The Penthouse (2020)

Proceed with caution, if that makes sense.

'The Penthouse' is an SBS drama series which has been planned to have a total of 3 seasons. The show focuses on the lives of high society people who live in a luxurious apartment named the 'Hera Palace'. They'd do anything to protect their social status-- even if it means that they have to kill someone.

3 seasons feel like a big stretch while the 1st season itself has 21 episodes. So, should you buckle up and watch 3 whole seasons of this show? Is it all worth it?

Firstly, let's talk about the plot. The first season of The Penthouse focuses on a murder mystery, a revenge plot and introduces its variety of characters to the viewers. A good revenge plot and a murder mystery is fun to watch, but does this show fall into the 'well-done' category? If you think logic and basic sense of knowledge, this show's plot lacks at that. Many conflicts made in the show would be quickly solved only if the writer had applied more common sense and logic to the story. However, the frequent plot twists and unpredictable situations definitely makes up for it. On the other hand, let's talk about the characters. Where do I even get started? The Penthouse sounds similar to the hit 2018 drama Sky Castle in many aspects. However, the characters of The Penthouse draw a big line. One moment you'd think one character in The Penthouse couldn't get worse, and then BOOM, the character turns out to be a whole lot more worse and just insane at one point. Most of The Penthouse characters don't have much sense of morality and they have very little humanity in them. One thing you need to acknowledge, is that no character in this show truly have a development or redemption. Is that a bad thing, you may think? Well, it depends on what kind of a viewer you are. Now you might also be thinking that how will you be able to watch something with 21 episodes where 9 out of 10 characters on an average are despicable? The evil characters and their insane actions make this show unpredictable, crazy and extremely addicting. You'll undoubtedly be hooked to it despite of the hatred it'll make you feel. This drama, in short, is an intense and over-exaggerated 'makjang' (soap opera), that is one of the most dramatic shows you'll get to watch. I believe anyone will finds themselves totally engrossed into the show-- as long as you don't take it too seriously.

Finally, about the acting. Many people will have issues with the acting and I have to admit, it is quite over-the-top at times. There's a whole lot of screaming, crying, throwing tantrums (or basically breaking stuff), shooting lazers from the eyes and a lot of... opera? I personally believe the acting style was pretty good and suited the plot well, and if I had to do a special mention, it'd be Kim So Yeon, who plays the role of Cheon Seo Jin. Her character is crazy, ruthless and one of the worst. And while Kim So Yeon's acting is also over-exaggerated, her overall performance was brilliant. The rest of the cast was great too, indeed.

For the music, I'd say it wasn't anything outstanding but it did the work pretty well. The scores they had suited the scenes perfectly and helped to set the dramatic mood much further. It would've done better for the show commercially if they had a memorable OST like the ones in 'Sky Castle' and 'The World of The Married'.

Overall, my rating for the first season of 'The Penthouse' is a good ol' 8 out of 10. 8 is a quite high score for me, so do I recommend this show? I do recommend. But, I personally believe it depends on what sort of viewer you are, as I mentioned earlier. You will either love and embrace the insanity of this show or you will not be able to tolerate it more than the first 3 episodes. But in the end, the question remains, is it worth for 3 seasons? That also depends on you but I personally doubt I'll be continuing. But then again, I might change my mind in the future when I'm in need of 100x stress and high blood pressure for no reason because I like pain :'). Thanks a lot for reading this excessively large and spoiler-free review, if anyone did read it and find it helpful!

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Penthouse was a really peculiar experience for me, something that I haven't encountered in my journey through dramaland yet. A full blown makjang extraordinaire, the closest thing to grotesque, truly faithful to its baroque provenance - extreme, excessive, contradictory and uncomfortable to watch. So, fortunately, it completely fits my preferences, but generally speaking it's not the easiest thing to swallow.

The writers of this drama don't want to spare their audience, they don't play easy. This is a show full of twists and turns, exaggerated acting, hilariously absurd scenes and plot resolutions, irony and overall over-the-topness. Classical music playing in the distance while the red wine is tossed around the table and the characters slap each other. You're gonna either retreat in disgust seeing that combination or you'll end up loving every second of this on-screen madness spectacle.

