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An Exciting Military Show that Accidentally Takes Itself Too Seriously...
**T/W: Brief mention of SA (once) in this review. Nothing graphic. Please be careful.
Hi there, it's been a while since I've written a review so I'm excited to get into it again!This review (unlike my others) DOES contain spoilers because honestly I have a few complaints.
Story: 9/10
This story is honestly quite interesting, mixing together law, corruption, and a military setting. I'm not someone that usually watches military shows, not even the very famous DOTS despite the raving reviews just because it's not my thing. But I decided to give this show a try after seeing some edits on TikTok (lol) and it was surprisingly really good. The story follows Cha Woo-In and Doh Bae-Man, two prosecutors with their own twisted backstories and intents. There's lots of corruption woven into the story as well as double-crossing, betrayal, and plot twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. I really enjoyed this show but I found after the 9th episode roughly, it started to take itself too seriously and it led to an overall flimsy ending. Without boring you all, here's the main pros and cons of the story:
Pros:
- Exciting cases every episode that push the plot forward in a meaningful way.
- No filler scenes. If anything, whenever a more light-hearted scene comes on, it feels like a refreshing comedic break from the tenseness of the main plot (most of which we must thank Doh Bae Man's aunt).
- Side characters that change and evolve throughout the story (including having their own motives and interests instead of being glued in one spot as "so-and-so's friend" or "so-and-so's enemy").
- The things that happen throughout the show change the leads, causing them to behave and respond in new ways. It's written very fluidly that I caught myself in one episode actually thinking: "Wow, what a big change. How did we even get here so fast?" Definitely the hallmark of a good writer I'd say!
Cons:
- There was not very much outward romance in this show. Like, at all! But it honestly makes sense within the context of the story as well as certain military hierarchies in place. A lot of the "romance" in this show relied entirely on the microexpressions of characters, as we only really see the leads touch a handful of times and we never see fully see them out of uniform, talking normally, acting like a couple, etc. It was definitely frustrating to watch as I personally LOVE romance shows, and although I understand the plot reasons for why the writers didn't go that route, I think there were definitely some opportunities for sweeter moments that were missed.
- Stereotypically evil villains (meaning we're never really swayed in their direction, and everything they do feels like "yeah, that person would totally do that". However, they DO pull us back in with the extent to which those characters will go and do evil things. And that does add a certain shock factor as a stereotypically evil villain adds depth to their own shadow.)
- Not enough closure for some of the subplots and REDEMPTION of a villain who committed a particularly gruesome crime (SA). No matter what, I just could NOT find it in me to empathize with a monster like that, no matter what else happened to him.
- The show hints at a few points that one of the leads may be related to one of the villains, leading to the possibility that there is more than what meets the eye to that lead's backstory and possibly turn the tables on the entire story. But the writers do absolutely nothing with that, and the story ends exactly how we expect it to from the very beginning.
Acting/Cast: 9/10
I honestly enjoyed the acting of most of the characters in this show. I'd like to start by complimenting Ahn Bo Hyun's acting as Doh Bae-Man. I've seen him in Itaewon Class as a villain, and even though I watched that show many years ago when it aired, I still remember being really impressed by his acting. And once again, I was impressed by how he conveys Doh Bae-Man's feelings, intentions, and ideas. His micro-expressions are really good, conveying subtle emotions like his character's love/pride/worry for Cha Woo-In despite absolutely no outright romantic dialouge and only a few touches throughout the show. That ALONE is what sells the fact that their characters really are in love, even though neither of them act on it outright both due to needing revenge and to respect the hierarchy between them.
Also, I loved the acting of the villains in this show, especially Oh Yeon Soo, who plays Noh Hwa-Young. She is a really exceptional actress, and I also loved her microexpressions. Her character is definitely tough to work with, being a fierce and stern military woman as she is, but she manages to show the greed, the worry, and the cruelty of her character despite remaining cold and sophisticated 90% of the time. Definitely not an easy character to play! I also enjoyed the acting of Kim Woo Seok, who plays the character I personally DESPISED the most in this show, Noh Tae-Nam. Although I really strongly disagree with the ending they gave his character, I must admit he plays the character extremely well. He shows the arrogance and the traumas of his character well and how he slowly changes. Definitely really good work, even though I'm new to both actors!
The only real reason I have put a 9/10 instead of 10/10 for the acting is the FL Cha Woo-In played by Jo Bo Ah. I have watched the Tail of the Nine Tailed Fox which was my introduction to Jo Bo Ah's acting so honestly...I knew what I was getting myself into when I started this show. Her delivery of her lines is really good, but her expressions are incredibly flat. Her anger, her worry, her fear, they're all almost identical save for a small tilt of the head or so. For me, it wasn't a huge problem because I felt like the fast pace of the show and the chemistry between the leads made up for it. But if you've never watched a show with her in it, I definitely feel like it might annoy you. It's not a huge deal breaker for me though because I like Jo Bo Ah and her elegant vibe. Me personally, I will for sure watch more shows with her in it if they come across my FYP / are recommended to me by others. (And honestly, she might have other shows where her acting is much better, in which case I'd love to be wrong and tune in!)
Music: 8/10
I'm not a big OST person but I felt like the OST was nice enough.
Rewatch Value: 8/10
I'm honestly not someone that rewatches shows often, so it's always hard for me to rate this category. But I think it's a good show and I wouldn't mind re-watching it with fresh eyes in a couple years.
Overall: 8.5/10
Honestly, this was a pretty good show. My main gripes were with the silly misleading hint I mentioned above, the redemption of a certain villain, and the lack of overall romance. But that being said, no show is ever perfect and I think the writers and actors all did an amazing job. So 8.5!
