There’s just something about watching a series as it was airing: you’d get this
tension of not knowing what’s next, the impatience of waiting for the next episode
to come, the frustration at each and every cliffhanger - making for extreme excitement
and thrills.
However, there’s a problem: there’s no way of knowing if the series is good, more
so if you are watching a K-drama - as very, very often, a masterpiece in the first half
can go downhill as it nears its end.
So, today, let’s avoid that issue with our list of series that started out extremely
good, only to later disappoint.
Itaewon class The first half of Itaewon Class, right upto
episode 10, was a total masterpiece.
Following the determined male lead Park Saeroyi, we get to see an underdog story, where he
worked his way up from the bottom, broke through his obstacles, and defeated the big bad evil.
The series has got a fleshed-out set of characters: from very well-built and hard-to-defeat villains,
conflicting characters, to the diverse and properly developed side characters.
We get to see growth in the characters’ relationships as well as intense battles between
the good and the bad.
And, we also got novel stories rarely told in Kdramas, regarding gender identities and
race.
However, the series’ later half became extremely flat and rushed in later episodes.
There are clichés, damsels in distress, unprompted changes of heart.
Things are solved with violence rather than tact - which just doesn’t click with the
drama's entire foundation.
Worse - the characters - which were supposed to be the pillar of the show, became walking
stereotypes by the end.
It just feels like all the build-up from the previous episodes came to dust.
Penthouse Next in tow is a notorious case - and yes,
we are talking about Penthouse season 1 versus the seasons 2 and 3.
Penthouse started out great.
We have this set-up of a murder mystery with many, many suspects, and there’s a tension
and thrill to watching how the events unfold.
We are curious to dig out the past and motives of each character, and their sneaky schemes
just glue our eyes to the scenes.
Season 2 went a little downhill.
It gets a little boring to watch supposedly dead characters go “surprise, I’m alive”
every now and then and some plotlines are complete non-sense, but there’s the brilliant
acting, good villain stories, and the layered scheming makes it impossible to drop.
The main characters are still true to themselves and the character development, and some changes
of heart get us curious.
However, season 3 completely spiralled out of control.
Characters acted like idiots, the scheming became questionable, and at some points, it
seemed like more of a gag drama.
And I guess that the screenwriter may be trying to make a somewhat memorable ending - but
killing off all the major characters is no longer new, especially when their deaths mean
absolutely nothing.
My suggestion?
For your sanity and peace of mind, drop it after the end of season 2
Now, We Are Breaking Up Heading to a more recent work this round,
and we have Now, We Are Breaking Up.
Song Hye Kyo’s work has never disappointed, and of course there’s no denying the handsome
Jang Ki Yong.
The series started out pretty steamy and sexy - with a looming history that’s made things
more complicated.
It is also pretty woman-focused, which often means great drama, but as the series goes
on, it’s hard to not get disappointed.
For starters, the major conflict of the series - aka the reason why our female lead holds
no faith in love - was this completely ridiculous story about how her lover never came to a
date but it turns out he died from an accident - which sounds like a 2000s drama and not
something from 2021.
Adding to that is the extremely slow pacing, with events dragged out for episodes, no major
conflicts, and barely any character development.
Worse, the series is just not enjoyable.
It is not healing, not humorous, and not at all dramatic.
I say it might work as a movie or mini series, but 16 whole episodes just feels so dragging.
And, judging by the declining ratings, the Korean audience probably would agree.
Something In The Rain Speaking of melodramas, Something In The Rain
started out SO GOOD.
It is a realistic story about a mid-30-ish woman bored of her life, has a terrible family
and boyfriend, and yet still manages to be heart-fluttering with a new relationship.
The chemistry between Son Ye Jin and Jung Hae In was top-notch, despite their age difference,
and I find myself awe-ing at their every eye contact and touch, relating with the excitement
and secret gestures that you get when you have a crush, and immensely enjoy everything
that’s going on the screen.
However, the entire later half was a WTF moment over and over.
There are obstacles - which is reasonable in Kdramas, but they are .. pretty frustrating.
There was no character development, the female lead kept repeating the same mistakes, and
to one point, the relationship between the main couple even felt downright toxic.
The series had a happy ending, which may be a bit soothing - but it was unconvincing,
didn’t tie up any loose ends, and the characters are still the same people that decided they
wouldn’t work together.
And in the end, I did not get the cute noona romance that was promised in the first few
episodes, but rather a series about selfish people that refuse to grow.
It just feels like wasted potential.
W - Two Worlds Disclaimer: W - Two Worlds, to me, is like
this guilty pleasure watch.
It was engaging and extremely fast-paced, and the main couple is like one of my all-time
favorites.
The series also started out extremely strong: with a novel concept where our female lead
is dragged into a comic series that her father was drawing, and the male lead is a comic
character with a terrible life.
And honestly, you will never find me complaining about Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo’s acting,
they delivered exactly what was promised of their characters, and took W to the next level.
W also introduced us to one of the scariest villains of all time.
Despite him being fictional, his schemes and strength was just off-the-charts, making the
route to defeating this elusive antagonist all the more interesting.
However, the strong villain ended up becoming one of W’s major downfalls - he ended up
being so strong to the point of infallible, and the writing suffers because there’s
no sensible way to actually defeat him.
So, by the second half, W seemed to have abandoned all the world building.
It just keeps dropping new scary abilities for the evil, introducing unanswered questions,
and at some points, just becoming completely illogical.
The happy ending had managed to soothe me somewhat though, and W was a daring and novel
series.
Just, it could have been a lot better.
Start Up Don’t misunderstand: like W, Start Up, at
least to me, was enjoyable.
It was uplifting, inspirational, and feels like a refreshing coming-of-age for the adults.
The technology setting was a bit oversimplified, but, we can let it slip, and despite the name,
‘Start Up’s true core was never about building a company, but rather about other
values like friendship, self-growth, love, and found family.
I absolutely adored the series’ many character arcs, especially that of the second female
lead Seo In Jae, and I loved the many relationships in the series, romantic and non-romantic.
However, as we approached the finale, Start Up ended up making the same mistake as many
other Kdramas: It gets over dramatic and adds unnecessary details.
There’s this… revenge arc with the character Yong San that feels completely out of place,
to the point I’m not sure why it is even in the series.
The main character, Do San, also barely get any character development in the later half,
and the series often dumbs him down for humor which gets frustrating.
In conclusion, I’d say Start Up is not a bad series.
Still, it would probably be better if it leans more towards self-searching than the love
triangle.
Which, speaking of love triangle, #JusticeforHanJipyeong.
So, that’s my list.
There are obviously many other dramas that destroyed its potential near the end.
So, do you have any series that you think would fit in the list?
Or are there any entries you disagree with?
Let us know your opinion in the comment section!
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see ya!!