DramaloverPanda
Addicting first half that manages to flounder in the middle just to drown right at the finish line
When the Phone Rings hooked us with its trailer and the expectation of a suspenseful thriller that appeared to boast of intense chemistry and exciting action. And those first 6 episodes? The did deliver a good portion of that. The chemistry between the main cast, the riveting characters and their secrets, the well paced and engaging movement of the plot. It was all there and kept me as a viewer addicted to the screen waiting for the next episodes to appear. But then the show pivots from the thriller we were enjoying into a romance that morphed the characters, slowed the plot, and threw logic out the window. Ultimately leaving a bad taste in your mouth by the end of the finale.
We begin with Baek Sa Eon, a high profile political figure from a prestigious family, marrying the youngest daughter of another prestigious family. For the selectively mute youngest daughter, Hong Hui Ju, the marriage is but a cage where she is the replacement for her sister and used to connect the families for political reasons. She is told never to reveal that she is married to him and he treats her with a cold indifference while living in the same home for 3 years. But someone becomes aware of her existence and attempts to use her to threaten Baek Sa Eon by kidnapping her. This is where the plot really begins. While Hui Ju manages to get away from the kidnapper she also takes with her the phone that he used to call Sa Eon and ends up using it to try to escape her marriage thus unknowingly beginning to unravel Sa Eon's true nature and intentions. Now caught between learning more about her husband and being used by the kidnapper threatening him Hui Ju and Sa Eon race to find answers and undo misunderstandings.
Beautifully shot, well styled, well acted, and with a great OST this drama had the beginnings to become a really great drama. Then the second half began and this is where you see both characters fall in love and we lose the interesting, intelligent, and cold Baek Sa Eon to the fool for love version of himself and the strong, independent, snarky, and determined Hui Ju to the stereotypical damsel in distress. The reveals are predictable at this point and the plot dissolves into a bit of nonsense. The antagonists aren't given enough development to make their movements and motivations completely believable and the last two episodes fail to bring any excitement and instead deliver more annoyance than anything. The final episode was the last straw as the first 40minutes offer only ridiculous choices made through motivations that make no sense and could have been completely removed to only see the last 20minutes.
While I did really enjoy the first half of this show the second half managed to remove all the original good things about the show and ultimately delivered a disappointing, nonsensical mess.
We begin with Baek Sa Eon, a high profile political figure from a prestigious family, marrying the youngest daughter of another prestigious family. For the selectively mute youngest daughter, Hong Hui Ju, the marriage is but a cage where she is the replacement for her sister and used to connect the families for political reasons. She is told never to reveal that she is married to him and he treats her with a cold indifference while living in the same home for 3 years. But someone becomes aware of her existence and attempts to use her to threaten Baek Sa Eon by kidnapping her. This is where the plot really begins. While Hui Ju manages to get away from the kidnapper she also takes with her the phone that he used to call Sa Eon and ends up using it to try to escape her marriage thus unknowingly beginning to unravel Sa Eon's true nature and intentions. Now caught between learning more about her husband and being used by the kidnapper threatening him Hui Ju and Sa Eon race to find answers and undo misunderstandings.
Beautifully shot, well styled, well acted, and with a great OST this drama had the beginnings to become a really great drama. Then the second half began and this is where you see both characters fall in love and we lose the interesting, intelligent, and cold Baek Sa Eon to the fool for love version of himself and the strong, independent, snarky, and determined Hui Ju to the stereotypical damsel in distress. The reveals are predictable at this point and the plot dissolves into a bit of nonsense. The antagonists aren't given enough development to make their movements and motivations completely believable and the last two episodes fail to bring any excitement and instead deliver more annoyance than anything. The final episode was the last straw as the first 40minutes offer only ridiculous choices made through motivations that make no sense and could have been completely removed to only see the last 20minutes.
While I did really enjoy the first half of this show the second half managed to remove all the original good things about the show and ultimately delivered a disappointing, nonsensical mess.
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