Flower of Evil (2020)

Sombre et magnifique

Depuis le temps que je lisais des articles et retours sur ce drama, je me suis lancée ! Et je n'ai pas regretté.

En lien avec moi même, j'avoue, j'ai eu du mal. Et non pas du fait de la qualité de ce drama qui ne se discute pas, mais du fait de son côté sombre, et lourd. J'avais l'estomac noué à chaque épisode, et de plus en plus en avançant dans celui-ci. Mais je le redis encore, cela est du à mon côté sensible.

Car je dois dire que ce drama est vraiment magnifique et de qualité : L'histoire, le jeu des acteurs, sublime.
L'ambiance, est magnifique, on oscille tout le temps entre deux émotions, deux questions, et on finit souvent perdu ou pantelant les épisodes.

Tout est très bien ficelé et la morale concernant le mal que peut faire les préjugés sur les gens sans les connaitre est poignante.

On souffre clairement tout au long du drama avec Lee Joon Gi, on adore le personnage de Moon Chae Won et on la comprend tellement dans chaque phase qu'elle passe…
On aime chacun des rôles secondaires qui ont tous des cicatrices à porter, une histoire, et du coup, on s'attache à eux.

Bref, clairement, même quand on est une sensiblounette comme moi, c'est un drama à voir.

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Grave erreur : épouser une policière quand on a un passé trouble...

En cours de visionnage :
Grave imprudence que d’épouser une policière de talent quand on vit sous une fausse identité avec un passé pour le moins sulfureux !! Mais sans ça, pas de drama, donc, ne nous arrêtons pas à cette bizarrerie, et entrons dans l’histoire, ce qui est facile, car elle est très prenante et palpitante, au moins jusqu’à l’épisode 7 où je suis arrivée !
je peux déjà dire que Lee Jun Ki retrouve là son grand talent, dans un personnage ambigu essayant à tout instant d’être « comme les autres » et surtout d’en donner l’image ! Les sociopathes ou personnes ayant un trouble de la personnalité sociale sont vraiment à la mode ces derniers temps dans les dramas ! On comprend assez vite que Do Hyun So est infirme du côté des émotions, qu’il ne les ressent pas mais doit constamment les deviner et les jouer… Mais cependant il comprend la nécessité de faire des efforts pour certaines personnes auxquelles il tient, et pour lui c’est ce qui se rapproche le plus de l’amour. Lee Jun Ki est particulièrement bluffant dans ce personnage que le scénariste a très bien écrit, sans exagérations, ni de mélodrame.

Une fois fini :
Le drama m’a tenu en haleine jusqu’au bout, répondant au fur et à mesure aux questions qu’on se pose, questions qui d’ailleurs apparaissent elles aussi au fur et à mesure. J’ai beaucoup aimé l’équipe des policiers autour de Cha Ji Won, à la fois rigoureux, mais ne manquant ni de cœur ni de cohésion. J’ai aussi aimé Cha Ji Won, qui, au fur et à mesure de ses découvertes hésite entre tout lâcher, puis ne pas abandonner son mari, et cette position incertaine est tout à fait plausible ! Encore une fois compliments chaleureux à LJK, en particulier dans ses scènes avec son enfant, où on le voit découvrir un univers mental qu’il ignorait complètement…
Par contre je mets un bémol sur la famille des « méchants », ils sont peu crédibles, je trouve, car pourquoi se comporter de cette façon avec son fils si on ne veut pas éveiller des soupçons ? Et le « méchant ultime » est vraiment too much, je n’y croyais pas trop, et l’acteur non plus ! Avec tous les psychopathes dont les Kdramas nous abreuvent en ce moment, c’est un des moins intéressant et c’est dommage qu’on n’en ai pas plus vu sur sa relation avec son mentor !! Là il y avait quelque chose d’intéressant à creuser, mais on sent bien que le scénariste ne s’intéressait qu’à LJK ce qui déséquilibre l’histoire ! On a droit à l’amnésie, ça faisait longtemps que je ne l’avais pas vue, elle ! Mais je dois dire que là elle était parfaitement argumentée et son évolution est très intelligemment faite !
Pour finir, la fin : elle est très bien, touchante et émouvante juste ce qu’il faut !

