5 K-Dramas with Strong Women-Centric Storylines
REVIEWS: "Flower of Evil" | "Happiness" | "The K2" | "My Name" | "The Uncanny Counter"
March is Women’s History Month and includes International Women’s Day (on March 8). That’s my tie-in for today’s reviews of five K-dramas, where the female characters have the most interesting roles and get to do a lot more than wait to be rescued.
Without further ado, here are my reviews of:
° Flower of Evil (악의 꽃)
° Happiness (해피니스)
° The K2 (더 케이투)
° My Name (마이 네임)
° The Uncanny Counter (경이로운 소문): Season 1
This time around, I added a brief capsule review, followed by the full-length piece (for those who want to read more). Anchor links to reviews are available to those of you reading this on the Substack app. Unfortunately, they won’t show up on the emailed newsletters. Mea culpa!
If you want to watch even more really good women-led series I reviewed six more shows here. And, as always, I regularly update my K-drama Index, so be sure to check that out, too.
… And just for fun, I’m going to link you to reviews of some of the worst K-dramas I’ve watched in recent years. I’m curious if you saw any of them and what your thoughts are.
“My Name”
☆☆☆☆
Yoon Ji-woo / Oh Hye-jin (played by Han So-hee)
Choi Mu-jin (played by Park Hee-soon)
Jeon Pil-do (played by Ahn Bo-hyun)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.
You know how in most action series, there’s always that one guy who can fight a team of thugs and still manage to bounce right back the next day? In this revenge thriller, that guy is a kickass woman (superbly played by Han So-hee), whose raison d’être is to avenge her father’s murder. The actress went through months of physical training to pack on muscle. The result is a performance that embodies strength of character and body, with So-hee nailing every single element of her gritty fight sequences.
Han So-hee plays a teenager, whose gangster father was stabbed to death outside their apartment. From that moment on, her raison d’être is to find his murderer and kill him. When the police basically tell her to get lost, she joins forces with Choi Mu-jin (Park Hee-soon) — the super hot leader of Korea’s largest drug cartel, who was also her dad’s boss. They were like brothers, he tells her. And he promises to help her get justice.
I’m sorry, did I say super hot? Well, I meant it. He’s the type of guy who slaps a teenage girl, whose father has just been murdered — and this is obviously all kinds of wrong. But … he is one cool cucumber, who looks fantastic in suits. Park is such a charismatic actor that viewers will root for him, even though the character he is playing is loathsome.
Eventually, he takes her under his wings and lets her train with his brutal gang, who tolerate her … until she beats one of them up. The thug retaliates by drugging and attempting to rape her. This sets in motion betrayal, more murder and subterfuge that culminates in Ji-Woo finding out what really happened to her father. Much of this occurs after she has infiltrated the police force as officer Oh Hye-jin.
The bloody violence is beautifully shot, the music is gorgeous and Han’s intensity makes her a badass heroine viewers will support — even when we know that her need for revenge is clouding her better judgment. No matter how hard she tries to rationalize her actions, her version of justice won’t give her the peace of mind she’s looking for to move on with her life.
Airdates: Netflix released all eight episodes on October 15, 2021. Each episode ranged between 45- to 60-minutes long.
Spoiler Alert: Ji-woo’s father was an undercover police officer embedded into the drug cartel. Early in the series, he tells his daughter that he’ll be gone for just a little while longer. He was getting close to getting all the information necessary to indict Mu-jin. Ultimately, Mu-Jin figures out what’s going on and kills him and misleads Ji-woo into thinking that it was a cop who killed her father.
Han So-hee and Ahn Bo-hyun share some nice moments together. Ahn plays Detective Jeon Pil-do. Near the end of the series, Mu-jin kills Pil-do as Ji-woo watches in shock. Mu-jin has now taken away two of the men she loved the most.
The one element I didn’t buy about her relationship with Pil-do was how quickly he believed her, when it was clear that Ji-woo wasn’t who she said she was — and that her actions were dangerous to herself, him and the other detectives on their team.
“Happiness”
☆☆☆☆
Yoon Sae-bom (played by Han Hyo-joo)
Jung Yi-hyun (played by Park Hyung-sik)
Han Tae-seok (played by Jo Woo-jin)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.
Sae-bom (Han Hyo-joo) is an elite police officer who is career minded and wants one thing for herself: a place of her own to call home. She fake-marries her long-time friend Yi-hyun (Park Hyung-sik), because that somehow qualifies her for an apartment rental in a fancy new development … which is quickly infested with residents who have zombie-like symptoms. When she is ordered to save herself at the expense of others, she refuses and puts her own life on the line to help others. Though she and Yi-hyun are equals in every way, it was oh so satisfying to watch her come to his rescue at a particularly crucial time.
