Made in Korea: Half-Baekd
I've been hankering for a Hyun Bin noir work since well since I've seen the guy donning suits combined with his signature clean styling and sharp intense facial features. He is a shoe-in for the genre.
Made in Korea checked that box in 6 episodes, it might as well be called Made for Hyun Bin.
And it's even more exciting was he was taking the role of a power-hungry corrupt man so i can say this much:
1. Director Woo Min-ho wasn't lying when he said Hyun Bin is his persona (muse?). The way he's designed to be James Bond and the villain in one, he had fun making the actor act the scenes of his dreams. And of course fans served to benefit.
Many non-fans actually agreed too, which is a surprise.
2. The ost is superb (Cant expect anything less from Cho Young wuk who scored many Park Chanwook movies including his latest hits, Decision to Leave and No Other Choice)
3. It's fun, it's like crack, high rewatch value coz of the high adrenaline scenes.
But at the same time...
1. I see the potential of a better paced show that is allowed to develop and not jump at every opportunity. Some say MIK should have been a movie and I can see why it could be advantageous with how "summarized" it felt. Six episodes felt so short despite being an hour long and supposedly a movie in their own right. It felt so much yet so little has been accomplished. Not enough room/time for yeast to breathe.
Episode 1 should not have been the Youngdo incident, not because Good News told a more entertaining version (I thought both can exist together, it's just unfortunate timing they came out at almost the same time which easily led to comparisons) but because it was more like a Baek Ki-tae sidequest when they could be using this episode to establish the drama's foundation. It made no sense to go on with his Japanese businessman persona when his double-life had been revealed in promotions from the start.
What they ought to have expanded instead was Bae Geum-ji who was a compelling character and should have been developed more as a threat to the institution before they offed her just like that.
It's just that the episodes felt like a series of shortcuts and I struggle even in my rewatch to get a sense of a journey. If we are to see the rise of a man then I wanna see some propulsion. It doesn't have to be rags to riches but at least a sense of progress from point A to maybe point D or E. Not point C to D. Baek Ki-tae was already a ranking official at the start of the show, he was already at a position where he could order sting operations, bug the prosecutor's office and torture people — practically he could do whatever the hell he wanted including running a drug den. There really wasn't much leeway to get to Director so the season finale's conclusion didn't feel like it's a lot to get to? And we're supposed to feel his overwhelming POWAH. It just didn't feel so different.
We needed to see him as a foot man / lackey, we needed to see him hold up the mirror for his boss some more and chase someone around. I needed to see him pathetic, I needed to see how badly he needed and wanted to go higher. Jang Geun-young, despite all the criticisms thrown at this character, felt a much rounder character.
It might have even helped showing Vietnam at the beginning instead of Youngdo.
A twitter friend introduced the concept of 신파 which is described as overly dramatized moments that Korean audiences tend to criticize and something Woo Min-ho is also averse to. It would make sense why the series is seemingly devoid of emotional responses.
But still, any show of contrast would have been good to establish the final act of season 1.
Which in the first place was already spoiled...
2. The promotion already revealed Ki-tae becoming Director from the start The crucial final pledge scenes are in the show trailer. Why do this 😭 Why lessen the impact of the show? The promotion has actually sabotaged the show's impact far more than necessary.
I know it's to drum interest and reach an audience as wide as possible but I really hope they didn't need to sacrifice the storytelling too much. Despite my hang-ups on the narrative and character development, I'm glad the show has gotten positive reviews, especially with Hyun Bin's acting (and the THardy comparisons much to my amusement). He definitely has some moments though in my opinion his earlier dramas showcased his range more, because those stories allowed his characters to ripen more organically. I'm definitely looking forward to how season 2 will play out but I'm careful not to place higher expectations. Will 6 eps be enough to tell an entire story that season 1 could only provide glimpses/bursts into? I hope season 2 will provide a satisfying completion. I hope there's more meat in the second half of the burger and it will have the sharp bite of pickle relish I'm looking for. Something real to bite and chew on.
and fgs @ d+ DON'T SPOIL THE SEASON IN YOUR PROMOS.
(note: i wrote this months ago before hyun bin went on to win best actor at baeksang (!!!) and the director's cut awards, wins I didn't see coming coz his 6 eps appearance was going against those with 12 full eps. after seeing him snubbed in awards left and right this was a welcome surprise. maybe they expedited it before he'd win when s2 rolls in.)