On the surface it's all about the glam and gore, but it's not completely shallow as it might seem. It's a well known story about the destructive nature of greed and a satire on classism and the invincible regime of The Rich™. We have the class of bad bourgeoisie, corrupted and rotten to the core, with Joo Dan Tae in the lead. He's more of an idea, the personification of Evil that rules in this big Moloch-like castle that is Hera Palace. The building itself is very symbolic too, it rules over the city as the highest and the most luxurious/desireable residential building in the city, but its nothing more than a devilish machine that devours its residents and transform them into greedy and inhumane versions of themselves . They're all a part of the system of injustice that either destroy the poor and weak (Min Seol A) or corrupt their mind too (Oh Yoon Hee). Every character in this show is more or less despicable and we truly love to hate on them all. From the evil mastermind Dan Tae, witchy Seo Jin and her Lady Macbeth-esque descent into madness to naive and easily manipulated Yoon Hee. Even the audience's sweetheart Su Ryeon is not completely flawless. And the sad conclusion that's left at the end of the show is that in the end there is no escape from the creepling evilness. You can try, you can fight and the skies will eventually side with the rich. But for how long? Well, we will see in the next seasons!

What I truly loved about this show were the little bits of absolutely random comedic scenes. They were surreal and hilarious (with the lucha libre kidnapping being my absolute favorite), but somehow fit the mood of the entire show. And I felt like it was a reminder that this show is not 100% serious and should be treated that way. We love a self-aware makjang!

The only thing that bothered me was the entire subplot of kids. Well, it wasn't a subplot per se, as the kids played a major role in the whole plot (as a catalyst of Min Seol A tragedy, their parents weakness and kind of a deterministic effect of their parent's flawed parenting), but I felt like it stood out from the main plot that took place in the "adult world". Especially interactions between the kids themselves, it felt like a separate story. And the writing in this part was really weak. Some characters didn't make sense (Ro Na especially), so it was hard to watch.

Writing was kinda bumpy for me in general. The beginning was fantastic, really well connected events, logical (even for this drama!) consequences and reactions from the characters. But the ending felt really flat with too much information given in the last minute and too convenient plot resolutions. Also (please, don't kill me for that hot take!) I feel like some actors went a little overboard with their exaggerated acting. Yes, it fits this type of show, but I felt like they relied too much on screams, evil smirks and wide opened eyes. Even when the seamless transitions between these expressions were truly outstanding (Kim So Yeon), it really loose its impact when it's repeated few times .

Overaly it's such a fun show. If you're willing to abandon logic and embrace the madness of this drama, it's gonna be a time well spent. But beware, it's really addictive!

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Messy Execution!

The only reason I finished the drama was Li Ji Ah's character, Shim Soo Ryun, and her quest to avenge the death of her daughter. I wanted to watch her journey and I was rewarded when she achieved her goal. The rest...sadly were just fluff, full of over-the top vile, despicable characters from the bullying teens, to the screeching like banshees parents who lacked class, finesse and intelligence. I don't know if this is a culture in Korea but the truly wealthy people do not behave like them. So many unnecessary filler scenes with continuous bullying by the kids as well as the adults that I, like some of the viewers here, constantly rolled my eyes. The exhibited behaviour from most of the characters was so infantile that I was wondering if the writer is a fan of reality TV "real housewives" where people pull each other's hair.

It's almost comical that these rich families are figuratively cutting each other's throat so their children can be the best opera singer. To be a great singer like Maria Callas and Kiri Te Kanawa requires real talent and the truly best diva sopranos in the world are so few that you can count them with your fingers. Children of the wealthy are normally groomed to be the heir of their family's fortunes. So the idea that these families, residing in one building, all obsessed with their children's singing is not only silly and ridiculous but unrealistic.

The breath of fresh air in this drama was Li Ji Ah. Her acting was perfect and she was so classy as Shim So Ryun. Even the way she carried herself, the way she talked , her mannerisms, her clothes reeked with elegance, sophistication and high class. I'll only watch the succeeding seasons 2 and 3 if she's in it.

Season ending sucks!

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WARNING! This drama is not good for easily angered and sensitive people.

I 100 recommend this drama but, as you can see in my headline - WARNING! it not good for easily angered and sensitive people. I'm sensitive and easily mad myself but I chose to still watch.
I would have given up this drama long time ago but the plot just keeps me wanting for more.
EDIT > Story - It was frustrating at first however it getting good but Min Seol Ah didn't deserve all that.
Theme Song [Life by Hedy - Crown by Ha Jin] 10/10.
Acting - tbh Ha Eun Byul is not bad, just her face expressions when she's mad be throwing me off but her crying is on point like her mom's (Cheon Seo Jin).
Cast - the main and support roles are all good looking. Fighting :)!!

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I will try my best to mention everything without any spoilers, so I apologize that this is a tad bit long, but an excellent drama deserves a long review!

