Finished binging this. RIP my sleep. It was not the best noir show I've seen, but it was a solid watch buffered by strong acting all-around, great cinematography, and a bangin' soundtrack (was Shazam-ing songs in the middle). The fight scenes were BRUTAL and realistic. None of those highly stylized Marvel action sequences. These fights were bare-knuckles, fight dirty, fight to kill. Storyline might've been the weakest part of the show.

Han So Hee was ON FIRE. This is a career defining role that's going to expand the type of roles that she gets offered and get premier directors to take her seriously. I have so much respect for her taking this role because it shows she has guts when it comes to making career decisions and isn't going to just rest on her visuals alone. She was willing to get ugly for this, and you could see the amount of work she put in. Was she perfect in this role? No. But she did a solid job and THIS is how you grow as an actor and build an interesting resume.

Ahn Bo Hyun delivered as well. With this show, he and HSH probably shot to the top of many casting agents' lists.

Hee Soon Park was the best of the show. What a discovery. His character was enthralling to watch. He portrayed a monster but somehow made that monster sympathetic at times (and also attractive, so help me).

I binged this last night and all I can say is, this is a breakthrough performance by Han So Hee! She did a phenomenal job playing Yoon Jiwoo. It made me forget Nabi and Dakyung 😆

Han So Hee is great and she is becoming one of my favorite actresses. All her roles are so interesting, even if I don't love the drama, Han So Hee gives a good performance. I look forward to her next drama.

Finished binging yesterday. Park hee soon is amazeballs 👌👌👌... The story line is pretty predictable for this genre but still as there are no bad actors here, it still holds your interest. But PHS stole the show for me. Why did he sympathise with his character when he was such a monster?.. Great acting.. I looked through his old work and i didn't register that he was the cop from 'missing'..

I am yet to watch this but the Beanies comments confirm the very fact that adding a strong veteran elevates a production headlined by newbies.

Great to see Park Hee-soon acquires new fans just like what Jang Jae-young did with On The Verge of Insanity.

The story was kinda previsible and repetitive for only 8 episodes.

Personaly, I didn't like Han So-Hee's performance, she had one single expression during the whole drama. She didn't show any evolution between her teenager and adult parts. She lacks the charisma for this kind of role.

Park Hee-Soon and Lee Hak-Joo were really great. I liked their interactions.

Finished watching this yesterday...ah what a journey!! Overall I think it was definitely fantastic, helped in part by a committed lead actress, strong supporting characters and a moody yet atmospheric sound design. Of course there's quite a few things to nitpick about (some unexplained plot holes, awkward dialogue etc.) but it was still such a treat.
The storyline was actually quite predictable, following all the familiar story beats of: tragedy befalls hero, hero tries to take revenge but is too weak, gets sent off to be trained, returns a new person and enacts revenge but encounters hidden secrets, trust issues and betrayal (heh reminds me of Batman Begins...). In that sense, you kind of knew where the story was going to go from the very beginning. But definitely, the stylistic choices made, the intense violence and gore, all the hand-to-hand action scenes, and again, the wonderful soundtracks helped uplift this drama.
Other than that, Han Sohee and Park Heesoon's acting definitely carried the show to another level. We've often seen many male actors portray this kind of role. Tragic, brooding and spectacular in fighting. But this time, not only was a girl taking this role, but she was portraying it in such a physical, dirty(?) and unappealing way. There was nothing that showed what she did was glamorous. I absolutely admire her physicality, how she portrayed the character's smallness, her constant frown, rage, exhaustion, contempt, despiar etc. So much so that I felt some of her actual spoken lines weren't as convincing as her physical expressions hah! But one thing that cemented this fact for me was how the director continuously took shots of her hand throughout the drama. He leveraged on the fact that Han Sohee's hands aren't as elegant and well-manicured as you would expect a Korean actress' hands to be, to really show how physical and brutal Jiwoo's life is. It helps amplify the audience's belief that Jiwoo is in fact a proficient fighter, something that might not be seen so well through her small stature.
Anyways, there's a bunch of other things that I could say (including how I think the last episode is definitely the weakest....I mean without giving spoilers away, did you guys think it made sense, what happened between the leads? Or is it just me that felt it was so out of left field...? :0 too cliched, only existed to drive forward the heroine's story and nothing else) but overall I think it delivered well on what it promised: an immersive revenge story with spectacular acting and strong emotional beats~

I have to disagree with most of the comments here. I watched the drama and found it watchable and I was ok with the use of violence but it was too predictable and my eyes rolled continuously from episode 6 on (not saying anything more as this is a 1 episode review).

But I am going to say this about the FL: she’s not a badass she’s just stubborn to the point she is wreckless. The fact is that I didn’t like her as I found her inconsistent and the actress was not helping. Yes, she did a good job with all the physicality in the role, but she just couldn’t emote. And I’m not buying that she’s just cold because she seeks revenge and she’s a badass because all the other characters who were badasses did a better job: Lee Hak Joo to begin with and Park Her Soon was another level.

