A Captivating Journey of Redemption: "Prison Playbook"
Rating: ★★★★★ (10/10)
This is my first review, and I couldn't wait to share my thoughts on this drama.
Set in the confines of a correctional facility, "Prison Playbook" takes a refreshingly different approach to the prison genre. Rather than focusing solely on the brutality of incarceration, it delves deep into the lives, struggles, and growth of the inmates, creating a rich tapestry of multifaceted characters that are brought to life by a talented ensemble cast.
The series centers around Kim Je-hyuk, a baseball player who finds himself imprisoned after a regrettable incident. As we follow Je-hyuk's journey, we witness the transformative power of the correctional system on both the inmates and the prison staff. The narrative is expertly crafted, balancing moments of heartwarming camaraderie, intense drama, and even lighthearted humor, creating a seamless blend that keeps viewers engaged throughout.
One of the greatest strengths of "Prison Playbook" lies in its character development. Each inmate and staff member is carefully fleshed out, making it easy to empathize with their struggles and cheer for their growth. The series explores themes of forgiveness, second chances, and the importance of human connection, all while challenging societal stereotypes surrounding prisoners. The characters' interactions and evolving relationships provide a compelling emotional core that will leave you invested in their fates.
The performances in "Prison Playbook" are nothing short of exceptional. The ensemble cast delivers nuanced portrayals, immersing themselves in their roles with authenticity and depth. Park Hae-soo shines as Kim Je-hyuk, skillfully portraying a wide range of emotions, from despair to resilience. The chemistry between the cast members is palpable, creating a believable camaraderie that adds layers of realism to the narrative.
Additionally, the series benefits from its meticulous attention to detail and its ability to explore the complexities of prison life. It presents a realistic portrayal of the prison system, shedding light on the challenges faced by inmates and the complex dynamics between prisoners and staff. The writing is consistently strong, striking a delicate balance between entertainment and social commentary.
In conclusion, "Prison Playbook" is an outstanding drama that deserves high praise. It weaves a captivating narrative with strong performances, relatable characters, and thought-provoking themes. Whether you're a fan of the prison genre or simply appreciate compelling storytelling, this series is a must-watch. Prepare to be emotionally invested, moved, and enlightened by the power of human resilience and redemption.
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This drama easily became one of my favorites. I knew when I watched the first episode that this drama was something different. This drama was really well rounded. Excellent actors, story, production, everything! It’s hard to find a flaw. Even the characters that are bad, you’ eventually get to know them and once you do it’s hard to really hate them completely (well except chief Jo, seagull, chief yeom, officer lee of woodshop, and the other gangsters lol but you know what I mean hehe)
I have watched all the dramas of PD Shin Wonho and I’d say that he is now one of my favorite PDs. He brings so much depth into the dramas he make without really giving in to the normal tropes of dramas these days. And just like his other works, the length of the episodes of this drama is around 1hr 20 min - 1hr 30min each, I do find it long but I’m not really one to complain since I love every second of it.
The only thing that really didn’t sit well with me is the ending they gave Looney/ Hanyang. I mean come on. Beside the fact that he is my fave character here, he showed so much growth and perseverance to change himself. His lover was waiting for him and I’m sure he would be happy to see his mom there. But why? Why did they have to give him that ending. It’s just sad. And after that, they didn’t even showed him anymore. I would assume he came to the same prison since they were driving him there when he got caught. And what’s up with the drug dealer from Japan? Why did he set him up? So many confusing things about him.
Also, Croney. What’s his ending like? And how long was he supposed to be there? Just really curious.
Hoped they showed Min chul watching his game also. That would’ve been nice.
But nevertheless, I give this drama 10/10. It now has a special place in my heart.
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Tugs at your heartstrings!
