Prison Playbook (2017)

Loved everything but the romance

It’s been a while since I’ve watched this but I realized that I haven’t reviewed this yet. I loved every character on the show. It made me cry so many times, especially Min Chul and Dr Ko’s backstory, even Kaist’s. Looney is also a favorite so it was heartbreaking for me to see how he ended up in the story.

Lt. Paeng is my most fave of all jailguards. He has a cursing mouth but in reality a very warm-hearted man.

The only complaint I have on this show is the romance of the main lead and Ji-ho. For me, it was unnecessary since I am already filled with the bromance in the cell. I honestly skipped a lot of their romantic scenes, I am even more interested in the jail guard and the sister’s love story than the mains. Some of the characters that grew on me were suddenly dropped and never heard anything from them again.

Overall, I hope there’s a season 2 and I will surely watch it again.

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A slice-of-life gem that has much more to offer than it sounds

Although the show’s name and the initial synopsis didn’t catch my attention at first, it didn’t take long for me to get deeply immersed into the plot and the characters. The drama unexpectedly rose to my all-time favourite drama list.

While characters in other dramas are usually one-dimensional, they are either good or the opposite, this series has admirably challenged that cliché aspect. The flawlessly crafted grey characters with well-developed and thought-out layers to the stories of each character highlight the fact that no one is perfectly righteous or evil which undeniably made the characters sink deep into my heart. Nonstop waves of dramas surrounding the characters slowly unveil various aspects of each individual’s struggles, choices, regrets, hopes, relationships and character development, creating depth to the storyline, leaving the audience with both heart-wrenching moments and heart-warming messages.

Apart from the emotionally heavy parts that will leave you in emotional turmoil, the show also consists of humorous and uplifting moments, as well as some hints of romance as its sub-genre which is immaculately intertwined. Although some found the love story unnecessary, I personally believe it adds more depth to the plot with the aspect of hope in the gloomy situation protagonist found himself in. With these combinations, it’s probably not surprising if you’ll find yourself laughing out loud then start bawling your eyes out a minute later as that’s exactly what happened to me with every single episode!

A great plot surely cannot shine on its own without the actors giving justice to the storyline. Even though most of the actors from the show are not well-known leads in other popular dramas, the ensemble cast commendably executed their roles in the show and impeccably complemented each other throughout the whole series. The use of sounds and music were also close to perfection, further heightening the different emotions the drama tries to convey. However, some may find the sitcom-like sound effects repetitive and maybe annoying at times.

Another reason this series didn’t receive a perfect score from me is due to the abrupt open ending of some characters that have played a big part in the storyline, whom I’ve laughed and cried for throughout the show. While it was somewhat understandable as not everyone can have a ‘happy ever after’ conclusion, I still wished endings to their stories were revealed towards the end, so the audience won’t be left in the dark after already getting emotionally attached to the characters. Nonetheless, these little unsatisfactory details do not refute the fact that this drama is a must-watch masterpiece.

Don’t hesitate and give Prison Playbook a try so you won’t miss out on this gem!

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Super love this series! Really one of the best!

First episode and I almost drop this one. Thought maybe black comedy isn't my cup of tea. But I went back here and to my surprise, it surpassed Secret Forest rating, which topped my list last year. I couldn't believe it! So I decided to continue watching it because I couldn't accept the fact that this show went beyond SF ratings. Lol. Lo and behold, I fell in love with this series every episode onwards. So glad I continued watching it. It deserves its spot here. And did I mention I watched this twice already? Lol.

The things that I absolutely love about this show are:
1. Plot - It really intrigued me at first. Thought it's something like Miracle in Cell No. 7. Each character has a colorful background story that adds spice to the entire plot.
2. Cast - I love them soooo much! Super love the idea that the director chose fresh faces. You know, you wouldn't know what to expect. The usual people with villain roles esp lt. Paeng became the my oh-so-loved character here. While some actors who are usually the protaganists ended as the antagonists. The chemistry among the actors is superb!

And of course, who wouldn't love Looney?!! Oh my gosh. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have continued watching this and I would have missed a lot! He played a major role in this show and I so love his banter with Kaist and Cap Yoo. He was excellent! Hope he gets more projects after this!

One more character that will be ingrained to my mind is Park Hae Soo. I've been with kdrama since 2003 and who?! Who was this actor that suddenly popped up and got that main role!? I love him! He's good when he acts dumb, but when he's angry or hurt, he has effectively delivered those emotions. Where have you been, PHS? Lol. So love his bromance with JKH. JKH is, of course, in no doubt owned his role.

Lots of love for this drama. I still have so much to say but you people just watch it for yourself! Lol!

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Grey is the new black!