Hi there, it's been a while since I've written a review so I'm excited to get into it again!This review (unlike my others) DOES contain spoilers because honestly I have a few complaints.
Story: 9/10
This story is honestly quite interesting, mixing together law, corruption, and a military setting. I'm not someone that usually watches military shows, not even the very famous DOTS despite the raving reviews just because it's not my thing. But I decided to give this show a try after seeing some edits on TikTok (lol) and it was surprisingly really good. The story follows Cha Woo-In and Doh Bae-Man, two prosecutors with their own twisted backstories and intents. There's lots of corruption woven into the story as well as double-crossing, betrayal, and plot twists that keep you on the edge of your seat. I really enjoyed this show but I found after the 9th episode roughly, it started to take itself too seriously and it led to an overall flimsy ending. Without boring you all, here's the main pros and cons of the story:
Pros:
- Exciting cases every episode that push the plot forward in a meaningful way.
- No filler scenes. If anything, whenever a more light-hearted scene comes on, it feels like a refreshing comedic break from the tenseness of the main plot (most of which we must thank Doh Bae Man's aunt).
- Side characters that change and evolve throughout the story (including having their own motives and interests instead of being glued in one spot as "so-and-so's friend" or "so-and-so's enemy").
- The things that happen throughout the show change the leads, causing them to behave and respond in new ways. It's written very fluidly that I caught myself in one episode actually thinking: "Wow, what a big change. How did we even get here so fast?" Definitely the hallmark of a good writer I'd say!
Cons:
- There was not very much outward romance in this show. Like, at all! But it honestly makes sense within the context of the story as well as certain military hierarchies in place. A lot of the "romance" in this show relied entirely on the microexpressions of characters, as we only really see the leads touch a handful of times and we never see fully see them out of uniform, talking normally, acting like a couple, etc. It was definitely frustrating to watch as I personally LOVE romance shows, and although I understand the plot reasons for why the writers didn't go that route, I think there were definitely some opportunities for sweeter moments that were missed.
- Stereotypically evil villains (meaning we're never really swayed in their direction, and everything they do feels like "yeah, that person would totally do that". However, they DO pull us back in with the extent to which those characters will go and do evil things. And that does add a certain shock factor as a stereotypically evil villain adds depth to their own shadow.)
- Not enough closure for some of the subplots and REDEMPTION of a villain who committed a particularly gruesome crime (SA). No matter what, I just could NOT find it in me to empathize with a monster like that, no matter what else happened to him.
- The show hints at a few points that one of the leads may be related to one of the villains, leading to the possibility that there is more than what meets the eye to that lead's backstory and possibly turn the tables on the entire story. But the writers do absolutely nothing with that, and the story ends exactly how we expect it to from the very beginning.
Acting/Cast: 9/10
I honestly enjoyed the acting of most of the characters in this show. I'd like to start by complimenting Ahn Bo Hyun's acting as Doh Bae-Man. I've seen him in Itaewon Class as a villain, and even though I watched that show many years ago when it aired, I still remember being really impressed by his acting. And once again, I was impressed by how he conveys Doh Bae-Man's feelings, intentions, and ideas. His micro-expressions are really good, conveying subtle emotions like his character's love/pride/worry for Cha Woo-In despite absolutely no outright romantic dialouge and only a few touches throughout the show. That ALONE is what sells the fact that their characters really are in love, even though neither of them act on it outright both due to needing revenge and to respect the hierarchy between them.
Also, I loved the acting of the villains in this show, especially Oh Yeon Soo, who plays Noh Hwa-Young. She is a really exceptional actress, and I also loved her microexpressions. Her character is definitely tough to work with, being a fierce and stern military woman as she is, but she manages to show the greed, the worry, and the cruelty of her character despite remaining cold and sophisticated 90% of the time. Definitely not an easy character to play! I also enjoyed the acting of Kim Woo Seok, who plays the character I personally DESPISED the most in this show, Noh Tae-Nam. Although I really strongly disagree with the ending they gave his character, I must admit he plays the character extremely well. He shows the arrogance and the traumas of his character well and how he slowly changes. Definitely really good work, even though I'm new to both actors!
The only real reason I have put a 9/10 instead of 10/10 for the acting is the FL Cha Woo-In played by Jo Bo Ah. I have watched the Tail of the Nine Tailed Fox which was my introduction to Jo Bo Ah's acting so honestly...I knew what I was getting myself into when I started this show. Her delivery of her lines is really good, but her expressions are incredibly flat. Her anger, her worry, her fear, they're all almost identical save for a small tilt of the head or so. For me, it wasn't a huge problem because I felt like the fast pace of the show and the chemistry between the leads made up for it. But if you've never watched a show with her in it, I definitely feel like it might annoy you. It's not a huge deal breaker for me though because I like Jo Bo Ah and her elegant vibe. Me personally, I will for sure watch more shows with her in it if they come across my FYP / are recommended to me by others. (And honestly, she might have other shows where her acting is much better, in which case I'd love to be wrong and tune in!)
Music: 8/10
I'm not a big OST person but I felt like the OST was nice enough.
Rewatch Value: 8/10
I'm honestly not someone that rewatches shows often, so it's always hard for me to rate this category. But I think it's a good show and I wouldn't mind re-watching it with fresh eyes in a couple years.
Overall: 8.5/10
Honestly, this was a pretty good show. My main gripes were with the silly misleading hint I mentioned above, the redemption of a certain villain, and the lack of overall romance. But that being said, no show is ever perfect and I think the writers and actors all did an amazing job. So 8.5!
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