Save Me (2017)

OCN dramas are gold!! *claps* To be honest this drama is a SHOULD WATCH because of how different it is.

-Drama: 9/10: I was so excited to see this, because of the plot, cast and positive popularity, but on the other hand ... I had no interest because it is related to religious things and I don't like that stuff. I saw the first episodes and really nothing was catching my attention, around episode 4/5 things warmed me up and in episode 8/9 is when the "save me" misson starts and that means things got much better!! Overall...it can be slow...

-Story:9/10: It's fantastically creepy. I'm pretty sure what calls you here, is the cult side, since this is the only drama about issues of cults and yes, that is definitely what makes this drama so unique and good. But in every episode, all people do is: fake conversations of affection that seriously and easily changes the psychological/mind of people. And that freaks me out, I just wanted to slap everyone!! Another thing! This is an Action, Mystery, Psychological and Suspense drama, so don't wait for romance. Even with the second lead syndrome feels, I'm glad the drama had no romance, that would change the atmosphere of everything.

-Cast: 9/10: Really, really love this cast! Excellent acting! I'm not a fan of Seo Ye Ji, but damn, she is a fantastic actress, I will give her more atention! I think Woo Do Hwan stole the main role, I completely loved him and I gave him so much atention <3 and I think most of the viwers did the same ;). Whatever he is, it's a drama worth watching. The only problem was the main male lead, who could have been better, Like I said, Woo Do Hwan could have been the lead actor easily. I fell that Taecyeon character was..not in the point of being the main. Jo Jae-Yun can do anything and I was shocked when I saw his role, since I watched "Mad Dog" and "Wok of Love" and he did comedy roles.

-Music/OST: 7/10: I think this is what failed a bit. The music is suitable to this drama, but there are parts where it is badly placed. Anyway, one of the musics REALLY reminded me of the one from "The Conjuring"!

- Rewatch Value: low, just because this is one drama that you just need to watch one time.

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It took me quite a while to convince myself to start watching this drama, but seeing Woo Do Hwan in Mad Dog had me dying to see more of him, which is why I ultimately started watching the series. Now, this kinda drama is not to my liking, and I thought I'd end up dropping it within 2 episodes since I'm more into romantic dramas, and Save Me apparently had no kiss scenes, but I found myself hooked to this series by the first episode. A lot of people said they had to force themselves to keep watching, but no, I was so consumed by curiosity (and Woo Do Hwan) that I finished watching this in 2 days. Considering that I've been dropping other dramas left and right after about 10 episodes, Save Me definitely impressed me and had my attention all throughout the 16 episodes.

ACTING: OKAY. APPLAUSE FOR THE CAST. I hated and loved all of them with a passion. "Spiritual Father" and "Apostle Jo" are officially my most hated K-drama characters, which just means their acting was a 10/10. I especially loved that Sang Mi wasn't too brave but not too weak either...she was just a perfect female lead, her acting was so good, that I was dying to slap all the people for her, and damn, she is so beautiful. I didn't notice her queen like visuals in Moorim School, but she definitely caught my eye (and my heart) here. Moving on to Taecyeon, I feel like somehow his "main role" wasn't justified as there just wasn't much depth or importance for his character. As always, his acting was great, but I feel like the writer could have done much more for his role.  Aaaaand, WOO DO HWAN. I might just have a major crush on this guy, and his acting just makes me love him even more. Just my opinion, but Woo Do Hwan actually felt like the male lead in the drama, cause really speaking, it's all because of his character that they were able to save her as he did most of the work, and practically sacrificed his family in order to save her.  I really feel he deserved a little recognition for his efforts in the end.

Overall, I recommend this drama to everyone. If you're hesitant like I was, JUST JUMP IN. YOU WON'T REGRET IT.

NOTE: I'm a christian too, and I agree that such false people are using religion to benefit themselves and are leading people into an actual hell-hole. I'm thankful I've never had to meet such people, and that all of the churches we attend are amazing, but the drama brought up the issue of false pastors and churches really well.
Also, that church looked so damn satanic. It gave me the creeps.

