Link (2022)

If a drama was a sampler platter of the genre

Think of the things that most frequently appear in a Korean drama...

-romance between leads

-secondary romance

-a supernatural element

-backstories told through flashbacks

-tent bars

-stalkers

-neighborhood police station

-parent/child issues

-sassy grandmother

-painfully long periods of flirting before the leads confess and begin a relationship

-ridiculously short period after the relationship starts that a breakup occurs

-an eventual and painfully obvious reconciliation

Really, other than period costumes and the inclusion of an ultrawealthy character, "Link: Eat, Love, Kill" covers all the usual bases. And it represents the genre relatively well. The leads do a relatively nice job with their performances. The story is a nice mix with a somewhat novel supernatural element, a decent crime thriller element, plenty of family relationship subplots and a somewhat generic romance. The direction is adequate. There's some solid acting from the very young cast members. The OST is not exceptional, but it's fine. It could have been edited down to about twelve episodes without detracting much, but it never completely bogs down.

This all seems to point towards this production being a very nice and likable way to pass time that doesn't leave a lasting impression. And that's an accurate summation.

The supporting cast is not an all-star group but there's some strong work by Kim Ji Young, Lee Suk Hyeong, Shin Jae Hwi and the very young Ahn Se Bin. There's a guest spot from Kim Won Hae which is always, always a treat. And there's isn't a single glaring bad performance despite the long roster of cast members.

Yeo Jin Goo isn't asked to play a particularly dynamic character and it works. Asking him to being an extrovert and do big things as an actor? That's not a great idea. Asking him to be mildly depressed? Super.

Moon Ga Young does what she does well. She's young and bubbly and bright and a little awkward. There's perhaps a little more of a grownup character for her here, but it's an incremental change.

The romance between the two is on par with the rest of the show - it's fine. It has some nice moments and some weaker spots. It's follows the usual course of K drama romance.

And since this review seems to have run its course (if there's anything else that hasn't been covered, just assume it was nice and fine like the rest of it), let's end this with a "sure, it's a pretty good show" conclusion.

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Linked emotions is a great concept

I was so looking forward to watching this when I first saw the trailer, but it didn't turn out as great as I wanted it to. Maybe my expectations were too high. The mystery/thriller element of it is fun and entertaining; the love story is ok. I'm really not a big fan of the going out-breaking up - going out again format. It's boring.
Moon Ga Young and Ye Soo Jung always seem so natural whichever characters they play and this was no exception. Yeo Jin Goo's Gye Hoon was a disappointment. It wouldn't matter so much if he was a supporting or guest role but as the main character, too much melodrama in a man doesn't add anything to the show, but rather the opposite. Perhaps he wasn't the right actor for the role or he didn't play it well. That's just my opinion. What do I know?
I think the hand to the chest when their emotions link is a bit too much. Maybe a simple visual effect would've sufficed. I'm sure the flow of the story would've panned out the same way without that kind of melodrama. My other gripe about overly melodramatic scenes is the idea of bawling their eyes out first instead of calling an ambulance or untying a victim.
Overall, it's still entertaining enough not to be dropped. I feel like there was more content in the final episode than there was in the final half of the series put together, bar the last episode obviously.

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Thank You For the Scary Villains

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

It was a suspenseful story that had me hooked until the end. Although, after it was over, it didn't stick with me like other dramas I've really enjoyed. I've spent some time thinking about why that is before writing this review.

Acting/Cast: This category is going to be where my biggest issue with the drama lies. I held off watching this drama because I really dislike the actor that plays the male lead. He seems very stiff and emotionless in everything I've seen him in. I even dropped Hotel Del Luna because of him. Let's just say, after watching this drama, I still feel the same way. However, there were times in this drama where he showed a little bit of emotional range that surprised me, but that's not saying much. The female lead actress is fine, but when comparing her character with other female leads in dramas that I fell in love with, I realize she is lacking the charm that those characters have. It kept me from really connecting with her. Similarly, with the male lead, I didn't even care to try to connect with him. I think that if just the male lead was switched out, this could really have been a top tier drama. It's a shame... That being said, the rest of the cast was great. I think the highlight of the drama is Shin Jae Hwi who plays Lee Jin Geun (the stalker). I smiled every time I saw him on screen. He played an unhinged psycho so well. It's been a while since I've seen such a good villain. 6/10

