A decent drama about revenge and internal conflicts

Firstly, I'm happy that Park Shin Hye gave such an incredible performance and was different from the characters she played previously. She is more mature and this role will certainly open the way for more complex performances in the future. I really liked her.

The plot itself is interesting, not very similar to the reality of a court of law, however, the way the writers framed a judge's position as defining a defendant's life was fair. The drama reminds the viewer that a judge can only act within the limits of the law, and that was very interesting. Other than that, seeing a demon have moral conflicts, having empathy for victims and human nature was different. This plot was well thought out and well placed by the writers. I don't remember seeing a plot similar to this, focusing on the judge.

It's worth watching if you like dramas that involve the legal world but aren't so realistic (because reality is actually quite unfair and boring, lol). I don't like dramas with a fantastic context, but this one balanced the fantasy narrative well with reality. Still, if you like dramas that involve revenge, this is one of the most satisfying, after all, the judge is not just a judge.

The acting of the actors was decent. The soundtrack is fair. The cliffhanger ending is also fair. As this is an extraordinary narrative, with characters beyond the norm, there would be no way to end it any other way. I confess that I found it strange that the judge had a relationship with ML, but, as her role was satisfactory in itself, I didn't mind too much about the attempt at romance at the end, lol.

Anyways, it's a fair drama, with great revenge scenes, and a very decent ending.

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season 2 is simply useless and adds absolutely nothing to the main plot

season 2, apparently, was just made to make netflix and the screenwriter/director of this poorly written series even richer.

the first episode is promising in starting to explain some things that weren't clear in season 1. it was good to see and give some resolution to gong yoo's character, for example, but what about the rest? what about the police officer's big brother? they waste about 4 episodes in that same nonsense of making people play and die. by the 5th episode i was already tired of watching it because... well, i don't want to see a remake of season 1, i don't want to see finalists in a game that already featured a finalist in the first season, i want to see something different. and they conveniently let this little difference appear in the last episode, giving NO ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION about various plots left along the way of this story. everything was done to trap idi0t viewers like me to give more money to the useless netflix and associates and in about 3 years or 1 decade later they will present a decent explanation for the main reason this game exists.

i can't believe i wasted half an entire day thinking i would see something more interesting, or even minimally interesting. the rehearsal of a revolution in the last episode could have taken a different path, but, no, the screenwriter consciously chooses to tie the story back to the starting point. if so, why does season 2 exist? it doesn't make sense!

and the idiot police officer who doesn't even know how to observe and understand that the boatman is an enemy? did he not suspect that his brother had spared him by shooting him? didn't you think it was too much of a coincidence to have been rescued? what kind of fuck7ng cop is this guy who thinks he's going to be able to solve a shitty game like this if he doesn't know how to put two brain cells together to understand it? you can't have patience with stories like that...

and what's with the boss of all this shit? his wife dies without a transplant and he does all this to arrange and create an underground market for organs? one thing i don't like about SK drama plots is that they exaggerate the actions of villainous characters too much. the guy needs to have a very convincing reason to come up with all this madness. having lost his wife does not seem credible.

the NK girl: she is useless. they created her character to bring some drama behind the scenes of the game, showing that the guys who kill also have some conscience or some criteria when doing what they are doing, lol. at the end, the father of that child with cancer simply dies like a cockroach and we don't know what the point of this parallel story existing within this crappy poorly written sequence. and no, she's still bad even though she doesn't leave her half-alive to have her organs removed. f7ck if she has a daughter in NK and does everything to see her again. killing people is immoral. period.

about photography: same thing
about the soundtrack: same thing
about the plot: it's more of the same, with the exception of episode 1 with gong yoo's character.

it will be easy to watch season 1 and skip straight to the future season 3 when it comes out in a decade.

about the performances in general: most are good, including TOP, who is a relief point in the plot

about this series: it's overrated and the screenwriter lost track of how to resolve what he presented in season 1. the last episode is extremely ridiculous. is it some analogy to the impossibility of beating the system, whatever it may be? maybe, but it seemed more like a war movie plot with so much tiring shooting.

summary: don't waste your time. the show is overrated and the writer and netflix just want you to give them your money. it's an unnecessary continuation that certainly won't be needed when they decide to make season 3. there are better series that respect the viewer's time and intelligence.

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Fast pace of the plot and little depth in almost all the characters

