Designated Survivor: 60 Days (2019)

Mieux que le machin d'Hollywood

J’avais essayé de voir la série originale, l’américaine, mais je pense avoir bien fait de laisser tomber et passer à la série coréenne, qui est loin d’être une copie et est bien meilleure que le machin d’Hollywood. Honnêtement j’aurais aimé voir moins de morts, par exemple en permettant des survivants dans l’effondrement du parlement. En autres j’ai un faible pour l’actrice Kim GyuRi (ma femme le sait), et je conseille vivement son dernier film "The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil", où elle est l’experte de la police en matière médico-légale.

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Il ne sembalait pas fait pour ça, et pourtant...

Je dois dire de suite que si vous n’aimez que la romance, passez votre chemin, mais comme ce serait dommage pour vous !!

Drama très addictif, car ce pauvre président Park va d’abord s’adapter, essayer de comprendre la mécanique politique puis affronter crise sur crise tout n’essayant de ne pas laisser déclencher la 3ème guerre mondiale, et ceci en 60 jours ! Je dois dire que la durée n’a pas toujours été simple à gérer pour le réalisateur, on avait un peu de mal à comprendre qu’en fait il ne venait de se passer qu’une journée ! Heureusement que le numéro du jour s’affiche au début de chaque épisode ! C’est pour dire que l’action est dense ainsi que la mise en place de nombreux personnages qui, même s’ils ne sont pas tous principaux, doivent tous être bien campés, réalistes, et ne pas seulement être de la « figuration intelligente » ! Et c’est le cas ici.

Il y a deux fils conducteurs essentiels : chercher et trouver le cerveau de l’attentat avant la date fatidique des 60 jours qui sera l’élection du nouveau président, et savoir si le Président par intérim va se présenter ou pas.
Au début il ne rêve que de retrouver son bureau de professeur, puis, peu à peu, je ne dirais pas qu’il y prend goût, mais qu’il comprend l’importance fondamentale de son poste et il se met à croire pouvoir être utile.
La vie de la Maison Bleue est la toile de fond de ces intrigues, et cela m’a fortement rappelé une série que j’idolâtre : « A la maison Blanche », « West wing » titre original. Du coup je suis allée chercher un peu et « Designated survivor » est le remake coréen d'une série américaine du même titre. Mais si les Coréens ont très bien assimilés la technique américaine de la série haletante, ici nous sommes bien toujours en Corée, avec sa propre personnalité, ses propres traditions (voire la discussion sur la loi contre la discrimination). J’ai vu le remake coréen de « Life on Mars » et c’était excellent, la version (très bonne) anglaise était très respectée mais c’était pourtant une série 100% coréenne. Pour « Designated survivor… » je n’ai pas vu la version américaine.
Outre un scénario très bien construit et de très bons dialogues, la psychologie des personnages est très bien traitée, on échappe au stupide manichéisme où on est partagé entre les Méchants et les Gentils, sans nuances. Là ce n’est pas la cas, l’organisateur du complot sait parfaitement se servir des jalousies, des rancunes ou des chagrins pour recruter ses soutiens, et par moment on ne peut s’empêcher de comprendre comment le « traître » l’est devenu… Mais y a-t-il un seul cerveau ? Et quand on croit avoir décapité le complot, un léger détail, une réplique de 2 secondes laisse entendre que ce n’est peut-être pas le cas…
le président Parker se présentera-t-il ? On n’aura pas jusqu’au bout la réponse à la question et c’est très bien, car le drama est un tout, les 60 jours de l’intérim ! S’il se présente, eh bien c’est une autre histoire, celle-ci est finie, complète, avec son début de catastrophe et sa fin de mission menée à bien.
les acteurs sont tous parfaits, avec une mention spéciale bien sûr à Ji Jin Hee (président Park) qui réussit de main de maître à camper cet homme que rien ne préparait à ce poste mais qui, doté d’un solide sens du devoir soutenu par un esprit scientifique, réussit à inspirer le respect et à se sortir de situations épineuses sans y perdre son âme. Il est encadré par un beau casting, Son Sun Ku, le secrétaire général, Heo Jun Ho, qui pourrait être un mentor, Kang Han Na et Park Hoon,les agents du NIS et particulièrement Lee Joon Hyuk, le député indépendant Oh, le « miraculé » qui interprète avec justesse et finesse un personnage sombre mais qu’on ne peut pas détester.
Il y a aussi de beaux rôles de femmes, la cheffe de l’opposition, Bae Jong Hoc et l’agent du NIS Kang Han Na…

Je conseille fortement ce drama, jamais décevant, jamais ennuyeux malgré toute la mécanique politique constamment décortiquée, sans chute d’attention au milieu ni flashbacks inutiles, avec de belles scènes d’émotion, et surtout une fin juste, solide et concluante, ce qui pour une fin est la moindres choses .

