Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 15

Materialists Review: Dakota Gets 2 Shades of Charm in Pedro and Chris

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

A fun ‘love triangle’ is when you clearly root for one candidate over the other, but a great ‘love triangle’ is when you’re okay with the protagonist choosing either options, or even with no one at all. At least that’s how I felt with ‘Materialists’: Dakota Johnson could’ve walked into the sunset with Pedro Pascal, or Chris Evans, or just with her heels and bag, and any ending would’ve been satisfying in its own way.

Written and directed by Celine Song, ‘Materialists’ stars Dakota Johnson as Lucy, a successful match-maker with a firm called ‘Adore’. Lucy meets the handsome, charming, millionaire Harry (Pedro Pascal) at a client’s wedding, where she also runs into her attractive ex-boyfriend John (Chris Evans), the latter happens to be a server at the venue with a struggling acting career on the sides. Lucy wants Harry as her client, Harry wants to take her on dates, and John seems to still have feelings for Lucy, but knows the ‘math’ is not in his favor. The conundrum is familiar, just like love around the world is.

The film explores modern dating through the lens of both Lucy and her clients, and what makes ‘Materialists‘ really tick is the easy, comfortable chemistry Dakota Johnson has with both Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans. There’s no awkwardness between either pair, not even when Harry meets Lucy for the first time, he comes across as effortlessly suave right from the start. In another universe, Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal could’ve made a near-perfect Pepper Potts and Tony Stark. I say “another universe” because after the ‘Madame Web‘ fiasco, it’s unlikely we’ll see Dakota in a superhero film anytime soon. With Chris’ character, Dakota slips into a Notebook-style setup, he polished woman drawn to the reckless, rugged heartthrob.

Oddly, or perhaps as a deliberate artistic choice, a lot of ‘Materialists’ feels like a stage play. There’s something rehearsed in the way the characters speak, with the bulk of the dialogue sounding inorganic. Yet, this slightly artificial tint to the tale didn’t bother me in the way some other films have in the past. Maybe it’s because of a certain early 2000s charm to the story, although, be warned, this isn’t a romantic-comedy and dives into the perils of modern dating in the second-half.

‘Materialists’ is peppered with Lucy’s meetings with her matchmaking clients, both men and women with largely absurd or unrealistically specific requirements, which provide both comic relief and reflective moments in the film. To one client who hands over an intimidatingly large list of things she’s looking for in a man, Lucy exasperatedly responds, saying: “If the service I was providing you was building you a man, then of course I can build you a man with everything on this list. But I can’t, because this is not a car or a house.”

Oh well, that’s ultimately the familiar, age-old message of Materialists: we may have detailed checklists for our ideal partner, but more often than not, the people who seem to tick every box don’t quite match the version we imagined. The ending is sweet and emotional, and ironically goes against the very idea suggested by the film’s title, which is clearly a deliberate subversion of expectations.

Rating: 8 on 10.

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The Ex-Morning Review: GMMTV Simply Cashes On Familiar ‘Ship’

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Peak exaggerations were achieved in the very first episode of ‘The Ex-Morning’, because in this imaginary world of GMMTV series, Weather News Anchors are like Thai-pop idols, with women flocking newsroom building with placards screaming their names, while they smile, pose, and drive away in a fancy sports car to a luxury condominium, both premium buys bought in less than five years of entering the world of Journalism. What even?!

Directed by Lit Phadung Samajarn (Dangerous Romance, Love in Translation), this 12-episode romantic drama heavily banks on the popularity of its lead actors, Krist Perawat Sangpotirat and Singto Prachaya Ruangroj, who shot to fame starring together as the lead couple in the 2016 college romance SOTUS and its sequel. In ‘The Ex-Morning,’ Krist plays the wildly popular weather anchor Phi, known as the “Weather Prince,” who loses his show after being caught throwing coffee at a colleague during a live broadcast. Demoted and publicly shamed for his bad attitude, Phi is tasked with pitching a new show, and is forcibly made to team up with a new producer who turns out to be his ex-boyfriend, Tam (Singto). Can the former lovers make things work professionally?

