Eve (2022)

Story with a lot of potential but lack in execution

I guess this drama is not exactly my type. If you checkout the summary, you can't help but expect a story with a lot of scheming, wit and betrayal. In a way there are some parts with a touch of those elements but I see this drama as a showcase of style, personality and lifestyle even more so than the whole story plot. They are pretty smart when it comes to incorporating some interesting folk story about "Twin Flame" and tango but I don't see this drama any more than an expensive production of a story of seduction.

The execution is bad in many areas:
- You have characters who are meant to be evil but have only shown violence instead of brains. Han So Ra is no more than a spoilt brat, Han Pan Ro and Kim Jung Cheol are no different than those rich gangsters with money but no class. Lee Ra El is always a step ahead which makes the villains in this story really underwhelming.
- Kang Yoon Gyeom and Lee Ra El are meant to be in love with each other but they have shown little to none chemistry. Other than the obvious attraction KYG has for LRE, there is really nothing else emotion wise.

If you're into fashion, it's pretty obvious they have invested quite a bit in that area. Other than that, I don't think this is one drama I'd rewatch

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Disappointment

I'll leave the spoilers for the end so let me begin with my overall impressions as I watched the show.

When I first heard about Eve, I was excited. The plot summary also made it sound extremely intriguing as I do love my revenge plots but what unfolded gradually was nothing short of a disappointment. The only reason I put up with it is because I was waiting for the revenge part and what a long wait it was!

There were a couple of episodes that I fell asleep while watching and just continued with the next and it didn't make an ounce of difference. I could follow the story because nothing much was happening in the show. There was at least one completely filler episode.

I want to say I was impressed by the actors but I really can't for most of them. The male lead, CEO Kang Yoon, has no facial expressions besides serious. I did not see those muscles move throughout the show. Similarly for the second male lead, Seo Eun Pyung. I was rooting for him. But expression wise, he was in a perpetual state of concern. Nonetheless, he is a handsome guy so this role is almost tragic for him. And then coming to the female lead, Lee Ra El. She had the widest range of emotions on display so she certainly brought the most to the table considering the role is all about her. I also have to give it up for the wife's character, Han So Ra, who you almost pity at times. Then she reminds you exactly why she deserves to be disliked. A well portrayed character. Ra El's adoptive mother's role and portrayal is also interesting with interesting dynamics between the two.

My rating is entirely for the actors and not really for the plot.

Finally ***spoilers*** and this is going to ruin the show for you so beware:
The first two episodes were the highlight of the show. Lee Ra El seducing Kang Yoon Gyeom through her tango and then by letting him watch her with her husband. I wish they had maintained the shock value with every episode throughout the show but somewhere in between complacency set in and Ra El was just trying to fit in. When the big bad guys who just kill anyone that gets in the way, learn about Ra El, they do nothing. I wonder what Ra El's plan was without SEP's help because she could have very easily been eliminated very early on. Another point of irritation was that all of the evidence that Ra El was collecting was illegal and inadmissible in a court of law so I have no idea what the course of action was for her adoptive mother. There was no way they were winning the civil and criminal cases. If viewers are waiting for the actual revenge then you'll have to head straight for episode 15 and 16. Episodes 14 and 15 were still alright. But 16 was just utter nonsense. The wife So Ra who is depicted to be deathly afraid of her father, decides to confront him. Yoon Gyeom who loves his children and knows what it's like to be without a loving parent decides the only thing that matters is what Lee Ra El wants of him. And what of the 1.6 billion dollar divorce? The director seemed to acknowledge it as an after thought.

There are a whole lot of plot holes and actions of people that don't make sense eg. So Ra's bodyguard. I do want to list them all but that would essentially be ruining it for someone who still wants to give this show a shot.

It's possible that if I was watching this show after completion, I would have either sped through it or skipped to the end or just dropped it. I can't rate a show very high if I didn't enjoy it nor would I recommend it to others. But that's just me. :)

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Korean Fashion Drama :)

This is not your typical revenge drama. It aired roughly the same time as “Why Her?” which is way better than this one.

