Snowdrop (2021)

Stellar cast

The most outstanding part about this drama is the cast. I’ve watched some of Jung Hae-in’s dramas and in this drama he gave his best performance. So controlled, nuanced and powerful that I sometimes wonder if its the same Jung that I know of. Yoo In-na stood out too, she great whether she was sexy doctor or a cold spy. The two’s screen time almost stole the show from that of the ML & FL’s. The baddies are so good too. Nam Tae-li is a hoot and Boku is pure jealously and spite. Unfortunately, the FL is weak and it spoilt the drama somewhat for me. Jisoo is pretty (at some angles, she looks like young Tang Wei) and her performance as a new actress is commendable. She would have done v well if its an idol-type drama. However, she is really out of her league here and its not her fault tbh. Why cast an amateur in this formidable ensemble? At the height of a scene when every one was deep in their element, she looked like a lost extra. If only a more seasoned actress was cast, I would have cried buckets. Instead i was left a little irritated.

The story is gripping but yet at times meandering. Too much screen time is given to the numerous failed negotiations and it was getting repetitive. More time could have been allocated to fuller develop the characters who seem to have interesting backstories. The last episode was rushed, although it was worth the wait.

It would have been a perfect drama. The premise of this story is intriguing and romantic. It’s also v cinematic and beautifully shot. It has the vibe of a fairytale. A pity the storytelling and casting were a little uneven. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the drama and recommend it. I have become a fan of Jung Hae-in and Yoo In Na.

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Politics

Everybody keeps saying that this is a romance drama but this is not the main genre. The main genre is politics. This whole drama revolves around an election scheme. But the story was good enough. The acting was also great. Jisoo did a good job.

What I didn't like was that the episodes were too long. All episodes were nearly one and a half hour long and the last episode was one hour, 45 minutes long ?. It's a movie not an episode! But it's fine.

Also, I feel that Jisoo should not have taken this drama. There were various controversies about it because in this drama, she unknowingly gives refuge to a North Korean spy. It doesn't look good to start a career with controversies. But probably because she wanted to get into acting, she had to do the very first role she receives.

It's worth one watch though.

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Snowdrop offers a fresh idea about the relationship between a spy and a female student. Surrounded by a tense situation, the romance that grows between the two main characters manages to make the audience sympathetic to the hopelessness of their condition. This drama focuses a lot on the political situation among high-ranking officials and there is a lot of innuendo and criticism of ANSP. One of the strengths of the Snowdrop script is that there are a lot of characters with a well-explained background, which makes the supporting characters also have an important role and not only for screen-time. The audience can see various characteristics and characters so they don't just focus on ML and FL. This is also what I think makes this drama not boring even though it takes up a lot of background places only in the dormitory. Now, I want to discuss the weaknesses of the script for the drama Snowdrop. One of the characters that I think is not well developed and written is the FL, namely Eun Young-ro (played by Jisoo). From the beginning to the end of the drama, every time she takes the initiative to do/help, it always ends with a big tragedy as a result of her "good" deeds. This makes it seem as if the female lead is just a burden girl and there is no character development until the end. I don't know but I feel that Eun Young-ro as a student who is described as kind and helpful to others can be developed more and make her a more interesting character as the episodes continue. The next character I want to criticize is Ms. Pi (played by Yoon Se-Ah) and Lee Kang Moo (played by Jang Seung Jo), who are clearly seen as smart and experienced characters but instead commit a lot of stupid actions. I don't know if this is the author's intention or the details are not being paid attention to, but I feel the story focuses on the character development of ML's side. The last thing I didn't like was that all the problems were solved in the last 3 episodes which ended up making the ending too rushed and leaving several plot holes. The problems in this drama can be said to be many and complex, which should be solved gradually and not thrown all to the last episode.

The casting for this drama has to be said to be a brilliant decision. Jung Hae-In managed to bring out various emotions just from the look in his eyes. The action scene as a veteran agent was also successfully delivered. Yoo Inna is my favorite actress in this drama. Kang Cheong Ya as a manipulative character is really well displayed and her leadership aura is felt. Other actors such as Jang Seung Jo, Yoon Se Ah, Kim Hye Yoon also managed to present the character very well. Jisoo, as a rookie actress must be said to be doing a good job. She is not awkward and I have to admit that her crying acting can break the hearts of the audience. I'm looking forward to the future project of Snowdrop casts.

The music from Snowdrop fits into the 80s and really impresses the disney feel. Unfortunately only a few OSTs were used for the 16-episode drama.