At its heart, ‘The Ex-Morning’ is all about second chances, both in the professional and private lives of its lead characters. Phi falls from being a star anchor to facing nationwide condemnation for his tantrums and is in desperate need of revamping his public image. Meanwhile, it’s clear his ex-boyfriend Tam broke his heart, but the producer wants to give their partnership another shot. Their core personalities are quite different, and while Phi wants to do splashy commercial stuff, Tam wants them to work on a show that would cover serious issues. College flashbacks show how Phi and Tam grew close while doing student reporting together. Back then too, while Phi wanted to cover haunted houses, Tam wanted to interview farmers. So both their working styles and romantic troubles serve as primary conflicts in the tale.

Despite the promise of a fresh newsroom-themed plot, ‘The Ex-Morning’ treats the media setting as a joke, but without being funny. And Krist’s Phi is almost always dressed like a Thai pop star, in leather jackets, flashy shirts, and loud sunglasses, instead of looking like a media professional. Even his singer character in ‘Be My Favorite’ (a much more entertaining show, BTW) wasn’t dressed so flamboyantly. The Japanese series ‘My Personal Weatherman’ offered a better representation of what a popular weather anchor might actually dress like. And then there’s the usual cliche of Phi playing songs on the guitar, because obviously it’s mandatory for a romantic lead to know how to do that.

Krist Perawat Sangpotirat definitely exudes the sassy, egoistic charm of a popular, snobby TV news anchor, and his onscreen chemistry with Singto Prachaya Ruangroj is cute in the romantic scenes of ‘The Ex-Morning’. Although Singto’s performance is hot and cold, great in some scenes but awkward in others. Singto seems more at ease in the college flashbacks and doesn’t carry Tam’s personality with the kind of confidence the older, working professional version demands. So, it’s Krist who does most of the heavy lifting in ‘The Ex-Morning’, while the supporting characters barely leave an impression. For instance, Aou Thanaboon Kiatniran, an actor who is usually pretty impressive in his supporting roles, was reduced to a boring villainous caricature in this series as a scheming rival anchor called Te.

Instead of stretching it to 10 episodes, the creators could’ve trimmed the side stories and delivered a tighter 8-episode show. Surprisingly, even the soundtrack fails to leave a lasting impression, with editors relying on familiar stock sound effects for comedic scenes, a letdown, especially considering GMMTV has its own record label. Ironically, the one time the music did stand out in ‘The Ex-Morning’, it was a borrowed track from the ‘Ossan’s Love Thailand‘ OST.

With several Easter eggs referencing SOTUS, including a direct nod in the final episode where Phi mentions it was the first show he and Tam watched together, it’s clear the creators were banking more on the nostalgic appeal and popularity of Krist and Singto as an on-screen couple than on delivering a strong script. In-fact, I am pretty sure a lot of their fans would be happy with ‘The Ex-Morning’ as it is. However, I had higher expectations from the series. To the creators’ credit, the series does have a super fun climactic episode, which gives its lead a dreamy, celebratory ‘happy ending’.

Rating: 5.5 on 10. You can watch ‘The Ex-Morning’ on YouTube.

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Dan Da Dan Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Momo vs. Magma!

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Thanks for sealing the half-naked jackass!”

There’s a lot of weird shit and even weirder twists in ‘Dan Da Dan’ Season 2 Episode 4, and Momo hauling around the corpse of a dead Mongolian worm around town is the least surprising of them. So many things just didn’t make any sense, but all of it was entertaining as hell!

Quick Recap of Dan Da Dan Season 2 Episode 3

Okarun manages to help Momo escape the Mongolian Death Worm’s lair and reach the surface so that she can find a way to get Okarun and Jiji out. Unfortunately, Jiji is still in the grips of the ‘evil eye’ yokai, so he is intent on murdering his friends. While Okarun gets busy defeating the evil, muscular version of Jiji, Momo figures out a way to lure the creepy worm outside into the sunlight, which causes its death. The episode ends with the worm throwing up the members of the Kito family in its dying moments, you know, the creepy family that tried to sacrifice Momo, Okarun, and Jiji to their ‘snake’ deity, but ended up becoming its food. The cultist family had been performing human sacrifices for generations due to a mythical belief that it will keep their town is safe from a volcanic eruption. But the episode ends with the volcano erupting!

Dan Da Dan Season 2 Episode 4

Titled “That’s Like, Way, Deadly,” episode 4 of the anime focuses on Momo’s efforts to stop the volcano’s magma from destroying the entire town. However, the creepy Kito family, regurgitated from the worm’s body, try to stop her, convinced that sacrificing Momo will save their hometown. Yes, everybody is insane, but this is Dan Da Dan, where teens can stop volcanic magma if they really put their mind to it.