Le bande son est belle, comme toujours il y a la hurleuse de service qui intervient juste dans la scène où on aurait besoin de silence, avec en plus comme c’est Viki les paroles en dessous, des fois qu’on serait trop bête pour comprendre les sentiment sans qu’on nous les hurle dans les oreilles !

Bref, c’est quand même un très bon drama dans le genre socio-psycho-pathes…

D’ailleurs ça commence à bien faire : après les maladies incurables, puis les greffes du cœur, on eu la prosoagnosie, et maintenant le fils du psychopathe portant la croix de son destin maudit… Faudrait voir à trouver autre chose !

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Worth watching!!

Brilliant. Gripping. Exhilarating. On the edge of my seat. Addictive. Unforgettable.

I'm not the type to watch crime dramas as they tend to bore me after the 2nd episode or don't interest me enough to continue since there's a lot of repetition with specific topics. However, this series has managed to change my perspective on the genre. It continued to surprise me and I couldn't stop obsessing over how much I enjoyed it!

Holy moly where do i even start!? This is one of those dramas where you can't predict what happens next which is both frustrating and exciting at the same time. Flower of Evil gets better and better with each episode. Never once was I bored while watching this, every moment was thrilling. It exceeded my expectations and I loved every second of it!

Every scene is interesting, with each episode ending on BIG cliff hangers that get me excited for the next episodes and give me something to look forward to. The plot is well done and there are many unexpected twists throughout it, constantly keeping me on the edge of my seat and eager to see what happens next.

The two main leads are phenomenal. Lee Joongi's acting is incredible, I never doubted his skills but damn he's good! Moon Chaewon too, she performed her character very well and at times I could almost feel what she was feeling, it was that good. This is one of my all time favourite pairings in a drama, their chemistry and development is amazing!!

Even if you aren't a fan of crime, there's a high chance you'll still enjoy this one! It's got a sprinkle of everything. The story's unique and refreshing, it's fast-paced and straight to the point, very interesting, definitely recommend watching.

P.S. some scenes are a bit disturbing, just a heads up for those not into that!

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" I'll like you alot from here on, I'll be good to you for real..." Moon Chae Won

IN SHORT:
It's an amazing humane drama with an incredibly beautiful narrative. The dialogues are so well versed they hit right into the heart! The quiet heartwarming background piano (sometimes violin mixed too) makes the past flashbacks scenes very alluring and majestic. Those first scenes (the flashbacks) are one of my top favorite bits of each episode!

The production was the definition of perfection till the drama's last breath! Kudos to Directors, Screenwriters, Composers and Actors, especially our beloved Moon Chae Won and LEE JOON GI. They did an outstanding job bringing the characters to life, Do Hyun Su's character was an especially hard one to pull, he truly deserves much love!

IN LENGTH:
The story takes it's time to develop the characters in the first few episodes, and the situation quickly escalates! You'll be surprised how much you're invested by the time the tragic strings of events begin!

The plot is about one man who wants to find the meaning of happiness for once, after dress rehearsing tragedy, in his entire life before! And a woman who wants such happiness for the man she is head over heels in love with!

After turning over his life, 18 years later in the present, he is pretty much what a perfect husband is expected to be! Doing too well to say! Everything is about to get ruined by a sudden turn of event that leads to uncovering his past! which seems to be filled up with misfortunes in more than one way!

The drama takes it's time to develop the main characters in present, while hinting about what could have happened in the past without giving too much spoiler early to fuel our adrenaline secretion, then suddenly we are thrown back to the past to only realize what actually is important is not what we were looking forward to the most! It's a whole different disheartening story that takes a creative take on self-inflicted misery, taking blame, and finding a middle ground for one's well being and happiness!

Acting is top notch! Lee Joon Gi as Baek Hee Seong is top notch! He looks totally dependable, manly and more than anything, a lovely dad! Whereas portraying Do Hyun Su couldn't be better executed! He looks so much younger now, and has a gaze that says the world about him, adorable and painfully cool in his yellow hair style!

Moon Chae Won is doing wonder with her acting! She has the kind of shaky, mellow voice that has emotions breathing out while she talks! She is an amazing actress who wonderfully fills the role of a very caring strong woman, Cha Ji Won, seeking happiness above all else for her family! She looks beautiful and mature, it's always great to see her again in a new drama!