The main plot and underlying storyline is quite interesting- young 15yo girl’s dad was murdered in front of her, she was sexually assaulted, her mother went missing; she lived abroad many years and came back with her ultimate revenge. First half had a really good build up. However after awhile it became more of a parade of who wears it better.. which brand clothing, who had the better body etc.. thus why I said Korean Fashion Drama! And at one point Seo Yea Ji was wearing hats as if she was going for a British Royal wedding! And all Han So Ra does is scream and vent and throw tantrums. It must have been so exhausting playing that role.

The ending was not your typical ending, sort of like an open ending. It is true the first few episodes are quite seductive and steamy, which is why apparently it was banned in Korea. Only watch this if you’re looking for a really angst drama. ;)

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Same old school drama revenge turn into trash pathetic romance

If writer wants us to symtheis with ml choose better storyline ml is toxic selfish he never care about his children
Same goes for fl if she want to revenge there is another way and atlast she waste her 13 years for pathetic so called love if it's called love i thing fl go to assylum and after learn what is love
If SML is not there for fl she gonna end up die SML always care love fl
And I never want fl choose SML she don't deserve SML ......
......
..............
If u want to learn what is ending go watch goodbye princess
Writers are the main reason of downfall of this drama .........
Fl acting lead this drama.....

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This drama is so annoying! I still don’t believe it’s TVN. The leads are so irritating for me. The acting is sub par and I am not enjoying this at all.
The whole revenge scheme is kinda outdated and I wish it had a better storyline.
I hate how the FL seems to forget her original plans half way through and is now being a home wrecker (granted there wasn’t a home to break)?
I hate how mistreated the children are. Da Bi is in a horrible home and Bo Ram’s father went abroad and left her with La El. She’s not a bad person but the father was shitty for doing that. At least in my opinion.
One of the worst dramas I have ever watched.

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Terrible plot

Honestly, I saw everyone talking about this show and how it's so good and satisfying so I'll admit I was expecting an amazing S-tier drama. But when I watched it... It's a whole different story, it was almost like they were letting 10-year-olds write the script. This is honestly such a boring yet intriguing drama just to see if it actually does what the synopsis says. Basically, if you read the synopsis it will explain how she is out for revenge... But this is nothing but a frigging love story atp, and I don't even care 1% about the love line it's so terrible. Like, you fell in love w the man that stole your father's company, and now you're stuck? Such a weird plot, I don't recommend it to anyone that likes their time. Even the acting is a bit overdone by both female lead characters at times, I can honestly say that I have been confused in this drama for more than 50% of the drama. I don't know, maybe I'm just bitter because I ship her with SEP but I really don't care for the main lead's love line at all and it just makes the drama worse than what it has to be. It sincerely would have been a good drama without them forcing down our throats that 'they're in love, she loves him sm' trope, like okay?? Get to the actual point of the show like....

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Seo Yea Ji and her outfits are the only things that kept me going

Seo Yea Ji is my fav actress and I was pretty excited for her comeback however this drama was a disaster. Her acting skills were superb but the main guy's acting pissed me off, he was completely expressionless, no offence to the actor tho , maybe the actor is good but the role did not fit him or the direction wasn't well done, anyhow it seemed off. The drama was super lengthy and I had to skip through most of it and I still understood what was going on. Some of the characters were awful. I did like some parts of the drama for which I increased my rating or else it would be lower. Some parts were too silly and some were good which balanced it. Lee Sang Yeob did great, I loved him here. Also thanks to the one in charge for the outfits used in this drama, it made the drama look better somehow.

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Revenge is the new K-drama trope.

Revenge drama has become the new K-drama trope, and this production company uses eccentric characters and eccentric fashions in an attempt to differentiate it from the competition.

The plot and subplots were predictable, and the characters were predictable, over the top or blasé. The two female leads dominated the entire plot with their eccentricities, mood swings and fashions. Fifty percent of the women's fashions were fugly or over the top. EVE evolved into a revenge fashion romance melodrama drama.

As usual, the director and film editor chopped up the flow of the episodes with extraneous flashback filler, or flashbacking scenes to clarify actions after the fact. The flashbacking scene seemed relevant to the plot, and should have been presented in chronological order of the story. The director threw Fluidity and Lucidity out the window.

Ra El was passive, So Ra was bipolar aggressive, Kang was passive, Lawyer Seo was passive. The main and supporting cast were very good at stare acting. The director was not really directing, he was telling them when to stare blankly at the camera. This type of emotion does not emote on film, and looks like ... stare acting. The lunatic characters did a very good job acting like lunatics. There were many filler villains. So Ra was Queen Lunatic Villain.