Listen, this episode was downright bizarre, hilarious, and wildly entertaining, packed with surprise appearances that’ll make any fan’s day. Even the “boo-tuber” priest from the town temple joins the chaos. And somehow, that’s one the more sensible parts of the volcanic-level mayhem erupting in this chapter of ‘Dan Da Dan‘. Actually strike that. Expect some ‘out of the world’ level zaniness from this chapter!

I almost died laughing when the old lady of the Kita family exclaimed ‘Jennifer Lopez! Anaconda!’ while going into attack mode. Seems like that’s her catchphrase, because she says it in the first episode of Season 2 too, which was funny AF. So while the creepy weirdos chase Momo, she is joined by unexpected allies to control the massive mess they’re all in.

Saying anything more would dive straight into spoiler territory, so just go watch it for the crazy moments, killer background music, and over-the-top fights.

Stream Dan Da Dan on Netflix or Crunchyroll.

Find the writer on Twitter and Instagram for more pop culture chatter.

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Wall to Wall (84 Jegopmiteo) Explained: Noise, Conspiracy & That Final Twist

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Directed by Kim Tae-joon and Sharon S. Park, ‘Wall to Wall‘ (84 Jegopmiteo) introduces office worker Woo-seong (Kang Ha-neul) finally achieving what seems like the Korean dream: buying his own flat in Seoul. He exhausts all his savings into the purchase, only to discover that his monthly loan repayments become a lot more than he can spare post pay-day. Juggling two jobs to make ends meet, Woo-seong finds no peace even at home. Thin walls allow every creak, footstep, and cough to travel, making sleep impossible. But things take a sinister turn when the noise complaints start piling up, except this time, it’s the neighbors accusing him of being the noisy one.

Also Read: Wall to Wall Review: Gimmicky Version of ‘Hell is Other People’

The joy of being a homeowner fades fast, and Woo-seong becomes what his colleagues call “house poor.” Desperate to get out of debt, he’s lured by a coworker into the wild world of crypto trading, with promises of 800% returns through so-called “insider tips.” Since he’s strapped for cash, he rushes to sell his flat, collects a down payment, and uses it to invest in crypto. His plan? To back out of the sale once his crypto skyrockets, repay the down payment with interest, and become debt-free without giving up the apartment.

The Noise Complaints

Meanwhile, his downstairs neighbor keeps plastering his door with passive-aggressive yellow sticky notes, blaming him for disturbing their kids. Woo-seong, already worn thin by overwork and insomnia, starts to snap. He blames the noise on the upstairs unit, but when he confronts them, they say the noise is coming from above them. And so begins a frustrating chain of finger-pointing, each neighbor blaming the one above, with no end in sight.

Eventually, Woo-seong escalates the issue to Eun-hwa (Yeom Hye-ran), the building representative who lives in the posh penthouse. She casually brushes off the noise problem, blaming poor construction. Then she offers Woo-seong hush money to stop making a fuss. He takes the cash, seeing it as a temporary fix, but the nightmare continues.

A Deliberate Conspiracy?

The noises only get weirder in ‘Wall to Wall’. Now it feels like someone’s messing with him, more and more neighbors show up at his door, claiming he’s the one making racket. But the second anyone steps into his apartment, the sounds vanish. In one chaotic scene, a crowd barges in and discovers a phone hidden in his flat, wired to loudspeakers, playing loops of disruptive sounds. Woo-seong insists the phone isn’t his, but he’s dragged to the police station anyway. During his detainment, his golden crypto opportunity slips away. By the time he’s cleared and released, he’s lost all the money, the deposit, the investment, everything.

Penniless, emotionally drained, and facing eviction, Woo-seong writes a suicide note to his mother. But just as he’s about to take his life, an aggressive neighbor shows up yelling about the noise. A physical brawl follows, but midway through the fight, the neighbor realizes Woo-seong may not be the source of the problem and more alarmingly, that he was on the verge of suicide.