While watching this show I realized…there are an awful lot of shows about prisons, aren’t there?! Anyway, Prison Playbook is one of the many prison shows out there but don’t get tricked by the ominous concept and poster, this show is not a violent, grimdark view of the place where the deviants go to rot. This is decidedly a comedy-drama about community, empathy, and self-betterment. The story is centered around friendship and hope and it’s full of quirky characters that will steal your heart.
Yes, yes, I’ll admit it…I did start watching this show for Jung Hae In, guilty as charged (!), but he didn’t show up until episode five (really, six) and by then I was already invested in the show so that just goes to show how entertaining it is.

This show is way too famous for me to recommend it so I’ll just get to it. You should watch this show if you like :
1. Orange is the new black
2. Prison life stories
3. Ensemble shows
4. Comedy
5. Bromance
6. Slice of life
7. Barely-there romance plots

Plot: The plot is naturally very good. The story is interesting from the start…sort of. I didn’t love the first episode but it slowly gets better. While the main plot revolves around Je-Hyuk, the show is rather decentralized with side characters getting fleshed out subplots of their own. But all those plots would be nothing without the great character work in the show. The strength of this show lies in its ensemble cast and the idiosyncratic antiques of each character, their past, and their uncertain futures. The plots grip you because they rely on the viewer’s investment in the betterment of the characters and what happens to them. Thus, they only engage and entertain because viewers care to know about the characters. A lot of the subplots were meaty enough to be their own shows. For example Captain Yoo’s subplot, while a nightmare-fuel in its own right, could easily be a miniseries of its own. The other subplots may not be able to carry a whole show as easily as Captain Yoo’s plotline can but they too had the potential to be standalone. Yet as subplots, they do not feel overshadowed or underdeveloped. This is mainly due to the amazing character work that has been done. While each character is in focus for a short while, they are all so well developed that they managed to deliver the maximum impact while they can and when they are not in focus, fade perfectly into the supportive position while maintaining the personality and history that was developed for them in their central plot.
The show also has a bizarre flashback format that is a bit disorienting but you’ll get used to it. Romance is not central in the show but what little of it appears, is endearing enough to capture the heart. I would even say the show has one of the cutest romantic exchanges I have ever seen but I won’t spoil it for you!

Acting: Everyone did an amazing job. As I mentioned, the supportive cast is very well-written and engaging and thankfully each actor amazingly brought them all to life furthering their impact.

Music and production: Music was there. Nothing exceptional but not bad either. The production is also good. The show stays in small prison sets for the most part so there's not a lot of variety. I don't really know what prisons in South Korea look so I can't attest to its realism or anything but it looks real enough? The technicalities were all good to my unprofessional eyes too.

Rewatch: I don’t have time to rewatch shows but it’s a good show to go back to.

Negatives: There are a couple of things that bothered me in the show. One thing was how the sexual assault that triggers the plot was treated. I understand that the sister is not the main character and therefore her plot is not central but she had enough screen time that it would’ve made sense for them to at least deal with it a bit. However, the show never even verbally acknowledges the character’s trauma from the event. The thing is only mentioned in regards to how the main character, her brother, felt about it all. Even she is shown to be feeling guilty for causing him to go to jail but showing no sign of PTSD as a result of the event. Speaking from experience one would know that the trauma of sexual assault never just fades away without actively dealing with it. It festers and affects anything from relationships and intimacy to simple daily functions. A little reference to her struggles would’ve been nice. Secondly, this show is the first kdrama I have seen that has a gay character not as a joke but as a fleshed-out human while also not being a BL show. Yes, the character is funny and has some special antiques but he’s never made fun of for being gay so you can imagine my disappointment when he is the only character whose arc ends negatively. Moreover, the only other queer-coded character in the show just happens to be the only “villain” who stays evil throughout the show and is never redeemed. So yes, basically what I’m saying is that the show treats its not-straight characters very badly and I’m a bit bothered by that. That said, the show is still good and right up to the end, that character’s plot was very well-written and he is one of my favorite characters of the show. Thirdly, the romance of Je-Hyuk and Ji-Ho had me squint my eyes a bit...like being into someone you knew when they were a kid and you were grown up?! Sounds fake but okay...

Overall: A really good and heartwarming show. I really needed something that celebrates the better part of humanity while ironically dealing with the worst humanity has to offer. It’s a hopeful show that tugs at your heartstrings in a good way.

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This is honestly my first time rating 10/10 but man does this drama deserve it.

Prison Playbook is the most heartwarming show I've ever seen. It's all about love, friendship, kindness and compassion. Most of the characters are felons and criminals, and yet they re probably the most humane characters I have ever seen of television. THIS IS the most humane show I have ever seen on television. I'm seriously in love ????