Writing: Very well done, suspenseful mystery that kept me guessing. Satisfying ending as well. While watching, I did get vibes here and there of Kill Me, Heal Me -- definitely a top tier drama -- which is why I say that Link had the potential. But, in regards to the writing, my only gripe in this area would be the Noble Idiocy...which became even more annoying when they kept going back and forth with it. Oh, and now that I think about it...there were multiple times where the female lead thought, for some reason, that it was perfectly ok to walk alone at night in dark alleys when there's a stalker on the loose. That didn't make sense to me, especially since the female lead has trauma after being attacked in the recent past. 8/10

Direction/SFX/Music: My only complaint here would be a particularly severe case of "frozen-in-time staring contest". The OST is decent, too. 8/10

Entertainment Value: Once the characters were established and the main mystery with the refrigerator started playing out, I was hooked. 9.5/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8/10 mainly due to my issue with the casting.

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I expected more

I took time to reflect on this drama and the more i thiught about it, the more i found things that i disliked.
I'm going to start with the thing i liked, the ML, i always liked him and this role was quite fitting to him. The moments he had with his girlfriend were all super cute.
The FL, looked bland to me, don't get me wrong, she is a good actor but she lacked alchemy with the ML. Although the scenes they had together were cute, the alchemy wasn't here.
Other than that, the plot was quite good but pretty much flawed:
One thing is the fantasy Link they have between them. It was badly executed, i had to make an explanation for myself because their explanation wasnt making sense. I wish they didnt explain it and jusy left it there, it could be like an ability or a super power or something.
Second thing, is the lack of motive. Its a crime solving kind of drama but there were no reason to explain that said crime. The criminal had no motive. He just killed people. They didnt say how many, if he was a serial killer, why did he do it.
Third thing, is the FL didnt even TRY to protect herself. This drama started with the first episode of her getting almost killed by her stalker but throughout the entire 16 episode she walked alone at night like people werent waiting to kill her, going to strange places by herself without saying it to anyone, reaching her stalker.... Half of the thing that happened were avoidable if she had been cautious.

I think that the romance part of the drama was more well written than the crime/thriller part beacuse it was only thrilling because she made poor choices. However despite all of this I'd say this drama was entertaining. I would recommend it.

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Od stalkingu do bratnich dusz.

Połączenie akronimu słów jedz - kochaj - zabijaj/umieraj zapewne nie jednemu skojarzy się ze sławnym tytułem 'Jedz módl się kochaj', gdzie w oryginale prym niosło przesłanie o wielowymiarowym znaczeniu odnoszącym się do kochania swojego życia. Tutaj zdecydowanie nie ma tu niczego głębszego poza słusznym podsumowanie głównych motywów na których opiera się fabuła czy raczej życie bohaterów, zarówno tych głównych jak i nawet pobocznych.

Noh Da Hyun niczym nie wyróżniająca się dwudziestokilkulatka, początkowo ukazana zostaje jako typowa biedna dziewczyna w mieście gdzie standardy są wyższe niż jej możliwości. Da Hyun w tajemnicy przed matką, zamiast studiować pracuje jako kelnerka próbując ogarnąć życie po swojemu. Tam spotyka Eun Gye Hoona - rewelacyjnego szefa kuchni, ostatnio znanego ze swoich dziwnych kapryśnych impulsów zachowań na które jak twierdzi - nie ma wpływu. Gye Hoon kryje bolesną przeszłość związaną z jego młodszą jak dotąd nie odnaleziona siostra bliźniaczką. Więź rodzeństwa była na tyle mocna że dawała wyraz w emocjach jednego z dwójki rodzeństwa, zarówno w stanach niebezpieczeństwa jak i tych entuzjastycznych momentach. Umiejętność odczuwania emocji swojej siostry Gye Hoon stracił lata temu gdy jak sądził została zabita. Całą akcje rozpoczyna krzyżowanie się dróg Gye Hoona z Da Hyun w momencie, gdy ta z kolei mierzy się z problemem zafiksowanego na jej punkcie prześladowcy z pracy. W ferworze zdarzeń Gye Hoon znów zaczyna odczuwać czyjeś uczucia tak jak to czuł w przypadku siostry, a że akurat często się pokrywają one z zachowaniami Da Hyun, szybko dochodzi do przypuszczeń że jego siostra wciąż żyje. To skłania go ponownie do poszukiwań zarówno siostry jak i rozwikłania całej zagadki związanej z jej zaginięciem.