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**This review was cross-posted on r/KDRAMA subreddit with a few changes

Frankly, Save Me was psychologically draining. But I guess if I felt that way, the writers did a pretty good job?? Although I won't deny that the cast was stellar in inciting psychological dread among the viewers.

It was pretty disgusting that the curly haired guy and cult leader were preying on Sang Mi. The school bullies were assholes and I wanted to throttle them so bad. Seo Ye Ji was spectacular in portraying Sang Mi, especially her resilience (will be definitely looking forward to her future works!!). But feeling helpless for her character was so tiring, especially when everyone dismisses her. And feeling frustrated for the antagonists and adults in this show was entirely frustrating. For "mature" adults, Sang Hwan and his friends + Sang Mi seem to have more common sense than they do.

I also thought that Sang Hwan's "Stand tall" advice to Dong Chul felt hollow and doesn't provide any comfort. I think its something that's easy to say, but hard to live by. More so if you grew up on the other side of the fence, experienced many hardships, and have limited to no opportunities to give yourself a better life.

There were lots of conflicted loyalties/moral principles in this show. But I'm glad that Sang Hwan got a chance to redeem himself in the succeeding episodes, even if he failed at times. On the contrary, I think that Taecyeon's portrayal of the character was a bit stiff -- I'm not sure if its his delivery, or the way he was written. But its still decent nonetheless. It's just that WDH really stood out for me on this show.

Dong Chul has a good heart and a strong sense of justice, despite growing up in a poor neighborhood. I admire his selfless spirit, and it was very heartbreaking to see him being wronged by influential people, and to some extent, by Sang Hwan. Dong Chul eating jajangmyeon without his grandma (and even ordering a serving for her) after getting released from prison made me cry. Knowing that he doesn't have anyone to lean on at a young age was particularly heartbreaking.

They say that parents know best but this drama had a way of showing how such saying is flawed, which was pretty evident in Sang Hwan's and Sang Mi's parents. What the governor/Sang Hwan's dad did to his wife to save his seat in power was disgusting. But hey, I guess money and power talks. As for Sang Mi's dad, he was too incompetent and naive, and way beyond saving. It's very disappointing to see him brainwashed at a vulnerable point in their lives.

That said, I'm glad that the writers touched on a very sensitive topic, and gave us a glimpse on how dangerous and far-reaching a cult's influence can be. And more importantly, how they work and lure people by taking advantage of their weaknesses -- which just so happens in real life.

There was no romance in this drama, which I'm grateful for. It wouldn't have fit the bill given that Sang Mi's been through a lot and has a lot of healing to do. But the second lead syndrome was very strong.

The finale was one of the satisfying endings I've watched. I'm glad Sang Mi was able to save her mother from the cult. And I love how they referenced the cult leader's death with the fiery pit. It was particularly interesting to see Apostle Kang throughout the show. Sometimes, I'd think she'll be able to break free from the cult. But I guess her faith brought about by brainwashing overshadows such. I'm also wondering why she isn't in jail, but I did foresee her fate in the finale.

I felt that the stories of the other characters needed closure, although I wasn't really keeping my hopes up. I would've loved to see Dong Chul try out for the police force as they've alluded to Taecyeon's enlistment, and the journalist get acknowleged for uncovering the cult. A part of me will always wonder how compelling the scene would have been if it were Dong Chul to have stopped Sang Mi from setting the cult leader on fire instead of Sang Hwan. He was the one who was wrongfully imprisoned and experienced loss and grief. Yet his moral compass and principles remained unwavering.

The OST was pretty good and reminded me of Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. Though the writing was great, you wouldn't see me rewatching this because it was really disturbing.

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What an amazing show! Gripping, thought provoking, full of drama and action and the acting is just phenomenal.

At no point did I get bored or feel like it should have been something else. The mystery will keep you guessing till the end and what a perfect ending!

I don't think I can rant about Woo Do Hwan or Taecyeon enough but they're both gorgeous and acted so well they and Seo Ye Ji made me go through all kinds of emotion.