I'm just gonna say! the music is just too perfect! From the incredibly suspenseful tracks "Flower of Evil" and "Switched Destiny" to the melo tracks "Upcoming Shadow" "Hard Relationship" to my most favorite track in this album "Cherry Blossom Kiss" which starts weird, mysterious and full of anxiety and emptiness, then it paces up to a sweeter tone then a more joyful and bright tone, which goes perfectly with Do Hyun Soo's character journey within the drama

We also have the feel nostalgic poetic piano track "Someone to Be Remembered" by Jung Se Rin (I noticed he has also composed the unbelievably beautiful track "When Mind Wants to Rest" from Naui Ahjussi)

There are only three songs on the entire album. (One of them "Psycho" by DOKO, being used only as an ending theme for the episodes and it's very catchy and goes well with the epic clifhangers.)

I have to say the remaining two are the most beautiful songs released in a drama this year! They aren't ever overused and it only plays when you really start to crave a song! They have that kinda impact!

"Feel You" by Shin Yong Jae is one of those two songs and it really deserves all the awards! Mark my words! An unexpressed love confession with lyrics beautifully wording out the feelings he has no idea sorting out for himself!
The melody is especially sad yet thrilling and makes our heart skipping beats! You can't tell what it exactly makes you feel, probably to reflect how Hyun Su can't distinguish between his own emotions, even in those moments his heart races like he is in pain!

"In My Heart" by LIM YEON is also a wonderful love poem, describing what Ji Won is feeling towards Hyun Su, and how even if her heart comes crashing down, she will face it, as long as it's love, she will be there, for her love!

I would probably re-watch this drama many times! It's that good. Tho the mystery element will be gone, it still has lots of suspense and drama to enjoy.

Highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers and those who enjoy subtle romance plot-lines! A Must Watch Definitely.

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NEXT LEVEL masterpiece

I absolutely have no words if you really haven't watched it yet or even considered. This drama is hands down the best kdrama of the year.

Acting:
NEXT LEVEL. I remember Moon Chae Won from her ''Innocent Guy'' Days and her performance back then was already good, but her performance in this drama. I am speechless, maybe she's even the best actress I know. You really feel with her when she's sad or happy and how she just acts every scene like SPOT ON and really cries with her heart, as if she's going thru herself (even heard she lost some weight throughout the episodes because she really was into her role). QUEEN. I hope that she gets more recognition and good roles because GURL SHE CAN ACT!!!

Lee Joon Gi was also very outstanding as the female lead. I was baffled how well he played his role since it is so difficult to have those cold eyes but idk happy aura with you. Furthermore was the FL and he really on one acting level, they weren't actors who played the role. THEY WERE THEIR ROLE.

And then Baek Hee Sung. Wow. Just WOW. I was sincerely really scared of him. Especially when he killed his maid. I was just sitting there, my hands covering my mouth and motionless. He was so good, that I cannot even imagine him being kinda normal. This role was so perfect for him and the directors couldn't get anyone better for the role.

I cannot praise the cast enough, because it was such an outstanding performance! The cast was perfectly and carefully selected. They didn't choose anyone who couldn't act or wasn't on this drama's level. HECK, even Baek Hee Sung's parents were so good like I legit cried at the ending scene (ep.16) when the dad went nuts.

Story:
Normally I'm really not into Thrillers and Mystery. I'm a sucker for romance, but the storyline got me hooked from episode one and I just couldn't stop watching. No plot hole, no questions, straight-up genius, and well-thought drama. It is a drama for everyone. Thriller, Mystery, Drama, and Love.

Music:
BEAUTIFUL. It matched perfectly the drama's vibe and intensified some scenes very well. Even just listening to 'Shin Yong Jae - 'Feel You'' makes my heart feel so painful. HONESTLY. Song with emotion and pain.

Rewatch Value:
I don't like to rewatch dramas, but I'd do an exception for this one.

All in all, it is just outstanding. No other words. OUTSTANDING. People watch this drama and do yourself a favor. I don't even understand why this drama didn't skyrocket when it was as good as The World of the Married. SIGHHH. But well nevermind. Both amazing

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"Even where the evil has been buried, flowers can still bloom" Writer Yoo Jung Hee

One thing I love about this drama is the pace. Up to episode 11, I was so shook all the things I predicted that will happen has already happened, and as I watched more episodes, I realised how they didn't seem to drag a single thing! And I feel like that's really different to other kdramas. After episode 11, all the emotions just began piling up together. The audience felt, nervous, thrilled, angry, shocked, sad and happy. I remember how many times I started to cry at this point and I don't even remember the last time I cred to a drama too!