This 12-episode series starts off strong and maintains that level of intense excellence all the way through the finale. It’s one of the rare series that I wanted to re-watch almost immediately after the story ended.
And what a story it is. Han Hyo-joo and Park Hyung-sik were the on-screen couple of 2021 for their portrayal of Sae-bom and Yi-hyun — two elite police officers who are trapped in an apartment building that has been contaminated by a virus that turns infected people into thirsty zombie-like creatures. No matter how much water they drink, their thirst isn’t quenched
… until they bite into a human being and drink their blood.
“Happiness” is set in the not-so-distant future where people have become accustomed to living with — and dealing with — infectious diseases without freaking out. COVID-19 is a thing of the past. So when this mad-human disease spreads, South Koreans know the drill. They go into lockdown until the government can figure out a cure. But the cure is taking longer than expected.
While Sae-bom and Yi-hyun take a humane approach to saving as many of the infected as they can, Lieutenant Colonel Han Tae-seok handles things more aggressively. He saves people who could be useful in finding a cure (antibodies), but has no qualms about shooting them point blank if he perceives any threat. A buffed-up Jo Woo-jin (“Goblin,” “Mr. Sunshine“) was a total badass here in a role that required him to be ruthless, pragmatic and heartbroken over a family member’s infection.
The residents in this particular apartment building are lucky. Because theirs has a higher ratio of renters to owners — with renters having been denied access to the gym, where the infection started — the outbreak hasn’t been as severe as in other buildings in the complex. The gym managers were selling diet and health supplements, which they didn’t realize could cause users to turn into unrecognizable monsters.
Think about the cause and effect here: The wealthy and privileged are among those who were infected first. The lower middle class are their victims.
But scriptwriter Han Sang-woon doesn’t necessarily turn this into an us against them or eat the rich parable. Some of the most repugnant characters are among the working class, who see what others have and do everything in their power to take what they want. In many instances, the living are more frightening than the undead.
Among all the morally ambiguous residents is the soft-hearted writer, Hyun-kyung (played by Park Hee-von). She can’t bear to see the diseased segregated and locked up in chains. She makes a few mistakes that leads to chaos, but her willingness to see the victims as human beings first and foremost made her one of my favorite characters.
I talked earlier about the chemistry between Han and Park in their lead roles. They are believable even in the most unrealistic of scenarios, with Han having the flashier role of a take-charge woman who doesn’t need a man to protect her, but has one who is willing to die for her nevertheless. And the way she fearlessly protects him is the personification of love.
Unlike many K-dramas where the ending just seems meh, “Happiness” has a highly satisfying beginning, middle and end that makes sense.
Airdates: Twelve 60-minute episodes aired from November 5 to December 11, 2021 on tvN.
Gore: As many of you already know, I am a fraidy cat and don’t like gore, but I had no problem watching this series. If you can handle “Train to Busan,” this is comparable in terms of violence and gore.
Spoiler Alert: I loved this ending. Yi-hyun has been infected and tried to hide it from Sae-bom for as long as he can. When the opportunity arises, she leaves the complex (with a little girl who needs surgery, and some other tenants) — but she promises to come back for him. And she does, in a spectacular way.
Sae-bom initially asked Yi-Hyun to marry her so that she would qualify to live in this complex, which was highly coveted. He agreed, because he liked her and thought why not? As the series evolves, it becomes clear that he has loved her since their high school days. And by the finale, she realizes how much love she has for him, too. Happiness isn’t derived from where she lives, but who she loves.
“Flower of Evil”
☆☆☆☆
Baek Hee-sung (played by Lee Joon-gi)
Cha Ji-won (played by Moon Chae-won)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.
What to do when you’re married to a potential serial killer? For detective Cha Ji-won (Moon Chae-won), it means you do everything in your power to find out who he really is, even if the answer could be disastrous. Ji-won makes some morally ambiguous decisions, but she isn’t overtaken by her love for Hee-sung (Lee Joon-Gi). Though she knows her investigation could make her own life miserable, she does everything in her power to root out the truth.
A police detective is underwater staring at her husband, who has been bound and beaten. There is a flash of hesitation in her eyes. Why? What is making her hesitate?
Cha Ji-won and Baek Hee-sung are two of the more intriguing characters from any Korean series this year. She is a by-the book police detective. He is a gifted craftsman with his own popular boutique. At home, he does the cooking, cleaning and takes their young daughter to and from pre-school. There is no question that he is the favored parent. To the outside world — and Ji-Won — he is the perfect husband and doting father.