I didn't want to watch this show. I thought it would be boring. I am eating my own words right now - by re-watching parts of the series! :DBreaking down my experience -
Story: It is the story of a baseball player who is sent to prison for beating up his sister's would-be assaulter. And the story is about his experience in prison as a prisoner and his best friend's as a correction officer. Every character is so well-etched that I found myself rooting for the gangster, scammer & drug addict!! It really showed prisoners in a human light! I didn't make light of the crimes/offenses committed by inmates. Instead, it just told their stories as they are - all shades of gray. And, correction officers are not authoritarian (like I'd expected them to be), instead they're human too - in similar shades of grey! (:
Some of the prisoners' stories made me want to reach into the TV and give them a comforting word or hug! The only reason I've not rated this 10, if because I hated how things ended for Looney! He was my favorite part of the show. I must have watched his scenes about 5 times!! I understand that not everything could end in roses & peaches. But, it still broke my heart. For the first time, in a long while, I found myself looking forward to the non-romance parts of the show! That is how good the overall script is!
Acting: Again, I am blown away! Every single actor was splendid! Every. Single. Actor!! The leads - Park Hae Soo, Jung Kyung Ho are without a doubt brilliant! I didn't expect to fall in love with Park Hae Soo. But, I did fall in love with Park Hae Soo's Kim Je Hyuk. I fully expected to fall for Jung Kyung Ho's Lee Joon Ho and was not disappointed. Every actor made me want to root for their character - understand their circumstances & choices, or abhor them! Every. Single. Actor!! I loved the chemistry between Lee Joon Ho & his brother, Looney & Captain Yoo and of course Kim Je Hyuk and Lee Joon Ho. <3 The romance was natural. Though, there wasn't crazy chemistry, I really believed in the couples - Je Hyuk & Ji Ho, Joon Ho & Je Hee, Han Yang(Looney) & Ji Won. Amazing acting! Special shout out to Jung Woong In's Lieutenant Paeng and Lee Kyu Hyung's Looney! <3, <3!
Music: I loved the OST so much that I'm now listening to a couple of them on loop, probably annoying my neighbors! :P Every score blends beautifully into the story. I don't understand the lyrics. But, I want to believe that they are apt.
I've already replayed many of the scenes with the Wing 2, Cell 6 scenes!! And, all those scenes where two or more cellmates are together. I'd definitely watch the entire series again and will be bugging my friends to watch it too! :)
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I'm pretty new when it comes to writing reviews, this is my third one and I decided to write one for every drama that leaves an impression on me because I would love to look back at theses reviews and see what I wrote. When I decided to watch this drama, I had very high expectations because this is the highest rated drama on this site and after reading the synopsis, it sucked me in right away. The drama I watched before this made me crave a drama which is based around friendships and to be honest, this drama did amazing portraying the relationships between the characters.
First off I would like to comment on the overall story of Prison Playbook. The overall concept of a proffesional baseball player assaulting a person for attempting sexual assault on his little sister ans wrongly going to prison for 1 year in which made him recconect with a childhood friends really hooked me from the start as i wanted to see thier bromace on screen. At first I didn't even think about how Je Hyeok would interact with the other inmates, in the frist center he was at he met Jailbird in which he paid for his moms surgery and when that happened I saw thier relationship it only made me want to see more of the inmates relationship with Je Hyeok and how he would fair in prison for one year.
With Je Hyeok, his character at first may seem a little dumb and carefree but when you see his character develop throughout the show, you get to see that he is just a normal person who has emotions and isn't always the famous baseball player Kim Je Hyeok. The first time we see him develop was when he finnaly reached his breaking point and went ona rant on how bad his life is and how unlucky he is, this scene made me love his character even more and it showed his development. In the drama, it really emphasises how loyal of a person Je Hyeok is to his friends as he gets aquanted with his second set of cell mates and have a brotherly relationship with them all and would always support eachother.
With Joon Ho, I really loved how much he admired Je Hyeok and how much he wanted to help him get back on his feet when ever something bad would happen to him. I like how they both reconciled amd became best friends again and with every scene they were in together, thier chemestry just shone through the screen. At first when he started to date Je Hyeoks sister, I'll admit I was a little adamant because i thought it was quite wierd but when Je Hyeok said he's glad that it's him dating his sister and not anyone else just shows how much they trust eachother and made me realise that Joon Ho dating his sister wasn't all that bad.