I also keep saying this numerous times but this drama is just phenomenal. It's so unique. So beautiful. A masterpiece. There is so much good content yet they structured everything so neatly! Just perfect! I love every single character, even the guy who played as the villain. I gotta say, they have the most admirable female lead ever - she shows professionalism, care, patience, love, compassion, embracement. And the male lead! Initially, he's so complicating to understand but over time, we realise how special and genuine of a person he is. He doesn't understand feelings but he can still feel them. Feelings play a big role in his character. Together, they make a beautiful and extraordinary couple.

Oh and it gets better.

The actors/actresses portrayed their character soooo well, it's crazy how talent everyone is. I always thought Lee Joon Gi (hyunso/heesung) was amazing but this drama just made me realize that all over again. Also, I never really noticed Moon Chae Won (jiwon) but here, she did exceptionally well. I could feel the motherliness in her.


The most beautiful yet unique love story I've ever encountered out of my 5 years watching kdrama . Even if you don't like romantic or crime stories, I bet you'll get touched by this one.

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Wow, is all I can say.

Thriller/Mystery drama's are not something I watch often, but when I do, it takes a lot for me to commit and do it and when I do; I hope that it's worth it. It's been a while since I've watched a mind blowing K-Drama to be honest and I can say that I didn't know what I was getting into when I started Flower of Evil, but I saw a clip and immediately I was sucked in to something I will never regret watching in my entire life.

The synopsis in itself is already a rollercoaster, even though this is similar to a lot of other mystery/thriller/crime dramas; you don't really know you'll be invested into something even more mind blowing and emotionally tolling. You have a man that's the perfect husband, father, worker. You have a woman that's the perfect wife, mother and partner in general. They are both hard working, they met randomly by fate one day and the rest is history, their love is absolutely mind blowing and just plain...impeccable. But the male lead has a past, an unknown one. And unfortunately sometimes, you can't run away forever, especially when your demons are not only haunting you mentally, but then they start doing so physically. So you're going to go through what it's like to love someone but want to protect them no matter what happens, you're going to see that some people will go to the end to protect their own even though it's putting themselves on the line, you're going to see what it's like to be abandon by those who love you most and what it's like to be looked at like a monster. There' s so many ups and downs in this show but it's one of the best journey's I've completely been on. The love they had was wonderful, the characters that helped, the officer team, everything was just a nice flow of things.

Let me tell you, this is one of the best acting I've seen in such a long time. I love the raw emotions you got to witness between every single character; but you're taking so many veteran actors and actresses and putting them into something that they made just pure genius. The emotion and control that Lee Jong Gi has is amazing, the strong, bold character that Moon Chae Won played and the CHEMISTRY the two had, is absolutely everything. There was a prefect balance of their love and the show. The daughter was a fantastic aspect. The bad characters were so good at being bad. The reporter was a nice spice; the sister being added into the twist. The way the detective team carried themselves; if this show doesn't win rewards for the story, the ACTING will for sure win something.

The music was wonderful, I loved the timing that they had. I'm obsessed with the OST that Shin Yong Jae put together for this; everything about it is beautiful, raw and emotional all in one and that's how this show will leave you feeling.

Overall, this show was amazing. It's worth watching and rewatching within seconds. I actually binged this show and woke up just to rewatch the last 2 episodes because I couldn't get enough. The ending was quite bittersweet but I felt the craziest thing while watching it and I've never watched a show where I was so satisfied with the 2nd to last episode that I couldn't stopped there. I was literally so satisfied how this show played out and where it went that I'm absolutely mind blown at this beautiful master piece. My heart ached with the emotions of the characters, I cried and was angry all in one. And that's what a good drama is. One that you cannot stop thinking of and that was this for me. This really made me realize how much I love watching Asian Dramas in general. This was so good.

