Flower of Evil (2020)

Can I please be reborn in my next life as a kid this adorable?

Ima be straight with you....there is not, anywhere on the entire planet, a kid as cute as the one that plays the daughter in this drama. Her expressions, tone of voice, emotions, and mannerisms were all exceptionally well done. She was a joy to watch every single time she was on the screen.

This was a solid, well executed drama. The premise makes it sound a lot more shallow than it actually is. The description makes it pretty difficult to tell how they'd fit romance into a secret serial killer husband plotline without it being trite and cliche, so I avoided watching it for a good while. I'm glad I finally gave it a chance though! The actors are engaging (even with pretty limited side character development) and well cast, the dialog is clever without trying to be pretentious, and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep you engaged. The focus of the story is clearly the male/female lead and everyone else gets pretty light treatment in terms of development, but it's enough. They did such a good job with the two lead roles and their interactions that it didn't matter much to me the side characters were pale shadows in comparison.

I will say, from a purely plotline perspective they do manage to hit on pretty much all the classic soap opera style tropes. Like...coma patient, amnesia, evil meddling parents, spouse hiding a dark past.... it was all a bit overkill. But in the writers' defense, they pulled it all off really well in spite of itself. It also doesn't fall into the trap of trying to be "too clever", everything felt realistically flawed.

There were only two things I didn't like about this drama....the coma dude....like he's good later on mostly, but initially he's trying to play someone who just woke up from a 14 year coma and somehow in his pretty boy actor's brain this is equal to talking like a mentally handicapped drunk toddler. The facial expressions during that phase of his character story arc were horrifically overexaggerated to the point of appearing like a caricature of what the character should have been. He gets better later on...sort of...they really didn't give him too much in terms of character development, he's honestly just a beautiful man with beautiful hair and some weird facial expressions. The role was so shallow it could have been filled by literally anyone.

The other thing that annoyed me was this chick that's been in a mental hospital for 14 years and can barely function but somehow has on perfectly executed thick winged eyeliner...it seemed pretty out of place, especially because none of the other characters on the show had anything close to that degree of makeup.

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Where crime thriller meets romance (and not in a cringey way)

No words… this is a literal masterpiece of a drama and it’s one of those dramas that’s taking you down twists and turns every episode. I loved the romance dynamic and how it didn’t distract from the main storyline nor was it used as a plot device, but was simply there to begin with and still had room to grow and was beautiful. The actors in this show deserve every award out there. Especially Lee Joon Gi, he was absolutely amazing as Do Hyun So, and really showcased his character very well. The way his character develops throughout the show was amazing and really kept your guessing and I like how real it felt at times. I love a good found family trope and this was no different. There were times he convinced me that he was really just that good at faking his emotions and relationships, but there were also times where you can really see just how important his family is to him, and how he learns about who he was all along. Anyways to not make this too long winded, if you have any reservations about watching it, then please do yourself a favor and go and watch this masterpiece right now. This drama is in my top 3 if not my number one favorite of all the dramas I’ve watched across all the genres. Seriously though, I don’t cry at movies or tv shows easily and it takes a lot to get me there, but on those last few episodes I was feeling the characters emotions so much that I was crying like it was actually happening to me. Any show that can get that much of an emotional reaction from me tells me just how good every aspect of the show is. Hands down one of the best dramas of its genre and overall. Go watch it now!

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A must-watch drama! Simply brilliant!

Will keep this short and sweet. This drama is simply amazing. from the acting, writing, directing, OST - every aspect was perfect. This thriller/drama won't bore you, it will keep you to the edge of your seat. An exhillirating ride for the viewers,

Lee Joon Gi, as always, delvered his very best here. His acting was top-notch. For me, he is really one of the most remarkable actors in the industry and deserves more accolades than what he is getting now. I think when it comes to portraying complex characters, no one can beat Lee Joon Gi - those eyes, the depth of his acting, his display of different kinds of emotions, wow! just wow! Moon Chae Won also was so amazing here. I haven't seen much of her dramas, but I got drawn to her after watching this.

All the actors, the director, writer and everyone in the production truly delivered in this drama.

I hope more people gets to see this excellent drama, I assure you it's worth watching. 10/10.