Overall, Snowdrop is worth-watching drama of 2021. It's not the best but it still be considered as a good drama. I won't actually consider to re-watch it because I've known the twists of the story, but maybe if I miss the cast I will do it.

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A Gorgeous Production dripping with nostalgia!

I must preface this by saying I'm no expert in Korean history and the controversy surrounding this drama. So before watching it I did a quick google search and read a few articles regarding the matter just to know what I was getting myself into.

So I went in thinking Id be watching some controversy-ridden, political hot potato of a drama. Instead, I found something incredibly lush and dripping with nostalgia. The OST perfectly sets the stage for a gorgeous production that practically allows you to step back into 80s Korea. The costumes and the set design really enhance the experience, even the sounds of the streets and shops create a rich and full experience that immerses you and draws you in. The camera work is so cinematic, with a slight vintage tinge to it.

The second you meet Ji soo's character, Eun Young Ro, the scene lights up with her buoyant playful energy. Jung Hae In is excellent in this role, stoic and matter-of-factly yet full of conflict. The many side characters are interesting and feel like real people. Even the antagonists are intriguing and varied in their schemes and motivations. And I have to praise Yoo In Na who practically steals any scene she's in.

I must also mention the biggest and most important character in the drama: The Dorm! The Dorm is like a living breathing character that feels like home with its wooden frames and long hallways. It reminds me of when I first saw Hogwarts and something inside me thinks "I want to live there!" By the time the drama was over, I felt sad because I didn't want to leave the dorm that welcomed me with its warm embrace.

As for the writing and plot, I thought it was a tough task to tackle and they handled it fairly well. Not just the challenge of dancing around the dicey politics, but also just writing for a plot that takes place predominantly in... should I say "limited" (so as not to spoil anything) locations. I also really enjoyed the concurrent "who dun it" secondary subplot, expertly woven into the primary plot. There are times when it does drag but these are built-in to the limits of the plot's scenario.

I have to gush about the OST some more. Every time I hear it I get chills. While I was watching the series, I would find myself humming the OST during the day. That's just how effectual this OST is, it sinks into you and stays with you. I also want to commend Ji Soo's first outing as an actress. While she wasn't perfect for her first time, as a main lead no less, she did a great job.

As for the controversy, after finishing the drama, I really didn't feel the complaints were warranted. At least not worthy of all the outrage. Ultimately, this was a beautiful story regardless of all the fuss surrounding it. I could very well be wrong as I'm not exactly well-versed in Korean history, but give it a shot so you can form your own opinion. But It's definitely one of the most gorgeous productions I've seen in a drama and you'd be sorely missing out if you were put off or hesitant purely due to controversy.

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What are you waiting for ?? Go watch this show !!!

One of the drama where the plot twists are INSANE. I was in tense in every single episodes wondering WHAT WILL HAPPEN, and HOW WILL THEY SURVIVE THIS TIME ?
Jung Hae In is amazing... he can't never disappoint me... I love him so much in this show, how can he be so versatile ?
I can't give 10/10 because the romance was a bit slow for me , and the FL was a little ... childish ?
Also, something it felt like the story was repeated and repeated , like I had alrealy lived the same scenes some episodes before
But.. thank you for this show, one of my favorite from now on <3

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fighting bleeding losing nonstop CRYING!!!