I will quickly go through some of the side characters I liked. Firstly Ji Ho who is Je Hyeoks girlfriend, I like her character and how she was so understanding of him and they used her charactert just right to make Je Hyeok develop as a person. Jailbird was probably one of my favourite side characters as he was generally grateful that Je Hyeok paid for the surgery and i realised that he would owe his life to him and at the end he became his agent which i really like. Kim Min Chul was another character that shone for me, When we see him he has been to prison for 22 years and had 3 years left, at first I thought he was just a thug but in actuality he was a real softie who cared wbout his cell mates. The cellmate that called him dad and also teh introduction of his daughter really gave his life meaning and he has people outside waiting for him which he didn't think could happen. Finnaly the last character i will mention is Yoo Jung Woo who was falsely acused for killing someone in his squad, he went from a character that was imbearable to the Je Hyeoks cellmates but really he's ones of the kindest people in the cell and because friends with the cells mates after he warmed up to them.
The OST in this drama was amazing as there were a couple of songs that stood out to me and that was the intro song in which I instantly realised it was sung by BeWhy and and GRAY and it served as am amazing OST which I will listen to evern after the show. Another song i like was The Door which has Zico in and that was another good OST. The last song i wil mention is Bravo, My Life! which is sung by Eric Nam, this song was another of mr favourites and I really liked how they made that song Kim Je Hyeok entry music for when he plays for Nexus.
Overall, I would urge anyone to watch this drama if they are looking for a drama that emphasises relationships; be it with friends, family, lovers or even past lovers. This show has everything I want in a drama and met my expectations with ease.
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Favorite Drama
It’s really emotional, and even someone insensitive like me , cried during a couple of episodes. The story is amazingly written, and it’s overall my favorite drama so farThe only thing that bothered me was the relationship between the MC and his girlfriend. The age gap isn’t that big but it’s kind of weird since he was a teenager and she was a child and it would bother me personally to date someone whom i saw grow up. Additionally, their relationship details were just annoying over all and i would have preferred if they just left out these scenes. I skipped most of it, it was really boring. And the second thing that bothered me was that they kinda made the prison look like a hostel and some of these people are real criminals but yet they portrayed some of them too good.
These two things bothered me , but i can ignore it since the story is awesome nevertheless.
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One of the best slice of life dramas in Kdramaland!
This drama was on my watchlist for long since I absolutely loved Reply 1988 , it’s the same writer - director duo, plus the ensemble cast and the premise had caught my attention. I was just delaying it thinking it might be a grim watch cause of the prison setting and the 1.5hr length of each episode. Episode 1 was slow to take off but from episode 2 onwards this show was unstoppable! I was bingeing one episode after another.Story: I admire this writer for her ability to take such an excellent ensemble cast and weave meaningful, heartwarming stories for each no matter how small or big their role is in this drama. She has done it splendidly in Reply 1988 and she does it again here. Kudos to the director and casting director for on-point casting as always.
What I loved:
1. I enjoy slice of life dramas and this one blended the grim prison life with heartwarming backstories really well. The humour & satire was subtly built and that is a sign of intelligent writing to me.
2. The dynamics between the prison guards and prisoners - Prison life is hard but it was nice to see some cheerfulness, comic relief, and ample tender human moments existing on both sides of the prison door.
3. I’m willing to ignore some of the loopholes, simply because the drama served some great life lessons especially in friendship and mutual respect. Also the villains or bad guys didn’t get too much footage and most of them got duly punished ( may not happen in real life).
What didn’t work for me: The main leads love story fell flat. Partly cause the female lead was meh , the age gap didn’t sit right given that she was his coach’s daughter whom he knew since she was a kid. And it didn’t add any value to his personal arc or prison story.
My sole gripe with this drama which made me strike off 0.5 points from a perfect score : Two characters had abrupt ending to their story and third one who was dealt a raw deal. Yes reality is that prison cell mates don’t get farewells and goodbyes, transfers happen randomly and it’s hard to stay clean once you are deep into addiction - but this is not reality, it’s television and for such a feel good story that the writer wove, she could have given the 3 characters a more fulfilling ending.
