God's Quiz Season 3 (2012)

The best out of the three! Everything that you have seen in the previous seasons is nothing compared what is happening in the third! It's a must watch! The plot was geniously developed, would not have expected this after the other two.

Forget about the fact that Detective Kang is not in it, it's not the end of the world, it does not make the drama worse!
The new casts brings a new mood into the whole drama. Before even starting the drama I wasn't especially happy about the cast change but after the first moments and the first episode they grew on me, perfect for the plot that was set for this third season! Ahn Nae Sang was perfect for his role as well and his acting was just amazing! Was blown away! Supporting roles were great as well! Especially the other doctors! By the way, the relationship between the two main characters is hilarious and enjoyable, you just want to see them more on the screen while they argue with each other~ XD

Better watch it because it cannot be compared to the previous ones if you ask me... the ideas that come up are way over what we can handle~ XP

Leggi di Più

The cases were more ingenious here plus there’s less focus on autopsy procedure, whether that gives the series a better feel or not is probably debatable. I’ve always planned to watch this season but I’ve been reluctant to start it due to the unsatisfactory little shambles thrown from its last season. I’ve written a comment about it, though without a proper review, I don’t expect anyone would even sympathize with my ramblings.

I’m actually relieved the love story and romance was taken out this season to give it a more ominous tone instead. I personally find it effective and compared to the religious undertone that was wrapped around Season 2, for this one to dip its foot on thriller ground was more enjoyable to watch. The mystery surrounding Dr. Han Jin Woo’s illness, which forms the overarching storyline every season, was creatively orchestrated this time around. I’d say it’s 3-notches improved version of Season 1 (See, I’m notably skipping Season 2 here…)

Quite re-watchable because it’s a short series, and each episode stand as your mini mystery, detective story. Because of this format, you can easily park this on each episode. However, there is in fact an addicting factor that might just pull you in to marathon the series. Dr. Han’s mystery is only sprinkled in the tiniest drop in each episode and mostly at every end, so this cloaked mystery might compel you to unravel it quickly for your own peace of mind.

So, without further ado, I say this is indeed the best season so far, hopefully not the last. Everything's improved here: The actors and the act, the camera work, the lighting, the story, even a new antagonist to parallel Jung Ha Yoon (of the first 2 seasons). Of course, its not perfect, take for example some episodes that didn't get polished details, but those are minor and can easily be overlooked. I think that bringing in the veteran character actor Ahn Nae Sang had definitely clothed this drama in a better form. I'm all for a strong female character but somehow Detective Kang Kyeong Hee just didn't work as well for me especially in the last season. We get a cameo though and I feel that was good enough. Ryu Doek Hwan is given a new range in acting and he's shaping up well, I can imagine him turning out like Ahn Nae Sang when he's aged.

Spoilery alert 1: Anyone who's already watched Syndrome might find Dr. Han's mini-arc familiar ground.

Spoilery alert 2: When cases doesn't involve rare diseases, they tend to be less thrilling, well because they're already familiar plots.

Spoilery alert 3: There's an episode that I'm pretty sure was inspired by a neo-noir French film '13 Tzameti'.

Spoilery alert 4: It takes 10 episodes before you get an introduction to the new villain in this series but if I remember this is same format as in Season 1.

Pretty awesome finale, yeah, so go watch it now!

Leggi di Più

In my opinion, this was definitely the best out of the three! In this season, we see Dr. Han Jin Woo battle his most formidable enemy and his perfect acting portrays the struggles he goes through with the aftereffects of his surgery.

The series, as always, starts out with the usual smattering of cases here and there and I liked the kinds of rare diseases that they put out in the limelight. This show definitely helped me learn more about diseases I wouldn't dream of hearing. It seems almost impossible that these kinds of diseases existed but watching this show gives a new outlook, somewhat.