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Not that great

The drama has definitely surprised me by turning out rather average. It is not a bad one to be sure but it is not great, nor mind blowing nor even that intense. It is mainly quite mellow for a thriller and way too melodramatic. The plot is not original, full of inconsistances and uses the same old cliches like coma, amnesia, bad guy is actually an angel inside and so on. But more then that the script is poorly thought out, not enough attention given to details and too many times the scripwriter takes the easiest way to create conflicts and not even tries to give any sort of explanation. For example the story behind the serial murders happened in the past is very sketchy and for the most part ridiculously unbelieveble. Like the story about humantraffikers or a person kept in an asylum for 15 years without any purpose whatsoever except to serve as a poorly made plot twist. Or the MLs parents' motivation to conceal the truth about the ML is what exactly?

The leads are both missed opportunities. The ML is first shown cold and calculating and having problems with emoting. However it lasts for like 2-3 episodes and the other 13 episodes he spends being a big crybaby and getting beaten, tortured and framed by everyone. The FL, in theory the most conflicted charater of the drama, is actually the most bland one. She is defined only by her love for her husband and her unending cycles of trusting-not trusting him. Perhaps if more time and effort was put into her being thorn between her duty as a police officer and her feelings for the husband she would have been interesting. But alas she is a total letdown

The melodramatic part about the main couple's struggles is problematic for me as well. It is so syropy and forced. The beginning of their relationship shown in flashback gives weird vibes as the FL comes across a classic stalker who is forcing herself on the ML while he clearly and vehemently says he is not interested. She insists because (in her own words) she sees in his eyes that he loves her. Not very romantic really. Again it could have been a touching story if given more details and shown more subtly.

Now to the good part.
Lee Joon Gi 's acting is great (no surprise here).

Also I liked a lot the reporter friend of the ML. The most believable and realistic character. Sometimes weak and full of fear, sometimes brave, trying to do his best but still commiting mistakes and feeling guilt, passionate about his profession. And what a great portrayal by the actor, especially the way he shows love for the ML sister. So very sweet.

The serial killer is also great. Very scary indeed.
They should have made him appear earlier in the drama, because the evil doers in the first half are somewhat boring.

The little girl is adorable.

Nice OST. Sinister background music is especially good.

Rewatch value is zero for me

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Do you really know the person you're in love with?

A fast paced, bite your nails, clutch your pearls, sleep with the monster under your bed kinda crime love story that will have you hooked from start to finish.

Cha Ji Won is an excellent cop and a very lucky woman. She has an adorable daughter, a gorgeous husband who cooks, cleans, gives great kisses and is a skilled craftsman. They have a pretty little house and life's pretty good. Except... that her gorgeous husband might actually be a serial killer in the past. Oops.

Flower of evil keeps you on the very edge right from the start. The drama goes to great lengths to write brilliant characters and explore their personalities and relationships with each other and it succeeds for the most part.

Lee Joon Gi (Do Hyun Soo) was phenomenal here. God, his acting often left me speechless. The control he has over his microexpressions is crazy. His acting is so nuanced that it captures you throughout and makes you one with his character. The way Do Hyun Soo flits from this charismatic, doting, loving husband and father to this scary sonovabitch with madness in his eyes and the potential to murder always hit me like whiplash.

Do Hyun Soo is an unreliable protagonist. You're never quite sure of his motivations in the start. He is smart, cunning and manipulative and gives up major red flags. He seems incapable of emotion and you never know whether he is really able to care for anyone or not. But boy, when he comes through, he comes THROUGH. And you can't help but fall in love with him.

I am really proud of Moon Chae Won (Cha Ji Won) for doing this drama. I have disliked some of her work in the past for mostly playing roles that present her as an accessory to the male lead but she really stood on her own here. Her acting was excellent as she portrayed this hard hitting, ball buster cop who is as strong as she is vulnerable.

The drama did a good job with developing a myriad of characters so that all of them feel important. Cha Ji won's police squad, Hyun Soo's sister, the couple's daughter and parents and reporter Moo Jin who is a fan favourite.

This drama is part crime thriller and part romance. On the murder mystery front, I don't think you guys will find anything that's all that new. Yes, the real killer is very deliciously psychotic and smart enough to give our good guys a hard time. Yes, things really frustrate you as we go forward one step to catching the true culprit and are pushed three steps back. But overall the whole investigation and the way things pan out are very kdrama-ish, equipped with predictable plot devices and definitely not unique.

