Save Me (2017)

A masterpiece. A k-drama that has k-movie standards.

DUDE. THIS KDRAMA WAS PERFECT.
I've been WAITING to say this for awhile cos the last few dramas that I watched was...ugheeeh subpar and forgettable (HomeCha, Nevertheless, My Mister, Vincenzo-- sorry if they're your favs >< )

I didn't have many expectations for this drama as I wasn't particularly a fan of any of the actors here, I also find kdramas that try to cover 'taboo' topics to be really half-assed and over-simplistic. The only thing that piqued my interest was that it's about ...cults haha.

First episode in and I wasn't immediately a fan of it. I found it to be "too much" and I could not really take it seriously.
But when the story of Sang Im's family kickstarted, there was like no turning back. Every single sub-plot just had a domino effect to the next plot and to the next, you just have to keep going...and it was just SO SO SO interestingg..
*side note: the opening plot of Sang Jin being bullied was honestly so...well-done. I've watched a few kdramas with bullying backstories but it always feels so cringy and stupid. Or...extremely over-exagerated. This was one somehow managed to communicate itself in an honest and real way.

I frankly did NOT expect it to cover such a ... controversial topic in such depth. To be honest, I found it to be more interesting and nuanced than a typical cults documentary.
I myself have bad experiences with similar cultish practices, and I was genuinely surprised to see such nuanced fleshing out on TV. They don't really really go too deep to explain everything, so for someone who's completely new to these practices, they might find it confusing. But for me, it was genuinely so interesting to learn that cultish practices do not look too strange at first.
I also like how they never used the "cultishness" as a mere plot device to make the whole drama feel abit darker-- it is in fact a very integral part of the drama that the audience is forced to confront themselves with.

In general, Save Me is one of the rare kdramas out there that stays consistent to what it sets out to cover, without compromising themselves for fan service or product placements or anything that netflix-produced dramas does not seem to get these days ==
It is genuine, heartfelt, but also very very daring and bold in covering such a sensitive subject. but the best of it all-- it is careful to not be self-indulgent in making itself a 'makjang' drama...which I think many kdramas seem to do nowadays...

I must mention that there are still some flaws in the drama that makes it very skippable. Some scenes DO feel like it's just trying to make it more nerving without any real substance to the plot. Some characters literally do not make sense. and some scenes just feels abit naive... like if they were THAT scary (from ep1-7) how can they be so dumb in certain scenes??

Nevertheless, a perfect drama for me and I am sad that it will be awhile before I say this again. Had loads of fun binging this within 3 days. Thanks for the mmrs :')

**extra-side note on acting: I didn't like Taecyeon in Vincenzo (not just cause he was the bad guy, like i genuinely found him annoying in earlier eps) but he came off as rather charming to me here. Woo Do Hwan always knew how to charm me <3 but this might be my fav role of his. Didn't know Seo Yea Ji before but I really enjoyed her acting here! Was also pleasantly surprised to see Jeon Yeo Been here! (She is SUCH a shapeshifter, she looked SO different here I almost couldn't recognise her. Really liked her in Vincenzo and esp Be Melodramatic.) Park Ji Young (Apostle Kang) also gave a commendable performance, I honestly think she was the best out of everyone. Sang Mi's father was also not bad, I was so scared of him. I was more scared of the father than the cult leader tbh.
the -1.5 in acting was because I did not like the rest of the cast's acting...they felt really tacky.

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Watch seasone 2!

Regarding season 1:
I found it to be very flawed from all angles and it only served as a learning experience for those who carried on with the second season. Its portrayal of a cult lacked a compelling thematic foundation, opting instead to draw inspiration from cheap rip-off D-grade movies themed around cults. Where cults are extremely over-dramatized to the point of crossing the supernatural territory. The cult apparently possessed super powers of hypnosis with only a few words spoken, even towards people who weren't perceptible to religious and spiritual beliefs. Everything surrounded the cult came off as cartoonish even within the context of a 'drama'. The narrative itself struggled to carry its own weight, particularly as it primarily focused on the perspectives of the outsiders. It always felt as if it was building up towards something bigger but it never got there. For a 16-episodes run, it needed a proper world building and foundation for the cult. Establishing a distinct "character" for the cult would have provided a stronger identity. Back to the outsiders, having the drama led by teenage characters was another weak aspect of it. Bland and cardboard characters. The mystery element was a crucial part of the drama yet it was lacking and under-delivering. The first season would have fared better as a standalone one-off movie rather than a drama. It doesn't make any sense why the drama was rated this high, according to MDL standards, especially when season 2 effectively addressed most of the issues with the cult and delivered an overall better package!

Regarding Season 2:
It managed to deliver a much more compelling package than season 1. The most important part is that it handled the cult theme properly. The characters and the cast were a lot more appealing than season 1. Having a more adult leading characters rather than teenager was a plus. Uhm Tae Goo was a perfect casting choice for his character. The story had a better and more natural progression than season 1. However, it got sloppier the closer it got to the ending. Speaking of the ending, it was a bit underwhelming and not as grandiose as I hoped it would be. Second season should have been a stand alone drama unrelated to the first one, not even in the name. If you don't feel like watching two seasons then you can ignore the first one and just watch the second.