To start: I love this drama. How the story unfolds perfectly with each episode, to how the characters carry the story with their actions, this drama is perfect. For me, enjoyment is the main factor to determine if I like a drama or not. If there are a few inconsistencies but I ended up enjoying watching despite them, I will still like a drama. For Penthouse, there were a few things here and there that I think could have been done differently, but I didn't dislike the drama less because of it like I usually would for others. There were barely any inconsistencies that ended up enjoying every moment I watched enjoyable.

Story:
As long as a makjang drama is done right and makes sense, I don't mind how dramatic it comes off as. For Penthouse, it had the right blend of insanity with the plot and characters which made it work well (for me). What I love about this drama is how it's not predictable. Sometimes it comes off like you know what's going to happen, but then it throws you off-board by going down a path least respected. The overall flow of the drama was something I also really liked, as it never felt slow but at the same time it didn't feel like things were happening so fast. It had the perfect pacing, which helped keep me on board and made me enjoy the drama more. Another thing I really liked was how each prominent character gets focused on for a few sets of episodes instead of the story of each character getting told in the same episode. Because of this, each episode doesn't feel jam-packed and is able to properly tell the character's story without rushing anything. Overall, the plot was extremely enjoyable and constantly fascinated me which made me enjoy it more than I thought I would

Characters:
One of the bests things about this drama is no doubt its characters. Not just the three leading ladies (Soo Ryeon, Seo Jin, and Yoon Hee), but the leading men and the supporting characters are what make this drama spectacular. The acting is well done that sometimes I forget to separate the characters from the actors since the portrayal of each character felt so real. I also applaud the younger casts for how well they did with the intense script they were given. Penthouse gives you characters to like, characters to hate, and characters where you can choose whether you want to support or not. This balance makes the character ensemble interesting and enjoyable to watch, as you never know what will happen or what each will do.

Others:
Despite only getting to 3 OST's, both of them, especially Crown, was really good and fit the drama well. I also like the usage of classical music, which fits the overall drama extremely well. I also really like the design of Hera Palace, and even forgot a few times that It was completely made of for this drama.

One thing for sure is that this drama is not for everyone. If you're one that gets easily enraged or is sensitive then this drama might not be for you because of how intense and "dramatic" it is. However, I don't think because of that this drama should be labeled as "bad," since that is a preference.

Final Thoughts:
Penthouse will go down as not only one of the most intense dramas I've ever watched but also as one of my favorites of all time. The intense, unpredictable but fascinating plot captivated me and made me excited each week for new episodes. Penthouse was a drama that I didn't anticipate as much as others, but I ended up loving it more than the ones I anticipated.

I can't wait to see what happens next in season 2!

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Climb up a mountain but fall off a cliff

Everything went off a cliff towards the end. By knowing there will be two more seasons I could predict the events simply based on other failed TV series. This is why I wait for the whole season to come out. Season 2 will be a disaster since there is nothing left to build on. This is a very poor attempt at cash-grab.
The story build up nicely. The actings are superb. The production is great. It has so much potential from the beginning toward the climax. However, the materials are only good for one season of around 15 episodes. 21 episodes is already a stretch let alone 2 more seasons. A lot more characters and settings should have been added. The power balance disappear toward the end for convient plot - the classic Korean season ending.

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Provocative like a tiktok star cutting his wrest to get viewers!

Sorry this is gonna annoy many.
Over rated- over the top- very hysterical, and I'm not gonna talk about about how it's visually and audioably stunning coz those are the main good things about it.
A group of ugly souls eagerly to climb the social stairs to the top, mainly they worship the cult image of themselves in the eyes of others in this sociopathic society. Everyone is black in heart, with no shade of light.
first character is a woman thinks very high of herself, she is unstable, with unsafe personality, she is ok with cheating her husband, but can't stand him cheating her!
BAD ACTING, that's it! All she's doing is screaming and eye- laser everyone, not even one good scene.. Among all of this screen presence many of her scenes were meaningless and stretched to the edge. YET kudos to the makeup artist for making her looks like a real villain coming out of comic book.
The male lead is germ phobic who treats lower people like germs that should be eliminated. Great actor, kudos for the restrained subtle performance and for not screaming and yelling around like the rest of the crew.
Too many similarities with Sky Castle, yet Sky castle was a satirical drama mainly focused on education system and the characters there were multi- dimensional unlike here! Most of them are one dimensional personas they are bad, obsessed, and really creepy.
And seriously what's with the forgiving attitude of the mother towards the killer of her own child?! And how come she suddenly becomes this manipulative!
The poor lady on the other hand, though she is so loud and hysterical. Her soul is contaminated with anger, loss, and grudge that motivate her to avenge and overcome her nemeses.
Like father like son/ Like mother like daughter. And this is the summary of the second generation. Only the son in the twins seems to have grey shades in his personality, but I dunno I felt he and his sister share an incestuous affair, or at least feeling. His feelings towards RO Na might be considered as his door towards a better life style without all this evilness.
Somehow I felt I'm watching the Koren vr. of GOT! All the characters are conflicting and the weaks fall down the way till the end. Old theme but always works.
For some reason everyone screams, no one speaks in calm or low tune at all, and the music is so orchestral, I think if the main leads were going to the toilet, an instrument of orchestral high notes will accompany them. Also the dialogue was so theatrical and over the top all the time.
The last twist felt really forced to me, are you guys sure this one was written originally ad 3 seasons? I felt it was meant to be only 1 but the writer is stretching it out of investment method not an artistic one.
P.s: Half of the budget of this drama was spent on the glass and ceramics that the actors broke in every tantrums they had!
pros: make up- art directing- male main lead- production
cons: writing- acting