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An amazing journey of self-discovery

I know there are at least a few people who are on the fence about starting this drama since it's heavy on politics and it's not everyone's cup of tea. It sure is not mine. Yet, here I am, loving this drama and recommending it to everyone. And here's why...

STORY
Would I call it realistic? Not really. Did it bother me that it was unrealistic? No. Why? Because it was cohesive and consistent. I know that political dramas can be boring for people who are just not interested in the topic, and that's why adding some unrealistic, but definitely grabbing the attention plot points made this drama more approachable for a wider audience.

The main point of the drama was the development and growth of the characters. It's a story of believing in yourself and what you stand for, fighting for the right. Discovering that just because there are winners, does not necessarily mean there must be losers. How to play the game that will make not only you achieve your goals, but also make everyone around you content. It's about slowly realizing your strengths and ways to use them. Figuring out that wanting something does not necessarily make you a bad person who is only led by greed. Many interesting lessons to learn with our main character. An amazing journey of self-discovery.

CHARACTERS & CAST
I was not sold on the idea of Ji Jin Hee being the lead of the whole drama. Especially after watching the first two episodes. Him being surrounded by all the strong and captivating side characters made me worried, if he can truly lead the whole show. And oh boy, I was wrong. Now I would say he was born for this role and he aced the character. Seeing Park Moo Jin slowly grow without giving up on his principles and beliefs was an amazing journey. It was refreshing to see a really smart main character that was also empathetic and, to put it simply, a good person.

It's also worth mentioning other characters that won my heart: Cha Young Jin, whom I loved to hate at the beginning and then just simply loved. Han Na Kyung who was the MVP of the badass team. Oh Young Seok, who made the drama even more thrilling to watch. Yoon Chan Kyung who was the true politician - I never knew where she was standing and what her motives were. Is she good? Is she bad? I guess you will find out for yourself, if you decide to watch it.

OTHER
The show also talks about some serious issues in a realistic and not patronizing way. It helps with understanding the reasoning for specific choices characters make. The cinematography and the way it was shot was beautiful. Definitely a high quality production. The music was good; it was not exactly grabbing my attention, but it's a political drama, the ost is not the main focus here. The ending was perfect, and everything I could wish for.

Overall, I did not expect to like this drama as much as I did, but it will probably stay as one of my favorites.

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If I had to describe this drama in one word, it would be grounded. The writers for this show did a nice job, it takes talent to balance tension, action, humour, and politics into one. On top of the great lines, I also enjoyed how the writers were able to take such an extreme situation and create a scenario that felt truly realistic. I found it so fascinating how the script interweaves a contemporary South Korea and the country's current political climate into its story. With that said, in the beginning I thought the pace of the show was too slow by focusing too much on the early days of the acting president and there were times I tuned out just a little bit. However, now having seen the ending I appreciate the pace of progression and how the show took its time to tell its story. I also thought certain characters could've have used more development/screen time, such as Oh Young Seok.

Now the best aspect of this drama is the ACTING, the show would be nothing without each and every member of the cast. Even the most minor actors really held their own. Each group had such a interesting and/or fun dynamic, especially all the secretaries and the NIS team. I would name my favourites, but I just have too many lol. Sometimes other dramas focus too much on the main actors, shafting the supporting characters. So what I really love about this show is that it really feels like an ensemble cast. What I mean by that is everybody has their moment, and has a role to play in the story.

If you like political dramas, then this is definitely for you. If not, then maybe move on because some people will definitely found this type of show as boring. As for me, I have to say that I really got sucked in into this drama! I haven't watched the original so I can't compare the two, but this adaptation definitely stands on its own.

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A great experience!

I have never been into political dramas before so it's my first political drama, actually I don't like politics it's pretty much that I hate but it's really amusing that even it was political drama I loved it.

It's a thriller drama and if you are looking for something fresh, light, romance it's not the right place for you, but if want to try something different it's definitely worth watching. When first I watched the trailer I wasn't sure if I should give it a try but I trusted my intuitions and thank god I did that because it was great journey for me I enjoyed a lot. I hooked in just episodes, I also liked the cliffhangers in the end of every episode. I loved the character development and the way of representation of story. Yeah there are many plot holes and many unanswered question in the end but despite that it's a great watch. You will be thrilled in the end that's what I'm sure of.

I don't re watch stuff so I have given low rating, the acting was convincing, the story was good and it can definitely hold you up to 16 episodes.

I won't say it's the best but it's indeed a good watch so I definitely recommend you, trust me if you not sucker for romance you will like it.