But when no one is looking, his face grows cold — as if it has gone back to its natural state, where he doesn’t have to worry about how people perceive him. What is he hiding from his loved ones?
In the early episodes, we are led to believe that Hee-sung has a hidden criminal past. He drags an old high school frenemy into a workshop and beats the crap out of him. Leaving him there, he padlocks the door. His wife — a police detective — doesn’t seem to find this even remotely strange. She buys his excuse that it’s for the safety of their daughter, who might accidentally head downstairs and hurt herself on his sharp tools. But when she starts to hear noises in the basement, she begins to have suspicions.
Is Hee-sung a killer? Will Ji-won cover up for him if he is? Before I address that in the Spoiler Alert below, let’s take a moment to talk about how so many of these characters needed mental health help from their youth. Not just once a week therapy, but perhaps hospitalization to deal with the childhood traumas they faced.
Airdates: Sixteen episodes — about an hour each — aired from July 29 to September 23, 2020 on tvN.
Spoiler Alert: Do Hyun-soo is the son of a serial killer, Do Min-seok, who was thought to have killed himself. It turns out that Min-Seok was actually murdered by his younger accomplice, Baek Hee-sung. After a convoluted storyline that left Hee-sung bedridden and in a coma for decades, we learn that his wealthy parents had Hyun-soo take over his identity to keep up with the pretense that they were a happy family.
Hyun-soo’s identity is safe, until his childhood frenemy Kim Moo-jin (played by Seo Hyun-woo) re-enters his life. A journalist hungry for a big story, he begins to research Hyun-Soo (thinking he’s Hee-sung). The two initially loathe each other, but begin to rely on each other to catch the real serial killer and clear Hyun-Soo’s name.
As Baek Hee-sung, Kim Ji-hoon is a chilling adversary. With his soft spoken voice, rock star hair and model good looks, he is frightening to watch as he torments his victims and parents, who do him no favors by constantly covering up for all his deeds.
The chemistry between Lee Joon-gi and Moon Chae-won is strong. And while there are many unbelievable moments, viewers never doubt the couple’s love for each other. One of the most telling signs of their love is that even when she isn’t sure who he really is, she never stops referring to him as 자기야 / jagiya, which is a term of endearment used by couples. Literally, it means that he is hers.
It was disappointing that the finale featured the loss of Hyun-soo’s memory. But there was also a glimmer of hope that he and Ji-won might eventually start their lives afresh, without the baggage of his complicated past.
“The K2”
☆☆☆☆
Kim Jae-Ha (played by Ji Chang-wook)
Go An-na (played by Im Yoon-ah)
Choi Yoo-jin (played by Song Yoon-ah)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.
While Im Yoon-ah has the role of the pretty young thing needing to be rescued by Ji Chang-wook, Song Yoon-ah plays the meatier character you love to hate in this action thriller. Her strength isn’t derived from physical prowess, but rather her unrelenting thirst for power. Smart, savvy, and sexy, she elevated herself, because none of the men in her family (or society, for that matter) thought that a woman was capable of taking charge in any meaningful way. Is it no wonder many fans were rooting for Chang-Wook’s character to find romance with hers?
“The K2” is billed as an action thriller, but it’s really a story about people who are so thoroughly broken that their sense of morality and justice is skewed to an absurd level.
Kim Jae-Ha (best. name. ever!) is a mercenary, who has been been accused of murdering civilians, including his fiancé. And in case you think I made up his name …
While trying to clear his name and avenge her death, Jae-Ha runs into An-na, the illegitimate daughter of Se-joon, who is a strong contender to become the next President of South Korea. Se-joon’s wife, Yoo-jin, may (or may not) have killed his mistress (An-na’s mother) — a decade or so ago, in a jealous fit of rage.
Because he knows she’s the rainmaker who can get him to the Blue House, Se-joon allows himself (and his child) to be manipulated by her cruel intentions.
Enter Jae-Ha, who isn’t afraid of Yoo-jin, who — in turn — is fascinated (and turned on) by his impertinence. By some antiquated notion of propriety, she doesn’t make any romantic moves on him, partly because he is a good 20 years or so younger than her. (The same age difference doesn’t matter to her husband, of course, who has affairs with young women and barely-legal girls.)
This is the kind of drama where Jae-Ha — also known as K2 — initially tries to kill Yoo-jin, but ends up working for her. Hired first as her bodyguard, he accepts Se-joon’s offer to guard An-na instead.
