I really wanted to love it as much as Stranger 1.

Lee Soo Yeon does not disappoint and delivered yet another masterpiece of a crime/political drama. Despite my header, I still really enjoyed the show, with it's actions, twists and drama. However, in my opinion, every aspect is definitely lacking when compared with season 1.

Plot wise, the overall story was definitely less tight-knit. Story telling wasn't great (it wasn't obvious to follow and link together all the different cases). There were lesser shock reveals, twists were somewhat expected and most of all, the protagonist was (imo) too weak. It was obvious from the get go that WTH was no LCJ. He lacked the charisma, the brains and the personality to fill in those big shoes. I felt like too much time was used building up the base premise of the Prosecution-Police Rights discussion (which could be an important topic in Korea) and on SDJ digging into police power abuse cases (to get into the team). In fact, by the end of it, no real resolution was reached (except that both sides do not deserve to have exclusive rights). Pace in the first half was slow but it quickly picked up in the 2nd half with SDJ's disappearance, which I would rather the drama had started with. The ending felt rushed and I would have preferred the last few episodes to have spread out more. Many arcs were not closed out well such as, with Hanjo Group, LYJ's secretary's being suspicious, potential Kim Sa Hyun involvement, Oh Ju Seon, Segok Police Case etc. Overall, I felt the writer was trying to do too much in too short of a time. Maybe season 3??

Cast wise, I thought everyone played their part well but again, WTH's character was (imo) too underwhelming when faced with LCJ. LYJ as well did not compare up to her father. In fact, no mention was made about the status of her father by the end of the show, which I thought was pretty suspicious considering he could be used as one of the masterminds of these plots.

Overall, still a very enjoyable drama. Perhaps a slight tweak by the writer, aiming for a more philosophical style with more dialogue. Would have preferred more action/strategy like in season 1, which is what I fell in love with Stranger for.

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Great acting by a blockbuster cast, led down by an underwhelming script.

Oh Jung Se and Seo Ye Ji nailed their roles spectacularly. The focus on mental illness was great but not developed strongly - especially KMY's ASPD - no diagnosis or treatment was even mentioned. Plot was slow and predictable, with not many surprises. The First leads had good chemistry, however, the pacing on of their relationship was too fast - leading to a burn out in the 2nd half of the series. Second leads could also have been developed even further - NJR, JS, LSI etc. Felt that many of these characters didn't really have a 'role' in plot.

Overall, comfortable to watch, great visuals, excellent acting but could have been so much more if the story was more developed and well rounded.

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Well written script with interesting premise (debate on life vs death). Fast paced and to the point, though characters could have been more developed/removed (e.g. Chen Yu Xuan, who's presence seemed very unnecessary..) and perhaps linked to the murders. Really didn't like the ending though, which I felt was very forced (esp the conman's wife pregnancy) and a lot of time was focused on it. Would have also liked more attention and acknowledgement be given to the lead and his condition (Asperger's Syndrome) - felt that characters in the show generally just labelled him as "odd" or "weird" etc. and seemed to expect him being "normal". Overall, still would recommend! I watched it all in 1 sitting!

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Typical Saeguk Romance

Started up with the usual troupe of mistaken identity of the Crown Prince. I actually liked the former King and felt much tension dropped following his death - whereby the drama was warped mostly around the love story and less on politics, even more so following HDR's death/end of the Court Ladies Faction arc. The drop in dynamics actually made the later half much less enthralling to me (yes I was interested in them getting together but not dragged out over 5-6 eps). I think the writer tried to create this complex love between the main leads - whereby the female is not the typical "swoon for the king" which is interesting and all BUT that's where it ends for me. To me, there was never any character growth for SDI, in fact I felt that she regressed into more of a "damsel in distress" - while in the earlier episodes she was portrayed with more intelligence and poise. I also felt the main dilemma between losing her freedom vs her love(?) for the king wasn't adequately explained. I mean why did she become a court lady if freedom was so important to her in the first place? It would have worked better if she had a more believable backstory such as mother/family being abandoned by the King in the past etc. The ending was totally rushed. After creating love tension for 15 ep, they decided to put them together and kill them off within 1.5 ep?? And was it only me who saw some comparisons to Scarlet Heart (chinese ver.)? Especially the part after the female lead dies. Absolute tear jerker yes but just felt we could have done a bit more with the happy moments. I liked that in the end it was slightly dubious whether she regretted loving him anot...