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this drama is an adaption from the book of same name and it has an American show of two seasons.
this is a consistent paced drama , from the first episode to last, you will feel like it going smoothly , without no dragging in the plot or story line. i must say that there were some plot holes in the story and in some parts things could have done better , but that doesn't effect the story much , only the realistic tone of the drama is affected. from the first episode, the characters are set continuously and i think even though they barely showed any back stories for most of the characters their acting pulled it off smoothly. for many Korean dramas they tend to show a lot of things in the first half , and stretch the plot in the last half , but this was not the case in this drama. each of the episodes was carefully linked to one another and has presented the chance to guess along with the show. it has a little things of showing flashback which was even though overdone added some pace to the drama ( you will always try to guess the outcome) and maybe for the original story , this drama was a little less predictable like any other drama , it didn't try to inflict suspicion on everyone though , it would have been mind boggling for the viewers, overall it was a well written drama , but that's why i wanted it to be better but it managed to get me excited over each episode, and it has very little and well showed romance between the characters , i cant tell enough how i loved that so much
for the acting , every actor was mind blowing , even though i hadn't seen any of their works. they executed their role perfectly , each of the characters. i wished there would be more action scenes and a little bit more mystery , but it is strong drama which managed to pull of despite some setbacks , watch it you will not regret if you like the synopsis. some said that the ending was a bit messy because they didn't cleared things up that much , but if you look the dialogues in the last part of agent han it makes sense

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For someone who dislikes political dramas I surprisingly enjoyed this a lot! I started the first episode while playing games and just because i had to wait for something and had nothing better to do, but from the middle this drama made me lift my head, lift my eyes from the phone and stare at the screen. I did skip some parts though as sometimes their talks were getting longer and sometimes i just couldn't understand the political stuff. I can't say this will be my favorite drama, but I can honestly say that I enjoyed it.

What I liked:

- Kang han na and her investigation
-President's wife!!!!!! who i loved her. She was strong and independent! I loved how Park Mu Jin always asked for an advice form her.
-President couple. They were amazing very supportive healthy family!!! Such an amazing relationship!!!!!
-seol ji hwan and his hacking (I totally shipped him with han na kyeong)
-Ji Jin Hee. He acted so well as the president. As someone who is totally not suited in politics and onto someone who is a true leader.
- Secretary Cha xD he was funny they way he anxiously and nervously talked was also funny but it added seasoning to the drama, i liked it.
- the third NIS agent. he was nice
-The guy who dealt with press as spokes person. He was so nice and funny lol
-the political ending it was really well-made

What I didn't like:

-a bit long and a bit boring at times.
-too many dying without answers and without meaning...
-Oh Yeon Seok Assemblyman's driver lol
-Tailor Kim's end
-The investigation ending!!! it was so hopeless and seemed like everything was in vain without proper answers.


I haven't seen the american version and people who have seen it say this drama wasn't good in comparison. But I think they tailored the drama onto Korean Government really well! just from the start and throughout the drama it discussed sensitive issues of Korean government and it was really interesting.
I also enjoyed the investigation part a lot!! It was very interesting to follow their path!
For the ending however i would like to divide my score. 10 for political ending and 6 for the terrorism investigation ending.

Plot was really well balanced the the whole concept of the story is very interesting.
Characters were very interesting and diverse. I loved how in the end we didn't have completely bad characters. All were people! I would like to say a tiny bit about that because in drama "watcher"'s review i told that it was not good because it was grey without characters being good or bad. I think, there they didn't pull it off well, while here so made it really well interesting and balanced. They were not grey they were people with lots of colors in them.
I want to give two Honorable mentions to women! well actually three! The political woman President Yun! Wow she did her job so well! Until the end i didn't know is she good or bad, and I still don't, she is just an ambitious woman, amazing! Wife of our newly made fresh president. She was amazing i totally loved how he always asked for advice! and of course Han Na Kyong agent! she was strong and smart. She kept investigating until the end and it was great!

All the actors did soooo well playing their roles.

Overall the only thing this was lacking is a more satisfying conclusion of the whole terror incident.