The neighbor, Yeong Jin-ho (Seo Hyeon-woo), turns out to be an independent journalist. He tells Woo-seong that he believes Eun-hwa is behind the noise conspiracy. According to Jin-ho, she’s secretly buying up flats in the building through her family and plans to cash in once a new commuter rail line gets built nearby. The constant harassment, Jin-ho claims, is her way of driving residents out cheaply. Even the offer Woo-seong received to sell his flat? Traced back to her.

The Climactic Twists of ‘Wall to Wall’

But then comes a twist: Woo-seong notices that the suspicious phone left in his apartment is trying to auto-connect to a Wi-Fi signal. Thinking this might be a lead, he takes the phone to Jin-ho’s flat and notices the signal strength goes up when he’s near his door. He casually asks for Wi-Fi access, but Jin-ho lies and says he doesn’t have any. This sets off alarm bells. Woo-seong runs around with the phone, testing its signal strength near other units, but it only hits full bars at Jin-ho’s place.

Convinced Jin-ho framed him, Woo-seong sneaks into his flat when he’s out and finds shocking evidence: not only is Jin-ho trying to expose Eun-hwa’s shady real estate dealings, but he has the entire building under CCTV surveillance (yeah, a bit far-fetched, but okay!). He’s been orchestrating the sounds and manipulating Woo-seong all along. Even worse, he’s labeled Woo-seong as his scapegoat in a twisted plan to take down Eun-hwa.

Why target Woo-seong? Because he’s isolated, financially desperate, and vulnerable, the perfect fall guy. Also, since he lives alone, it’s easier to target him and rig his flat when he isn’t around. Jin-ho timed his harassment so Woo-seong would be too distracted to sell his crypto investment in time. His endgame? To push Woo-seong over the edge and frame him for Eun-hwa’s eventual murder.

Turns out, Jin-ho’s vendetta runs deep. Years ago, Eun-hwa used her connections to kill a story he was working on about the poor construction quality of apartment buildings like theirs. Her real estate investments and future plans depend on the illusion of quality, and any such exposé would ruin her.

In the final act of ‘Wall to Wall’, things explode, both literally and figuratively. A violent showdown between Woo-seong, Eun-hwa, and Jin-ho ends in bloodshed, with both Jin-ho and Eun-hwa dead. Woo-seong retrieves the paperwork related to his flat from Eun-hwa’s possession, documents that could legally show he’d already received a deposit to sell his apartment, and shoves them in a microwave to destroy the evidence. The microwave stunt causes an explosion, and though a brief sequence shows the whole building going up in flames (seen from Jin-ho’s dying perspective), it turns out only the penthouse was destroyed.

In the aftermath, Woo-seong’s mother arrives from the countryside and tells him to leave Seoul behind, to rest, recover, and live a simpler, quieter life surrounded by nature. But Woo-seong, despite everything, can’t let go of his Seoul dreams. In the final scene of ‘Wall to Wall’, he returns to his apartment, picks up his ownership papers, and starts laughing uncontrollably when he hears noises echo through the walls again.

‘Wall to Wall’ (84 Jegopmiteo) ends with a bleak message: for some people, even hell feels better than letting go of the dream. Woo-seong’s story isn’t just about housing, noise complaints, or real estate scams, it’s about how the system grinds people down, and how chasing “success” can drive you to the edge… and still pull you back in.

Find the writer on Twitter and Instagram for more pop culture chatter.

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‘My Girlfriend Is the Man!’ Episodes 1-2 Review: Gender-Bender Chaos Begins

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Imagine a dude coming up to you out of the blue, claiming he is your girlfriend? What would you do? Well, in Park Yun Jae’s case, he gives the ‘dude’ a punch. And that’s how Korean romantic-comedy ‘My Girlfriend is the Man’ takes off!

Directed by Yoo Kwan Mo, the 2025 romantic comedy ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man‘ (Korean title: 내 여자친구는 상남자) is based on the webtoon ‘My Girlfriend Is a Real Man‘ by Massstar. Singer-actor Yoon San-Ha plays the primary protagonist Park Yun Jae, a university student happily dating his first love, Kim Ji-Eun (Arin). However, things take a crazy turn for the couple when the pretty Ji-Eun wakes up one day as a handsome man (played by actor Yoo Jung-hoo), with no idea how to become a woman again!