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Completely blown away at how fantastic this series truly is.

Production? Top-notch: The filming/directing is incredibly good, and the music is excellent as well.

Acting? Phenomenal: I'm almost at a loss for words to even describe this. The main male lead did an outstanding job with the role he was given, and both the chemistry and the tension between him and the actress who plays his wife were literally palpable.

Relationships? Refreshing: There is a little bit of romance, but aside from a minor kind-of-sort-of thing going on with a side couple, the main part you see is actually between characters who are already married and have a child (plus some flashbacks of theirs, which are serious and/or sweet, not cheesy at all), which is honestly a breath of fresh air.

Plot? Utterly gripping: It's a crime thriller at the top of its game. (And, as such, there are a few trigger warnings: Blood, wounds, drowning, psychological stuff, personality disorders, genuinely scary serial killer, etc.; however, none of it is gratuitous-- I don't really like violent media all that much, but I was able to watch this just fine.) Both of the main pillars of the story-- the crime thread as well as the character/interpersonal thread-- were so compelling that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and marathoned the entire show as fast as I possibly could.

This is not only the best K-drama I've ever seen, it's one of the best shows I've seen of any kind. It's a masterpiece-- and if you haven't already seen it, you need to, right now.

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DEFINITELY WORTH A WATCH

read the title and go watch it. NOW!

I have nothing much to say because im just super in love with the story, the acting especially the main couple. ahh they are the best, they carry the characters so well. it's a good move to include a daughter, which i think it is okay to not include her, but i must say this drama has a lot of emotions in which the daughter contributes a lot as well. i need to praise the kid's acting, she's so good!!!

ahh this review must be at least 500 characters but i dont know what to say anymore. just watch it, if you're contemplating to watch the drama, go try the first episode and i guarantee you will be needing to know the ending lol.

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Surprisingly Disappointed

*SPOILERS BELOW*

On the surface, Baek Hee-seung appears to live a perfect life. He has a beautiful wife and daughter, who he absolutely adores; however, he is hiding a dark secret. Hyun-soo is the son of a serial killer, and after a tragic accident, he takes on the identity of Baek Hee-seung, who is in a coma. When Hee-seung's wife, a detective, begins to investigate a series of murders, she begins to wonder if her "perfect" husband is hiding something from her. Sounds interesting, right? Sadly, while the synopsis sounds promising, Flower of Evil did not deliver and left me disappointed.

I was excited to start watching this series after a handful of people insisted that I watch it. I will be honest, the first couple of episodes held my attention, unlike any other k-drama before. The beginning episodes had me on the edge of my seat, and the anticipation of waiting for the next episodes nearly killed me. I had come to understand why people asserted this drama as one of the best k-dramas. Yet, after the show's first half, I slowly became displeased. I now think that this drama does not deserve the title of the best k-drama ever. My reasons are listed below.

Likes:
- The cast has excellent acting performances, especially Lee Joon-gi and Moon Chae-won! Everyone delivered!
- The plot is different, but not in a bad way. The main story is unique and not something many shows have done before.
- Terrific cinematography. One of the best I have seen in a Korean drama.
- LOVED the flashbacks presented at the beginning of the episodes!
- Do Hyun-soo's and Cha Ji-won's chemistry is fantastic! They are perfectly in sync. Plus, the scenes of them with Eu-ha were so adorable!
- There were some pretty intense twists.
- Strong female lead! It was like the damsel in distress was reversed. Ji-won was the one who was always rescuing Hyun-soo (e.g., when Park Kyung-choon kidnaps Hyun-soo and when Yeom Sang-cheol tries to kill Hyun-soo).
- The OST has some outstanding songs, but I wish there could have been some more songs used throughout the show instead of the same three songs.