It’s no spoiler to say that An-na and Jae-Ha develop feelings for each other. They share some sweet rooftop (and ramen) moments.
Even though I know that Yoo-jin is a character I’m supposed to dislike, I felt bits of empathy for her. Song Yoon-ah is an incredible actress. Listening to her laugh gave me both chills of fear and joy. In her more human moments, it was so clear how much she longed for a man to dote on her the way Jae-Ha cared for An-na.
Make no mistake about it. Goo-goo eyes aside, Yoo-jin is not a nice person. Though she hasn’t committed all the crimes she is accused of, she also has no issue keeping An-na in captivity for most of her life; or ordering enemies to be killed. In front of her.
Her relationship with her younger half brother, Sung-won, is one of loathing and suspicion. And it makes for some of the series’ most dramatic (and funniest) moments. Lee Jung-jin is so good as the sociopathic sibling. (If you want to see Lee portraying another asshole, I highly recommend the superb Korean film, “Once Upon a Time in High School.”) Anyhow, Sung-won shares his sister’s love of money, power and muah ha ha laughter. He is almost as cunning as Yoo-jin, and possibly even more ruthless.
Girls’ Generation’s Im Yoon-ah has the least fleshed out role. But she is very good at portraying the sheltered and emotionally tortured An-na. In a cast full of seasoned actors, she more than holds her own. My favorite An-na moment was when she was in church, singing a gorgeous, heartbreaking rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
As for the main man, Ji Chang-wook is captivating. A nuanced actor who can say as much with one look as with words, he has that It factor that is irresistible.
I would love to see Ji and Im do a remake of the film “The Bodyguard” (but with Yoon-ah singing different songs.) I could see Ji doing justice to the best line in the movie. When a smitten woman approaches Kevin Costner (Whitney Houston’s bodyguard in the film) at a party, she flirts with him, oblivious to his disinterest:
Woman: I’ve been watching you all night from across the room.
Bodyguard: Why don’t you go back there and keep watching?
Remember at the beginning of this review how I said this drama is billed as an action thriller? There is a lot of action, but I would’ve preferred more realistic one-on-one fight scenes, rather than Jae-Ha battling dozens of adversaries, who were polite enough to attack him one at a time. As if they wouldn’t have all attacked him at once.
The last episode ties the series up nicely, with everyone pretty much getting what they deserve.
If there was something I really disliked, it was the prominent Subway product placements. Jae-Ha even marvels at how An-na loves the fast food joint so much that she always wants to eat there.
No. Just no!
Say My Name:
Word.
Airdates: 16 one-hour episodes aired on tvN from September 23 to November 12, 2016.
Spoiler Alert: Yoo-jin did a lot of bad things, but she never killed or hired a hit on An-na’s mother. Yoo-jin’s chaebol father, who knew about Se-Joon’s affair, had the woman killed. Yoo-jin had goen to the apartment to try to stop the murder attempt. She found the An-na’s mom on the floor, asking for help. Instead of helping her, she walked away. So while she didn’t kill her, Yoo-jin also didn’t attempt to save her.
Instead of trying to escape the bomb that Sung-won had planted, Yoo-jin and Se-joon choose to die together in an explosion. It was actually their sweetest moment together as husband and wife.
Sung-won escaped, but is later shot and killed by Yoo-Jin’s loyal right-hand woman.
“The Uncanny Counter”
☆☆☆☆
So Mun (played by Jo Byung-gyu)
Ga Mun-tak (played by Yoo Jun-sang)
Do Ha-na (played by Kim Se-jeong)
Cho Mae-ok (played by Yeon Hye-ran)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.
Ha-na (Kim Se-jeong) and Mae-ok (Yeon Hye-ran) are demon fighters with supernatural strength. Unlike the male Counters, whose primary superpowers are physical, Ha-na can kick someone’s butt and read their minds while doing so. Meanwhile, Mae-ok is powerful enough to cause bodily harm, but she also has the power to heal her victims’ broken bones afterwards. They are tough, but fair, and add much-needed humanity to this series.
It was barely two months into 2021 when I watched this K-drama, but I knew that “The Uncanny Counter” would be on my best-of year-end list. Well written and terrifically acted, the series is suspenseful and heartwarming. And in a rarity for Korean dramas, there is no second lead syndrome romance to mess with the plot.
