Huume Ssio

In short: Violent & Boring In Brief: Exceptional start. Genuinely interesting premise that leads in to some of the most anxiety inducing drama in recent memory. Great portrayals on behalf of most of the cast, and I think the main character is proof of that. They succeeded in making a somewhat unlikable lead that isn't unlikable on behalf of bad writing. Brilliant acting (with the exception of the VIP's) and I really love the sets. The problems: I think some of the writing suffers from "but were writing season 2!". There's plenty of dry, almost substance-free character development which frequently uses 1-to-2 shots framing each character spouting very uninteresting existential reflections on their world. Early on we get a few suggestions that there is more to this than it seems via some very clever plot twists. However, Korean Saw (im talking about the game in the movie) quickly sucks up most of the oxygen and leaves almost no room for meaningful character development. And I actually thought the series set itself up well. Its just hard to hear the authors voice through the often trite sentiments characters share with one another. The cycle of death and existential reflections became very draining, and in some cases didn't seem to serve any greater purpose other than shallow emotional responses from the audience. It also feels needlessly long. I found myself asking if certain entire episodes were even necessary. I just feel like this show set itself up for greatness, only to start delivering very forgettable conclusions to various elements of the story. It demands much emotionally from its audience but does not give much in return. Good show, and one of the strongest arguments in recent memory for 1 season shows. I really think the threat of an S2 hurt this show.