The highlight of the show was for sure the romance. It was just so good. There was no angst and cutesy stuff that comes with new couples. No stupidity or 'he loves me, loves me not' bullshit. They've been married for 14 years and love each other like crazy. It breaks your heart when problems out of their control time and time again stand beetween their relationship and test the trust and love they have for each other. But make no mistake, they are both each other's world and always have the other's back. It's so natural, intense, mature and believable. They have great chemistry and understanding and I loved everything about them. It was amazing for me to see the way they react, deal and feel when they come to certain realizations about each other. It made the show a treat to watch.

However, I definitely have some complaints. I went into the show thinking it will absolutely wreck me. I thought there was no way it will end happily and that it will break my heart. But halfway through, you realize the show is pretty vanilla. And staying true to that, they really cushioned a lot of blows and pulled their punches in the second half.

As a viewer, I was half relieved that my feelings were spared but half unsatisfied because I wasn't hit in my feels as hard as I could have been.

There were also some very cheesy bits and some cliche ridiculousness in the second half as they pulled out the good ol' theatrics. A couple of things were a sob fest that I kept laughing at, instead of taking seriously 'cause of how over the top they went with their crying scenes. I'd go as far as to say that our main leads may have over acted a bit in the last couple of episodes. It was in sheer contrast with the crisply written, full of underlying tension and subtle gravity of the first half.

But overall, it surely kept me invested throughout. I swooned, got teary eyed, impatient, was frustrated, excited and anxious so the feelings were definitely there, to the point that it got me replaying many scenes.

There were plenty of warm moments to compliment the dark ones, steamy kisses and scenes you laugh at- sometimes because it's genuinely funny and sometimes 'cause you find some dark humor in them.

The sound track was great, the pacing was smooth and the acting was excellent across the board.

All in all, a must watch. So what are you waiting for? Go watch it!

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A drama definitely not for binge-watching.

I started watching this drama with high expectations because of all the comments, hype, and high rating. That’s where I made the mistake; from the first episode, it started feeling unsatisfactory. But yet, it was intriguing and baiting enough to watch more.

The acting and cast was all very well chosen and performed. It’s the only thing I do not have any comments about. They executed their roles, expressions, behaviors in quite an admirable manner.

On the other side, the characteristics/personalities of the characters were also well initially built except for that of the FL, I can say. In general, for all the characters, I didn’t see development, they really were walking around in circles. I felt especially frustrated with the FL and how much she kept going back and forth about her trust and belief. It’s as if she is the one that doesn’t love her husband, and is ready to give him up for a given reason. They tried to push the idea that she only believes what she sees in front of her, but it doesn’t justify anything. She cannot just base her judgement on what she saw at that moment, and forget the past 10 years. Even if he had lied to her about his identity, she should know how he was at first, and all the change he went through. She must know that he was being himself and not hiding his “true nature”.

Another aspect that I found problematic is the plot. In fact, to me it was the most problematic. From small incidents, to the bigger events, everything felt awfully coincidental, exaggerated and too pushed. Not just that, but very predictable also (starting from around episode 6). I somehow was not surprised by anything. The writer just somehow cannot step out of (successful) examples in drama history, and they only make the incidents in an advantageous way, in a way to continue to the story as planned, not in a rational or consistent manner at all. It is a big jumble of all what makes a drama mainstream.

To give an example, the first episode, after the ML had the reporter locked up in the basement. The scene where our man was serving breakfast, setting up the table. The wife comes, she tries to help but no she isn’t good enough. She tries to take care of her daughter, but the daughter preferred the father. That was already a lot to see, but to make the thriller meter go up and worry us all, she very randomly and spontaneously chose to go downstairs to clean. She goes into the room with no tools, with no plan, just starts walking aimlessly and looking around until she finds the piece of ceramic from the broken pot. They did not even bring it up again later, so it was an unnecessary incident. She was soon taken up again by her husband because the fact is, the breakfast is served and the there are zero reasons why she should be cleaning the workshop at that moment.

That was what first scene that bothered me, and at the end, they couldn’t avoid the overly used trope of partial or selective memory loss. Once again, I find it very unnecessary. FL was looking for the same person, and even the ML himself said he wants to look for the same person again, so what are we left with? No change. He could’ve changed slightly anyways after all they went through, it would be more realistic after he felt the huge amount of emotions upon learning of her death. They built up so much, they made them go through cruel circumstances, so why delete it all? Why destroy that and make them begin again in an awkward state?

Along with these points, I felt like slow motion in the cinematography or the physical slow motion, long-ass stares and silent moments of pondering were excessive. Before anything slightly important happens, there is a lost minute (that I would skip skip skip). If all the reactions are unrealistic, the mind cannot accept it.