The first episode of ‘My Girlfriend is the Man’ dives straight into the fantastical twist, with Ji-Eun showing up as a man to deliver the shocking news to boyfriend Yun Jae. Flashbacks to the past few days capture Arin and San-Ha sharing romantic moments and sweet kisses as a cozy, cute college couple. Yeah, imagine a K-drama serving kisses in the very first episode, and not ‘dead fish’ ones! The chemistry between the couples may not sizzle, but the cast’s good looks definitely make the series visually appealing.

Unlike the webtoon, where Ji-Eun lives alone and has three older brothers, the series portrays her living with her older sister, Kim Ji-hye (Choi Yoon Ra). So, she doesn’t have to face the comedic nightmare of turning into a man completely alone. Despite being in a loving relationship with Yun Jae, he initially refuses to believe the bizarre transformation, then panics and struggles not to break up with her, even after he’s convinced that the male Ji-Eun is, in fact, his girlfriend.

The first two episodes of ‘My Girlfriend Is the Man‘ have plenty of hilarious moments, even though the creators don’t fully capitalize on the physical comedy potential of the plot. Yoo Jung-hoo is adorable as the male Ji-eun, who quickly adopts the name Ji-hoon to avoid confusing others, but internally struggles with the possibility of losing Ji-Eun. Almost everyone else in the series swoons over his handsome face and fit physique, including Ji-eun’s sister and best friend, Choi Yu-ri (Park Joo Won).

But the biggest comedic trouble in ‘My Girlfriend Is the Man’ comes when Yun-jae’s younger sister Yun-a (Lee So Won) falls for Ji-hoon and hounds her brother to help her. Even his friend Min Hyeok (Hur Hyun Jun) is charmed by Ji-hoon, immediately asking him to go on a group date with some girls. So while he struggles to come to terms with the new reality of his girlfriend turning into a man, the bigger problem is: she/he is now taller, stronger, and a total chick-magnet. LOL.

My Girlfriend Is The Man promises to be an entertaining comedic ride, and the first two episodes are pretty fast-paced, packing in a lot of story, including an explainer about a family curse, which appears much later in the webtoon version. I’m honestly a little worried about how the creators will keep things funny for the next 10 episodes, because just these two already cover over 20 chapters’ worth of plot. But then again, we know there’s a new love triangle coming up, and the live-action deviates quite a bit from its source material. So, perhaps viewers can expect more funny twists in the upcoming chapters.

Watch ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man’ on Viki.

Find the writer on Twitter and Instagram for more pop culture chatter.

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No Saints Nor Poets Issue #1 Review

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Thrilling Gondola races, terrifying sea monsters, flamboyant trident wielding protagonists, and a fictional world of mythical proportions, the first issue of ‘No Saints Nor Poets’ is a splash of thrills, excitement and fantasy.

Created by Iolanda Zanfardino (story), Elisa Romboli (art), and Ilaria Chiocca (colors), the story is set in a city called Serena, which was nearly wiped out by a catastrophic event known as the “Great Flood.” A towering wall divides the city, with the wealthy and powerful living in a gilded, gated district, while the rest struggle to survive in the flood-ravaged outskirts.

The opening pages introduce protagonist Flynn, a dashing, confident, mischievous con artist, racing through Serena’s waters in his gondola, hoping to make quick money in an illegal tournament. He returns home to Pierre, his work partner, a jaded former priest who prefers to earn their keep through legal means, usually by taking on transport jobs with their gondola. So when a mysterious stranger offers them a well-paying gig to deliver a package, the duo cautiously accept, only to be surprised by what they’re asked to transport.

The artwork in ‘No Saints Nor Poets’ captures the vivacious personality of Flynn with flair in his introductory scenes. Eliza Romboli’s bold, dramatic, clean strokes are perfect for high-octane storytelling, made livelier by Ilaria Chiocca’s spirited coloring through the pages.

In just 25 pages, Iolanda Zanfardino effectively establishes the playful camaraderie between Flynn and Pierre, while promising a colorful cast of characters set to appear in upcoming issues. But are they just work partners, or something more? Their flirtatious banter keeps the intrigue alive.

The climactic moments of the debut issue spotlight the stark class divisions and religious undertones of this new world, culminating in the reveal of a towering mythical deity who looks like he could give Zeus a run for his money.

Rating: 4 on 5.

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Giant Crush – Short Film Review

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‘Giant Crush’ is a cutesy, funny four-minute animated short about two mecha engineers tasked with battling a giant monster that’s tearing through their city. But before they can fight in sync, they need to sort out their tangled emotions.