Seriously credit goes to all the cast who made this fantasy come alive, especially Jo Sung Ha who always delivers a memorable performance. As the influential cult leader he made his character come to life.

Another great thing about the show was the Bromance! Taecyeon and Do Hwan were so good! Perfect mix of angst and love. But pretty much everyone else in the group of four school friends, and even Woo Do Hwans prison Hyung, they all showed that they could rely on each other.

I love how their friends never questioned Taecyeon or Woo Do Hwans ideas and actually were so courageous always! It was so heartbreaking to see them get hurt. I also really got invested in Dae Shiks story, I'm glad for the way it turned out.

*Minor spoiler ahead* I know it's more of a bittersweet ending in some ways, but I think it was the perfect fit for the show *end of spoiler*

So I'm happy I watched this definitely one of the best dramas out there.

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I started this kdrama not expecting very much and it turned out to be so different from anything I've ever watched. IN SUCH AN AMAZING WAY! It was a great break from what kdramas typically are. I was so intrigued and wrapped into this drama, the acting, the story. ALL THE CLIFFHANGERS. I fell in love with the actors and actresses, the amount of emotion they were about to put across. I honestly would recommend this kdrama to anyone. If you need a break from the typical kdrama and want to watch a powerful story that goes head-on towards a lot of social issues that are happening in real life; cults, bullying, corruption, abuse, sexual abuse, etc. You will be wrapped in and not regret it.

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the story was lit af and the cast was more amazing...even the supporting people including the guests put in their everything and worked really hard and therefore came out to be a perfect one...i really loved woo do hwan's character here...and they really worked hard in maintaining their satoori accent which was quite difficult...the ending was goood and i think i had problems with it...and some parts of the story related to the spiritual father did not make sense...if the authority of the previous church in Daegu knew about his crimes and false identity..why didn't they inform it to the police?? and the purpose f the spiritual father was quite lame...he went this far spending soo much money just because he can exercise his pedophilia?? that was quite lame..and the scene in the 1st ep where he was seen to cure a cancer patient by bringing out the tumor looked like he knew sorcery or black magic or something...but in the end eps they showed that he was faking everything with the fire and the book thing...on the other hand..governor han's wife has been ill since 2014 but in the last eps sang hwan claims that she had been pushed off the cliff by the governor in 2016..they made a huge mistake here....and the guy byung seok (who made sang jin die) didn't die but sang mi's mom saw his soul coming at her which was also a mistake..ok that could be hallucination....and they could've made the ending more good..overall it was a really good drama...you guys should give it a try...

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So frustating. If I am the one who got that situation, I think I cannot handled it.

This drama's title is save me. watching this makes me really want to save her. I hold my breath so many times.
I love thriller drama, but this is the only drama that makes me angry when I watched, I yelled into the actor, please save her right now, I can't wait anymore.

the acting is so good. they got my emotion with their acting. I really hate some of character even I know that this is Just an acting. seo ye-ji acting make me wondering what she feel when she act this role-play. I even watch an article that seo ye-ji really slap her friend because she is into her acting too deep.

music. the good music for drama is the music which can give more impact into the story. yeah, I feel the music in this drama is really good. there are some scary music, sad music, and many more.

rewatch value : I dont know if I can rewatch thid drama. this drama is too much to rewatch. but I will give a full score because this drama has a story which usually I will rewatch it.

overall : I know this drama is so depressing. I think this is not that good as thriller drama. I dont see the villain kill the peoples brutally and as much as another thriller drama. but this is perfect as suspens drama.

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This drama had wayyy too weird vibes for me. It's depressing and scary. The cult thing and their beliefs were just weird and the scene were way too slow. I've dropped this drama pretty quick but I saw many YT videos and read many reviews so. I wanted to watch it bc of Seo Jae Yi but I rlly just didn't like what I saw. I heard that the story really starts at ep 7 and there was a lot of bullying involved which I don't like and also no romance soooooo. I think it's a good drama and the actors are perfect but it's just not for me.

If you want anything fast-paced, not confusing, and with romance and comedy, this ain't it

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