Bez większego rozpisywania, drama mimo niespecjalnie szybkiego tempa ma w sobie ciekawą historie która mnie przyznam szczerze urzekła. Niby mamy tu szczypta fantasy z odczuwaniem odczuć co w jakiś sposób napędza akcje tej dramy, nie robiąc z niej jednocześnie rollercostera który pędzi na łeb i szyje do wybicia zębów. Początkowy motyw dramy był dla mnie po prostu świetny i generalnie żałuje że nie trwał on dłużej. Cała akcja z Jin Geunem i jego deczko psychopatycznych zapędach do zabijania swoich ofiar dawał fantastyczne napięcie które miało służyć jedynie jako wprowadzenie do głównego motywu jak i również doprowadzić do istotnych informacji związanych ze sprawą małej Gye Young. Gdy Ji Geun schodzi z piedestału prześladowcy a zmienia się w jedno z głównych źródeł informacji fabuła przybiera już formę pudelka czekoladek - czyli czego się tym razem dowiemy więcej. Gdy Da Hyun odkrywa dziury w pamięci które co rusz zaczynają wreszcie ukazywać zdarzenia z przeszłości wszystko zaczyna się rozjaśniać i układać w coraz to smutniejszą całość z którą związana jest połowa 'wioski 'oraz osoby z przeszłości głównych postaci. W międzyczasie ciągłych poszukiwań mamy ukazane również osobiste zmagania bohaterów, zarówno Da Hyun i Gye Hoona jak i pobocznych Jin U, jego ojca, matka Da Hyun, rodzina Gye Hoona itd. Nie zawsze się zdarza by postacie miały tak dosadnie rozrysowane tło przeszłości kompatybilne z obecną osobami jakimi byli, ale tu było to wyraźnie widać. Potrafiłam równie mocno przeżywać zmieszanie, wstyd, strach i smutek Da Hyun, która okazała się mocno i bardzo niekorzystnie związana z zaginięciem siostry jej chłopaka [tak tak Gye Hoon], olbrzymim poczuciem winy, żalu, porzucenia i zdradzenia jakie czuł Gye Hoon jak również Jin U, który całe swe życie zmagał się z piętnem syna mordercy. Każda osoba ma ładnie zarysowany i problem i osobowość która z tego się ukształtowała. Co najbardziej urzeka i boli w tej historii jest oczywiście finał sprawy który już nie zdradzę. Mogę natomiast szczerze powiedzieć że wszyscy bohaterowie zmagali się z rozwiązaniem sprawy, bo dużo osób przez swoją decyzję przeważyło o takim zakończeniu. Wniosek jak zwykle wysunąl się tez nieprzyjemny, że ludzie bywają okropnie egoistyczni i to ma duże, nieraz kolosalne znaczenie. To co najbardziej jednak podnosi na duchu w ciągu tej historii jest niewątpliwie wątek romantyczny Gye Hoona i Da Hyun. Moge im dać plus dużego dodatkowo za to że nie zrywali z byle pierdoły czy kaprysu, choć można w jednej scenie odnieść takie wrażenie, to jednak dochodzą do konsensusu co strasznie sobie cenie. Dojrzałość emocjonalna.

To do czego można się przyczepić to tempo jak już wspomniałam oraz sceny bez jakiegoś zasadniczego sensu. Do nich na pewno mogę zaliczyć zachowanie Jin Geuna który najpierw sie ukrywa a potem ni z gruszki ni z pietruszki wchodzi sobie na chillu do domu swoich ofiar, jakby nie pomyślał że ktoś go może pamiętać. Albo startowanie w bójce w restauracji przeciwko sześciu osobom - ta scena była wyjątkowo głupia. W normalnej sytuacji, poszkodowani by sie razem rzucili na kogoś kto próbuje sie ich pozbyc a nie nawzajem próbowali opanować sytuacje.
Kolejnym dużym minusem związanym również z zachowaniem postaci jest ciągłe włóczenie sie Da Hyun po ciemnych alejkach w których co chwila próbuje ją ktoś upolować. Dziewczyna nie wykazuje ani odrobiny instynktu samozachowawczego po jednej próbie zamachu na nią przez Ji Geuna. Kto normalny miałby odwagę wracać ciemną upiorna opuszczona alejka bez żywej duszy..
I doczepie sie jeszcze do sceny w ostatnim epizodzie przy próbie zabicia Da Hyun i Gye Hoona przez Young Hoona...Totalnie nie wiem co scenarzyści odczuwają w momencie kreowania takich scen. Seriously jakby rozumiem, że bycie sam na sam z morderca napawa przerażeniem ale że aż tak że siedzisz i patrzysz jak nawalają ci faceta, zamiast starać się ruszyć cos pomóc żeby przeważyć szale w walce. I dont know. To ma być chyba z natury poruszające, że dziewoja leży i się boi a faceci piorą sobie po pyskach. NO I TA PRZEDRAMATYZOWANA GŁĘBOKA RANA DA HYUN. W sensie, okay, krwawiła z boku, ale bynajmniej kamera pokazywała że raczej ją nie tyle przekłuto do środka co przecięto porządnie bok, a odjeżdżała na rękach Gye Hoona zupełnie jak ja gdy miałam pęknięte jelito... Nevermind, było romantycznie, przymknę oko.