Most of the characters lack depth. How did ML's older brother not know that his mother had abandoned him? Why did he lie about his leg disability? This type of attitude does not match the attitude that a CEO of a conglomerate should have. Why would he hate a brother who did nothing to him so much? This type of plot doesn't make sense... Why wasn't FL's mother more careful about covering her crimes and abuse if she was so careful about her own art gallery? How is FL's father simply forgiven for his complete disregard for his adopted daughter? Does not make sense. If he was a bad father and if FL has very deep traumas, how can she smile and sit next to her father and grandfather as if nothing happened? When writers diminish the pain of a trauma to that level, it's as if they take away the meaning of all the suffering FL went through... The only more plausible situation is FL with the biological mother. Furthermore, the performance of FL's younger sister is extremely irritating...
This plot would have been much more interesting if ML hadn't suffered the same fate as FL, hadn't had another chance.
The story focuses on the life of FL. Placing ML as someone who also has a new chance weakens FL's story. The accident scene is pathetic. Where was the truck driver to save them both? There are a lot of holes in this story and a lot of it was conveniently written. Furthermore, it is important to note that it is strange that ML accepted a false marriage contract and then started hitting on FL, who was in a situation of psychological and domestic violence with her family (mother and sister). ML seems to be a very selfish person, so how could he think it was reasonable to impose his "love" on FL knowing that she was going through a very difficult time. In this way, he seems to indirectly charge FL for the "love" he gives her (a toxic behavior).
I also found it unnecessary to force a pregnancy on plot at the end because FL practically lives under the function of serving someone (and having children requires giving yourself to someone else). She has nothing interesting, she doesn't show any ambition, no clear professional ambition. If she is a painter, why doesn't she teach art classes? Why don't they show her starting her relationship with ML again but in a normal way and without being in a marriage that was fake in the beginning? Anyway, there are many problematic points. The series only saves itself because it is gratifying to watch bad people suffer the consequences of their actions, lol.
The soundtrack is beautiful and the production is well done, but it's not worth watching again. Finally, it seems like a plot written by a teenager and a form of pro-marriage propaganda from the South Korean government lol

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More mature drama with some plot problems, however, with excellent visuals, soundtrack and acting

Firstly, the soundtrack is impeccable and fits well with the aesthetics of ML's modern house. The house itself is beautiful, the kind we see in architecture magazines, but, as the context of the story is bad, the house appears to be a prison.

The scene photography is also impeccable. realize it is clear that the director wanted to bring a whole poetics through photography and how the characters speak and interact with each other. Given the context, it’s a really beautiful thing to watch. It's quite pleasant, I mean.

The story itself seems to have a good beginning, which holds the viewer and makes them try to understand what is happening with FL. The interaction between ML and his ex-wife is difficult to understand until episode 3. As we only discover the reason for things little by little, it is difficult to understand the characters' disagreement and hatred towards each other. The toxic and super weird relationship between ML and his ex-wife is also incomprehensible. At first, 'what she is doing seems more like revenge for the loss of her baby, but then we know that she wanted to lose the baby. I only managed to understand the conflict between ML and his ex-wife in the last episode. Until then, it seemed very baseless for so much suffering and emotional dependence.

One thing I don't like in many k-dramas is that the screenwriters almost always use the argument that the characters have known each other since they were children, or someone has already met the other, or any of the more cliché things we always see in dramas. In this drama, in my opinion, they make this kind of mistake unnecessarily. I.e, ML would not need to have had a 30-year relationship with his ex-wife to justify such emotional dependence and cruelty. Sometimes toxic relationships are created in a few months and years. Referring the reason for something to a childhood past is a very forced and easy narrative argument.

I also remember the fact that ML has already seen FL a few times before. They see each other at the cemetery, at graduation, when buying that special suitcase that never opens. Serious? I found this plot so forced that I almost gave up watching until the end. Things in real life don't happen that way. It wouldn't negatively affect the main plot if they were completely strangers to each other. It would be even more interesting if they had never seen each other in their lives.

About the stalker: he enters the plot only to cause suffering and tension to FL. What is the need for a stalker in a plot that has a main character living a private drama about her unconsummated marriage? Is it just to create scenes of tension, chase, attempted murder? This drama could go on very well without this unnecessary and meaningless character. And why force the idea that it's good to deal with a stalker just released from a psychiatric hospital by inviting him to your house for tea? ML seemed to be completely irresponsible in doing this. Furthermore, in the final stage of the drama, why do they always make the antagonists' lives easier in a way that is actually stupid? Seriously, he actually managed to enter the architecture magazine house undercover and even managed to go to ML's closet to get that suitcase? Serious? Anyways, this character is useless and reduced the value of the drama in general a little.

About the ex runaway groom: the series takes a while to solve the case of FL's runaway ex-fiancé to support FL's mysterious image. I thought this character could have been better developed instead of paying attention to a random stalker.

Despite these drama problems, it is a series for a more mature audience, who doesn't expect happy endings and obvious things. I thought they explored the different facets of what a marriage is and how marriage is a contract well.

Gong Yoo's acting is excellent. I thought there are many elements of the character that are also Gong Yoo's own, such as fishing and a docile personality. It would be more interesting if the character wasn't so similar to the personality of the actor who plays him.

Oh, and about the medicines: what a mess! I thought it was simply insane that the ex-wife induced ML to use more medication or even drugs. It's incredible how he couldn't realize the misery he found himself in. Indeed, his father's history with his mother is a bit exaggerated too. Things don't have to be so acute to cause lifelong trauma. A more subtle plot would be enough to support the ML plot. Btw, it's completely senseless for ML to end the drama on good terms with his ex-wife, as if she hadn't acted like a true psychopath trying to drug him and manipulate him.

Anyways, it's a very beautiful drama in terms of visuals and soundtrack. Has good performances. Has a more mature plot, however, with some problems, but it's worth watching. If this drama had more episodes than it does, it would certainly go downhill, lol. That's it.

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