THIS KDRAMA IS THE BEST !!!! I REALLY ROCOMMEND !!! EVERYTHING IS PERFECT
THE ENDING WAS TRAGEC I CRYED ALOT BUT THIS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN U LOVW A KDRAMA OMG I FEEL LIKE WRITEING ASY FOR ENGLISH !! OMG I HAVE TO RIGHT MORE !!!!!!! FIGHTING BLEEDING LOSING I GE DEPP BUT BAGER SO HOP DAMION I F_+ KEEP IT LOW CRYING CRYING CRYING IGO DEEP BUT YO LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU NO MATTER WA I SAY RUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNN LIKE I GO CRAZY OVER YOUUU OMG EVENN MOREE !???
I know I love you
이 제로의 세계 속
I know you're my one and only
이 끝이 없던 어둠 속
Like oh my god, so holy
뭐든 내 두 손끝에선
부리나케 도망가 멀리
My life before you was a mess
언제나 단 한 판 이길 수 없던 체스
Oh we
무저갱의 바닥에서
넌 유일하게 빛나던 gold
Now I can't stop thinking 'bout you
When I'm sinking alone
어느 날 내게 나타난 천사
데려가 줘 너의 hometown
I know it's real, I can feel it
난 문제 투성이 love sick
길이 없었어
죽어도 좋았어
I'm a loser in this game
세계의 유일한 법칙
나를 구해줘
내 손을 잡아줘
Please use me like a drug
(I know I love you)
Say you love me
Say you love me
세계의 끝까지
All or nothing
I want all of you
(I know I love you)
Say you love me
Say you love me
세계의 끝까지
All or nothing
I give all of you
(I know I love you)
아마 난 안될 거야
천국엔 못 갈 거야
난 어울리지 않아
내 자리 따위 천국엔 없어
뭐든 내 두 발끝에선
새까맣게 물들었었지
My life before you was trash
언제나 단 한 발 붙일 수 없던 match
Oh we
얼음뿐인 이곳에서
넌 유일하게 빛나던 glow
Now I can't stop thinking 'bout you
When I'm sinking alone
그러다 내게 나타난 천사
데려가 줘 너의 hometown
I know it's real, I can feel it
난 문제 투성이 love sick
길이 없었어
죽어도 좋았어
I'm a loser in this game
세계의 유일한 법칙
나를 구해줘
내 손을 잡아줘
Please use me like a drug
(I know I love you)
구멍 난 영혼에 살이 돋아
추운 대기가 녹아가
제로의 세계 속에
찾아낸 너라는 온기
내 모두를 거둬가
Girl I need you
난 문제 투성이 love sick (oh)
길이 없었어
죽어도 좋았어 (oh)
I'm a loser in this game (game)
세계의 유일한 법칙
나를 구해줘
내 손을 잡아줘
Please use me like a drug
(I know I love you)
Say you love me
Say you love me (I love you)
세계의 끝까지
All or nothing
I want all of you
(I know I love you)
Say you love me
Say you love me
세계의 끝까지 (세계의 끝까지)
All or nothing
I give all of you
(I know I love you)
SORRY I HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE THX

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Positively surprised and delighted

I'm positively surprised and delighted with this drama, especially with the political and historical thread. The romantic theme is understandable, but the story is sooo gooood that it was barely an addition, I think it would be fine without it also. The main male roles... revelation. K-pop idol's acting, not bad but also not above average. In fact, it seems to me that she had definitely less scenes/minutes compared to the lead male role so she didn't have enough opportunity to show more, dunno. It will definitely be in my top dramas and I will come back to watch it again.

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You don't choose your country when you are born

We all know how this drama was anticipated for a year and almost put into stop when it was broadcasted but this drama is more of the romance between Yeong-ro and Soo-ho but a real deal in governance.

When I watched the first few episodes, it made me feel I'm watching a movie that made me appreciate its production.

I won't dive too much on its historical and sensitive plot since I'm not knowledgeable about it but how the writer and the director able to show the struggle of hierarchy and power-tripping throughout the hostage-taking situation definitely provided a more deep understanding on the clash of ideologies—dictatorship and soft authoritarianism. So yes, the hostage-taking will last long.

In terms of the romance between Yeong-ro and Soo-ho, there are times that I don't feel that there were 'sparks' in their scenes together because of the chaotic and horrible situation they were in so I think that flashing skinships does not help to make the tension light enough. Also, some hidden backgrounds and flashbacks made a difference in the drama but others just becomes a supplement rather than a twists because it's predictable.

Overall the an hour and a half episodes was enjoyable so might give this drama still a try.

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I highly recommend this drama

(Commentary mainly characters focused)

Gosh... I'm going to start by saying that this drama is really worth watching. You might not like it at first but it was worth the wait for me. I usually don't like watching weekly, i mostly binge watch but now i really had to keep up because it was SO GOOD.

The actors, the sets, the color grading too !! (we don't talk about the color grading enough) they were all immaculate. The action scenes were so well-done and the emotional scenes too.

I usually don't like the romance genre but a little bit more of it would've not hurt anyone in my opinion. When Youngro and Suho kissed, I thought I would feel their love for each other more. But I just saw their relationship like they were siblings. They looked like they cared for each other like siblings, not like lovers. Also this drama sometimes made 2 characters kinda "like" each other but not really give them the time to actually develop anything, *cough* Bunok and Gyeokchan *cough*.

I didn't mind almost the whole drama being shot in the dorm, they're hostages so it made sense to me. It would've been so makjang of the director and writer if they had Youngro and Suho escaping, dodging a rain of bullets from the SWAT and then continue the drama outside the dorm. So unrealistic lol.
But thank God, there were some scenes outside of the dorm because it would've gotten a little claustrophobic.

