God's Gift - 14 Days Review

Title: God’s Gift – 14 Days

Genre: Suspense, Mystery

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2014-Mar to 2014-Apr

Cast: Lee Bo Young, Cho Seung Woo, Kim Tae Woo, Jung Gyu Woon, Baro, Han Sun Hwa, No Min Woo and Kim Yoo Bin.

Kim Soo Hyun (Lee Bo Young) had it all: a successful career, a prosecutor husband and a beautiful daughter Han Saet Byul (Kim Yoo Bin). Though a little rough, Soo Hyun is a loving mother and has a loving relationship with her husband. Everything changes when her daughter gets kidnapped. After a failed investigation, her daughter’s body is found by the river, and Soo Hyun becomes depressed. Unable to forgive herself, she decides to kill herself by drowning. At the same time former detective, now turned private investigator Ki Dong Chan (Jo Seung Woo), is caught by the mafia for investigating their boss. He is shot and thrown into the same river at the same time, but miraculously wakes ups, and saves Soo Hyun. The two emerge from the water, and soon find out that the world aren’t as they left it. They have both returned two weeks before the kidnapping of Saet Byul. 

At first Soo Hyun thinks of it as a dream, but as things seem to repeat themselves, she realizes that she needs to figure out how to save her daughter. And with the involvement of Ki Chan, they soon find out that there are more secrets behind the kidnapping than they initially thought…

This drama is one of those drama that took me so long to finish, mainly because the hype has settled down and the reviews weren’t that positive. When I started it, I was amazed by the acting (especially Jo Seung Woo, who I am a fan of) and the suspense, but very soon I noticed why it got disliked – the storyline just goes downhill fast. I don’t know what they were thinking while writing it, but it just was way too much. Too many secrets and too many twists, leading up to a climax which was dumb and completely out of the blue. Even the acting couldn’t save this one.

I remember finishing and kind of wondering, why did I watch this? I didn’t find it bad, yet it felt like a waste of time. But that is what you get with overly hyped drama I guess.

To sum up: not recommendable, but good acting from everyone involved.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥½ / 2½ out of 5 hearts

Fugitive of Joseon Review

Title: The Fugitive of Joseon

AKA: Heaven’s Order / Mandate of Heaven / Heaven’s Will

Genre: Historical, Thriller, Medical, Political, Period

Episodes: 20

Broadcast period: 2013-Apr to 2013-Jun

Cast: Lee Dong Wook, Kim Yoo Bin, Song Ji Hyo, Im Seul Ong and Park Ji Young.

When the ill king decides to abdicate from his position, the crown prince (Im Seul Ong) is left in a dilemma: if he takes the throne he’ll be seen as a bad son by not waiting for his actual time to reign, and if he denies he’ll be seen at a traitor for not accepting the king’s order. All his life the crown prince had been fighting every minister, and ill-fated people who were trying to kill him, leaving only a handful of people he can trust. One of the people he trusts is Choi Won (Lee Dong Wook), the grandson of the crown princes’ doctor who was executed after making a mistake. This has left Choi Won with resentment and disappointment in the crown prince, also not being able to forgive him for not helping him then. Working as a doctor in the royal clinic, Choi Won has been known to be a ‘quack’ for not wanting to do his job, as he is too busy taking care of his sick daughter at home.

When the king passes out, the royal clinic sends out their best acupuncturist, but the crown prince refuses him, asking for Choi Won, whom he knows is a talented doctor. But knowing the consequences if he makes a mistake, Choi Won declines, leaving a bad impression on everyone, especially Hong Dain (Song Ji Hyo) a royal nurse who is more talented than many of the male doctors in the palace. She became a nurse due to her being saved by a doctor she doesn’t remember well, but dreams of meeting.

After the crown princes’ royal doctor is murdered, evidence are starting to pile up against Choi Won, and for some reason he is not able to prove his innocence, in order to save his daughter he makes a the decision of becoming a fugitive…

Besides the fact of having an amazing cast, this drama is an incredible piece of work. I have to say I was sad that it finished, made me feel a bit empty at the end. The characters and the storyline grow on you, and you cannot take your eyes of the amazing screenplay. I know I’ve said this before, but I really am not a fan of historical dramas, because honestly I don’t understand any of it, especially everything about the king and his royal court. But I think I didn't mind this because it was very clear, also most of the story was outside the court (though the things happening inside I really didn’t understand, I didn’t really care). On the other hand, it really ends up being all political and confusing in the end, making the rating drop - they REALLY drag it out at the end.

All in all, a recommended drama.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥ / 4 out of 5 hearts