Isca: Parte 1 (2023)

Dark and Gritty but so Good

Bait is a very well-plotted drama that, in only two episodes, has cleverly evolved, and if it stays its course of successfully telling the story in the coherent way it has in the next four episodes, it will be one of the best crime/thrillers of 2023. It's dark, gritty, and an in-your-face kind of crime/murder thriller that's intensely captivating. A successful strategy for keeping a mystery captivating is to maintain the core of the mystery episode-by-episode while at the same time nimbly tying in the larger picture as the other elements unfold, and Bait does it so well in just two episodes.

Everything from the cinematography, the lighting or lack of it, the set, the actors, and the theme is so well thought of it is hard not to get sucked into the drama and the story. Additionally, there's some strong acting from the ensemble cast, with Jang Geun Suk, in particular, carrying the material. He looks terrific. I didn't recognize him. I am hooked. And what a cliffhanger of an ending for the first part of this drama. Everything worked, from the serial killing mystery to the cat and mouse chase and most of all Jang Geun Suk. He is just fantastic in this drama.

Leia Mais

Great thriller with a twist at every episode!

Just completed 6 episodes. Every episode ends with a question that begs to be answered, and it will be during the next episode.

Story:
Superb story, multilayered but connected especially in last episode. Ep 1 and 2 start slow but from Ep 3 to 6 the momentum and tension pick up very fast.

Characters:
Unpredictable characters, each with own side story which ties to the main story. Who is the decoy and who is the real criminal?

OST:
Unique unforgettable OST “Unstoppable” by artist About

My only complaint - too few episodes in one season..and no romance.. Can’t wait for season 2!

Leia Mais

Criminal drama done right!

Absolutely Brilliant!

I was in a kdrama drought for a very long time but this drama actually brought me back in! And this is not even romance!

An absolute brilliantly directed drama with the most stellar cast. This is my first time seeing Jang keun suk in a full fledged series ( having only seen his cameos before) he is an amazing actor, his role didn't have much emotional play and he portrayed it brilliantly.
And ofc the man of the series Heo Aang Tae.....man he never disappoints , he was so so good.... even i almost got scammed by him 🙈

The series has 6 episodes paced perfectly for u to not skip a single scene.....the back and forth narrative & screenplay is amazingly done and infact i think this is the drama where past and present narrative is done perfectly right. The direction is very fine with bg music all subtle and to the point!
The supporting cast is just as amazing and the screenplay is what keeps u intrigued!

The story holds majority of the drama & this drama has an amazing story....... the suspense and angst keeps u seat locked and looking forward to more ......

After a long time I am finally watching a kdrama crime thriller which is actually made perfectly!
Eagerly waiting for season 2
Highly recommended it....its a 10/10!!

Leia Mais

A thrilling start!!

Now we get to start the year with a heavy series, a thriller in 2 parts. A series with a mix of detective stories and thrillers with a bit of revenge. Money has a big focus in this, as it is about how it is handled in different ways such as fraud, pyramid schemes and fraud. Many have been promised good promises of good investments in a short time and big returns with a small investment. It turns out not to be true, but everyone involved has been deceived. Just as the title of the series suggests, a good lure is needed to deceive its target audience.
In terms of plot, this is reminiscent of a mixture of Money heist and Through the darkness. As we have many deprived victims and at the same time a detective who is on the hunt for the fraudster. The detective at work is very thorough and a former lawyer. Very experienced and goal oriented who takes work seriously. He started with another case in the beginning but they seem to be related.
Cinematically and visually dark and well done. Good pace and there is a lot going on. There are many time parallels, switches between present and past often. Have the same goal in the end, the backstories are explained. You look at what has happened from both the detective's and the fraudster's point of view.
Many familiar faces, most of you probably recognize Heo Sung Tae, the con man who started it all. Jung Na Yeon(Lee Elijah) is also affected by the fraud and is looking for answers. Although not so clear about her motives from the beginning, but you feel for her. If you have seen Money Heist, you will also recognize other actors who are in it. There are also many other well-known actors as well.
If you want to see something in the same style, you should see Insider. Psychological thriller with many common threads, literally as in the intro. There are a lot of details to keep track of. To understand who and what is behind everything. Satisfying music, exactly what fits at the right times. This was much better than I expected. Looking forward to the conclusion in the next part. Very interesting!!!!!

Leia Mais

An impressive story about the rise and fall of a big time scammer

JOINT REVIEW FOR DECOY PART 1 & 2

The series was short but enough to cover the essence of the story. It was nice to see Jang Geum Suk acting again and this was a great choice as his comeback project on a TV screen.

What set this apart from other mystery crime investigative series was each episode was indeed made to keep your desire to watch it and left you thinking. While watching, I have this assumption that the real culprit was that person or the other person but I was mistaken and misled because of the twist that keeps on rolling.

Everything in this series was done lightly but it did not compromise its quality. One, the character of the ML was not the typically branded detective whom you get to praise instantly. Here, Jang Geum Suk appeared plain and ordinary but strikingly a principled and smart person. His acting throughout the entire series was just steady and calm. Second, the execution of the serial killings was not too gruesome to watch because of the less torture displayed. Third, it does not contain any vibrant colors rather the series was set to a bluish-grayish color mode creating a mystic appeal. And lastly, it has only one song on its official OST "Unstoppable" that you get to hear every closing of each episode. I like the song and it's giving the series an American vibe.

