Mask (2015)

It’s been a while since my last review but I felt especially compelled to write one for this show. It took me DAYS to give this show a proper score because of the love hate relationship that I had with it. I’m splitting this review into two parts: story and cast.

STORY: The synopsis does a pretty good job of giving you an idea of the story. There were plenty of common tropes in the show and stereotypical kdrama moments. The story itself isn’t too unique. Poor girl sees opportunity to become rich, takes it, ends up falling in love with the male lead despite a contract driven marriage, etc. One thing I really liked though was the immense character development the male lead went through. He went from being an intense germaphobe who despises forming real connections with people to someone who puts his life on the line for the woman he loves. I also liked that that the relationship between the leads was slow despite the fast pace of the show itself. So many things happen in each episode but the relationship and the falling in love between the leads develops in a realistic manner. The final episode did a good job of tying up loose ends, justice was served, and the last few minutes were especially satisfying.

CAST: Starting with the female lead, this woman annoyed the hell out of me for the first half of the show. She had no backbone, didn’t stand up for herself, allowed herself to be used by anyone and everyone, put everyone around her in constant danger, and made overall stupid decisions. Her attitude and actions during the first half made me almost drop the show twice. Her family also annoyed me, especially her brother in the first few episodes (though this got better as the show went on). It seemed as if no one in her family was smart and the only reason I kept watching was because of the male lead. Honestly speaking, the female lead did NOT deserve someone so patient and trusting as him. However somewhere around episode 11 or 12, her character finally shows some development and she goes from being a weak stupid character to one who wants to truly protect her loved ones (beyond just her family). Although this development took half the show, it was worth it. Now I’m not saying that she completely stops making stupid decisions after episode 12. There were still a fair share of WTF moments however it was way better than the first half of the show.

The villains in this show were terrible awful people. The actors portrayed them well and made it easy for people to hate them. As a typical Kdrama goes, there are moments when you truly pity them but that doesn’t take away from the general hatred. The relationship between Min Seok Hoon and Choi Mi Yun was probably one of the most tragic ones I’ve seen. It’s clear that Mi Yun truly loves her husband but can’t accept the fact that he doesn’t love her so she chooses to simply blind herself to all of his awful actions. This is especially clear in the false pregnancy scene. The actor that plays Seok Hoon does an incredible job in portraying him as a master manipulator and there were even times in the middle when I was thought that maybe there was some part of him that truly loves Mi Yun. The ending makes their relationship even more tragic. Not much has to be said about the loan sharks, I hate them and there wasn’t a single moment when I didn’t.

Despite my initial frustrations and some plot holes where things didn’t really add up, all in all this show was ok. Won’t say it was my absolute favorite and probably will not rewatch it, but it did have its merits. If you have the ability to withstand and tolerate the first half, I can say that you will enjoy the second half.

Leggi di Più

Since i dropped it at the beginning of episode 19, the show has some good points.
The acting is good overall. The scenario is cliché but there is potential for a good drama.
I really loved the main actors and the others are also very good. Every actor is funny, beautiful or annoying so it's entertaining.

The problem is that the characters makes too many non realistic decisions, so much that it's not bearable anymore.
They have some developement since the beginning of the show, but it's not consistent. Sometimes they are smart and at other times in the same context they will be stupid. Sometimes they are lively then you don't know why they become lethargic...
Anyway the plot holes are so big that I don't even see my TV screen anymore. Almost everything could be resolved if they just talked to each other, that would weaken the villain so much... But even though they know that already, since they have experienced the feeling of sharing some information and thus not being thrown around like a trash bag, they still keep their mouth shut for no reason at times.
They know they absolutely shouldn't be alone with a killer and manipulative person, but they still go alone for no reason and afterwards suffer alone without telling anyone. And they see that the other is probably like them but still they continue ruining themselves.

Take the main character for instance : she becomes so smart and confident after she decides to help her husband, it's cheat-like (god mode ON), but then she seems to revert to a useless character, she begins sharing but afterwards she clams up.

For these reasons the characters are broken : I can't conceptualize them, they make no sense, thus the show makes no sense.
The villain especially : he is consistent in being unrealistic, he is even less human because they try to make you emphatize with him but it's not working. Also you can't explain why some lackeys are following him wich is very disturbing... what is in it for them, they can't follow him just for his good looks right ?

So in conclusion the show has potential, many people seem to enjoy it and so did I, but you have to overlook the many character flaws and plot holes. For me it's all I see so it's too upseting to watch.

Leggi di Più

I wasn't gonna complain...I'm more of the silent majority when it comes to watching dramas, but somehow, someone has got to take notice of viewer demand and make some change to the character development in these dramas. Otherwise, this trend is off putting.