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Strong Cast Performance mees Quality Production. Must-watch.

Stellar cast with an entralling plot. Absolutely loved the deep, mysterious vibe of the ML. His deep voice and stern facade really played well into the character. Fell in love in EP 1 with his 1 word "可". Bai Lu is again, inexplicabily beautiful in a Costume drama. Enjoyed the strength and straigtfowardness of the FL, actions & thoughts made sense, though she did fall into a more Damel in Distress personality towards the end. The chemistry though was excellent. There was always some kind of tension between the leads that all the more made viewers anticipate their ending.

The plot is where I thought could be more improved. While the pacing and arcs were decently written. many of the excellent premises were not woven and fully made use of. I fully expected the ML's schizophrenia to play a larger role towards the end. It would have been nice for the FL to also show more maturity in her behaviour considering she was "reincarnated" from an empress. Character growth kinda fell backwards from empress to a 19 year old girl..

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Top drama on my list. Park Hae-young has really produced a masterpiece of a drama.

Although one can't proclaim the main story as something new (wife cheating on man, office politics etc.) - the way My Mister took time out to dive so deep into each character, teasing us on their back stories, showing us their vulnerabilities, was very refreshing to say the least. What made it stand out from other slice of life series imo was how relatable each character and their problems were. It made it so easy for a viewer to understand and immerse into each role, imagining themselves in it and feeling all the emotions. The drama also made superb usage of sounds (including silences) which managed to create an image of 'closeness' and helped to capture the viewer's imagination (e.g. LJA & PDH's farewell scene at the end. So little was actually said even though we could all see how much both parties wanted to tell each other). I also loved how Park Hae-young focused so much on ensuring each dialogue was meaningful and not just some filler noise (so many inspiring and relatable quotes in each ep! - "It's no big deal" - I'm sure many of us would at some point in time hoped for someone to tell us this sincerely) Personally, my favorite (most touching) scene was when LJA's grandma wrote on her book that she can finally die in peace to PDH - it was so sincere and heartfelt that I just drowned in tears)

Casting was also excellent. One of the few dramas which I felt each and every role was casted perfectly. Everyone acted so well and the emotions were so raw and real that, again made it easy for the viewer to connect. There were many concerns earlier on IU's 1-D acting but i sincerely felt she acted LJA to perfection - especially Ji An's hesitations (which i felt made her more real). Really love the portrayal of all 3 brothers as well - you could see the loneliness in their eyes. Even the side characters such as the LWI (loan shark) was great.

The OSTs were also brilliant and the editing made full use of it with great placement on important moments, adding on to the atmosphere.

Rewatchability was rated highly as I felt everything I rewatched the series, I discover new meanings in the dialogue or understood it from a different perspective, which makes it very refreshing despite already knowing the plot and the ending.

Overall, I highly recommend anyone who hasn't watched to give this drama a try. You would not regret investing the time. My only regret was not watching it earlier.

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Average

Like what some of the reviews I've read have mentioned, as someone who has not watched/read the anime version, I personally felt that this drama was overrated and over-hyped. Story was overall decent with it's ups and downs but can be at times confusing - with poorly thought out and timed flashbacks. Was initially pulled in by the story at the beginning but had to constant wait for the timeline to be pulled back to the present - which I've heard had taken 34 episodes out of 50 to happen! Furthermore, there were certain plots here and there that were not explained or written well IMO - for example, the scene whereby Yunmeng clan chief went back to help his wife only to be stabbed in 5 seconds?? (Really??? he was the clan chief for heaven's sake!), the scene where Wen Chao cut of the ropes trapping many of the clan juniors in the cave (honestly, some of them are martial experts and the cliff was not vertically dropping???) and many more...