Mun is a high school student who walks with a severe limp. As an 11 year old, he was in an automobile accident that killed his police officer parents. He is racked with guilt, because he had fibbed to them, saying he needed them to pick him up early because he had forgotten his schoolwork. In reality, he missed them and wanted to spend time with them. (He lived with his grandparents for most of the week due to his parents’ hectic schedules.) He is a good boy, who helps care for his grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s disease. And he is best friends with Woong-min (Kim Eun-soo) and Joo-yeon (Lee Ji-won).
The friendship between Mun, Woong-min and Joo-yeon is so sweet and special that it was one of my favorite aspects of this series. After losing his mother and father, his friends became his de facto parents, he said, even though they are all the same age. In one scene near the end of the series, Mun — who has always tried to protect the bullied Woong-min — calls his friends, sobbing, asking for their help. They literally drop everything to rush to his aid.
There will be a second season (yay!) and it is my hope that the writers don’t ruin this friendship by trying to force a love triangle between this trio or by having Joo-yeon become jealous of Mun’s interest in another girl. Please don’t do that!
While going about his day, Mun unknowingly becomes the human host for a powerful good spirit, who is hopeful that Mun will become a counter. A deal is made: If he agrees to fight evil spirits (that grow stronger by entering the bodies of corrupt human beings), he will retain his newfound super-human strength and his ability to walk normally.
The central spot for the city’s counters — which include former police detective Mun-tak, photographer Mae-ok and Ha-na, who was the only survivor of poisoning in her family — is Eonni’s Noodles, a hole-in-the-wall diner where customers line up for the delicious homemade noodles. The restaurant serves as a focal point for many of the pivotal moments. The older three counters live in the basement quarters. (Mun lives at home with his grandparents.) And as the counters celebrate their victories or mourn their losses, Mae-ok makes noodles for them to slurp down, providing sustenance.
The symbolism of the noodle shop is relevant, because noodles represent a long and prosperous life. And for the counters, their defeat of the demons not only ensures their survival, but that of the good spirits they host.
A big shout out to the stunt coordinators, who created some of the most exciting fight scenes in recent years. Like the cast of “Cobra Kai,” most of these actors are not trained in martial arts. But they sell it with their nimble athleticism, especially Jo Byung-gyu (one of the twins in “SKY Castle“), who plays Mun.
“The Uncanny Counter” cleverly touches on many of the societal issues plaguing South Korea, like hierarchy and education. The chillingly creepy female demon takes umbrage when it’s suggested that she’s not very smart. “I’ll have you know that all my husbands were graduates of Seoul National University!” she screams back at them. (She also killed all of them, so … there’s that.)
The bullying that goes on at the high school is sometimes unbearable to watch, with teachers not reporting the well-connected perpetrators and parents denying their children’s culpability. But in flashbacks, we will see that violence begets violence and some of the characters that we absolutely hated will be given a sympathetic backstory that almost makes us forgive them.
This bothered me: The open/closed sign for Eonni’s Noodles is on the outside of the door, which I found very odd. A prankster could stop by and switch the sign around without anyone knowing. Why not have this on the inside of the door where the employees would have better control over the sign?
Airdates: Sixteen hour-long episodes aired on OCN from November 28, 2020 to January 24, 2021.
Spoiler Alert: In elementary school, Woong-min bullied Mun, knowing that the crippled boy wouldn’t be able to catch him. One day, Mun followed him home and the boys somehow sorted things out and became best friends. When Woong-min and Joo-yeon find out that Mun can walk normally again, they at first chide him. They are family, Joo-yeon says, who celebrated all the momentous times of their lives together. She points out that when she started her period, they all went out to celebrate this passage in her life. I really loved that this was presented in a matter-of-fact manner. Menstruating isn’t something to be ashamed of or hidden away from boys. More of this, please!
The high school bully who loses his status when his father loses his power ends up apologizing to everyone he ever bullied and quits school. It was a sweet touch, but I will never forget that he was also a sociopath who tried to kill Mun and his friends several times.
Mun has a lot of responsibility for a high school kid. He will lose his job as a counter if he uses his powers for revenge or kills any innocent civilians. It was maddening to watch the powers that be up there expect so much from a teenage kid.
Ahn Suk-hwan ate up the scenery as chaebol Choi Jang-mul, who has a huge crush on Mae-ok, and funds the counters’ expenses. The hugest plothole in this series was when Jang-mul showed up at school and said he was Mun’s guardian. The school administrators and other parents in attendance were shocked, but the news never made it out of the school. Surely the revelation that one of the richest men in South Korea announcing that he was the father figure to an orphaned child would’ve made headlines. But, nope.
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Am watching Uncanny Counters at the moment, so far, so good.
Absolutely loved Flower of Evil! The others, I have yet to see, but I've heard good things about them.