It has nothing to do with the actors, who are doing their best. They work hard, I get it.

Why are many female leads such sorry wusses? There's more attention paid to ornament their bodies than their brains. I see the beautiful outfits, the perfectly coordinated accessories, the hair, the flawless skin, etc., but I also see the deficiency in capturing them with traits that respect them as human beings, capable of myriad thoughts that allow viewers (especially the female ones) to appreciate the kinds of effects they have on the rich and powerful men around them. If you bring down the woman by limiting her agency, you bring down the men who eventually fall under her love spell.

At first, I thought the female lead would learn to mask herself, assume a new identity, contemplate how to use her role to revenge against the loan shark and his minions, and the brother in law who forces her into his twisted predicaments against her will, and take advantage of her role to elevate the financial status if not honor of her family (overtly or covertly.) Maybe somewhere along the way, she begins to confuse her new identity with the old as she struggles to accept her husband through the contract marriage even as she slowly falls undeniably in love with him. Maybe for his part, he sees her as perfectly dislikable in the beginning, yet through intimate moments is compelled to discovery aspects of her hidden self which draw him in, deeper and deeper, into the truth about who he has actually married. This, as a plot, would have been interesting.

Instead, you have a woman who cannot think rationally, who cannot keep her actions consistent, who cannot differentiate the line between doing no harm and defending herself, whose first impulse is to sob, and sob, and what else, sob. If she gets high on emotion, she becomes an instant loose cannon, totally unpredictable and uncontrollable. This is the type of person our supposedly intelligent villain and equally enviable hero are obsessed with for the whole of the drama.

The drama is actually not that different from Goong (maybe that's why JJH was the male lead.) The character of the female lead in both dramas is weak and ineffectual, but hey, at least she is dressed like a barbie.

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Park Soo Ae is in double role (wow), but the main guy looks lame and is kind of pitiful psycho. I would wish a better partner for Soo Ae, both cast & character.

Also, her double role doesn't last long. Two identical women, one is rich, one is poor, but since episode 2 the rich is out of the picture. The poor is offered to pose as her. That includes to be engaged to the psycho who is about the last guy I would ship her with. Maybe even the shady older guy who made her the offer...? No, also a psycho. Some events are like from parody/comedy. Certainly not "psychological thriller"... lol. Seriously, what did I start watching? It has a high MDL rating but that is NOT a good sign, either (sorry). Definitely, this is weird. What a colossal missuse of Soo Ae. Surely I am not going to drop a drama with HER in the lead? But by episode 3, I was close to it.

Episode 4, I still weighed the pros and cons. I love watching Park Soo Ae. I liked her heroine, who was forced to watch her family mourning her at her own funeral. Who was told that as long as she played her new role well, they will be all well cared for. Had she not have beloved family that struggled, the drama would be pointless. The guy portrayed by Yeon Jung Hoon was alright too, he had the right amount of coldness and manipulativeness. Who was not alright, was the "main" guy. I couldn't stand him and he was not even attractive. Will I watch a couple where I love the girl but hate the guy? It's TWENTY episodes...

Since episode 4, main heroine starts living with the main guy in the same room (she has to sleep on the sofa), but luckilly, she is so preocupied with her own drama that she more or less ignores him. He makes a big scene about every detail (as he has some obsessive-compulsive disorder among everything else) and I liked how calm she was in her reactions. Yeah, she had other things to worry. There are more people in the rich house, who each have their problem with the new daughter-in-law, but I honestly did not care for those. I found all the support cast annoying. Basically, I liked only one person and disliked everything that surrounded her.

At one point, she leaves from very important meeting (important for every other character but hers) and drives off in a car. Some of the characters are pursuing her. I did not want them to catch her. I felt this was symbolical, and I realized. I just wanted Soo Ae to drive, drive very far, from this all and leave this whole show. Yes, I wish to watch Soo Ae, but in some different series.

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This is the type of drama I dislike the most. Over the top story line, totally unbelievable plus over dramatic acting.

This drama is full of all the cliche story line, an over ambitious and revengeful person, broken family, chaebol heir, doppelgänger and corruption. There is nothing new, or even fresh in the story. The synopsis is intriguing, that’s why I’m giving it a try, but it’s really not well executed or well written.

All the acting is over dramatic, nothing natural. You would know who the bad guy is by the first episode, which makes the whole story line boring I think. All the bad guy is bad, and the good guy’s good. No depth or layer to the character. That, on top of the over the top acting make this one drama a really blah moment for me.

The music is okay, not that I remember anything, since even watching 4 episodes was spend on fast forwarding.

Not going to rewatch it or even remember this drama.

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