Speaking of outside the dorm, I personally have a thing for villains in general. I love hating them and sometimes they end up being my favorite character. In this drama my favorite character wasn't a villain but i literally LOVED to hate Nam Taeil. I'm sorry but this man was so hilarious! The way he scared everyone around him had me dead lol. Especially when he was with Eun Changsu, Changsu was speaking gently to Suho trying not to make things worse. And then you have Nam Taeil yelling at Suho, calling him "stupid communist" and all the names of the world lmaoooo. When he got arrested and Mr. An was being too confident while had lost 300 millions from Code 1's funds and got on his knees begging Taeil to save him. And then Taeil wanted to slap him hard but An was scared so he slapped him gently and then he said "thank you sir" hahaha omg this was so funny. He literally said thank you for not being slapped hard. Or when Taeil was getting beat up and then received an order from the president, everybody instantly feared him and he regained his confidence. And then beat the hell out the one in the black trenchcoat lmaoooo i was so dead.
I didn't like any of the wives to be honest, but the most hateable one was Taeil's.
At first i hated Jang Hanna but I ended up being tolerant to her because she helped Suho and stuff. But I'm pretty sure that if it wasn't for Gangmu she would have not cared that much. Like she said, she only joined ANSP for him.

I got attached to Suho so much. I love him so much omg. The way he got killed was too harsh for me. I couldn't do it. Hours after watching the last episode, my heart is still aching. From the moment he recorded his tape for Youngro, i knew he was going to die but not like this. They riddled him with bullets, all over his body it was SO hard to watch and Youngro witnessed it all! Oh my God. I was so shocked i couldn't move on from what I just saw. And then when we heard his tape, that was it for me. I started crying. I didn't think I would but damn I did. Even more when he said "I love you".

I love Youngro so much, she went through so much I can't even imagine the pain. Now she has no friends, everybody hates her. But sometimes (just my opinion) she pissed me off. She would do things and I'll be like "girl, why are you doing this ? haven't you gone through enough ? if you want to die just say that." I can name so many examples, when she helped gangmu numerous of times, when she provoked Gyeokchan, when she kept believing that her father would save her (i mean that's understandable), when she went back to save Ms. Oh, when she went BACK to suho while he was fighting for his life. Sometimes I would wonder "If this girl is not afraid of death, why does she always look terrorized lol?". It did bother me the way she was crying every episode, like okay I'm not asking you to be suddenly fierce, it wouldn't be realistic. But just... I would've loved a twist to her character you know ?

The thing with Youngro character that bothered me it was that there was no growth or twist to it. We already knew that Youngro is a girl that is not afraid to stand up for other people. She's brave. We also know that she cares really much about the people around her but that's it. There's nothing really interesting about her. Everyone had a big secret, everyone had some mystery to them. (Like Ko Hyeryeong, i still don't know why she changed her name???) Or everyone had a tragic/meaningful story that built their character to who they are today. Other than being the daughter of ANSP's director (hated by every korean), having an evil stepmom and a caring brother, there was no depth whatsoever. We don't even know how her mom died. It would've been so good if the twist was something like : Youngro is the daughter of powerful government man, she attended military school and her father finally let her attend a normal university. Then she has to hide the fact that she knows how to defend herself or she'll have to display her dad's identity. ANYWAY... (Hyeryeong's voice lol) something along those lines.

Suho didn't really have a character development neither because he always knew what was right and what was wrong and always stood up for himself and others. He did that until the end. But we actually got to know his whole story. How his mom abandoned him, TWICE. The fact that he has a sister, how did he become a NK secret agent. We've seen the depth of his history and how did he become like this. This is why I feel like Youngro was just a bland character with no history before meeting Suho. And I know you don't always have to have a "history" but what i'm saying is that her life wasn't perfect before Suho, so it would've been good if we could dig more into her and actually KNOW her. Because if we're not going to see her grow her character at least build a "better" Youngro and show us how she grew that way.

Everybody had a character growth at some point. Mr. An (from being everybody's dog, to being the ruler, than... being a "dung fly" again", Eun Changsu (from wanting power at all costs but realizing his children are more important), Gyeokchan (to being the heartless and violent spy to being the guy who defends victims and who missed his mom), Kang Chungya (from being the veteran spy for 17 years who would never turn her back to the party to actually betraying them), Lee Gangmu (from being the agent that would do absolutely everything unethical to catch spies to one that now understands people's suffering), Ms. Pi (from being a cold blooded woman to a woman that actually has a painful past and hidden emotions), Bunok (from being hateable and selfish to being understanding and forgiving to people she used to "despise". Everyone but the FL and ML lol. Kinda funny but sad at the same time.

