So far I'm really enjoying the show! There…

So far I'm really enjoying the show! There are definitely a lot of questions that we don't have answers to and a lot of plot threads that haven't really connected yet, but there's enough information established that I'm looking forward to more, not just confused and annoyed. Our main characters are the greatest strength of the show so far. I think that Han Tae Sul (Jo Seung Woo) is a compelling character who seems genuinely fucked up, but also intelligent and driven enough to feel like a worthy protagonist. I think they did a really good job of setting up his love and regret for his brother, which explains why he so willing to risk it all to hunt down information pertaining to him, even at the possible cost of his life. Jo Seung Woo is such an incredible actor that he makes what could have been a hollow character really come to life. There's so much nuance to his mannerisms and facial expressions, he's endearing and empathetic despite kind of being an arrogant dick. Kang Seo Hae is a nice counterpart to Han Tae Sul, but I think there is a lot more about her that we don't understand, which puts a bit of distance between her and the viewer. A lot of her motivations are still murky so it's hard to really know where she stands. However, Park Shin Hye is a talented actress and in the emotional moments (her goodbye to her dad, looking at the tomato plants) we really get to see into the heart of this character. She's also pretty convincing in the action sequences, even though I think that the actual choreography and logic of those scenes leaves something to be desired. Additionally, I am really enjoying the side characters, particularly Sun (Chae Jong Hyeop) who has great comedic timing and is lovable despite being a bit of a coward. He's fun and entertaining to watch onscreen and I'm looking forward to more of him. I also love Yeo Bong Seon (Tae Won Seok) as Han Tae Sul's bodyguard. He is so wonderful and sweet in a role that normally would be pretty nondescript. I love that he's genuinely huge, and can be threatening (like when they ran into the co-pilot), but also seems like he genuinely cares about his boss and wants to help him. I love the show for more fully fleshing out his character! The world they've established feels very fully-formed, which is promising. I've been disappointed by sci-fi dramas in the past so I was wary to start this one, but I think that so far the Control Bureau and the people from the future being (digitally?) sent back in time is very original and compelling. I hope that as the show progresses the villain develops and feels really threatening, I'm hoping for plenty of twists and turns. A few quibbles. There is something off about the action sequences that I can't quite put my finger on. Despite the apparent competence of the Control Bureau the stakes don't feel that high in the actual fight scenes. When a whole squad of them arrived at Sun's apartment both Sun and Kang Seo Hae should have been doomed. The idea that that many armed men wouldn't be able to just shoot and kill those two is insane, and there were so many moments when they had a clear shot and for some reason didn't take it. Because of this I felt very little impact or stress from the scene. I didn't feel like there was much of a threat for our heroes, despite the fact that I should have been very scared for them under the circumstances. This also applies to the train yard scene and the plane crash. In both of those scenarios the tone felt off, and the way it was directed took a lot of the tension out of what should have been high-adrenaline sequences. I think the show feels like viewers won't take things seriously unless they throw in fifty guys with guns, but that's not true.

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