Aktorstwo było wystarczająco. Ja nie mogę się przekonać w wielu momentach do Moon Ga Young, nie wiem czy tak miało być ale parło mi jakąś sztuczności z kolei Yeo Jin Goo mimo chwilami niewzruszonej miny wywierał we mnie ciągle ciepłe uczucia. Podobno jego postać miał szanse również odgrywać Lee Jun Ki czy Kim Su Ho, ale szczerze mogę powiedzieć że Jin Goo perfekcyjnie dawał vibe ciepłego braciszka, który by jego rywale na pewno nie oddali tak dobrze. Generalnie jego ekspresja osoby z takim bagażem uczuć i zmagań, która starannie wszystko stara sie zmieścić i ukryć wyszła mu perfekcyjnie. Mam nawet wrażenie że jego sztywność w tym tez sie idealnie przydała xD No i oklaski ale tylko w w pięćdziesięciu procentach dla Shin Jae Hwi grającego Ji Geuna, bo było świetnie ale jego usilne napady śmiechu wariata zrobiły przeciwne wrażenie od zamierzonego.

Podsumowując; może idealnie nie było ale było naprawdę naprawdę ciekawie. Idealna pozycja do odczucia dreszczyku emocji, rozgrzania serduszka i uronienia kilku łez. Wciągająco bo bazując na życiu.

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Vale a pena assistir! Muita sensibilidade ao retratar os traumas e como foram superados!

Eu gostei muito do dorama Link. Achei a atuação maravilhosa, cenários bem construídos, imagens de pratos de dar água na boca. Amei as músicas da OST, mas "Your river in me", e "You I've missed" tiveram um lugar especial. Fiquei muito envolvida e fiz muitas teorias do que poderia estar por vir, então, é inegável que foi uma obra que me cativou profundamente. É um dorama para ser apreciado com atenção e, que fala muito de uma dor profunda, possui um conteúdo emocional bastante denso que te deixa consternado. O romance presente na história, bem como as amizades, ajudam muito a dar uma leveza, aquecer o coração e se apaixonar. A culinária também vem como uma ferramente terapêutica e que trás leveza. E esse conteúdo foi perfeitamente distribuído, fazendo a gente conseguir assistir, sentindo cada emoção mas equilibrando com momentos de leveza. Agora, a história principal sobre o desaparecimento, bem como, a crítica feita à violência contra a mulher deixa você de coração partido, indignado e as vezes desolado. O conteúdo foi exposto de forma impecável. É doloroso ver como é difícil para familiares lidar, superar, apoiar as vítimas e/ou pessoas muito próximas as vitimas. Vale muito a pena assistir, aprender e acompanhar a superação dos traumas em questão. Tem muita crítica válida para a nossa sociedade, eu aprendi e também sofri pelas pessoas que passam por situações parecidas. E as vezes, mesmo buscando ajuda, elas ainda continuam em perigo (isso foi de partir o coração). ...Eu senti falta de algumas respostas, como a motivação do sequestrador e os outros casos do perseguidor, mas tudo bem. E que bom, poder ver um final com uma conclusão que aquece o coração, trás um conforto bem quentinho.

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watched weekly as it came out

since watching this show weekly from the start i was very curious with the missing sister storyline and why eun gyehoon and dahyun were connected or “linked”. i really liked the beginning even when they “killed” the stalker but later he turned out to be alive. tho, he definitely was dragged out way too much in the plot (always showing up and saying “hinting” about gyehoons sister or the kidnapping but never saying anything). i have to say i loved the main leads but especially eun gyehoon, seeing him broken after feeling like he’s lost his whole family and growing up alone made my heart break :( and the chemistry between the leads was so great, the slowburn, everything. im very happy how this show ended and how they gave a nice closure to even the side characters without much plot. the last ending scene from ep 16 made me cry with how they showed the leads as kids with them now UGH SO SAD. even when they showed gyeyoung telling adult gyehoon that its not his fault and he shouldnt cry and when gyehoon was talking with his dad telling him he shouldnt find her and to just stay with him and his mom made me emotional. there were so many things i learned just from watching this show and it has some of the best relationships ive seen. 8.5/10

