Kokdu: Season of Deity is Kim Jung Hyun's first drama comeback since Mr. Queen and was one of my most anticipated dramas of 2023. But despite the interesting premise, talented cast, and Kim Jung Hyun's especially strong performance, Kokdu: Season of Deity is a huge disappointment and not really worth watching in its entirety. The drama is a convoluted mess lacking clear vision and direction. It's like the writers can't decide if they want to be a comedy, a melodrama, a thriller, etc. They try everything and none of it really works. As a result, the drama feels really disjointed.

The main romance in this drama is one of the worst I've seen in years. I'm a fan of both Kim Jung Hyun and Im Soo Hyang but they have terrible chemistry. The only time there's any spark between them is when they bicker. Everything else is a snoozefest. AND the writing for the main couple is bad.

The writing + main couple are awful but there are strong performances from the talented cast especially the two male leads, Kim Jung Hyun and Ahn Woo Yeon. I also liked a lot of the relationship dynamics like the Han siblings and the 2nd lead couple. But the drama spends a lot of time on the boring villains/hospital conspiracy so in the end, all the relationships feel underdeveloped.

If you're a fan of any of the actors in the cast, just watch clips of their scenes and behind the scenes footage. You'll thank me later.

My full review: dramatoast.com/kokdu-season-of-deity-review/