Scandal (2024)

Don't bother

I am a believer that if you can't say anything positive... say nothing. However, once in a great while, I feel compelled. I have watched scores of kdramas; some were horrible, some were amazing and the rest fell somewhere in between. There have been only 2 dramas that frustrated me to the point that I needed to comment. The first was "Wild Romance" where Lee Si Young's character acting was so bad that I had to discontinue it because I was continuously yelling at the television. This one is the second. I need to ask viewers, "am I missing something?" because the acting, the story line, the totally unrealistic situations made this more of a farce than a drama. Even if I stretch my imagination until it snaps, I just don't get it. I had high hopes from the beginning because the storyline, though not unique, was my kind of drama. However, from the beginning, the actors were so over the top, I couldn't see an ounce of "truth" in their performances. Let's start with the FL. It's hard to believe she has several dramas in her repertoire because she was such a rookie. She spent the entire 80 episodes (as of now), teary-eyed, shaky-voiced and breathy. I didn't believe she experienced one bit of what she was portraying. I felt no pity whatsoever for her circumstance BUT, I did however, want to make her some chamomille tea and give her some oxygen. The ML didn't seem to know what his character was supposed to do. He was just a blank space. Handsome doesn't make you talented. The rest of the cast seemed to just be following the stage direction. (smile here, yell here, throw something here, ) My deepest thoughts during the entire drama: Would Han Chae Young's face be in a permanent sneer after the drama ended? Does anyone know how to knock? The male lead's bedroom is a revolving door. The FL's writing studio is as busy as an airport. Why does the enemy constantly come there and why, for God's sake does she buzz them in?!?! What is the purpose of the SML? SFL?? and the FL's extended family? Comic relief? Didn't work. Two characters that were doing their best to tread water were Jin Joo Hyung and Oh Young Joo. They did their best, but neither of them had anyone connected to their characters to work off of.
I like some of the actors' past performances which makes this even sadder. I really don't know what happened to a show that might have had some success if anyone knew what they were supposed to be doing.
You might ask why I am continuing to watch it? I have to... I just have to. I've made it this far, so I will see it through to the end. If a miracle happens and this show is redeemed, I will return with all of its good points. I promise. Fair is fair.

Final words: I finished watching all of the episodes and I can say, it didn't really get better. I think some of the characters began to get their footing at about the 95th episode, but obviously it was too late to rescue the sinking ship. In my honest opinion, after giving it some more thought, I would put the blame at about 70% writer/director and 30% actors. A good director can draw out better performances from their stars. I think expediency was their main objective, not craft. The ending wasn't too bad, but the relationship between FL and ML was never believable enough from the beginning to justify what happens. I challenge it fiercely. I also challenge their life choices as well. Again, not believeable. As the one actor is driving away ( I won't tell who!) , he gets half of the way down the driveway and chuckles a bit to himself. I think the director wants you to take this as, "oh well, it is what it is". I personally think he is smiling because it was his last scene and he was FREE.

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스캔들 (Scandal) aka the Makjang Snow White

-- Where to watch: Kocowa for 1080p with a subscription (or Viki/Prime if it's available in your region), YouTube for free but not recommended because of the quality, and for free alternatives you have Goplay (1080p streaming, join the Discord) or Avistaz (torrents).

-- Playlist I made with highlight video and teasers first: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVlEiYP-9el6wtW5e1YQZ_m0jlOhOU8VM

-- Have you noticed how they went from The Two Sisters (red thread tale) → Snow White → Cinderella → Queen's House? Peak KBS lol.

I loved the style of the main poster and the group poster in the cinema, so obviously I had to watch it. Young cast and refreshing drama (it's cute because they got close IRL haha), messy story and intertwined characters, good shock value (definitely unique lol), good mystery, lots of fun, a good portrayal of the Korean entertainment industry and an original concept of a drama script in the drama (my new favorite trope). I read complaints about the drama being too repetitive and slow, but it wasn't bad at all for me??? The drama was what it was and I loved it for that, as simple as that. Also, I never considered SWR easy to write as it basically started with the end (one of my favorite tropes) and completely stood out from other dailies. Worse, I can only imagine the pressure and hectic schedules. Considering how the writer changed in The Two Sisters, it seems like the higher-ups do whatever they want. It's clear the focus is on these three women: Jeongin (the villain), Seolah (Snow White), and Juryeon. The drama isn't about revenge in the conventional sense — rather, the love line is the focus, and the ML isn't meant to be likeable. He's an antihero. But to be honest, I liked him. I'm attached to the entire cast anyway. The drama is ridiculous, absurd and over-the-top, but I really love it and it was actually emotional for me. I care more about characters I enjoy watching, a great OST, and a storytelling that I find interesting than anything else.

If you look at this drama with the perspective of the classic tale made into a makjang, it truly becomes interesting, particularly because of Jeongin and Jinho (the antihero ML). About Seolah, it's annoying for me to see people saying that "weak" female leads should literally go extinct. Diversity and nuances are the best and I saw her as strong personally. It's the same with The K2 (I love Anna) and others, people always complain. Seolah is definitely one of my favorite characters and a "weak" character can be stronger than "strong" ones, and again that's all you reduce them as, "weak". Jinho isn't inherently a bad person (his robotic character looked so funny and dumb at times, I can't hate him lmao), same for Juryeon, and Jeongin... She's interesting for sure, and it's funny that she was like the protagonist. Again, all the characters simply suit my taste. I loved the comic relief, funny characters, and even the worst one, Taechang. If you ask me, I would say the best thing this drama has is Jeongin.

The ending was my favorite because it was something I had in my mind all the time (along another option), but I was still surprised. I don't want to spoil here, so all I can say is pay attention to the narration and dialogue in episode 1. The first episodes are also very aesthetic, being filmed like a prime-time drama, and this is the daily where I love the sets and lighting the most (nice use of darker colors including red like on the posters), so the drama could be a literal huit-clos and I wouldn't mind it.

If some things don't seem to have an explanation, don't bother. I think it was meant to be overlooked (what's makjang logic after all) and the drama is very enjoyable, in my view. It was something different and fresh, good for both younger and older audiences. Revenge overshadowed by romance is my guilty pleasure also... Revenge isn't truly what I care about in my makjangs anyway. I just like makjangs.

Lastly, I find it interesting how people criticize such "misleading" titles and synopsis because this can be a quality to others. Specifically Cinderella Game and Queen's House, which can be ironic, less literal titles or referring to a future development. But some titles also can just be a bad choice/marketing.

Snow White's Revenge should be more popular. Ignore the negativity and see for yourself. Enjoy!

P.S: Guys please follow this channel uploading the tragically unreleased BGMs of recent dailies: https://www.youtube.com/@ruby_638

Planning intention from Namu Wiki:

On the day of the drama’s wrap party, the production company’s CEO was found dead.
She was murdered, a note foretelling her death clenched in her hand.
The killer is one of the people who were present at the banquet that day.
Every one of them wanted her dead — no, they wanted to kill her!

Who did it? Why? For what reason was she killed?

Every person harbors hatred, resentment, and a desire for revenge in the chambers of their heart.
The moment those feelings are revealed, they risk becoming the most pathetic, cruel, or wicked person in the world — so no one dares to show them.
But when someone you love most is taken from you, how can you possibly suppress that fury?

This story seeks to provide a vicarious catharsis for the revenge that lies dormant in the human heart.

A mystery-charged, intense melodrama unfolds between a woman who wanted to own the world and another who risked everything for vengeance.

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