The K-drama industry is ready with a six-part dark thriller starring some of the biggest actors in the industry, but it has yet to deliver anything truly thrilling. What I find really interesting is how we went from having a few webtoons, web novels, and graphic novels turned into K-dramas, which was fun and exciting, to having a dozen of them every month. Are we really entering the realm of prioritizing quantity over quality in K-dramas? I hope not, but if so, Karma could be a victim of the curse of overproduction. On average, I watch at least four K-dramas a month, so if you're new to Dramaworld, take this with a grain of salt, because you're just getting started with the common clichés.
Karma follows six people whose lives are entangled by a series of circumstances that lead them to their final moments. At the center of the story is Dr. Ju-Yeon, a doctor who experienced a traumatic incident in her childhood. When she encounters one of the perpetrators of that incident as an adult, what does she decide to do? Can she move on from her trauma? Or will she be trapped in a nightmare forever? On the other hand, there's a man who has 30 days to pay off his debt. His solution is to try something illegal to get the money he needs. And then there's another man who has just lost his job but is desperate for money. Between all of these, there are three more important characters in the series who either know each other or interact, resulting in an intricate web of connections that ultimately leads to an unexpected conclusion. This is the basic premise of Karma.
Stars: Park Hae-soo, Shin Min-a, Jun Hee Lee
The series is told non-linearly, and the whole multiple-point-of-view theme is a bit disconcerting, especially at first. However, this might be the funniest part of the six-part series, which almost becomes more tedious with each episode. Honestly, I was under the impression that Shin Min-Ah was the protagonist of this series, and while she theoretically is, she could have a total of one and a half episodes of screen time. This is quite disappointing to me, even though the story demands such distance. Park Hae-soo carries the series on his shoulders. Personally, I don't think he's very charming, but I do feel he's a master at portraying despicable characters whom one would simply want to beat up if one could. But I'm a little fed up with his humorous villain performance, just as I'm fed up with the loan shark plots that almost every K-drama or thriller presents us with.
The truth is, I wonder how all these writers can think about this one problem: borrowing money and then using it as a tool to create entire plots. The series itself is also quite tedious, especially the first half, which feels like a drag, despite all the "who is this person and why do they seem so suspicious?" nonsense. It's the vibe it's going for. I also absolutely hate the color correction in thriller K-dramas, especially on Netflix, because if you watch them during the day, you're likely to miss a lot of details just because the entire screen is black.
The show takes a while to establish the connection between its characters; it actually does it quite tastefully. I wish it were a little faster. If I were watching it for entertainment, I would have gotten bored by the second episode and left it there. But then I'd miss the twisted details that come too late. The show is like a Russian nesting doll, with each layer peeling away as the episodes go by until you're left with a bloody mess at the end. This is the best thing about Karma. It really feels quite twisted, even if you're able to imagine what might happen next, or even at the end. All the characters are unlikeable, which is hard to handle, no doubt. It's basically almost like Suicide Squad, but a K-drama. The series is clearly designed to send a message to those who believe they can do whatever they want without consequences. It's pretty black and white, not just in terms of understanding the plot, but also the characters themselves. But the thing is, with a script like this and a multitude of characters like these, you don't really connect with any of them, so there's no one to root for, not even the inherently good ones. This is because the story is built around the motivations of the bad guys. In theory, this sounds tremendously interesting, but in practice, it gets a bit annoying by the end, and you just want almost everyone to die. I'm not sure we're in the mood for this kind of series right now. But I could be completely wrong.
The series is clearly designed to send a message to those who believe they can do whatever they want without consequences. It's pretty black and white, not just in terms of understanding the plot, but also the characters themselves. But the thing is, with a script like this and a cast of characters like these, there's no real connection to any of them, so there's no one to root for, not even the inherently good ones. This is because the story is built around the motivations of the bad guys. In theory, this seems tremendously interesting, but in practice, it gets a bit annoying by the end, and you just want almost everyone to die. I'm not sure we're in the mood for this kind of series right now. But I could be completely wrong.
Usually, with shows like this, the problem is that we have so little information, which makes everything seem convoluted rather than intelligent. In this case, however, it's not even because we get more of the answers we need. Not only do we see everything twice, but the series makes it super easy by explaining everything in detail. Sure, having everything spoon-fed to you is fun, but for this type of series, I think a little suspense would have been more rewarding. After all, it's a six-part series that can be binge-watched in a day, so I guess if you like revenge thrillers, you might enjoy this one. I'd give Karma 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Comments
Post a Comment