Acting/Cast: This ensemble cast was mind blowing. After Park Hae Soo’s character Kim JeHyeok enters the correction facility, I literally opened my notes to tick off which actor I had seen before in which series! The bromance between the cell mates , and how they all stand by Kim Ji Hyeok at all times. The bromance between Jung Kyung Ho and Park Hae Soo’s characters - how is this pair not on every best bromance in Kdrama list.
This was an insanely great cast . Like in Reply 1988, I cannot pick a favourite character in this ensemble - they were all so wonderful in their portrayals. I enjoyed every minute of their banter, camaraderie and constantly looking out for each other, If you have come so far reading my review - read about my favourite characters here:
https://kdramagab.tumblr.com/post/682806971461779457/prison-playbook-favourite-characters-my-quick
Music: The title track was catchy but none of the other tracks stuck with me much,
Overall : For this writer director duo (apologies to HP fans here) but for me Reply 1988>Prison Playbook >>>>>>>>Hospital Playlist in terms of writing, characters development - their story and arc and the amount of times I welled up watching the series.
As you can see, this is my longest review here so far - so you must have got it by now that I loved this drama and I will not stop raving about it! It’s a must watch and rewatch recommendation from me :)
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The writers of this show have turned what originally would be a very dark show - a baseball player getting sent to prison for assaulting a man who tried to sexually assault his sister - and turn it into one of the best lighthearted dramas to exist.
Actor Appreciation:
JUNG HAE IN - his portrayal of a military captain wrongly imprisoned for beating one of his subordinates to death is heartrending at times but the real greatness of his role is the way he goes from a cold, scary individual to just one of the boys is beautiful
JUNG KYUNG HO - his portrayal of the baseball player's best friend and a prison guard is fun and lighthearted but also aggressively protective, and plays a large role in the tone-setting of the drama throughout
JUNG WOONG IN - the prison guard that makes the series infinitely more fun to watch, and the cute way he subtly cares for his inmates without showing it is essential to this drama
LEE KYU HYUNG - somewhat of a tragic character but his portrayal of a recovering drug addict who more or less has completely lost his mind except when he's on drugs is compelling
PARK HAE SOO - you can't have a successful drama without a decent male lead, and this dumb baseball player is a great one. his subtle charisma that brings the entire prison around him is the essence of this drama
With a supporting cast this talented and writing sent from the heavens, this drama is one that I can never recommend enough no matter what kind of dramas you enjoy.
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That doesn't mean it's all amazing. I loved the fact that we got more than just Kim Jehyeok's story... and focussed a great deal on the other characters around him, to build him up, to contrast him, to empathise. My interest was solely on the other characters towards the middle and end of this drama, and was thankful they had impacting changes within their worlds.
However, characters were sacrificed so easily, with plot lines discarded to bring in new characters (Dr Ko and Kaist were prime examples of this). I found this to be detrimental to the storyline as a whole. Being left to give them an ending based on assumption didn't really sit well with me, but thankfully new characters would distract me and I would become immersed in their worlds. I LOVED the brotherly Tom and Jerry relationship with Captain Yoo and Looney. I loved the turnaround of Crony, and Jailbird's unconditional loyalty to Jehyeok. Minchul and Lieutenant Paeng were my favourite characters within the whole storyline, and their constant stability that gave emotional and physical support to the others in their close proximity really spoke of the familial bond that was shared in the jail.
The in-prison drama and "bad guys" really held little attention for me... they all had similar agendas and their formula was always the same, and so their presence in the drama held little impact... they attacked, but Jehyeok and his squad/correction officers would always prevail and it became a stalemate to the storyline.
Again, the romance between Jiho and Jehyeok and following their memories of how their relationship had been really held no value to me at all. I found Krystal's character to be irksome and very one dimensional, which made her behaviour frustrating at times. It also helped with decreasing my interest in Jehyeok as a whole on the outside of jail... inside he had so much more personality and change. I remember reading a review where out of all the criminals, Jehyeok's personality really suited jail and I have to completely agree, he was a boss, he had the authority on his side, he basically could say jump and they would say how high... he had the makings of a true prison boss down pat.