Production wise, it was obvious that it wasn't exactly high quality with poor CGI all round and shoddy camera works on multiple scenes. Some of the actors were definitely not up to par though I felt that the main leads acted out their roles well and it definitely improved as the series went on (at least up till the point i've watched). Music was great as well - the top redeeming point for me.

Overall, I am shocked that drama of this quality is able to top the ratings in MDL - overtaking the likes of masterpieces like My Mister, Signal and the much better Nirvana in Fire. For someone who had no inkling of the storyline beforehand, this was at best, an average drama.

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Unique Relationship Dynamics with Crazy Chemistry

Story
Thought it was well paced. Appropriate amount of time was spent on each arc and I didn't feel any of the arcs being drawn out. Especially appreciated the start - never thought I would enjoy the relationship building between a man and his chicken that much! Some portions of the plot were of course slightly cliche and obvious but in general, felt that the writer kept enough mysteries for me to want more. Also loved the extra episode at the end just for viewers to enjoy the couple more! Thought the character building was great too as we can see Shen Li slowly becoming like Xing Zhi...

Acting
Amazing amazing performance by ZLY. Her apathetic gaze was integral to the show and she just looks absolutely stunning in her armor. LGX did a decent enough job for me as a supposedly cold and aloof god. Kind of wanted to see more cool sides of him.

Music
Loved all the OSTs added to my Spotify list

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Unique Story-telling That Fell Off

Will start off by praising the Writer's creativity and bravery in attempting a drama that is mostly focused on one setting (The raid of JJM's home). This isn't commonly done in KDramas as it's not easy crafting enough content to keep viewers engrossed without getting bored. Flashbacks were mostly appropriately spaced out in between the spectacular action scenes to provide some change of pace. Personally, I enjoyed the backstory and dynamics of JJE & Pashin - it was more relatable to me then the inexplicably strained(?) relationship btw JJE & JJM. As aforementioned, the action scenes are definitely the highlights of this drama despite some of the obvious plotholes/troupes that were haphazardly patched over (such as the miltary exercise cover, bad guys going 1-by-1 to die etc.).

Not surprisingly, the Writing is also the Con that let down this drama. In my opinion, too many side characters were introduced without a proper/believable backstory or use such as the Shadow Organization's Director, a random deaf "Brother", and the taxi driver... Many of the subplots were also not well-covered such as JJM's fake death, escape path that led back into the house (?), Bale's incredulous survival and decision to get revenge after many years etc.

The main gripe I had was how obvious it was that JJM wasn't really dead. I mean he is listed as the ML but only appeared spottedly in the first 5 eps in flashbacks... I found myself constantly awaiting his "heroic return" and thus felt episodes drag as it whiffed into the 2nd half. In general, the plot did not deviate from common expecations - no real plot twists (I'm not counting JJM's "revival").

Overall, I still think it is a very watchable drama - just based on the action scenes alone. Casting & Acting was also superb esp for JJE - she always looks so vulnerable. Just temper expecations and watch with an open mind (:

Final random thought: The repeated usage of "Listen Up, JJE" was seriously cringe for me. Felt they overplayed it way too much...

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Best Crime/Political Thriller Drama!

Nail-biting. Captivating. Mesmerizing. Words can't begin to describe how much I enjoyed this drama. Plot that was woven like silk, creating a world full of characters with strong but relevant personalities, endless cliffhangers and unexpected twists that left most of us on the edge of our seats through the 16 episodes. The drama started strongly, diving head-on into a suspected murder case in episode 1. The insane pace was kept throughout the drama, with the writer tossing our bits and pieces of clues, each more alarming then the next, leading us to our 'suspect'. But wait, there's more! Absolutely loved how the hints were so balanced, never allowing us to pinpoint which was the real culprit till the finale.