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genuinely didn't expect to fall in love with this drama as much as i did. i had heard about the us original series from some friends who really enjoyed it, so me being me, i decided to check out the korean version when it started airing instead of the og (also on netflix!). i think that was the best decision ever.

this was the first legit political drama i've ever watched, and to say it has set a high bar is a grand understatement. i loved so much of the drama - the story + mystery, how well paced it was, how each scene was filled to the brim with tension even though it was just a few characters talking. but what really set this drama apart was the character work.

we're taken along on park mu jin's (ji jin hee's) journey from low ranked cabinet member to the president of korea, and we get the privilege to watch him navigate the world of politics while trying to maintain his dignity and morals. i learned so much along with him and appreciated being able to see some of the humanity behind the politicians (but also was taken aback by much of the cruelty) of people in authority.

what i loved as much as president park - honestly probably more - was the supporting cast. son seok koo as secretary cha was magnetic. i couldn't stand him in the beginning, and truly believed him to just be another political shark. then the layers were slowly peeled away and what's revealed is a passionate young man with ambitious political dreams of changing his country, his government, for the better. even though his exterior makes him seem like a seasoned politician, always acting in the most opportunistic way to get the poll numbers up, at his core he has clung onto an honestly childlike dream throughout it all. he is probably my favorite character of the show, and i'm so on the secretary cha/jung ship!!!!!

the rest of the presidential core staff was a delight. from the speaker of the house (lee moo saeng) to the president aid (? i don't know the labels very well), each character had their own little moments to shine and gave us closer looks into their characters. although we couldn't spend as much time with each as i would have liked - honestly i would happily watch 50 episodes of them - each actor imbued their character with enough nuance that they all felt fleshed out and real.

i can't end this without talking about kang han na as han na kyung, the tenacious, whip-smart NIS agent. what a badass. what a babe. i adore her. i wish we had more female characters like her on the screen! she's written so well. every action she did felt real and grounded in her character, and kang han na portrayed her wonderfully.

truly an amazing show. this was the best kind of surprise for me - went in expecting so little, and came out completely blown away. will there be a season 2? i partly hope so...but at the same time, i don't want this perfection tarnished.

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Let's be honest... I'm not the type of person who are fonds of politics. But due to the very high review, I tried watching it. And I did not regret it even a bit! It's by far my fav kdrama!
All this while when I read about politics, all I see is a title. Nothing more than that. But after watching this, I see it differently. I see political people pov, how it's not as easy to cater to the people wishes vs nation safety, how the media tend to exaggerate things and cause panic, and kinda make me wonder.. Is there actually a political person who is so selfless and care about the people like president Park mu jin? (I highly doubt so)

I did not expect I will cry watching this drama. There are so many instances that actually make me cry. From sadness, disappointment, touched. It's all there. This drama just pull out all possible feeling you could feel.
And this is also the first time that I actually, really really wanted to vote for someone. I just love this drama. It's just so beautiful. The character development, the mystery, the suspense. It's a complete package. I highly recommend this drama.

As for rewatch value, you already know what gonna happen and everything, so the excitement might not be there. But heyy, at least you can enjoy the character development :)

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If there is a word to describe this drama, it is disappointment.

This drama had a lot of potential, an interesting plot, an amazing cast and outstanding photography.

Then what failed?

The plotholes, the execution and the aggressive propaganda. This drama lacks soul.

The premise is very interesting: a terror attack kills the president and all government ministers, except for the minister of Environment, Park Moo Jin, who is then tasked with running the country for 60 days and brining the perpetrators to justice. Sounds great, doesn't it?

One of the main issues here is that you don't feel any tension, neither in the Blue House nor in the country. If something like this actually happened, there would be political instability, chaos and riots, but in this drama citizens just exist to slander our poor acting president Park on social networks, and not seeing his true worth. President Park is perfect, always knows best and never makes mistakes, even though he has not experience in politics. Even when he is reckless, results are always good. So it's not actually recklessness but endless wisdom, yay! This made the drama very predictable in this regard, but nevertheless interesting. The drama also has many plotholes and leaves important chunks unexplained on purpose. This was, in my view, a big mistake.

Another issue is that the drama focuses too much on the allegedly "progressive" politics of president Park rather than in finding who is behind the attack and why. So this drama is more of a political drama rather than a thriller. I love political dramas, but the premise of this drama doesn't suit a solely political drama. This issue is gravely compounded by a strong extremist agenda pushing, taken to such absurd lengths to the point it takes a huge, irreversible toll in an otherwise outstanding plot. Political agenda pushing is poison for entertainment, even more so when it's extreme and the plot is actually subordinated to it.

The cast is outstanding, and did an overall great job, especially Ji Jin Hee. Bae Jong Ok also stands out in what it seems to be one of the best roles of her acting career. The issue is that most characters are not deep at all, and they have no backstories, except for the lead. You can't understand their feelings or personalities. This, along with a poor script, led to a poor execution of which actors are not actually responsible.

I am sadly not exaggerating when I say this drama has been one of my biggest disappointments ever, if not the biggest. It had a lot of potential, a great cast and outstanding photography that have been thrown away by poor writing and political agenda pushing.

I am rating this drama a 4.5. This is my lowest score ever for a drama (the second lowest is 6.5). The positive aspects are unfortunately not enough for this drama to pass.

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