"The Road: The Tragedy of One" is based on a (Japanese) novella by Rintaro Norizuki with its spotlight on the higher end of high society. The KDrama "Mine" from the same production year, which is located in a comparable segment at the top of the social pyramid, chose rich bright colors and extravagantly shimmering robes amidst glitz and glamor as the backdrop for a study on decadence and greed. In contrast, the TV production "The Road: The Tragedy of One" makes no attempt whatsoever to immerse human abysses in a colorful light that is somehow aimable and pleasently digestibility. No. This KDrama has a rather gloomy side to it. It´s opaque. Outrageous.

You may vainly search for anything virtuous here. Let alone family values, especially when it comes to raising children. People mysteriously die. There is crime. Corruption. Affairs. Cowardice. Selfishness. There is (almost) nothing left of high moral standards. The series is heavy opera. Yet, excellently casted throughout. Everyone is doing their best. Still, whatsoever, it's not nice to look at. If the human ugliness is shown all too ruthlessly... who should one identify with? You have to delve far into your own abysses to sympathize and feel with the protagonists... (maybe one of the reasons, why the viewer ratings aren´t quite balanced to the true quality of the show...)

In any case, the KDrama is thrilling in its own pace and style. There are plenty of secrets throughout. You get Makjang, too ... obviously it can always get worse... (KDrama somehow always is great at drama!) It's opaque up to the end. The story takes its time to unravel the tangled threads. The screenplay is particularly atmospheric. Eventually, more of a trip into darkness. Literally (i.e. optically), too. I would call it an experiment in the latest KDrama Orbit, that dares to juggle shadow rather than light and ventures to tell a story without wholesome, easily digestible sweets.