Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
The early episodes of “Payback” held promise for a truly compelling thriller with the always great Lee Sun-kyung in the lead role. Lee plays Eung Yong, an ambitious man with a photographic memory when it comes to numbers. But the storylines get progressively more convoluted as the show progresses.
“Midnight” is a fast-paced thriller that hits all the jump scares: A mother and daughter who cannot hear or speak are stalked by an insatiable serial killer. The film is a testament to the strength of the powerless and their will to survive.
“Remarriage & Desires” is a revenge drama that focuses on a woman whose husband is cheating on her. After he asks her for a divorce, he learns that his mistress embezzled money and set him up as the fall guy — and falsely accused him of sexual assault to further incriminate him.
The “Big Mouth” cast is perfect, especially the lead actors Lee Jong-suk (as a lawyer on a losing streak) and Girls’ Generation’s Im Yoon-ah as his pragmatic wife (who’s a skilled nurse). There was not a moment where I didn’t believe that this couple was besotted with each other. Even when they argued, it was obvious that they cared so very much about each other.
“Tomorrow” tells the stories of people who are on the verge of ending their lives. This is where Ryeon and Joong-il come in. These angels of death work for Jumadeung, an elite company that employs those who’ve already died, but are revived to deal with matters of the afterlife. Some employees are given the option to reincarnate and live a normal life — after fulfilling their contracts, that is.
“The King: Eternal Monarch” was Lee Min-Ho’s comeback drama after finishing his mandatory military service in 2019. Beautifully shot and well acted by the lead actors, the series nonetheless is a bit of a hot mess when it comes to the meandering plot.
The first half of “Oh My Ghost” is what I refer to as a laundry series. I was so disinterested in the plot that it took me months to finish, and most of it was while I was sorting and folding laundry. But all that changed in the second half when the series veered from the repetitive plot of a horny ghost wanting to bed a handsome chef, and turned into a thrilling murder mystery.
A unique series that kept me guessing until the end, “Memories of the Alhambra” starts off with a strong, intriguing premise: A teenage videogame developer has created an addictive world of augmented reality (AR), where players interact seamlessly with medieval warriors. Gamers go to real-life places (e.g. restrooms in neighborhood bars) to acquire weapons, which are only visible to people wearing special optical lenses.
Production on “Descendants of the Sun” began just three months after Song Joong-Ki finished his mandatory two-year military duty in Korea. He displays an easygoing flair in the role of the charismatic leader of the Alpha Team. Even bulked up (for him), Song is slight of build and baby faced. At times, I wondered whether someone like So Ji-Sub would’ve been better cast in the role. But, what he lacks in brawn, Song makes up with magnetism. He has one of those faces that the camera loves.