I loved this drama however there are some obvious plotholes in it.
The good:
1. Han so hee's acting - She acted very well throughout and I disagree with some of the comments that say that she was not emotive enough however the character was that and with whatever it was she shined really
2. Action scenes: the action was really great and I personally loved seeing a woman in action because the action genre is very male oriented and seeing a woman was a breath of fresh air.
3. The setup: I liked the writing in general and the twists and stuff but they had some issues.
4. The villain - Choi Mujin being the final villain was an amazing twist and the main character ended up being the pawn was an amazing line of thought until she realises it was Mujin through the attack.
5. The main character faces the consequences of her action: If it were any other drama, the serial would forgive her for being a mole and such but in this she kind of ends up becoming a fugitive.
6. the final showdown: I loved this part of the series it was amazing.

Bad:
1. There were plotholes such as the father being the police undercover but was never really addressed until like the last bit of the show? The captain did not take care of the officer's daughter after his death was a stupid line of thought because anywhere even in hell does the police take care of the passed officer's family. The officer literally died as part of the duty and the superior Cha Giho buried the case? Why will he bury the case if in fact Joonsu was his cherished hoobae and a officer on duty? The serial makes no sense from that point on.
2. Killing Sunbae's character: Why was that necessary to result into a final showdown? With the sunbae, jiwoo would finally have a chance to not be a monster? so what the serial essentially says that there was no hope for Jiwoo after all. jiwoo here turns out to be most mistreated person. She was shunned by everyone for being a gangster's daughter, her father was killed who she thought was a gangster, the person who took care of her all these years was in fact her dad's murderer, the captain who knew about her dad going undercover and dying did not actually bother to tell Jiwoo about her dad, the person who she finally loved and accepted by was killed by her dad's murderer, a warrant was against her for being a mole, tampering evidence all for a person who betrayed her and she died killing him. I would have accepted this mistreated main character trope if it were not for the stupid plothole of nobody actually taking care of an undercover police's officers daughter and in fact let his name be tarnished as a gangster when in fact he was an officer.

Han So Hee kick ass! Not a single butterfly in sight. That would be in my gratitude journal today 😁

I totally feared that I won't be able to stop and stay all night to binge. Well, I did but I didn't stay all night because up until right before the mid point I just feel like I can play it twice as fast lmao. Kinda ironic for something that I expected to be a fast-paced, gripping, and dark.

Before I talk about stuff that might or might not be destructive, I wanna free Han Sohee of anything that's leaning more towards bad. Because if anything makes me keep watching, it's her and how she shines in this character, her acting, and the stuff she was given to work with.

First thing first, I'd be talking about the entire series so SPOILER ALERT for anything ahead. I feel like I enjoy the story before we're going into her police double agent fiasco. In the first and second episode, the story gets to the darkest place it could be (though I would appreciate if we were given a little bit preview of Moojin and his organization before the Father's death so I give a little damn about him and his organization). Though weirdly, I could easily pick up that (SPOILER ALERT) Moojin is the one killing the father I don't know if that's intentional or not.

But getting into the part where we follow her being a cop... it started to get a little bit..... idk..less interesting? It's like all of her sharpness was cut off and she just became a yes man to Moojin, I think i could understand better if we were given more and dive deeper into how Moojin and Jiwoo care about each other.

But then, the whole Ahn Bohyun character (i dont even remember his name) being told to watch her and he went "I believe her all the way" is just.... so... ugh, it might be something i'd pass for a melo/romance but for a thriller, it's just ridiculous unless they're using it as a gate into something deeper. And it happened, and I just can't take it anymore. The last two episode was an absolute nope for me and I just ended up remembering how disatisfying it is and forget about the first and second episode. Overall, it's not bad but it's just.. not something I'd enjoy every minute of being at the edge of my seat.

I feel like they did have a lot of very interesting characters dynamic that they failed to utilize to its best. Secretary Jung and Jiwoo's dynamic could've been used to create intense mouse and cat moment. Jiwoo's and Ahn Bohyun's character...... sigh.................................................... it could've been a lot more than you can't-go-alone-i'm-cuffing-my-hand-to-yours. gah.

I feel like I might feel THIS dissapointed because I was totally expecting something as good as extracurricular (given the same director and it being netflix original so they could go as dark) and I did have something similar in the beginning, but then it all kinda goes awry.

Ps. the night Jiwoo and Ahn Bohyun spent together is so unnecessary and i thought nothing could let me down more until they killed him, it just became so clear that it is indeed a mere...