I was saddened by the scene where the Deputy Head was found dead and that he was not able to redeem himself to make up for his shortcomings when he did the scammer's investigation case during his detective days. I was wondering also why it was not revealed in the series the reason ML changed his career from being a lawyer to a detective. Anyway, saying this will not demerit how outstanding this series turned out and I forbid you not to miss watching this.

Leia Mais

Decoy 1 and 2

This drama was so intense and brutal that I didn’t want to miss a minute. I enjoyed trying to figure out who the puppeteers were that pulled the strings to make puppets out of people who ordinarily wouldn’t have crossed the line.

The con artist was so psychopathic and narcissistic and just made me cringe so many times. He got conned once and immediately figured out what he needed to do to become big time. I found myself laughing at him in the end while he was trying to escape. I liked the flashbacks of all the people he wronged while he was dying yet he still wouldn’t admit he had done anything wrong.

I would go from being sympathetic with the victims to be horrified at how callous the ones that only cared about greed and power.

This drama was so good I unfortunately finished watching it in two days. I enjoyed the whole cast.

Just wondering if smoking cigarettes is becoming a thing again? It’s such filthy habit.

Leia Mais

JANG GEUN SEOK'S BACK AND IT'S AWESOME

From where do i start? The amazing Jang geun seok and his top notch acting? The killer cast? Or the story itself?
As a 10 years fan of jang geun seok, let me first introduce asia prince, Mr jang geun seok, actor, model, and singer .
He is one of the most popular Korean celebrities in japan ,Korea and China as well. He starred in many popular dramas that were all successful. He is back after 5 or 6 years since his last drama. I really missed him in kdramaland cause nobody's doing it like him. This is the 1st reason why you shall give this drama a chance, i am sad it didn't air on korean tv, it would have smashed the ratings. But nevermind, i am sure he will be casted in a new drama soon after this one, his performance was excellent as always, he never disappoints. You should check his previous works to see how talented he is . Coming back to this drama, the thrill is always here to make you crave for more, jang geun seok's character was well executed, as well as the evil's character, the victims acting was awesome too, i won't spoil more than this. This drama is a masterpiece, wish it has more eps to see more of Mr Jang's acting. Wish to see him soon in a new work! The drama didn't feel short and the ending was fine. Highly recommended if you fancy thrillers!

Leia Mais

This K-drama Almost Lost Me, But...

I wasn't sure about this crime drama at first. It felt kind of dark. But then I met Koo Do Han, a smart ex-lawyer turned detective. He's determined to find the truth, even with the flawed police system. That's what hooked me.

The story is about Noh Sang Cheon, a famous scammer everyone thought was dead. But then people started getting killed, and it looked like they were connected to him. The drama excelled at making the characters seem relatable, with complicated lives and secrets. I especially like how they show the flawed police system.

I love how the story is all about solving the crime, piece by piece. Do Han is really smart, but sometimes he comes across as cold. There’s a group of victims who want to find Sang Cheon, which adds even more mystery. The show is full of surprises, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

If you like intense crime dramas without silly jokes or love stories, you'll probably enjoy this one.

Leia Mais

A let down

I generally love crime thrillers but Decoy bored me so I will just list some of the reasons I disliked the series first.

1. There is so much back and forth time jumps. Aft first, I found it hard to keep track on how far they were going back as the story takes you back to different years following the story of both the victims of the scam as well as the fraudsters. After a while, I just stopped caring and just wanted the story to move forward.
2. Most of the story takes place in flashback. It would be easier if we got the back story and then saw the person in the present. They would show you a dead body and you would have no idea who they are. Then after awhile they would go backwards in time with reference to the dead person and I found myself thinking. "Okay, this person is dead so why do I need to care what their role was?" I wasn't invested in them anymore. I wish we got to see their back story first.
3. The whole tone of the show is dull. The scenes shot in the present have a blue filter and the past is in a yellow/orange filter. The way the actors speak all feel a bit monotonous especially our lead detective.
4. Again because the story is working backwards, I didn't feel a connection to the victims early on. I wasn't fully empathetic to their suffering. Instead I was impatient to figure out if they will get their justice in the present but instead I was forced to go back to the past every time something interesting happened in the present.
5. It also adds to the frustration that the lead detective keeps undermining the victims of scam saying it's not a big deal compared to murder and refusing to look into any possible connection to things happening in the present. At the same time, he wants to get information out of them while also name-calling them. The last thing you want the male lead to be is a jerk and those are the vibes that I got from him.
6. Just when the series was getting somewhere in the present, it ended. I am okay with splitting shows up but for Decoy, it doesn't work in it's favour. Maybe my impression of the show would be better if it was complete rather than being divided in this way.

What I liked:
1. The female lead who plays the reporter. She is clearly a smart character. Smarter than the detective in fact and she picks up on things fairly quickly. Acts in the nick of time and was the main reason I enjoyed this series.
2. The only person I developed some sympathy for was the "oppa" of the female lead even though he didn't get much of a role. Rather there were only glimpses of him.
3. No Sang Cheon, the con artist. Loved his character. He feels more like a grey character than a pure bad guy. To some extent, I admire his wits for catching on to a scam. That's a different matter that he turns into a scamster himself. He also seems to be the only character that actually portrays the widest range of emotions and has enthusiasm when he speaks.

Even 6 episodes took me a long time to cover as I would start feeling sleepy so to prevent that I had to watch the show in 2x. I will watch part 2 just for the conclusion and I hope it will be more focused on the present for a change.

Leia Mais