Dislikes:
- Powerful first half but unsatisfying second half. The first sixish episodes were very suspenseful and thrilling! During these episodes, we wonder if Do Hyun-soo is a good or bad guy, but the suspense is gone once it is pretty evident that he is a good guy. The anticipation does not start building back up until around episode twelve.
- The writers should have delved more into Hyun-soo's relationship with his father. I feel like their relationship is never adequately explored.
- Hyun-soo's father's death needs more explanation! Like yes, we know that the real Baek Hee-seung killed him, but how did he make Hyun-soo's father's death look like a suicide?
- The writers could have also delved more into Do Hyun-soo's mental disorder. We know he has an antisocial personality disorder, but I wish we could have seen Hyun-soo come to terms with his condition and get help. The ending episode should have included this instead of the flat-out boring finale episode.
- How did Jeong Mi-sook escape?
- I wish we could have seen the night Do Hae-soo killed the Village Head. The audience could have learned more about Dae-soo and understood where she was coming from.
- I might be in the minority, but I did not care for Kim Ji-hoon's (real Baek Hee-seung) acting. I am not hating on him because I like him in other dramas, BUT I felt like he was trying way too hard to be Baek Hee-seung. Every time I saw Hee-seung, he looked constipated, and his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. Basically, trying too hard to look psycho.
- The ending was... interesting, to say the least. The writers could have chosen another way to finish off the series, but they added in the amnesia trope?! The writers already delivered the "someone ends up in a coma" trope, so why add amnesia? I mean might as well add a car crash. Oh wait... that is right, they did :/.

Overall, Flower of Evil was an excellent production. I think the writers did a good job of establishing characters and setting the story, but the second half of the show did not keep my attention. There were too many inconsistencies and cliches. In addition, some episodes dragged compared to the earlier episodes where they ended on a cliffhanger. In my opinion, I think the reason why a lot of people liked this show is because of the romance between the male and female leads. So, if you like romance and want to get into thrillers, this may be a good show to start with. But, overall, Flower of Evil is one of the most overhyped shows I have ever watched, but I do not regret watching it. I will probably never rewatch it, though, unless I am forced to.

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absolutely breathtakingly incredible

im not usually one to watch crime dramas. not because they’re boring, it just doesn’t seem to click with me despite my interest for crime documentaries. however this drama just changed something inside me.

i honestly don’t know where to start. from the plot twists to the romance to the crime its just perfect in every single way possible. now when i watch these types of dramas, i usually pause after every episode and just think to myself what information i’ve gathered, who maybe the killer or whatnot, but after i watched an episode of this drama, my entire thought process changed.

every single episode has a cliffhanger and makes you just binge every episode.

the acting is just PHENOMENAL. i love lee joongis dramas so i knew his abilities but i was just shocked after watching his performance. the pure emotions he put in as he cried just had me shook. i had never watched moon chaewon so i didn’t really know what to expect from her but she was just jawdropping. i mean when i heard her not winning any awards for it i was shocked. also the little daughter was so cute she just has that face that makes me smile when i look at her.

i never really talk about the ost in my reviews but i needed to for this drama. it had the most perfect music for every scene and it made scenes so much more suspenseful.

i 1000000000% recommend this drama and if you are like me and you don’t usually watch crime dramas, trust me and watch it as it is definitely worth it!

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Best crime thriller romance ever

Really one of the most griping series I have ever watched
on the edge of the seat throughout its so exciting and heart breaking and heart warming at the same time
The best part of the drama was father daughter relationship it was most adorable I have ever seen!
The romance and trust between the lead couple was well portrayed they had great chemistry
The storyline is not drag and not a single second of boredom it’s totally binge worthy!
Must watch Korean drama for all kdramas lovers out there surely you won’t regret it
Lee jon gi did splendid acting really deserves to be one of the top Korean actor

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Grave erreur : épouser une policière quand on a un passé trouble...

En cours de visionnage :
Grave imprudence que d’épouser une policière de talent quand on vit sous une fausse identité avec un passé pour le moins sulfureux !! Mais sans ça, pas de drama, donc, ne nous arrêtons pas à cette bizarrerie, et entrons dans l’histoire, ce qui est facile, car elle est très prenante et palpitante, au moins jusqu’à l’épisode 7 où je suis arrivée !
je peux déjà dire que Lee Jun Ki retrouve là son grand talent, dans un personnage ambigu essayant à tout instant d’être « comme les autres » et surtout d’en donner l’image ! Les sociopathes ou personnes ayant un trouble de la personnalité sociale sont vraiment à la mode ces derniers temps dans les dramas ! On comprend assez vite que Do Hyun So est infirme du côté des émotions, qu’il ne les ressent pas mais doit constamment les deviner et les jouer… Mais cependant il comprend la nécessité de faire des efforts pour certaines personnes auxquelles il tient, et pour lui c’est ce qui se rapproche le plus de l’amour. Lee Jun Ki est particulièrement bluffant dans ce personnage que le scénariste a très bien écrit, sans exagérations, ni de mélodrame.