Directed by Luke Lee, this student film starts off with a Godzilla-sized villain wreaking havoc, as two human protagonists gear up to pilot a giant robot and take it down. However, the male pilot is instantly love-struck upon meeting his charming co-pilot, making it hilariously difficult for him to switch into ‘fight mode’.

Featuring simple yet effective animation, and a lighthearted plot, ‘Giant Crush’ packs action, comedy, and a dash of romance into just four minutes. And the male lead’s character design might remind some of a grown-up version of Nobita Nobi from ‘Doraemon‘.

This isn’t so much a critical review as a wholehearted recommendation… because really, who’s dissecting a four-minute gem? Just go watch it on YouTube.

It’s also embedded below.

‘Good Boy’: K-Drama Summary and Ending Explained

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Korean drama ‘Good Boy’ opens with an unusual setup: Olympic medalists, including a boxer, shooter, wrestler, and fencer, are recruited into the Insung Police Department through a special government program. They’re brilliant athletes, but in the eyes of the regular police force, they’re not “real cops.” Mocked, sidelined, and given menial tasks, this group of misfits struggles to find their footing in a system riddled with bureaucracy and corruption.

Also Read: ‘Good Boy’ Series Review: Park Bo-gum Is All Punch, No Pause

Leading the charge is Yoon Dong-ju (Park Bo-gum), a gold-medalist boxer whose idealism makes him both endearing and frustrating. His colleagues include the ice-cold sharpshooter Han-na (Kim So-hyun), her ‘cool’ ex-boyfriend/fencer Jong-hyeon (Lee Sang-yi), and comic-relief team leader Ko Man-sik (Heo Sung-tae). Together, this misfit squad faces everything from drug cartels to murderous customs officers, slowly gaining respect, and making enemies along the way.

What starts out as a light-hearted buddy-cop romp gradually builds into a high-stakes thriller involving criminal empires, political cover-ups, and a massive web of systemic corruption.

The Core Conflict of ‘Good Boy’: Crime Meets Corruption

The show’s primary antagonist is Min Joo-yeong (Oh Jung-se), a high-ranking customs officer who orchestrates drug smuggling, money laundering, and targeted murders: all while maintaining a respectable public image. He’s untouchable, with connections in politics, law enforcement, and even the judiciary.

The tension escalates as Dong-ju and his team begin to uncover the full scale of Joo-yeong’s criminal empire. For Dong-ju, the mission is personal: the villain not only framed his friend Gyeong-il for murder but also had him killed in prison, staging it as a suicide after coercing a false confession.

Despite the growing stakes, ‘Good Boy’ never fully lets go of its comedic undertones. There’s bromance, romantic tension, undercover hijinks, and even the occasional slow-mo strut. Still, the emotional core remains the same: good people trying to stay good in a rotten system. Each victory comes at a steep cost, their special team is eventually disbanded, and Dong-ju’s own health begins to deteriorate due to “Punch Drunk Syndrome,” a condition linked to his boxing past.

Themes: Justice, Loyalty, and the Weight of Integrity

Beneath the flying fists and flashy stunts, ‘Good Boy’ is about perseverance. It explores how underdogs, even when cornered, can rise, sometimes literally. Dong-ju, despite his golden-boy image, is often reckless, overly trusting, and stubborn. Yet his moral compass never wavers, even when the system around him crumbles.

Friendship and loyalty play a huge role. The dynamic between Dong-ju and Jong-hyeon matures entertainingly from romantic rivalry to unshakable brotherhood. Han-na, while emotionally reserved, becomes the emotional anchor of the team, particularly in the final episodes.

The Ending, Explained (Major Spoilers)

In the latest episodes of ‘Good Boy‘, Dong-ju and his team begin to grasp the full extent of Joo-yeong’s power, he has truckloads of cash and influential people in his pocket. How did he get there? Flashbacks reveal that during his time as a government official in charge of file digitization, he discovered critical documents exposing major shipping companies’ irregularities. He weaponized this information to blackmail the wealthy, expand his influence, and outmaneuver even the crime bosses using cunning deception to rise to the top of the chain.

In episode 16, the final showdown unfolds in typical K-drama fashion: emotional, and dramatic. Joo-yeong, now cornered by both the Yakuza and the police, attempts to end his life before anyone else can bring him down. But Dong-ju intervenes, ensuring the villain faces proper justice.

