the latest trick from their opponents.
At the end of the day, this is good entertainment though, in my opinion, the viewer experience could be improved by slowing down the pace, taking more time to expand on some intrique, removing some unrealistic maneuvers and giving some villains a more nuanced personality. As is, despite the character flaw of the good guys, it's still a tad too cartoonish for a "serious", thought-provoking thriller. Nonetheless it is enjoyable and both leading and key supporting actors did well. In particular, I find the actor Kwon Yool's performance absolutely fabulous as the devious and tormented villain. His scheming and betrayal with his lover almost reminded me of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth...
If I try to review this series more objectively as a thriller, I'd say it is extremely fast paced with twists and turns at practically every episode. Almost everybody is a villain and nobody is blameless, even our heroine detective who breaks the law many times to try to save her dad, including one very morally questionable tactic. To be honest, I was initially put off by the number of successive twists at first as there's no breathing space. After several episodes, as all the main villains are sufficiently introduced and we begin to understand the complexIty of their relationship, I began to more fully appreciate the dynamics of their power play and constantly evolving motivation. The show became an intricate multi-player chess battle where alliances can swiftly change as each character adjust his/her actions to counter the latest trick from their opponents.
At the end of the day, this is good entertainment though, in my opinion, the viewer experience could be improved by slowing down the pace, taking more time to expand on some intrique, removing some unrealistic maneuvers and giving some villains a more nuanced personality. As is, despite the character flaw of the good guys, it's still a tad too cartoonish for a "serious", thought-provoking thriller. Nonetheless it is enjoyable and both leading and key supporting actors did well. In particular, I find the actor Kwon Yool's performance absolutely fabulous as the devious and tormented villain. His scheming and betrayal with his lover almost reminded me of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth...