I can't get over this drama. The writing is soooo sooo smart and the actor's performances are top quality. This show truly deserves more recognition.

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another my comfort drama with criminal genre(?)

I remember the first time I watched this drama I was bored and confused, but then I was very happy to have found this drama because it was rarely talked about.

I watched it right after it ended so I could finish it in two days.

The role I thought was evil turned out to be good and there were many unexpected things in this drama. I really liked the unpredictable dynamics of the story, and the comedy was natural and very funny.

Unfortunately, the ending for one of the characters was unsatisfying even though it made sense too.

Their acting is also good especially with the well-written tone! I was amazed by the unexpected comedy that emerged from the characters. Even though this story only focuses on prison, it's not boring!

You can watch 3 episodes first, it's difficult at first but this drama is worth trying!

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a masterpiece .

the perfect one sentence description for this drama would be don't judge a drama by it's summary.now, the main parts-

story-it's a very simple, beautifully described one year journey of a murderer in a prison.now one may question how can it be beautiful after all its the jail or prison we are talking about.but no.it is beautiful. after all who would have thought even in a small cell in a nasty prison something called family can be build.but this family doesn't contain mom,dad,children.it contains friends,companions,supporters,brothers.

at first you may not understand what is happening but as the story develops everything blends in very well.you will understand why those things are happening what are happening.you will understand how those prisoners became prisoner.also that not all the prisoners are bad.like some are but not our main characters.they are the most innocent prisoners in my opinion(yes innocent and also prisoner)

the story i believe has two parts like first part is in a detention center with the main lead and different characters and the second and main part in the Penitentiary with the main characters .

what is the best about this story is that even though it has main lead in my opinion every single person in this drama is the main character .why ?because the story describes everyone's story very well.though the main lead's story is the main but others characters had their own stories which were important as well.

acting-mind blowing .that's why i gave it a 10.everyone was a pro but i basically loved the acting of looney (if you watch the drama you will understand).he beautifully portrayed both of the character of looney and han yang (they are the same person). also our something in the rain main lead -it was great to see him play a totally different character this time.

music- the ost was good.i know many people will mention that but what i want to mention are the songs played on the radio during the drama. they are beautiful.i loved how every time they were lying down to sleep and a song was played in the radio which went with the situation very well.so a salute to those songs as well.and also the music of whisteling which was played every time when something funny would happen was good.

rewatch value- i may not watch the whole drama again (that's why it's a 5)but i will watch the moments over 1000 times so a 10 (if that counts)

over all -it doesn't have a melo or tragedy or drama genre it's a slice of life drama.there will be times when you will smile,cry but most importantly there will be times when you will laugh as hell.
now the things i want to mention -
loved - jae hyuk and joon ho's friendship( nomu chhowa),looney and captain yoo's fights and bickerings,kaist and looney's bickering and how they taunt each other and most importantly everything.
i mean there is nothing to hate in this drama
if you watch this drama you will understand that you either love this drama as hell and get many inspiration from it or you feel it's too boring to watch.(if you feel the second way it's a waste that you didn't understood this drama's value)

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Wow. I can't believe I was able to finish this in a day and a half. All this time, I thought I might lose interest since it only contains minimal romance and a few female leads but I've never imagined myself loving prisoner characters this much.

I love how the story went by so smoothly and simple but was still able to surprise me every episode. I enjoyed everyone's back story and helped me understand where every character was coming from. It also amazed me that I was not upset when a few characters didn't get to have their own happy ending, I was actually impressed as how realistic it was. For some reason, I still love Han-yang's character even though I hated him at the end. His cuteness might or might not compensate for what he did. LOL

The dry humor got me EVERY SINGLE TIME. I can't count how many times I laughed out loud or wailed like a lunatic. Kim Je-hyeok was one of the dumbest yet smartest male leads in the kdramaworld and surprisingly, I liked him for that.

And can I ask why this drama's OST is so underrated? The whole playlist is the bomb and that's saying something from someone who doesn't listen to rap music often.

Annyeong, Wing 2 Cell 6. Sarang.

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MUST WATCHH

GREATEST OF ALL TIMEEE.,,,I enjoyed a lot lot... can't even describe it how much I laughed while watching this one.

One hilarious Squad this drama has.. This one is too lengthy but perfect .
it is the only show impressed me in every department and aspect such as narration, screenplay, character development, and many more..

Glad I watched this one.. 16 episode and almost every episode 90+mins passed by just like that..

dnt miss it..

Just be patient and finish first two or three episodes till the main squad settled in one cell and after that it never stops anywhere at all ,absolutely no breaks ...

A binge worth watch drama and I highly recommend it #PrisonPlaybook Squad ♥️

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