Joo-yeong lands in jail, smug as ever, taunting Dong-ju that his high-level connections, including judges, will soon have him released. It’s an emotional punch to Dong-ju, who’s risked his life and career to bring this man to justice. But the athlete cop in unfazed, confident justice will be served, but in the end, it’s not the justice he had expected.

‘Good Boy’ ends on a grim note, only for the villain though. In prison, Joo-yeong is attacked by a prison official, clearly trying to murder him and perhaps pass it off as suicide. While we don’t see Joo-yeong die, it’s heavily implied that someone powerful orchestrated his murder to silence him, staging it to mirror the very tactic he used on Dong-ju’s friend Gyeong-il earlier in the series. Given the number of powerful people Joo-Yeong was blackmailing, very few would trust him to keep his mouth shut in prison. It’s karmic retribution, but it also reinforces a harsh truth: corruption runs deeper than one man. Even as Joo-yeong falls, someone else has already taken the reins of power.

The ending is bittersweet. Justice is served, but not by the book. Dong-ju wins, but at a personal cost. And Insung remains a city where power protects itself, unless someone decides to punch back harder. ‘Good Boy’ Dong-ju and his team of athletes all receive promotions and medals for their bravery and takedown of a criminal ring, ending ‘Good Boy’ on a largely happy note.

The series is available on Prime Video.

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Revenged Love Episodes 13-14 Review: Sweet Dates, Bitter Pasts

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Okay, from now on, we’re going to refer to ‘Revenged Love’ (逆爱) protagonist Wu Suo Wei (Zi Yu) as Wei Wei, since that’s how boyfriend Chi Cheng (Tian Xu Ning) calls him (earlier it was ‘dabao’) now. Everybody’s romantic lives is seeing progress in the show, and even though new trouble is never too far way, this romantic-comedy keeps the laughs coming.

Recap of Revenged Love Episodes 11-12: Wei Wei is now certain he’s fallen for Chi Cheng but struggles to come to terms with his newfound sexuality. His “master,” Dr. Jiang Xiao Shuai (Liu Xuan Cheng), schemes to trigger jealousy by falsely claiming that Chi Cheng’s first love, Wang Shuo, is back in town. Things escalate romantically as the two take their relationship to the next level, with Wei Wei even moving into his boyfriend’s new flat.

Meanwhile, Xiao Shuai’s own romance with Guo Cheng Yu (Zhan Xuan) also sees some progress, the two nearly hook up after hilariously inhaling an aphrodisiac by accident. Episode 12 of ‘Revenged Love’ ends with Wei Wei finally deciding to come clean about how he initially approached Chi Cheng to get revenge on his ex-girlfriend Yue Yue, hoping to start their relationship on honest ground.

Episodes 13-14 of ‘Revenged Love’

Titled ‘Top 10 Best Boyfriend’, Episode 13 of ‘Revenged Love‘ begins with Chi Cheng saying he has no interest in learning more about Wei Wei’s ex-girlfriend. Instead, the episode is largely an entertaining filler edition, giving the lead pair some romantic moments. So Wei Wei and Chi Cheng go on dates and indulge in cutesy couple activities like buying matching watches. The only trouble in their paradise comes when Wei Wei spends too many late nights at the office, and Cheng’s secretary tries to plant a seed of doubt in his master’s mind.

The ‘rivals to lovers’ dynamic between the leads in ‘Revenged Love‘ is comically cute, especially since Chi Cheng still has no clue he was dating Wei Wei’s ex-girlfriend. From cringing at Chi Cheng’s shameless flirtation, Wei Wei has now done a full 180, adorably enjoying and even seeking out his attention.

It’s in episode 14, titled ‘Get Rid of Your Sensitive, Inferior Past’, that the series introduces some serious drama and emotional conflict. Viewers learn why Dr. Xiao Shuai harbors such disdain for “playboys,” with flashbacks revealing a tragic history involving a manipulative older ex-boyfriend named Meng Tao (played by Birgit). Meanwhile, the infamous ex Wang Shuo (Liu Jun), the one who gifted Chi Cheng some of his beloved snake pets, is also back in town.