In terms of the cast, most would have had their focus on HSM or HSJ, but for me, the winner has to be LCJ. God, seldom do you see a protagonist so charismatic, so smart, with ideals that you could understand. Yoo Jae Myung really hit the ball out of the park with his performance of the character here. Especially with his accent and speech mannerism. Of course Bae Doona and Cho Seung Woo had stellar performances as well. I also loved how each and every side character was developed and was part of the story as well.

Music was stellar as well, capturing and adding on to the mood of every hair raising scene.

Overall, I absolutely adored this drama, almost couldn't bear to finish it as I raced through the first 15 episodes in a flash. I highly recommend this to whoever enjoys crime drama with some sherlock-esque analysis and brainwork.

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Fantastic Romance Drama That Could Have Been More

Be prepared to embark on Rollercoaster Journey of Emotions with My Dearest. It has been a long time since The Red Sleeve that I truly enjoyed a Romance Saeguk drama. I felt that the Writer really spent the time to develop and flesh out the Lead Couple & the Supporting cast through many different trails and tribulations. I felt the Pacing of these developments were acceptable and really aided in creating strong attachments between the viewer and the characters. Of course, this is also due to the amazing acting from Nam Goong Min & Ahn Eun Jin. Every crying or kissing scene really roped me in and I found myself hoping for a Happy Ending.

On the flip side, while the Romance part of the story was developed really well, I felt that improvements could have been had on the Political side of things. I did yearn to see LJH develop more into a "Strategist" kind of role, after the early glimpses of his genius in tactics. The Writer also spent quite some time fleshing out GC's business sense but she slowly got relagated to a waiting wife towards the end. I also felt that many characters were "killed" abruptly and did not had the endings they deserve (Big Hyungnim & the Captive lady, Ryang Eun, JongJong/Gu Jam, Gil Chae's family etc.). Overall, it had the feeling of over-development in Part 1 & a rushed ending in Part 2.

Despite the above, in the end, I still massively enjoyed My Dearest and strong encourage viewers to pick it up if you enjoy Romance Saeguk such as Red Sleeve & Mr Sunshine.

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Dramatic and Tragic Love Story

TTEOTM is like Chips. You know it's gonna destroy you sooner or later but you keep reaching out for more.

Personally, I thought the plot was fantastic and engaging. Across 40 episodes, viewers were offered various dynamics such as the normalcy in Sheng, the power strife in Jing, the war among Gods & Devils in the Enlightened Dream & the life in XY/HY Sect. Countary to some reviews, I fully resonated with most of the decisions made by LSS & TTJ and found it relatable - the conflict in killing a potential threat even though he has not done anything wrong yet & the difficulty in fully trusting the goodness in someone without fear of being betrayed (when your whole life has been a shit show).

Although I thought the pacing was general alright, it is undeniable that the XY/HY sect arc & ending was rushed. The slow phase in the intial arcs really allowed viewers to build strong attachment for TTJ/YXW culminating in the eventually betrayal/sacrifice of YXW. In contrast, I felt the writers did not provide a long enough runway for viewers to build the same adoration for CJM & LSS - which caused the final sacrifice by CJM to not reach the emotional heights of the sacrifice of YXW. Personally, I didn't mind the sad ending but I felt it would have been even more touching if LSS only found out about CJM's sacrifice (that he didn't kill anyone) after she killed him. I wished I could have seen LSS more touched/desparate - much like how TTJ went crazy after YXW died.