With all these thoughts, I believe my high expectations could have made the drama fall short, but the points I pointed out surely made it boring. It would’ve been more digestible to watch one episode a week.

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Powerful first half, unsatisfying second half.

I hopped on the hype train when I saw all those 10/10 reviews, but this certainly did not live up to the expectations for me. Here are my thoughts after watching the drama, as a dissenting opinion to all the 10s in the reviews. I would recommend watching Flower of Evil, but don't expect too much like I did.

The first few episodes set the stage for the story, leaving you wondering what each characters' motivations are. However, as the drama progressed, new characters were introduced and they start to become plot devices just to push the story forward. Without spoiling too much of the plot, I felt like the damsel in distress sister and the comatose guy had highly convenient relationships with the main cast that would just be ridiculous in reality. Also, the whole human trafficking side plot was unnecessary...

There is some suspense of belief required here, as this is absolutely NOT a realistic drama. Of the several crime/police dramas I have watched before, this does not rank high. If you're watching this merely for Lee Joon ki, Lawless Lawyer has a much better and believable drama structure. I understand the need in Dramaland for some coincidences, but this drama has one too many. After a few near-death experiences, trapping Lee Joon ki in a burning building doesn't make my heart race anymore because you know that he is effectively immortal in Dramaland anyway. Skip 20 seconds of burning building footage and his wife will magically appear and save him. Towards the end, I also found myself skipping the romantic scenes to get to the end of the story. I just wanted to know how the good guys and bad guys stories end, and everything else was filler to me. Blame the writer for writing it this way, but there has to be a better way to cause conflict.

Overall, I agree with the consensus that the cinematography and directing was superb. However, the writing was a bit questionable, as it got pretty repetitive later on. If you're new to police dramas, there are much better ones than this. If you're looking for a melo disguised as a thriller, there are also better ones out there. Once you've watched those, come back for this one - it's not bad, but definitely not worth a 10.

*SPOILER*
Throughout the entire drama, I felt like the idea that Do Hyun su is not a bad guy is forced down our throats. Everyone's actions are very one-dimensional - all the police were always against the homicidal monster, while Hyun su's side was continuously trying to drive the narrative that serial killing does not run in the family. While the premise was interesting pre-watch, I think it got tiring towards the end when it was the exact same Good vs. Evil trope.

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Unpopular Opinion: I didn't love this drama.

I binge-watched Flower of Evil over the Christmas holidays with my boyfriend, but I think I'm going to stay away from melodramas for a while.

I think the show has a lot of interesting elements that make it stand out. Firstly, the ML is not your typical good guy. He has antisocial personality disorder and his dad is a serial killer, so from the beginning the show keeps you guessing on his motivations/actions. Part of what makes the show good is you keep wondering - would he have done ____? what is he really like? is he really a bad guy?

In terms of romance, I feel like the ML and FL were a good couple / complemented each other. The flashbacks in each episode were really well done and made me want to keep finding out about their love story and past together. As the show progresses you also learn more about the ML and I felt so bad for him. It was so sad seeing the flashbacks of him in the village being taken to be exorcised and the other stuff that he went through. This is definitely a show that makes you think about prejudices and people's judgements and what actually makes a person evil.

I was enjoying the drama until Episode 9, which is when things just went downhill for me. Once the real Baek Hee Seong opened his eyes, I feel like the drama was just a bit too melodramatic for me. Previously I felt like every episode ended on a cliffhanger and that made me want to keep watching, but by that point it's quite obvious that the ML is a good guy and nothing bad will happen to him so a lot of the suspense is gone. There were multiple times where things could have gone wrong for him...and then they just don't happen so it feels like they were pulling their punches at that point with the plot. I'm all for happy endings but I feel like in a suspense drama there needs to be more stakes/uncertainty to keep you watching.

It felt like regardless the ML would be okay and the plot pivots to finding the accomplice, which I wasn't that invested in.
It also got a bit predictable when it came to the bad guys and what they were going to do. Watching episodes 9-15 were honestly a struggle, but I didn't want to just drop the drama without giving it a shot to get better later on. The reveal about the ML's father's death was interesting but I wish that they delved into that more later.

The acting was good but ultimately the plot was just too much for me.

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