One of the most popular ways to spend time is by watching dramas. And I am not exception to this either. Especially Asian Dramas – may it be Korean, Chinese, Japanese, or Thai. To me, what makes Asian dramas more special is that most of their content is Audience friendly without ever having to worry about your parents barging into much dangerous territory and having you go:
But, with a panoply of them available to choose from, and also the varying tastes, most of the time I end up choosing hyped up dramas that have me rolling my eyes, or just losing my interest by the first half of the episodes. This happened to me for one of the most hyped up KDramas this year: It’s Okay to Not be Okay.
I couldn’t escape its premiere, neither could I escape it even after it had ended. The hype train left me standing in the rain.
When I needed a buffer drama [drama watched usually to take away the feelings of another one], I decided to choose Flower of Evil. Korean dramas are ridiculously popular cause:
- They are only 16 or 32 episodes long.
- Each episode is only an hour and 15 minutes long.
- No filler episodes
- Amazing Soundtracks.
- Memorable/Unique storylines
FORWARD
Summary: Baek Hee Sung seems like the ideal husband. Working as a craftsman, his hard work allowed his metal-working studio to meet with its fair share of success. Able to provide a good life for his wife and daughter, he’s a good example of what a husband should be. But this perfect façade hides some very dark secrets that even his wife, Cha Ji Won remains unaware of. Unfortunately, secrets have a way of coming out and as a hard-hitting homicide detective, it’s Cha Ji Won’s job to uncover as many of them as she can, in her never-ending quest for the truth. While investigating a particularly cruel case, she finds herself on a dark path that could crumble the very foundations of her happy life. But she is determined to bring this psychopath to justice. Delving deeper into the case, she realizes that he may have been close by all along.
I am not particularly bright when it comes to crime dramas. For me, the word metal craftsman stuck for some reason. I guess reading tons of Nancy Drew books doesn’t count when it comes to dramas either.
Boy… the ride had just begun.
CHARACTERS (Chart.)
Do Hyun Soo (Lee Joon Gi)
A metal craftsman who lives under the identity of Baek Hee Song for 15 years. He is wanted for the murder of a village foreman 18 years ago. His dark past comes to light after a series of
Cha Ji Won (Moon Chae Won)
A detective from the Violet Crimes Unit. She is unaware of her husband’s secrets and is put to test once she comes to know that the person next to her might not be whom she thinks he is.
Do Hae Su (Jang Hee Jin)
Do Hyun Soo’s elder sister. She is the only person who believes that he is innocent and also understands him the most.
Kim Moo Jin (Seo Hyun Woo)
A reporter for a weekly magazine, and also Do Hyun Soo’s only friend during his high school years. He accidentally stumbles on him after about 18 years. Although they begin with a fallout, he eventually becomes his ally. His comic side makes him an interesting character.
THE CASE
The drama was written with some actual substance and thought. The way the writer managed to connect every event and make each reveal was amazing. We are left to make guesses and come to our own conclusions, ending each episode with an ominous atmosphere.
We know that Baek Hee Sung has a secret. He appears pretty normal in the start until we start realizing that he has even more to his façade than what the synopsis tells us. For example, I really wished that he was not the killer everyone seems to be talking about, but by the end of the 1st episode, this happens:
No time was wasted on useless substance either. There were no plot holes that were easily visible to me. Even some annoying tropes were well executed to the point that it did not seem to be needlessly added.
What’s more? None of my questions were left unanswered or left as a blind offshoot. Something I think is the most difficult for dramas to achieve. That alone scores a 10/10 from me.
THE FAMILY
… is worth watching this for.
The character Do Hyun Su is described as someone with inability to understand emotions of others. This fact is stressed on several times and viewers are left to ponder on what his next actions would be. He learns about emotions through others, namely his family and friends, which is a highlight . The writers did an incredible job, twisting our thoughts and emotions.
Cha Ji Won is torn between her duties as a wife and law enforcer. I waited with baited breathe for her to drop the bomb once she had her husband’s secret in her hands, but she never lets us down. Nor can we question her actions. She chooses to find out the real truth, analyze her husband and make the right choices.
She way she handled her troubles even after having her entire world turned upside down made her character one of those rare strong female leads.
Also, Hyun Soo’s relationship with his daughter was adorable. It is the one thing that we know is 100% real since the first episode.
THE FLASHBACKS
Those small bits of flashbacks during the beginning of each episode was one thing that felt like an oasis in the middle of a desert. I loved them. They give insight about how our leads met and even tells us more about Hyun Soo’s character and past. Sometimes in a non-linear way, but I was fine with anything. It was hopeful, even scary sometimes.
THE TRIO
Another worthy relation. If there is one person who believes that Hyun Su is not a villian as everyone sees him to be, its his sister, Do Hae Su. She doesn’t even stop twice to think about defending a potential murderer either. We meet her quite often in the later episodes.
Kim Moo Jin, Do Hyun Soo and Do Hae Su together, albeit the odd combination was pure fun to watch. Their bickering, combined with Moo Jin’s comedic nature was one of the lighthearted parts of the show. Its a wonder how he went from getting beaten up by Hyun Soo to being one of his strategists
THE GANGSU STATION GANG
Lee Woo Chul’s team consists of three people:
- Cha Ji Won
- Im Ho Joon – an amateur detective
- Choi Jae-sub – a man who follows his intuition.
Their scenes together could turn from fun to danger any moment – especially during the later half of the story after the big reveal for Ji Won. The way the case was handled even after the viewers already knew most of the truth was nerve wracking to watch, considering how insightful Jae-Sub was. All of them were supportive of each other.
THE SOUNDTRACK
Soundtracks are one of the things that make a drama worthwhile to watch, even if the story went south. This drama didn’t have many background music, or maybe cause I watched too many CDrama prior to this one. But, those few tracks were enough to make the entire scene powerful.
The songs accurately fit the episodes and scenes. My personal favourites are Psycho and Feel You. I am not a huge fan of melodies, but I can listen to Feel You and still get some sort of emotion.
FINAL VERDICT
What makes this drama one of my favourites is the way it managed to carry the same momentum it had during the initial episodes till the very end. Plot holes are another error that could occur for a shows which depend on a certain timelime, but I did not manage to note anything significantly wrong. Keeping in mind that it is a drama based on a story spun by a skilled writer, it does not destroy its originality, nor did it put down my expectations – exceeded it even.
The acting was another factor. Everyone, especially the leads and the villains slayed their roles. I have never seen any Lee Joon Gi dramas before, but the amount of expressions and emotions he managed to portray is outstanding, especially a few emotional scenes. Do Hyun Soo was not an easy character. So was Baek Hee Song. Moon Chae Won was just as excellent as him.
The ending was personally satisfying to me. I had heard a lot of mixed emotions – completely understandable – but, without that, the ending would have lead to no where.
I also realized that he was right – He was always going to win. Dude stuck to his word, and did win in a wild way now that I think about it. It would not have been fair to him too.
It was addictive, poignant, beautiful and memorable. Definitely worth a watch.
I just need you to trust me. Then, I’ll live my entire life… just for you.
~ do hyun soo
PS: If you’ve already watched the show or just want to be spoiled, here is an exclusive advertisement that I never knew existed.
Sincerely, Squeaky Blogger
Squeaks From Beyond The Universe 