Those who’ve been waiting for meaningful progress in the secondary couple’s arc will enjoy these two episodes of ‘Revenged Love’, where Xiao Shuai and Guo Cheng Yu get more screen time than usual. Liu Xuan Cheng’s portrayal of Dr. Xiao Shuai is entertainingly charming, and new flashbacks add depth to a character who, until now, came across as a cheerful, playful, and dependable friend. Beneath the surface, however, lies a struggle with deep-rooted identity issues, ones he faces with quiet resilience and a sunny demeanor.

At times, the voice performance for Xuan Cheng doesn’t quite match the character’s energy, making certain scenes feel off. Just like actor Zi Yu has done his own dubbing, perhaps all the four primary actors in ‘Revenged Love’ must have done their own voices too. Although Shun Zi, who voices Tian Xu Ning’s Chi Cheng, is almost pitch-perfect in the role.

Overall, these new episodes are entertaining, with some warm Chinese New Year celebration scene, where both couples spend time together. Episode 14 of ‘Revenged Love’ ends with Wang Shuo’s unexpected return, which visibly shakes both Chi Cheng and Wei Wei. So maybe fans can discord in their love story in the next few chapters.

You can watch ‘Revenged Love’ on YouTube or Viki.

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Wall to Wall Review: Gimmicky Version of ‘Hell is Other People’

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“Are you having a hard time?”

“Who isn’t?”

Netflix thriller ‘Wall to Wall’ is the kind of film that makes it very evident from that its protagonist is doomed. A middle-class worker, he’s crushed from all sides, spiraling deeper into debt as he falls for one capitalistic trap after another, the biggest one being his Seoul flat filled with nutcase neighbors harassing him with noise complaints. The premise sort of reminded me of the Korean webtoon “Hell is Other People”, except this one is nowhere near as entertaining or creepy.

Directed by Kim Tae-joon, Sharon S. Park, ‘Wall to Wall’ (Korean title: 84 Jegopmiteo) follows office worker Woo-seong (Kang Ha-neul), who pours all his resources to buy himself a flat in Seoul, but soon, the loan installments become bigger than what he makes in a month. As he sweats through two jobs to make ends meet, he is unable to sleep a wink due to noise seeping through the walls in his apartment. Things only take a more nightmarish turn when everybody in the building starts to blame him for noise pollution, a conflict that spirals out of control.

The opening seconds of ‘Wall to Wall’ immediately feel oppressive, kicking off with a montage of towering concrete apartments, all scarily similar, impersonal, and almost spooky. They represent the trappings of modern city life: a sea of humanity boxed together in apartments, mostly the aspirational middle class, going through the motions of work-slog-sleep-repeat. Woo-seong gives up all his savings to become a proud homeowner, but all of that elation washes away when the reality of loans becomes too heavy to bear, and he becomes what a colleague calls him: “house poor.” The film also subtly weaves in a ‘renters versus owners’ theme, highlighting how snobby homeowners look down on renters, a dynamic that will resonate with many viewers.

Well, after about the first half hour of ‘Wall to Wall’, the film becomes slightly insufferable, just like Woo-seong’s life becomes unbearably crazy. He is drowning in debt, his two jobs are soul-crushing, his neighbors are insane, and his colleague lures him into crypto trading with the promise of 800% returns based on “insider tips.” But you know in your gut nothing is probably going to work out for him. Kang Ha-neul is an excellent in his portrayal of the desperate Woo-seong, but the character is rarely likable or the sorts you’d want to cheer for.

Maybe I am not a fan of protagonists who dig their own graves, and definitely not a fan of the cliched modern trope of phone batteries dying on the one day your life depends on it. It’s not as if Woo-seong is lost in the forest, or lives with anybody who’d unplug him phone from charging and put their own phone instead. The twists feel far too contrived, annoying, and I simply wanted to give up after the first one hour of ‘Wall to Wall’. Some of the bizarre neighbor behavior is explained in the latter half of ‘Wall to Wall’, but even then, the turn of event don’t feel satisfactory. Instead, a lot of the stuff feels gimmicky.

If you are a patient viewer, stick around until the end, and you might appreciate the twists. I didn’t and this was definitely not for me. Bad movies ruin my day and after feeling like I lost precious time on this flick, I sure as hell do not feel like spending more time trying to sound critically objective in the review.

Rating: 4.5 on 10. Watch ‘Wall to Wall’ on Netflix.

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