Une fois fini :
Le drama m’a tenu en haleine jusqu’au bout, répondant au fur et à mesure aux questions qu’on se pose, questions qui d’ailleurs apparaissent elles aussi au fur et à mesure. J’ai beaucoup aimé l’équipe des policiers autour de Cha Ji Won, à la fois rigoureux, mais ne manquant ni de cœur ni de cohésion. J’ai aussi aimé Cha Ji Won, qui, au fur et à mesure de ses découvertes hésite entre tout lâcher, puis ne pas abandonner son mari, et cette position incertaine est tout à fait plausible ! Encore une fois compliments chaleureux à LJK, en particulier dans ses scènes avec son enfant, où on le voit découvrir un univers mental qu’il ignorait complètement…
Par contre je mets un bémol sur la famille des « méchants », ils sont peu crédibles, je trouve, car pourquoi se comporter de cette façon avec son fils si on ne veut pas éveiller des soupçons ? Et le « méchant ultime » est vraiment too much, je n’y croyais pas trop, et l’acteur non plus ! Avec tous les psychopathes dont les Kdramas nous abreuvent en ce moment, c’est un des moins intéressant et c’est dommage qu’on n’en ai pas plus vu sur sa relation avec son mentor !! Là il y avait quelque chose d’intéressant à creuser, mais on sent bien que le scénariste ne s’intéressait qu’à LJK ce qui déséquilibre l’histoire ! On a droit à l’amnésie, ça faisait longtemps que je ne l’avais pas vue, elle ! Mais je dois dire que là elle était parfaitement argumentée et son évolution est très intelligemment faite !
Pour finir, la fin : elle est très bien, touchante et émouvante juste ce qu’il faut !

Le bande son est belle, comme toujours il y a la hurleuse de service qui intervient juste dans la scène où on aurait besoin de silence, avec en plus comme c’est Viki les paroles en dessous, des fois qu’on serait trop bête pour comprendre les sentiment sans qu’on nous les hurle dans les oreilles !

Bref, c’est quand même un très bon drama dans le genre socio-psycho-pathes…

D’ailleurs ça commence à bien faire : après les maladies incurables, puis les greffes du cœur, on eu la prosoagnosie, et maintenant le fils du psychopathe portant la croix de son destin maudit… Faudrait voir à trouver autre chose !

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Genial historia y excelentes actuaciones

Tengo que reconocer que no veo mucho este tipo de dramas, me afectan mucho. Solo lo comencé a ver por la actuación de Lee Joon Gi, y desde el primer capitulo quede atrapada, aunque tenia la sensación de contradicción, quiero y no quiero ver, jajaja.
Así que la vi lentamente, disfrutando cada capítulo poco a poco.
La historia es muy bien armada, te mantiene expectante, tratando de adivinar por donde va seguir todo. La actuación de Joon Gi, es espectacular, logro ser enigmático, frágil, rudo, cariñoso, indiferente, al mismo tiempo, de verdad es muy buen actor, este personaje, era demasiado complicado. No podía deja de ver cada detalle en sus expresiones faciales, solo por él, recomiendo ver este drama.
Es duro ver un drama de un asesino en serie, hay cosas fuertes que ver, igual se las arreglaron para que no se viera taaaaan dramático. Reconozco que había escena que sabia que la ponían mas lenta o no terminaban de decir que pasaba para crear tensión, cuando me daba cuenta no me gustaba, ya que debía ser menos evidente, igual lograban su cometido.
La música me impresionó, cuan metida estaba que no apreciaba cuanto mejoraban la escena. Se mimetizaba muy bien.
No creo que la vuelva ver, fue duro, no acostumbro a repetir este tipo de historias.
Realmente la recomiendo 100%, me gusto muchísimo.

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