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Riveting Cult Story

I started this drama because I had just finished 'The Guest' and wanted to watch another horror type of kdrama. This did not disappoint. While it is not exactly a horror it is a psychologically horrific drama that makes you frustrated, want to throttle not only the antagonists but also the main character, and makes you want run screaming from religious fanatics (if you didn’t already want to). It is highly addictive. I finished the show in about three days, but it is also draining. The show depicts a family that gets sucked into a religious cult and I thought it felt really realistic. The rewatch value is the lowest of all my ratings because of how draining the show is and how much you want to pull your hair out from all the things that happen that make you want to go into the tv and slap some sense into the characters. I will also say that the drama has some major themes that can trigger or be uncomfortable to watch such as bullying, suicide, murder, sexual assault. If you want to watch a mature drama that is addictive with great acting and see how brainwashing can not only scar but break people watch this. If you want to watch how people overcome trauma and fight past not only the people in their lives who try to control them but injustice as well, watch this. Also, because it is important for me to know and might be a factor in people’s decision to watch this the show does have a HEA but it takes a while to get there and there are a lot of painful events before we get there. The show doesn’t really have romance but what I found to be one of the most entertaining and enticing aspects was the friendship between the two ML’s. For me their relationship was one of the best to see. At the core of this show is the friendship of four boys and how doing the right thing can hurt but if you have the support and love of friends you stand a chance. I wish we could see the FL develop her friendship with the four boys more, but even so the drama was riveting especially since these boys could have abandoned the FL but despite everything they came through. The music was good but I do not find it all that memorable. It did fit the vibe of the series. Overall, great drama!

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I love how this drama showcase a sense of realism to viewers as it comes to grips with religious cults which is so different from other dramas that we're accustomed to.

I'm also amazed with the actors, they all got great acting chops, both protagonists and antagonists, I like Seo Yea Ji's (Sang Mi) acting, it's very convincing, and Woo Do Hwan (Dong Cheol) is such an "oppa" material istg. I love his character here, his heart of gold behind a bad boy look.

Overall, "Save Me" is not your typical K-drama that is all cutesy and filled with hearts and romance, it has dark and heavy theme which you either like or not at all, there's no in between.

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One of the best dramas I've ever watched

Such a good story and great acting. I did wish there was romance, but its still great. The actors were great and the music was spot on.

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A very good psychological thriller

This is a psychological thriller, that’s what it is.

The first episode was a little patchy and all over the place. I had a hard time keeping track of what I thought was forgettable characters (including Seo Ye Ji, who is the reason I watched this show in the first place.

Came episode 2 onwards and bam, I got hooked! It’s a show you can easily binge-watch because almost every episode ends on a cliffhanger.

Be prepared to be slightly disturbed by the cult doings in this show because they are evil. But the acting were all executed so flawlessly.

Don’t worry about the ending. No cliffhanger and is all good.

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Save Me is a journey worth travelling.

Everything about Save Me is captivated, they have built up the world for the viewers to be invested in perfectly. Save Me is the type of show where every details and every information will make sense at the end. I was worried that the show will get me lost in details, but thankfully it didn't.

All the actors were phenomenal except, for me, Ok Taecyeon. I've never seen him act before, but his acting got better after the first couple episodes so that was a relief. The villain actors have done their characters so well that you can't help but hate them! And that's coming from someone who loves villain characters.

Would I rewatch it? Yes, but not soon as I need to recover and watch something tooth-achingly sweet after it.

Would I recommend it? YES! Even to people who don't watch kdrama often.

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Story - The story for this drama was awesome! As I have never seen a drama with this type of plot before, the second I saw it I knew it was going to be good!

Cast - I loved the cast so much! I have never seen any of the cast in anything other than this and I have officaly become a fan of all of them lol.

Rewatch - I never rewatch shows, unless its a very rare exeption, and I can tell you in a year or so I see myself definietly re watching this!    

Music - I loved the music, it wasnt overplayed and played at the right times.            

Overall - This drama is definitelty my favourite drama ever! Its fine that it doesnt have romance, I feel romance would take away from the story if it was in this drama, though I did ship Dong Cheol and Sang Mi. :3

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I didn't have much expectation for this show as I was watching it because the storyline seems really interesting and Taecyeon is inside.
However,  Woo Do Hwan totally stole my heart so much more than Taecyeon (I'm so sorry) I ship Dong Cheol because he is so true to himself even though it got him into so much trouble. (He's so dashing too)

This story really shows that how extreme certain people may be after having faith in the religion but this show made it real bad and disgusting. How disgusting humans can be in order to gain power and how bad the society is. Be it in the show or not, some times it's just how the society works nowadays. The rich gets richer and can do 'mostly' whatever they want to have their own personal gains.

Storyline is amazing. Full stop.
Nothing like what other kdrama would do, not much of a love story but a lot of kinships and bromance.
Bromance game were quite strong despite some 'loop holes' that i find it weird but nah.. Not allowed to give you spoilers.

Every cast has their own story at the end of the day and that's what makes this show perfect. All cast be it supporting roles or main roles, they did their part to make this worth while. There are characters that you would be disgusted and also some surprises here and there when they happen to discover more  secrets.

Music wise i don't really remember much except some sad scenes and not forgetting the initial "15" introduction part by the main female lead (her voice is gooood) though i don't understand what she says everytime at the beginning, heh.

I wouldn't really rewatch this show as i wouldn't say it's my real favourite. (I don't really rewatch shows unless it's my REALLY REALLY favourite if you get what i mean)

But that doesn't mean it won't be your favourite since everyone has their own preference!
So please, enjoy the show and discover some secrets in the cult!

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Amazing acting!!!, I completely fell in love with the drama as a whole but the storyline got me most. As my first Korean drama this type of plot shocked me and surprised me in many ways. I felt pulled into the drama and my emotions swayed with the characters.
I feel as though if I was to watch this drama again starting anew and without knowing what will happen I would still fall completely in love with it. The actors worked perfectly together and because of this the drama felt so surreal and real at the same time. This is definitely one drama I will never forget and I still do not 3 years after watching it.
Completely traumatised by the thrilling senses this drama was able to hit and should definitely be recognised by such uniqueness!!

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