The saddest reaction I had was for Looney, Hanyang had worked so hard to abstain from drugs, but the cruel, harsh cycle of being an addict caught him immediately and it broke me to see him lose it all again... I feel some of the other criminals who had done far worse gained less punishment than he did because it was self inflicted. He was still one of my favourite characters for being so honest to who he was even in the end.
I'm glad for those who turned their lives around in the end, even if it's only mentioned of. I was hopeful for characters once out of jail, and apart from Hanyang/Looney, this seemed to be promising for them all.
I would recommend this drama to anyone who wants a break in the current formula and isn't sick of the legal dramas like I am slowly getting to be (though I admit there are a few on my list to still watch due to actors, haha).
8/10.
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Prison Playbook wasn't what I thought it was in the beginning and what I watched surprised and went over my expectations. This wasn't the most realistic depiction of life in prison. I'm a big fan of realistic stories and unrealistic plot points usually puts me of watching a story but though this depiction showed unrealistic elements it had more heart then I've seen in a drama in a long time. The story isn't mainly about how life is in prison, it's about how to overcome hardship in any shape of form and how to make the best out of a bad situation. The loss of realism was necessary to show what a great prison should look like, the relationships that the prisoners had with each other and the guards showed what a healthy life in prison could look like. I really enjoyed the scenes with Lieutendant Paeng and enjoyed seeing him develope from a closed off prison guard to a person thatmade the lives of the people around him better.
The humor was wonderful as always with Lee Woo Jung and Jung Bo Hoon. It didn't take it too far, you could still feel the always present sadness that the prisoners felt even in their happiest moments. The cast was just the right mix of 'dramatic-' & 'comedic' actors to give a great acting performance and giving the viewer a chance to laugh.
The OST is wonderful, it's unusual for me to enjoy every song but I've actually added the whole album to my playlist. I love the theme "OK" produced by Gray and performed by BewhY, "Nostalgia" by Woo ft. Woogie & "Those days (without you)" by Zion.T
The only reason why I've given the story an 8 instead of a higher rating is because it left out some details about some characters. I would be okay with this if the director wanted to give the end of the show an open ending but since it was only about 5 of the characters that were left out I felt a bit empty and kept trying to figure out what happened to them. It felt like they were only used to move the story forward rather than given their own story within the main lead's one.
It may have been a surprise but I welcomed it and I hope to see another drama with just as much heart by Shin Won Ho again.
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Prison Playbook is a hangout show, similar to US sitcom show How I Met Your Mother. In contrast to how kdramas became worldwide phenomenon as addictive bingeable watch, Prison Playbook and other creations by Reply PD's, are familiar friends you want to hang out with everyday, to see how they're doing. Basically, the drama is Je Hyeok being a fairy godmother granting wishes here and there lol.
It was slow at the start, as the drama sets up all the characters, and Reply PD's always want to put the most unflattering UGLY haircuts on the cast, but once the ragtag gang of boisterous prison inmates are all together, I'm already invested. The best part of the drama is when they're all in their cell with their hilarious shenanigans, whether it's just getting hot water for ramen, or distributing the food. This drama is not only about the big heartwarming moments, but the small quiet ones as well.
Great big cast and lots of cameos, esp. the prisoners. My favorites has to be Loony and the ever smiling warden lol. LOONY. Why Prison Playbook, why?! I'll forever be salty.
Another regret I have is probably Jung Kyung Ho's role. I've been amazed by his talent since Falling for Innocence, and his role here is not meaty enough, it's always an extension of Je Hyeok. I appreciated their friendship and felt that hug in the end, but I wanted more from his story outside of being Je Hyeok's best friend.
Lieutenant Paeng even shone more in his role as grumpy but empathetic correction officer. I love it that actors that are usually typecast as villains, are flipped here.