Not bad per say, but I have seen this genre done way better in Heartless City (8 years ago). Justice for that show, b/c no one talks about it despite it influencing a lot of other shows that have come out since. I'm only up to Ep 4, and I dig that Han So Hee got herself down and dirty here. She has potential going forward, although I get it she's pretty, but did we really did the men here to proclaim that every moment.

Also big quibble is not from the show but in K-dramas, I noticed that for every male filled heavy cast, we only have one capable prominent female lead. Ex. My Name/The Veil (less so b/c the FL doesn't even fight/has her damsel in distress moments). Seriously, when are we going to see 3-4 prominent female characters in an action/spy thriller show?! Come on, Korea get it together!!

Han So-Hee is a bland actress in my opinion - I knew this plot would fall through if she was the lead. Her eyes do not speak, the inflection of her words are scarce, her change of emotions lack personality - but her actions scenes were pretty dope. Unfortunately, she has never really impressed due to her lack of range. If you watch her role carefully in other dramas, all the other actors around her carry the show, not her. BUT I WON'T GIVE UP ON HER YET! A good deal of the problem is the writing of the show. The blame is not fully on her. I'd love to see her in a solid plot. Mind you - I have seen terribly written kdramas but the leads act the heck out of their roles and nail it so...

Chang Ryul - he was great! Man really had me on my toes.

Also, can we have a lead woman who is logically minded and a quick thinking protagonist? The primarily emotionally driven character is over-used.

Park Hee-soon was wonderful in this. He's such a charismatic actor. I loved the duality of loyalty/brutalness that Choi Moo-jin had. Hands down my favourite character and actor in the series. He and Han So-hee have wonderful chemistry, one that devolved from sympathy to antagonism.

As for Han So-hee, I thought it was a great effort for her first action role. I'm really happy that she's doing diverse roles, especially since Nevertheless was so blah. That said, I feel that the Ji-woo was not a well written character. I wish they had written a smarter character who could uncover things on her own instead of being fed dis(information) by Moo-jin and Captain Cha. Also, the plot was laughably predictable.

And as much as I adore Ahn Bo-hyun, I do agree with the other comments that his role felt.... unnecessary. I think as a colleague it was ok, but they should have skipped the random romance, especially when the real electric chemistry in the show was between Ji-woo and Moo-jin.

park Hee Soon might be A star. But he is not the only one who steal the show IMO. ALmost all the bad guy acting is so good and very convinving!.

It's pain me AHn Bo Hyun character is almost non existent here. Still he is still solid even given the material he is given. I mist the day he act as the bad guy like in Itaewon Class LOL... But still I'm glad this is year is his year. 2 drama he star in getting popularity so is his name getting recognized.

I need to stop torturing myself with action shows and nitpicking fight scenes and injury authenticity.

But Sic you like the Action genre.

I KNOW. THAT'S THE PROBLEM.

I don't watch that many action or gangster films, but even for a person like me the villian was predictable. However, this din't prevent me from watching the entire series because the 1st two episodes were solid and continued to be entertaining until it reached the so called "twist" in episode 6

From episode 7 onwards, I just watched it to complete the series rather than being interested in Ji Woo's closure. The romance only added more to the boredom. This could have been better if they had some twists with the loyal secretary, but no they wanted it to be less of a mafia game and more of a revenge story🙄

All the main actors did a good job, but Han So Hee has room for improvement because some of the dialogues seemed like she was rehearsing it front of a mirror. No emotional touch was there in her dialogues, maybe it could be partly fault of the writing too.

I'm up to episode 7 and playing with my phone. I've tried to screen her out and focus on Park Hee soon, but she was so lame in the "interrogation"...

Her relationship with Choi Mu-jin and vice versa was twisty. It was at the very least a mentor's relationship, but it was more than that. While he used her, he saw her as belonging to him because he saved her off the street. In doing that, he had little respect for her as a person. She was his pawn. But there was more to their relationship than that: he groomed her to kill her father's killer, knowing that he was ultimately responsible for the father's death. How does that work except to bite you back? Did he, in a perverse way, devise his own punishment for killing the man who had saved his life, by grooming the daughter to be his killer? Was he not so much arrogant, but actually self-loathing? He set her up as his judge and executioner. There was also a level of intimacy in their relationship. They sparred together, and she saved his life. He acted as if he trusted her, even knowing what he had done to her life, and he was disappointed when she betrayed him, even though he was probably going to kill her. He even made a case for knowing her better than her father, telling her she was like him. In the final fight, he begs her to stab him. He has turned her into his executioner. Kudos to Park Hee-soon for getting the full spectrum of these nuances. Overall, apart from this twisty relationship, I was disappointed that it wasn't much more than an improbable fight fest.

And to add something more, I'm over this fantasy of girls being able to physically fight men and how this somehow makes them strong women. It's a fantasy of strength that is hollow. If it's a metaphor for women's strength, it needs to be better developed.