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Desperate attempts from the production

This drama is nothing like any other korean drama i've watched. At first it makes me eager to know what happened to all the villains characters in it but in the end they decided to keep the audiences by continuing to season 2 which is for me unnecessary because in season 1 they drag and spin the story line too much . I think the director/production are so desperate in attempts to make it a hit drama. It has no originality, trying to copy sky castle drama by not being better but horrible at it.The fact that they tried to copy sky castle already annoyed me so much because in sky castle the riches wants their kids to continue studies in medic, which is makes sense but in this drama the compete to be soprano singers? Like wth?
If you like all the screaming, dramatic and overly react acting, then you can watch this drama. Nearly the end, I feel so sick of watching all the screaming scenes. If you asked me whether it worth to watch, I said no. The only thing good about this drama is the actress play their roles so well and they are all suited with the characters in the drama.

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what you should do if you're too scared to watch it

This drama is so good! I would heavily recommend if you don't get scared easily. The story is quite unsettling and disturbing, so if you get easily scared, don't watch it by yourself. As a person who normally watches rom-coms and school dramas, the difference between those dramas and this one is quite big. I would suggest to watch another drama to warm up to this one. For me, Tempted/The Great Seducer was a good bridge. Something to watch out for is that the whole story is just messed up. So, you might not feel scared and then you might suddenly get that freaked out feeling. Although it is definitely scary, I would say that it's not to the point of any nightmares.

Everything about this drama felt like a masterpiece. The story, acting/cast, music and rewatch value all deserved 10. But overall I would give it a 9 because a lot of the deleted scenes were so cute and important. This caused some characters to be underdeveloped. I also misunderstood some characters and got confused at some point in the story. I only got to fully appreciate the story and the characters after watching the deleted scenes.

bonus: the soundtrack was good

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Not a boring moment- entertaining but enraging!

To preface, this is a makjang genre, where everything is intended to be overdramatic and over-the-top, so I didn't think too much of plot holes bc at the end of the day, it is a makjang. Some have compared it to Sky Castle but on dr*gs.

With that said in mind, WOW. From the first episode, I was hooked but imo ep 2 is monumental! One of THE craziest episodes I've ever watched. In every single episode, you WILL experience all the emotions- but anger is the most common. Never has my anger levels whilst watching a drama risen this much.

You WILL want to reach through the screen and slap *almost* every character at one point.. but that is the essence of the drama that captivated me to binge. Not a single moment was boring, and there is a perfect mix of scenes that will make you laugh, scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat and scenes where you are shocked and angry. There are a lot of hilarious scenes too, thanks to many comedic characters.
Acting, for me personally, was pretty good as I did detest many of the characters. SeoJin actress was amazing esp compared to how different she is in real life (watched her appearance in Running Man ep530).
Can't wait for the next season!

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psychotic and emotional roller coaster ride drama that is not meant for people with anger issues

AMAZING PLOT, PLOT TWISTS AND ACTING and in my opinion, the best kdrama in 2020
This drama made me cry so much when I sympathised with the characters and made me so mad at ALL (except 2) characters at the same time till the point I want to punch all of them in EVER EPISODE like I got mad at them since episode 2 no joke. I'm quite impatient so it was a risk to watch this drama because i get angry very easily but once you start, there's no way to go back - I don't know how people can drop this drama once they reach episode 2.

Every episode is so intense you can't help but be glued to your seat when watching this and it is so addictive to the point where you can't skip. The acting of the actors are TOP TIER LEVEL especially the main 3 female characters - Lee Ji Ah, Eugene and Kim So Yeon. I get goosebumps everytime they act especially when Kim So Yeon's character goes crazy like its soooooo good. the supporting characters like even the teenagers in the show have such good acting skills

This drama is amazing, crazy and intense. People who aren't watching this are MISSING OUT BIG TIME

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