Mask

With the flood of dramas from everywhere and the insane number released every year, I stopped looking for something to watch but instead started looking for what NOT to watch. Mask hasn’t been of help to me at all.

After 5 minutes of the first episode, I lay down and murmured, this is going to be epic. And I just finished episode 9 and again I’m murmuring, this is epic.

The drama evolves around money. How money accompanies power and how both control everything. How humans change when it comes to money. How contrasted the lives of the poor and the rich are. How family members would ruin each others lives for money and power. How money can buy everything, can kill and can spare, can help people start anew and can destroy others. At the same time, how money stands paralyzed when stronger powers interfere.

Byun Ji Seok and Seo In Ha are doppelgangers. Byun Ji Suk is an innocent young woman from a poor family drowned in debt. She lives her life trying to pay the debtors back or escape from them. She endures all kinds of humiliation to get money. She’s simple, pure and honest. While Seo In Ha is a rich heiress who has no regard for human emotions and only cares about money and power. Behind Seo In Ha there’s a puppeteer. When the puppeteer’s plan is threatened to fail because of Seo In Ha, he doesn’t hesitate to use her doppelganger. But no matter how Byun Ji Suk tries to be Seo In Ha, she can’t.

I’m not satisfied with the synopsis I wrote. But if I mention any other detail I’ll ruin it for you guys. You find out!

So let’s discuss the characters, the actors and the plot accordingly:

Byun Ji Suk

Though this character seems flat at many moments, and makes me feel like jumping in and shaking her back to life, she’s changing. Byun Ji Suk started defeated, desperate and unwilling to live –she couldn’t if she wanted anyway-. Though she’s still weak at times and indecisive at others, she’s slowly changing. There's an edge to her personality developing with each day. She calculates and makes deals. Her love for her family and the love growing inside for Min Woo (wait!) are changing her. I hope she doesn’t try to completely be Seo In Ha. –she’ll fail even if she tries. They’re so different!-

Seo In Ha

Arrogant, bossy, demanding and cruel is Seo In Ha. Though she has a lover, she gets married for power. She sets her own roles and is the master of her own game. But things don’t always go our ways.

Soo Ae acts both characters. There’s no character this genius lady can’t pull off. She makes both character look real, as if they’re really two different people. What Min Woo can read in her eyes is really there. She shows it. She can present a variety of emotions in a short time. And she drags the audience to her side. Oh brilliant!

Choi Min Woo

Choi Min Woo is a lonely heir cornered by his own family to an extent he can’t imagine. He’s been moving according to a plan he’s unaware of. He’s kind, caring, warm and in need of love. But he’s a man with many scars and fears and therefore doesn’t open up to people. He has many eccentricities which makes him so adorable. Once he opens his heart to someone, he gives his all.

Joo Jin Hoo is just so beautiful here. His hair style suits him well. His fashion is a killer. And so many shower scenes. Bless the director!

Min Seok Hoon

Here comes the most interesting and intriguing character in the drama, the puppeteer. Min Seok Hoon comes from a poor background and is traumatic because of that. But that trauma turns him into,mmm, a psycho! He aims to devour all possible power and ‘’make the world a better place’’.  He’s ingenious, shrewd, quick, powerful, convincing and a wonderful liar. He ‘’wears his masks so naturally’’ you can’t tell. And even if you do, he makes you want to believe him anyway. To reach his goal, he’s ready to step on everyone, in the cruelest and most disgusting way ever. He uses people and throws them away so easily, as long as it serves his goals.

I cannot summarize his views on life, I don’t know all anyway. But I do agree with many of what he's mentioned already. His philosophy and logic are so practical and so realistic. Well, they’re portraying him as a bad guy. He is. But as he claims, ‘’we’re not any different.’’ People just pretend to be different. We all have the same greed and desire. We might not express them that meanly and openly, but we do. Seok Hoon’s character is just more raw, to make us see the truth of the human being.

Have you read The Picture of Dorian Gray??

Here I go again.

So Yeon Jung Hoon plays Seok Hoon. Hahaha. If this guy doesn’t win an award on this role, I’m taking a plane to South Korea and bombing the broadcasting stations. You know those actors who make you admire the hateful character no matter what they do! They leave you gaping at the screen like time has stopped! You want to deny what they’re saying and declare it inhuman and wrong but you can’t! That’s what Jung Hoon is turning Seok Hoon into. His smirks, looks and gestures. The expressions he changes into splits of second. The lies he openly tells. All the plans and the plots. Insane just to think of how amazing he is.

Choi Mi Yeon

My one disappointing character. A typical rich heiress begging for attention. She’s an irresponsible alcoholic. Though she knows of many of her husband’s sins, she can’t let go of him.

Yoo In Young

Sighs. Again!

I love this woman. She’s so beautiful. And she’s a good actress. But they always give her the same role. Where on earth are we supposed to see her acting range?

Her clothes are just so mind blowing. Her haircut too. Damn it!

Byun Ji Hyuk

This guy has to mature for god sake. His hot temper is blowing up so many things.

But

Ho Ya is acting him. Ho Ya. Who’s Ho Ya? A guy I’d listen screaming all day long. That voice!

I must pull my act together.

The drama is full of mystery. The first scene was insane and the episodes always end in cliffhangers. It has so many funny scenes –and romantic and touching ones-. The music is wonderful.

How many of our memories are ours? Do we hallucinate –not necessarily in the medical sense-? How often? How can we be sure our memories are ours? And what kind of people would plant false memories and cause others to live entire lives based on falsehoods? When the powerful ones words are true, and the weak ones false, what should the weak do? what options do they have? How dangerous can the power of knowledge be? and how painful can the truth be? Is lying definitely a bad thing? Do all of us wear masks to survive? How many? And to what extent do we hide our true form to bury our weaknesses and secrets? Are secrets meant to be revealed? Is rebirth and new opportunities necessarily a good thing? Some say love is the most foolish emotion, how relevant is that? Or shall I replace the question mark by an exclamation one?! What’s a family? What makes it a family?

So many questions tossed at us in the drama and little answers. So many epiphanies and aha moments. So many truths about us humans we always try to evade or deny. How ugly we can be!