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wowwwwww

wow what a show! so many heartfelt moments mixed with heart-wrenching moments as well.

while the show has some "cliches", and plenty of plot twists it felt so incredibly refreshing because of the way it approached them in regards to how the characters felt. it was very nuanced. also like the messages that embedded throughout the story. i could go into great depth into any of them but i won't just to keep this short. especially like how certain reactions from the characters felt very realistic. the main message of community being nothing without genuine connections and empathy was such a good thing to throw in. love the way they approached all of these messages.

yeo jingoo gave a great performance as always. he never fails to amaze me with his acting. moon gayoung was very good here too i was pleasantly surprised. the show does have its hick-ups but i enjoyed watching so much that they didn't bother me much. i laughed, i giggled and i cried (SO MUCH). definitely recommend

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A pretty good mystery/romance drama

Honestly, I'm surprised at all the bad reviews this drama got. I liked it and kept waiting for the turning point where the drama takes a turn for the worst but for me, that never came. Sure, I didn't care much for the big reveal at the end but I still thought it was a good mystery that kept me engaged the entire time and had me guessing who the big bad guy was at the end. And my heart absolutely broke for Gyehoon, especially at the end. All in all, I don't think I would watch it again and I think watching it on 2x helped just cause I really can't stand being in suspense. But I liked the drama, it was entertaining and engaging and that's all I could ask for.

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A Subversion of the Genre

This drama was just a beautiful subversion of the genre. It consistently did things differently than how it would play out in other dramas that cover mystery/thriller.

The strongest point of this drama is how cohesive it is. Multiple aspects of the production are linked together through details in the same way the main characters have a link. It's a sign of their hard work and thoughtfulness. Things like similar style clothes, matching camera angles for the two leads, and symmetrical backgrounds make for great visual representation of the concept.

As I said in the beginning, this drama subverts its genre. So it's not for everyone. It's for people that want to watch a different type of mystery/thriller romance.

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MUITO BOM! Uma pena esse drama ser pouco explorado. Ele merece uma atenção maior!

Ele é completamente diferente do que achei que iria assistir. Estamos diante de uma baita suspense que gira em torno do desparecimento de uma criança que afetou profundamente uma família. Mas claro que tem nosso querido romance ligado a história.
A trama foca nos protagonistas Eun Gye-hoon (Yeo Jin Goo) e Noh Da-hyun (Moon Ga Young) e a conexão que eles desenvolvem sem ao menos se conhecerem.
Eun Gye-hoon, um famoso chefe de cozinha, e sua irmã gêmea possuíam a habilidade de sentir o que o outro sentia, mesmo que estivessem distantes. Mas esse laço foi cortado após o desaparecimento da irmã quando tinham 10 anos, tendo a certeza de que ela estava morta. Esse desaparecimento destruiu sua família: seu pai continuou procurando pela filha, enquanto a mãe o culpou pela morte.

Dezoito anos depois, ele é tomado por uma surpresa ao começar a sentir as mesmas emoções e sentimentos que tinha com sua irmã. Começa a ter sentimentos inesperados: chora, fica triste, angustiado sem motivo algum. Pensando que esses sentimentos poderiam ser da sua irmã, ele volta para o bairro onde ela desapareceu e abre um restaurante.
Lá, ele se depara com No Da-hyun e sente todas as suas alegrias, tristezas e dores da mesma forma que acontecia com sua irmã, o que o leva a questionar os mistérios que cercam essa conexão. Agora seu objetivo é descobrir se ela é sua irmã desaparecida, o que aconteceu com ela e o motivo dessa conexão.
Claro que no desenrolar da trama vamos descobrindo o motivo desta conexão entre eles existir e como tudo dentro da cidade natal incluindo os moradores se conectam nessa história.
O drama aborda sentimentos complexos como a culpa e traumas de uma forma bem leve e cuidadosa e mostra que ser humano é uma constante lição sobre perdão, inclusive de si mesmo.
Ambos personagens principais entregam um romance lindo e faz com que o espectador torça para que fiquem juntos, apesar de tudo o que parece tentar separá-los. O protagonista é tão bom e tão lindinho que parece que foi desenhado.
Termino esse drama completamente apaixonada, e ao mesmo tempo em pedaços. Casal lindo e apaixonante.

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