The final episode was deflating. As the episode was winding down, I concluded that Kang might be alive, and in a witness protection program, and that So Ra might be pretending she was mad, so she would not be charged with the multiple murders of her father Prime Minister and other individuals, and the attempted murder of Ra El.

Overall ratings
Revenge 6 - planning and execution were flawed and mediocre.
Fashion 5 - do the rich really dress in the daytime, as if they are going to an awards show?
Romance 3 - boring stare acting and boring sex by Ra El and Kang. XD
Stare acting 9 - several award winning performances
Music 5 - repetitive singing
Ending 6 - predictable
Violence 8 - excessive
Teamwork - 2

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Not even top-tier actors can save this shitty drama

This is so disappointing. This drama could have been a little bit better without the love interest; it doesn't even need any ounce of romance, and there is not enough buildup in the background story of Lee Ra El for me to feel the revenge. Ra El waited 13 years to execute her revenge just to fall in love with an old guy who contributed to the death of her family. That is so stupid; she and Kang Yoon-kyum don't even have chemistry. If she just focused on her plan, I would add 1 point to my rating. The only time I feel thrilled in this drama is when she is inside the secret room of Yoon Kyum; the rest are all bland. Han Sora is the only good character in this show. I am surprised Seo Yeji and Park Byungeun accepted this drama.

A 3/10. This is more of a fashion show between the wives than talking about revenge.

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Signor Verdi would be proud of this show

Eve is fundamentally a modern interpretation of a classic tragic grand opera where revenge, lust, love, power and money are fused together into a cascade of inordinate acts that assault the senses until the grand finale where all the evil deeds come home to roost. Usually, the protagonist is so altered by the soul destroying need for revenge that they are consumed by the vengeful act. This might be seen as a prime example of a makjang drama as well.

Eve would have worked so much better as an opera or a film, but 16 episodes allowed us too much time to notice its flaws. That is a real shame because it is a well-made show in many regards.

It is because of these flaws that the show will be polarising. On one hand, we can be swept away by the haunting love story, the all-consuming greed, hatred and thirst for retribution. Scenes that mixed shock and awe, opulent display of wealth and power can be mesmerising. Much the same way that extreme depravity can be spellbinding.

The flip side of such a strong stylistic statement can be a lack of substance. Does style ride shotgun over narrative logic? With such a long runtime and days between episodes, there is a lot of time for us to absorb the narrative and put two and two together. Seek and we shall find some serious plot holes and contrivance. At some point I decided that to enjoy this show, I need to switch off some cognitive functions and rely more on primitive emotions. Bring on the extra strong tinted lens!

With that in mind, I would say that I mostly enjoyed the show but with caveats. I did get distracted by some illogical scenarios and some contrivance gave me pause. In the end, I was swept up by the head long rush to the grand denouement where it reached the all consuming crescendo. It was a fitting final act to a monumental tragedy and there is little room for moral ambiguity. Death cometh to us all. Signor Verdi would be proud.

Was the epilogue necessary? Was it better that we are given a glimmer of hope (was it wistful thinking?) or would it be better to let the dead rest and leave us to our reflections?

Similarly, comments regarding the acting will be polarised as well. There is no shortage of stylistic flairs and film noir moments so some might think that the actors are not showing enough emotions or when there is an outburst, it is over the top. A lot comes down to the direction and I don’t think any of the actors did a bad job, but 16 hours is a long time repeating a small range of pose. There are times when I felt that the leads were wearing a gilded mask but a mask nevertheless.

OST is fine, got to love a good Tango. Rewatch is unlikely in the near future.

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Acting and Music

Seo Yeaji has been through so much this year, and her acting is amazing for this comeback. I can feel the character's emotions, and I just think her acting is so well that it draws you in.
The OST at the end is perfect. The lyrics are extremely representative of Ms.Seo's character.
I also want to say that the woman who plays Han SoRa is also an amazing actress. She shows her character's anxiety and anger so well.
The men and husband's also act well, especially the actors that play Yoon Gyeom and EunPyeong. Them and Han SoRa's actress play obsession amazingly.
This story is almost the perfect revenge plot (so far).

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