TTEOTM was also guilty of overplaying some of the basic CDrama troupes such as miscommunication. Oh my god were some of the characters frustrating - such as Mingye FULLY knowing Sangjiu has no friends in the Immortal realm (since she stayed home all the time) and hence no one to help with her dispelling demonic essence, yet STILL decides to trust an obviously obsessive Tian Huan??? Honestly, I wished LSS & CJM could have worked together in the end rather than always trying to "protect" each other by not letting them know anything zzz. And my god were there an insane amount of blood spitting. I thought some of the reviews were over-reacting but I could hardly get past 1 eps without MULTIPLE characters vomitting blood esp in the last 15 eps.

Casting was definitely the strongest point for TTEOTM. Both Bai Lu & Luo Yun Xi are fantastic in their roles and the chemistry between both is mouthwatering - the loving gazes between them both just gives me shivers all the time. Side characters such as Pian Ran, YQY, XL & YBC were also fleshed out just enough - though their individual endings were a complete mess for me. I personally love the Sisterhood between Pian Ran & YXW and wished they wouldn't have killed off such a strong character so early. XL & YBC's love story could have also been developed better - I felt writers could play much more into XL's conflict between saving Sheng & protecing YBC - XL felt way too one-dimensional, and honestly he didn't do much for XBC anyways...

None of the OSTs were exceptionally memorable besides the one by Huang Xiaoyun.

Overall, I would recommend TTEOTM as a Watch. Despite the tragic love stories, I felt the chemistry and relationship building is worth the pain. Pro tip: If you can't bear the sad ending, just stop at Ep 35!

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Well Paced Story for a Casual Watch

It has been awhile since I enjoyed a good Dectective show. And I think Flex X Cop did somewhat hit the spot for me. It was an easy watch and I must compliment the Script for not over-staying on a particular plot - story kept developing what made it interesting for the viewer. I also liked the concept of JYS and I thought ABH played him to perfection - with that slightly naive touch. PJH did decently well for me and her chemistry with ABH clearly showed, through all their past work together. Side cast also provided good comedic relief, though very few were actually delved into. Main gripe for me was how painfully obvious the culprit was. I was praying for a plot twist at the end but unfortunately, it is how it is.

Overall, still a good and easy drama to watch - the comedy and the cast's chemistry provided good vibes throughout. Excited for Season 2 but I do hope we get more well thought out cases.

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Disappointing Despite Star-studded Cast

Premise: Did not read the web series

Was throughly impressed with the First 3 Episodes. CWS & SSK are such amazing actors that I was immediately captivated and brought their world. Absolutely enjoyed the directing which were movie-esque - especially in first few murders; such as the slow-mo scenes & cut scene of likening Lee Tang to a dog. The introduction of SYO (blind lady); who btw was brillantly acted by JYS, brought good tension and progression to the show.

However, for me, it all started going downhill with the introduction of Roh Bin. Understand that it is somewhat a fiction drama (with Tang's "powers") but it was incredibly unbelievable that a one man(?) hacker, someone so naive, someone watched by the Police, someone inspired by Batman, would be able to aid vigilante murders... To me, it felt like drama instantly crumbled in terms of realism/sophistication. It could have been so much more with the budget awailable..

Overall, still a reasonable watch in my books, esp with the amazing cast whose perofrmance was top notch.

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Really loved dramas that take time out in developing each and every (main) character's personality, backstory and difficulties. HP took it a step further and created this enviable friendship that many of us would want to be part of (minus their hectic work life...) On that regard, the writers have also tried hard in imbuing and showing us that being a doctor is not all glitz and glamour, with numerous life & death decisions to be made on the spot, along with the numerous hours of work shifts put in (which there's also a hint that doctors who care tend to overwork). Felt that in the current circumstances, perhaps an episode or two could have been dedicated to infectious diseases (but that's just my wish at this point!)

Nothing to say about the band music tbh. Really excellent concept of finding all the catchy past hits and bringing them back to life. I also liked how the screenplay adapted with the flashback scenes giving us some Reply series feels.

Overall, really good series that you can enjoy comfortably. Looking forward to the cast's chemistry again in Season 2!

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