The main storyline itself was gripping and albeit, a little confusing at times, but once you get to the last episode (the last darned episode NOOOOOO) every thing just clicks and you can't help but think:

Why does this have to happen nooo

But yeah, the storyline helps you have a certain outlook on life and why things happen the way they are and stuff so wooo~ Lesson learned achievement unlocked!

Kang wasn't there, which was kind of depressing but the new actors and actresses made up for it! I was blown away by Ryu Deok Hwan's acting throughout the drama, like I could only imagine myself acting like that. The tears and the frustration that went into his part was monumental. It certainly made a mark on me (and maybe garnered a tear or two... Curse your excellent acting, Deok Hwan!)

I loved the soundtrack, especially the rock ballads that play when the drama ends. I don't usually watch previews of the next episode but for this one, I watched it just so that I could listen to the rock ballad pfft Now that I think about it, its pretty foreshadowing what Jin Woo's going through.

Its just... The way they presented these cases was very different from the previous two seasons and like it made me feel as if these diseases shouldn't exist. It's pretty bittersweet.

I give this drama a 10/10!

Leggi di Più

Season 1 & 3 in last place

God's Quiz in general was more mystery/thriller/investigation than medical. The main lead, who's a medical examiner, was doing more field detective work and following suspects than the real detectives. I didn't like how they setup the main lead character, he's genius because of a drug experiment in his childhood and this led to all kinds of made up scenarios stemming from his condition across different seasons. Every season, they twisted it in a different way which took away from having a consistent character. It's the eternal problem of any unplanned sequel seasons in a series. Which imposes an impossible task for any multi-seasons writers.

Production: Seasons 1 to 4 were molded under the same OCN early days template, which all shared the same level of underwhelming production value. Soundtracks during season 1 & 2 were super generic stock background noise, only with season 3 they started to include music. Although season 3 was filmed better but had a much worse audio production in general. Season 4 was a noticeable improvement in production but it still wasn't quite there yet. This is all in comparison to regular shows that were released around early 2010s. On the other hand, season 5 brought with it a proper production and other improvements.

Characters: The dynamic and chemistry of the entire group during season 1 was abysmal, overacting from everyone, forced unnatural interactions and none of them clicked. Season 2 somewhat got better in that regard, you can notice that they got more relaxed but still not quite there yet. The ending scene of season 2 while the ML is kissing, his lips were shivering like crazy. It must have been super awkward to the point that they couldn't afford to have another take. Season 3 took a step backward with its changed cast. Detective Bae Tae Shik brought an awful dynamic to the table. Him and main lead didn't click together and created a bad on screen combination. It's probably why the writer didn't write him in for later seasons. The same can be said about other characters associated with Bae Tae Shik. The relationship and attempted romance between ML and Kyung Hee during season 1 & 2 was plain awful to watch. Only in season 4 it got reasonably better and season 5 fixed this issue completely by dropping the childish romantic tension and having them behave like adults. I liked seeing Kim Jae Won as a flashy villain in season 5, it was fun watching a different type of role from him.

Story: The structure of every season consisted of having a few cases then dedicate the last 3 episodes to the final case which had a personal connection with the characters. These last cases in every season were quite problematic for a variety of reasons, only season 5 had a better implementation despite its weak climax. More highlight across the seasons, the last episode of season 3 was the worst out of the entire series. The cloning plot in season 4 was super trashy and tacky, despite having an obvious playing room to take it into very interesting directions. The ending of season 4 featured another super weird and awkward kiss. The entire thing about AI in season 5 was really janky and a big stretch for the viewers to accept. In general, the cases were a mixed bag in every season, some were decent and interesting while others were boring, flawed or being stretched thin. However, season 3 featured mostly bad cases in addition to the handful of other problems which made season 3 to be the worst one in general.

The series as a whole was alright with a lot of ups and downs. It had a good concept with a varied degrees of execution. Although season 5 is the best one but it wouldn't have been that good as a stand alone drama without the accumulation of these characters journey. The ending of season 5 with both leads walking outside was very nicely done. On an unrelated note, it was impossible to not notice the ML's height.

Leggi di Più