Do you enjoy rollercoasters? Coz if you do, The Last Empress might just be the show for you.
At its best, and right out of the gate, Show is a fun romp rife with makjang plot points, logic stretches and murderous intent (it’s all about the lens, which I’ll talk about very shortly).
I personally think the extension didn’t do Show any favors, coz Show spins its wheels a fair bit in its later stretch, which is a serious pity.
On the upside, Show wraps up in a reasonably solid manner, and I’m emerging on the other side without regretting my watch.
I’ve gone a darker route for my third Dream Drama installment. That was bound to happen. My ideas are not all lollipops and rainbows. I need to make sure my eyes don’t roll too far back in my head with how much I see of that in Asian drama (though I desire happy endings!).
I love a good sci-fi story, even better when it combines mystery, conspiracy intrigue, action, and this being Kdrama – Romance!
This idea stemmed from a composite of popular stories/shows/movies that sloshed around my imagination, and a Fan-Fic for the “Lost” fandom that I started but never finished.
~Lady G
Quick Synopsis
There is a generation of young people whose lives have been irrevocably changed by mysterious Project Afterglow.
Isolated, with fractured memories and broken families, these young people possess superhuman powers that they desperately hide, in order to blend into society.
Can they ever find resolution for all that they’ve lost? Will the perpetrators behind Project Afterglow ever be brought to justice? How will these scattered survivors find one another, and will they be able to break through their defenses to trust others again?
Follow them on their epic journeys of healing, love and redemption, as they set out to reclaim all that they’ve lost – and find themselves in the process.
Watching Liar Game, for me, has been a demonstration of just how subjective drama appreciation really is.
You know that saying, one man’s meat is another man’s poison, or, as the case may be, one viewer’s crack is another viewer’s meh? Totally applies here.
During the course of its run, I came across quite a few raves about this show, which is why it made it to my watch list to begin with.
I read comments that used generous terms like “brilliant,” “fantastic,” and “excellent” to describe Liar Game, and went in with cautious high hopes.
But, try as I might, I just couldn’t get into this show.
Slick, dark, and appropriately fierce, Bad Guys is a short little series that packs a pretty big punch.
Everything is carefully and beautifully filmed, and for the most part, Bad Guys manages to hit that sweet spot where the writing is complex enough to be interesting, yet simple enough to be accessible to the average viewer.
Add a pretty excellent cast to flesh out the interesting premise, and Show is a winner in almost every checkbox.
My beef with the show is that it gets too melodramatic at parts, which detracts from its unique brand of cool, and instead places it closer to standard kdrama fare than it needs to be. The cinematography also feels less deliberate as we get into the later episodes.
Despite its shortcomings, though, Show remains an interesting and engaging watch.
Gritty and disturbing at times, yet heartening and uplifting at others, Bad Guys manages to be badass with heart.
A drama that’s got a light, frothy and often comedic outer shell, but harbors an inner core that’s poignant, stirring and heart-in-your-throat moving.
To be sure, if one put on a hard logical lens, this show’s flaws may be too glaring for one to overlook.
But for those who can turn that logical lens to a blurry soft-focus, and amp up the emotional lens to a setting high enough to engage with the characters on a more visceral level, that touching inner core is the satisfying, gratifying reward.
Separately, Jeon Ji Hyun and Kim Soo Hyun are both truly excellent in their roles. Even better? Together, they are pure magic.