I don't know if it's because of the infamous Reply shipping wars, but the PD has made conscious effort to veer away from that. The drama has realistic uncomplicated relationships, but not memorable in the long run. Maybe they want to highlight the prison life and not romance. But why not have it all, right?
They showed just a gist of the harsh reality of prison life, and it shows that there are lots of reasons a person can get imprisoned. It's not always because they are guilty, sometimes it's just life, or plain bad luck. A person can still have a new life after, it should not be a death sentence. At the end of the day, prison should be a place for repentance and reform.
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One of the best dramas I've ever watched.
I don't write many reviews but I decided to for this one. To say that this drama is near perfect is almost an understatement. This drama is binge-worthy and nearly every element of it excellent. Perfect for anyone interested in relationships (romantic or non-romantic).The storyline is engaging and there isn't much filler and it gets straight to the point. The acting is on point especially from our main characters and side characters.
The dialogue is great and it had many comedic moments which cracked me up. It also made me tear up at other instances and had me hooked right to the end.
The character development is the part that had me the most. By the end, I was rooting for everyone (except for the evil mfs).
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There are tons of positive reviews about this drama. And it was what made me watch this, because so many people said it's amazing. But i have been putting it off for a long time. When i finally decided to watch it i was not that intrigued to be honest. So i decided to write this review for the people who are like me and didn't feel the greatest charm of this drama for the fist minutes :)
The start was a bit boring for me, I watched this by playing games on the phone. People going to prison, living in prison. I'll be honest I don't like slice of life dramas. During the first episode i found out it is a comedy (yes i didn't know about it). I was surprised, because I didn't expect it and overall comedy didn't go well with the melancholic theme of the drama. I watched like that around 6 episodes. I couldn't stop because it was indeed interesting, but I also didn't enjoy it much thinking how sad that this is not my cup of tea. Well i was very wrong. around 6-7th episode I already was attached to not only the lead characters but to ALL of them lol. It captured my attention and I was no longer looking at the phone but happily watching each and every episode with interest.
Story:
The story is somewhat melancholic but also comedic and satirical. Hilarious at times, at other times hopeless and cruel, then again full of hope. Sometimes super realistic to the point you wish they would just stick to drama and not realism, and sometimes very unreal making you think like "oh, no way prison life can be this good" lol. It was about a famous person who ended up in prison, his life there and people who he gets to know, the story also switches between those people showing us a lot of each one of them, so that everyone became a main lead in my heart at least once.
This story is about characters. It's a drama about humans, they are the center and everything revolves around them.
Characters:
As i said it's a character driven story. Each and every single character has their little backstory. Which makes you grow attached to all of them. It shows how complex can people be, and at the same time how simple they can be. Each and every person has their cruel and dark and bad sides. At the same time those people have their bright, kind, so-called "normal" sides. I loved the people from their cell a lot. And the prison guards were also great. The whole place was a like a little society with it's rules. With different people, who came there for many different reasons. There were people who ended up there while helping someone, there were the ones who were unfairly accused, there were pity thieves and small scale criminals, there were murderers, gangsters, there were druggies, and also people who embezzled money. Variety of people, variety of stories but they all ended up in the same place and were trying to live there.
Acting:
There is really nothing I can say about acting other than give a standing ovation to all the actors who played here. They all really have done an AMAZING job!
Music/OST:
It was a really nice surprise to hear songs of musicians i like. Kim Kwang Seok a famous singer from 90s who played guitar and sang songs with very touching lyrics. He committed suicide, but people still remember and love his songs.
They also played Panic (Lee Juck)'s Snal! Man, this is my favorite song and i was so happy when i heard it here several times. It has amazing lyrics!! <3 And also can't leave out the great rappers who contributed to the OST of this drama. they really suited the whole concept and were made really well!!
**** I never rewatch dramas so just put a random number there.
What I liked:
-Characters
-Music
-Acting
What I didn't like:
-The ending of one of those characters :(
-a bit slow pace of the drama (BUT this was this dramas charm actually so this can't be considered as dramas disadvantage)
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