Insider (2022)

Suspense-packed. Elusive. Tough - KDrama shows us a poker face in several ways

"Insider" grabbed me from the first minute. It was exciting and unpredictable, fascinating regarding the world of card gambling and convincing with a consistently top-class cast. The story is knitted around the ever topical issue of corrupt South Korean society. You will not find good and bad in the classic sense. Dark shades of gray on the gloomy side dominate the picture. The focus is on the sobering practice of substituting compromises for morale. And those who are not willing to compromise may experience violence. In this context, the KDrama is also brutal on a high level.

Can one person change the predicament of a corrupt society? In recent years, the KDrama has conspicuously often asked this question. Here the son tries to do the same as the father and at least tries... because: if you don't at least try, then nothing can change. So he wants to go to court and do his part there to ensure justice. Also undercover, if it may help. The question remains: Can one person change something about corrupt social structures? Does it help when illegal activities are uncovered? Or will everything in the end remain as it was, since new characters simply fill the vacant roles?

"Insider" focuses on the networking of politics, criminal prosecution and specifically institutionalized criminal organizations. Democracy has practically no chance in the face of these almost overwhelming networks that decide in the background and create facts. It's bitter to see. In particular, the handling of the law, which appears to be swung almost like a sword in the interests of the powerful, thus relentlessly destroying any hope of justice for honest people.

In this respect, "Insider" is more of a pessimistic story. I admit that I'm ambivalent about this overall quite brutal KDrama. It's repulsive but fascinating at the same time. The story ruthlessly unfolds its impenetrably entangled threads. It tells of outrageous machinations of the powerful and infernal manners in prison. Also about being mercilessly dependent on oneself. It tells of the desperate attempt to avenge injustice.

The dramaturgical leitmotif running through all of the 16 episodes is quite concrete and also symbolic: the impenetrable poker face. Illegal gambling with cards dominates "Insider" from the first minute to the end. Especially at the beginning, the card game itself is in the foreground. As the series progresses, the viewer's perspective shifts to the meta level of casino management and what may be attached to it. But who is up to something here and who is on the side of the protagonist remains unclear until the end. Who or what should you bet on? KDrama also shows us its poker face and simply plays its cards unperturbed - one episode after the other, until the end.

In my opinion, the permanent increase in tension during the first 8-10 episodes, which are mainly focused around prison-life, is like a permanently increasing climax - and the most impressive (yet challenging) part. After that, the actual revenge campaign can only lose. Not because it is not also based on a high level of quality, but simply because this permanent increase in tension cannot be continued forever. In the meantime, the audience has so many open plot threads in their hands that they now want to be resolved before they completely lose track (and interest).

Kang Ha-neul as main lead is incredible. He embodies the difficult process of change in the personality of a highly motivated young trainee at court who involuntarily has to get to know the dark end of society up close. If he doesn't conform and play by their rule, he won't survive. However, if he survives in this dark parallel world, he can never be who he was.

But everyone else around him also keeps up the intensive field and contributes to the convincing overall performance. I was particularly drawn to Kang Young-seok, who practically excelled alongside Kang Ha-neul in the first half. It's unbelievable how he manages to embody the worst merciless willingness to use violence on the one hand and yet still somehow is able to win sympathy on the other. A strong, unforgettable performance!

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Scriptwriter is Mad, Crazy Good

This scriptwriter is mad, crazy good -- they say a mark of a remarkable script writer can draw in the audience despite the story’s complexity. To slowly but swiftly and persistently keep an audience engaged, guessing, and wholly invested in each character, the heroes and villains, takes a lot of talent. This writer’s ability to spin the web of the story extends further and more profound than what’s visible on the surface, and that’s why despite being confused at times, I remain engaged without judgment for the haze of confusion to clear away that effectively happens at the opening of each episode. I love this writing style. But as good as this writer is, the actors, director, and editing team interpreting the script are even better. Kang Ha Neul and his cast of friends and foes leave me wanting for more each time. One of the better thrillers out there that is deliberate with the choices it makes, heightening and amplifying the cohesive and focused story goal with a consistent and escalating related conflict that is exciting as it is complex.

I I truly enjoyed this intensely complicated yet surprisingly fulfilling journey that Insider laid out. I want to give a massive shout-out to Lee Yoo Young for how well she plays Oh Soo Yeon. I never truly appreciated her acting until this one. Given the right part, I believed she could deliver even better, and she's proved me right. Every character plays a key role, especially the villains in Heo Dong Won as Yang Jun and Jung Man Shik as Yang Hwa, they are worthy of praise. It's easy to be slighted when playing against Kang Ha Neul, who is golden as the very complicated yet brilliant Yo Han. Still, Kang Young Seok in the role of Jang Seon Oh and the ever-so-engaging Choi Dae Hoon as No Seung Hwan definitely held their own and deserve to be recognized for their brilliant acting. Insider must not have been an easy drama to write. Kudos to the writer, the director, and the production team. I hope this drama gets awards as it's up there with some of the best of 2022.

One of the better written, directed, acted, and edited dramas I have seen since My Mister. Undoubtedly one of the best of 2022. I loved how complicated yet engaging this drama was; the writer threw a lot at us, and sometimes I felt like I was drowning but not once was I bored. On the contrary, I couldn't wait for the next episode, especially the first three to five minutes that connected all the missing dots. I will miss the whole cast; everybody played a crucial role in making this drama the success it became. As I wrote yesterday, everyone is deserving of an award. But especially the writer for penning such an intricately complex story that, in its complexity, made all the sense possible, Kang Ha Neul, Lee Yoo Young, Kang Young Seok, and Choi Dae Hoon, who has a special place in my heart.

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