chillikun

9/10

Spoilers

> I'll give you a lot love from now on .. I'll be good to you... I'll teach you anything you don't know.. Then everything might change in a moment like a lie ~ Says the perfect woman Cha Ji-won **Brilliant. Gripping. Exhilarating. On the edge of my seat. Addictive. Unforgettable.** I'm not the type to watch crime dramas as they tend to get on my nerves after the few episodes or don't interest me enough to continue since there's a lot of repetition with specific topics; like idotics cops missing cluses ; psycho killers on loose. However, this series has managed to change my perspective on the genre. It continued to surprise me and I couldn't stop obsessing over how much I enjoyed it! This is one of those dramas where you can't predict what happens next which is both frustrating and exciting at the same time. Flower of Evil gets better and better with each episode. Never once was I bored while watching this, every moment was thrilling. It exceeded my expectations and I loved every second of it! (Until Ep.11 ..after which it trigger panic buttons for me to enjoy) PLOT ------- The story takes it's time to develop the characters in the first few episodes, and the situation quickly escalates! You'll be surprised how much you're invested by the time the tragic strings of events begin! The plot is about one man who wants to find the meaning of happiness for once, after dress rehearsing tragedy, in his entire life before! And a woman who wants such happiness for the man she is head over heels in love with! The drama takes it's time to develop the main characters in present, while hinting about what could have happened in the past without giving too much spoiler early to fuel our adrenaline secretion, then suddenly we are thrown back to the past to only realize what actually is important is not what we were looking forward to the most! It's a whole different disheartening story that takes a creative take on self-inflicted misery, taking blame, and finding a middle ground for one's well being and happiness! This drama is part crime thriller and part romance. On the murder mystery front, I don't think you guys will find anything that's all that new. Yes, the real killer is very deliciously psychotic and smart enough to give our good guys a hard time. Yes, things really frustrate you as we go forward one step to catching the true culprit and are pushed three steps back. But overall the whole investigation and the way things pan out are very kdrama-ish, equipped with predictable plot devices and definitely not unique. The highlight of the show was for sure the romance. It was just so good. There was no angst and cutesy stuff that comes with new couples. No stupidity or 'he loves me, loves me not' bullshit. They've been married for 14 years and love each other like crazy. It breaks your heart when problems out of their control time and time again stand between their relationship and test the trust and love they have for each other. But make no mistake, they are both each other's world and always have the other's back. It's so natural, intense, mature and believable. They have great chemistry and understanding and I loved everything about them. It was amazing for me to see the way they react, deal and feel when they come to certain realizations about each other. It made the show a treat to watch. However, I definitely have some complaints. I went into the show thinking it will absolutely wreck me. I thought there was no way it will end happily and that it will break my heart. But halfway through, you realize the show is pretty vanilla. And staying true to that, they really cushioned a lot of blows and pulled their punches in the second half. As a viewer, I was half relieved that my feelings were spared but half unsatisfied because I wasn't hit in my feels as hard as I could have been. CAST ------ Acting is top notch! Lee Joon Gi as Baek Hee Seong is top notch! He looks totally dependable, manly and more than anything, a lovely dad! Whereas portraying Do Hyun Su couldn't be better executed! He looks so much younger now, and has a gaze that says the world about him, adorable and painfully cool in his yellow hair style! Moon Chae Won is doing wonder with her acting! She has the kind of shaky, mellow voice that has emotions breathing out while she talks! She is an amazing actress who wonderfully fills the role of a very caring strong woman, Cha Ji Won, seeking happiness above all else for her family! She looks beautiful and mature, it's always great to see her again in a new drama! If you loved her in Innoncent Man this is 10x better. Their chemistry is top-notch ; they are one of the perfect pair-up in K-Drama world. The secondary characters had their share of depth and complexity and their great moments. [spoiler] - Adoptive parent: Annoying, scheming, despicable, pitiful - Police team : Competent, incompetent, funny, friendly, understanding, committed, a nice brotherhood - Do Hae-Son : Dumb NooNa but kind hearted. - Kim Moo Jin: Enemy then fun and courageous sidekick - The Evil from the past: An evil hidden perfectly and slowly unveiled until it unleashes its madness for revenge [/spoiler] OST ----- The music is just too perfect! From the incredibly suspenseful tracks "Flower of Evil" and "Switched Destiny" to the melo tracks "Upcoming Shadow" "Hard Relationship" to my most favorite track in this album "Cherry Blossom Kiss" which starts weird, mysterious and full of anxiety and emptiness, then it paces up to a sweeter tone then a more joyful and bright tone, which goes perfectly with Do Hyun Soo's character journey within the drama. "Psycho" by DOKO, being used only as an ending theme for the episodes and it's very catchy and goes well with the epic cliffhangers. Now Pyscho will top my playing list over the Familiar Wife ~ Love Me Again VERDICT ----------- I would probably re-watch this drama! It's that good. Tho the mystery element will be gone, it still has lots of suspense and drama to enjoy. I had a rushed viewing of 13-16 episodes as i wanted to finish it and couldn't wait for the ending. Highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers and those who enjoy subtle romance plot-lines! Whoever said there is no romance in a story surrounding married couple without a Love triangle would eat their words. Even if you don't like romantic or crime stories, I bet you'll get touched by this one. **A Must Watch Definitely.** This is definitely the best show of 2020 and I would have enjoyed it more if i followed it weekly instead of Binging it for Xmas.

Munkinone

8/10

Spoilers

Baek Hee-sung (Lee Joon-gi) is a skilled jewellery maker, dedicated father and loving husband. He also might be a murderer, a secret he is desperate to keep from his wife Cha Ji-won (Moon Chae-won), a detective. As his wife begins investigating a series of unexplained murders, the fragile illusion of a perfect life begins to crack. She begins to suspect, and secretly investigate Hee-sung, who is desperately trying to stay one step ahead and keep the life he has built afloat. **SPOILERS AHEAD** I liked this, despite its flaws, and I think about it so often it surprises me. I recommend it cautiously for those who like thrillers, even if it's not that unique on that front. My major issue with it was that the audience had most, if not all, of the pieces of the puzzle from the beginning. We were privy to all of Hee-sung’s decisions and schemes- meaning we had to spend a lot of time in the beginning watching as the Ji-won floundered around making frustrating accusations and mistakes. [spoiler] This show did have me guessing whether or not Hee-sung actually was a serial killer on multiple points, but I wonder if the cat-and-mouse element would have been even more enhanced if we had been given even less information on Hee-sung’s decisions. We will never know. [/spoiler] The real selling point of this show, for me, is the romance part. Our murderer-and-detective couple’s solid relationship was the backbone of the series. Great chemistry. So natural and intense, mature and believable. It was palpable. [spoiler]The series really found its strength in Hee-sung’s ability to have convinced himself he is truly incapable of loving anything. That was the foundation on which he based all of his interactions - that he was faking everything. As a viewer, from the beginning, you could tell that was simply not the case. He was never shown how to display socially acceptable displays of affection/love, and he had to learn how to mimic them from other people. That does not mean he did not feel it, and he truly believed himself a monster undeserving of any form of life. The moment he is given the opportunity to throw away Do Hyun-so and every shred of that life, he takes it without a second thought. He becomes ever more desperate to hold onto this new life when he meets Cha Ji-won - all of his decisions through the show are to hold onto Ji-won, even if he doesn’t realise why he is behaving this way. That man truly loved his wife, and vice versa, and I would throw myself off a bridge for them to be happy and succeed. [/spoiler]