Blind (2022) Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty (2022) Shadow Detective (2022) Under the Queen's Umbrella : Reviews and First Impressions
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Sigh. What a colossal waste of so much potential. Blind wasn’t bad to the point of unwatchable but it was a waste of a good premise. Wasted, dare I say, on gimmickry (a de facto mystery box) so that in the end the narrative focus shifted from where it should have been — on the survivors of human rights abuses to the present-day murders and original villains from the Hope Welfare Centre running interference. The last half hour or so of the series was a decent wrap but not enough to save the rest of the package for me at least. It’s a shame really because the show had the opportunity to do something of substance with regards to exploring the egregious of human rights violations at the centre of the narrative but instead pandered to all the worst excesses of a K drama crime show. Corrupt cops going from bad to worse to cover their rear ends. Corrupt bureaucrats who don't see the error of their ways. Tight-lipped witnesses who have some "compelling reason" to stay mum. Over eager cops rushing headlong into situations for which they are unprepared. Incompetent cops floundering around causing problems or being designated comic relief. With a couple of exceptions, the characters are cardboard stand-ins for the usual stereotypes. And frankly, not every K drama has to have an serial killing angle to it. It doesn’t always enhance a show. In this case it does almost nothing except create moral confusion about which characters to root for. Moreover the fixation to turn this into a jigsaw puzzle about who the mastermind behind the present day murders are made it hard to connect with any of the characters.
Blind (2022) Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty (2022) Shadow Detective (2022) Under the Queen's Umbrella : Reviews and First Impressions
Blind (2022) Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty…
Blind (2022) Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty (2022) Shadow Detective (2022) Under the Queen's Umbrella : Reviews and First Impressions
Sigh. What a colossal waste of so much potential. Blind wasn’t bad to the point of unwatchable but it was a waste of a good premise. Wasted, dare I say, on gimmickry (a de facto mystery box) so that in the end the narrative focus shifted from where it should have been — on the survivors of human rights abuses to the present-day murders and original villains from the Hope Welfare Centre running interference. The last half hour or so of the series was a decent wrap but not enough to save the rest of the package for me at least. It’s a shame really because the show had the opportunity to do something of substance with regards to exploring the egregious of human rights violations at the centre of the narrative but instead pandered to all the worst excesses of a K drama crime show. Corrupt cops going from bad to worse to cover their rear ends. Corrupt bureaucrats who don't see the error of their ways. Tight-lipped witnesses who have some "compelling reason" to stay mum. Over eager cops rushing headlong into situations for which they are unprepared. Incompetent cops floundering around causing problems or being designated comic relief. With a couple of exceptions, the characters are cardboard stand-ins for the usual stereotypes. And frankly, not every K drama has to have an serial killing angle to it. It doesn’t always enhance a show. In this case it does almost nothing except create moral confusion about which characters to root for. Moreover the fixation to turn this into a jigsaw puzzle about who the mastermind behind the present day murders are made it hard to connect with any of the characters.