I really got attached to unexpected characters like Joo Gyeokchan and Eungcheol. When they died it really made my heart skip beats, especially Gyeokchan's death. I never hated him, he had his reasons to be the way he was but I did think he was too emotionally driven sometimes (especially by anger when someone rub him the wrong way). He was too violent for not so much but I ended up getting used to him and it really hurt me when he died. Rest in peace Gyeokchan. Rest in peace Eungcheol.

The only character I hate still is Bunok, i don't care that she's poor and she lost her sister and stuff. Like girl... Being poor, having it harder than everybody and feeling like you're being treated unfairly does not allow you to be a complete piece of crap, does it? From beginning to end, she was despicable and i don't feel bad for her. She literally hurt everybody around her, like who raised her? When people say "she had her reasons/motives" I'm sorry but no. Her reasons weren't good enough to act like that. Because of being selfish she didn't even know that she helped the man who killed her sister... And she could've killed Ms. Pi if the gun wasn't unloaded. She was hateful to the point of being a whole murderer. See what greed can do ? Anyways haha. But that means the actress made a GREAT job tho.

I saw a lot of people saying the drama was slow paced I don't think it was. It's just that we had to wait every week, i think this is why it felt so long. The story unraveled pretty quickly in my opinion.

My favorite character in this drama was Suho, we saw so many sides of him. Gentle and sweet, brave and threatening, sad and vulnerable. His story was so sad, he got abandoned by the people he trusted the most, meaning Lim Jirok and Choi Suryeon (aka his biological mom). At some point every character around him tried to kill him lol. He went through a lot really, thankfully he had some morals and wasn't brainwashed like Gyeokchan or Mandong. Everytime i see Jung Haein it will remind me of Suho :( Rest in peace King Suho <33

Finally the OST omg. Don't even get me started. I have 2 favorite songs : My friend by Kim Hee Won and If you stay with me by Sung Si Kyung, i literally know the lyrics lmao. They are so good and fit the drama so good.

On the overall, this drama was really good, i recommand it. It's a 9 for me. It's not a 10 because I was kinda disappointed in the FL character (Youngro) and i actually wanted to rewatch but after seeing the end, i don't know lol. I already watched episode 2, two times because i loved that one. The whole drama is worth watching millions of times so i will definitely do so in the future.

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Only watched for jisoo but ending up loving this drama

Honesly, I only watched this drama only for jisoo. As a blink, I wanted to support jisoo’s acting debut. As usual, she did a wonderful job for her first lead role drama. The casting for this drama was perfect. The reason why I put 5 stars for rewatching value is because i’m not type of person who likes to watch dramas that have a sad ending. Honestly, if jisoo wasn’t the main lead actress for this drama then i wouldn’t watch this. This drama had me crying,swooning throughout the whole time(mostly crying). The cast really made this drama what it is. If you like sad dramas, then this is for you. The ost in drama is good as well. I still listen to it until this day. Please prepare to cry a lot if you are gonna start this drama! Also, i wanted to point out that this drama is very intense, it’s not a lovely situation but the main couple had their cute moments (lots of hugging).

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What the hell was that ending!!!!!

I just completed snowdrop and I am super disappointed by the ending.
Don’t get the wrong idea I liked the overall show but the ending was too disappointing. Biggest disappointment was that Soo-ho and his comrades went through all that just to end up dead !!!! Why drag the hostage situation so much and make soo many deals with ANSP and give the spies hope that they can survive if they were gonna die in the end after all. Hated it honestly. They even got out of the dorm and i was like finally ThankGOD but then soo ho goes back in the dorm. Wtf man just save your life and run. Super disappointed was last episode.

Another disappointing thing was the love story between soo ho and yeong ro by the last 5,6 episodes of the show. In the end it was all about survival and their romance didn’t even matter at that point bcz you just want them to survive somehow even if apart. Their scenes in last episodes weren’t emotional, didn’t make my heartache bcz the chemistry was soo off or their scenes were soo few or ,like their story didn’t matter anymore. That spark , the chemistry,the emotional intensify and the passion they had in the beginning episodes was just gone by the end.it was suppose to be a romantic drama but it was just triller and romance was thrown in the background. I wanted to see more of soo ho and yeong ro but alas.

I would Special mention Dr kang, she was the boss lady. She came as a surprise,loved her character, she was my fav till the end and I am happy atleast she survived.
Han na seemed really annoying in the beginning but she played a big role through out trying to rescue students. So I loved these two boss ladies.
One thing they should’ve cleared in the end but didn’t was that what happened to soo ho’s sister? Did she survived ?

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