GOOD BUT NOT MY STYLE
If I could speak for the majority, I'd say this drama was good. I will explain in awhile why i didn't like it as much.
First, it had all the elements and clichès that a typical kdrama has (contract marriage, rich dude poor girl, ml saving damsel in distress, rich fam feud and etc) and I must say, it did remind me so much of the days when I would watch kdrama purely for the delusion and fun of it all. This drama was honestly an episode turner, it was bingeworthy and I wasn't bored at all.
However, for me personally, I did think it lacked substance, emotions, and feelings. It had all the perfect elements, plot, and thrill set up but I couldnt figure out what was missing.
While I like FL, and have watched her dramas in the past, I do agree with some of the reviews here saying she really has to improve her acting. It was good but I know she could really do so much better. She had the same downturned eyebrow expression the entire series and her crying was a little dead (idk ig i'm so used to watching dramas with heavy criers like park boyoung, kim go eun and shin hye sun) there is ofcourse always room for improvement.
And they totally botched that ending too. I was so confused with the last ep. It felt like the producers/writers tried so hard to make this drama so extravagant that it became too much and ruined the drama. A calm satisfying ending would have sufficed.
I'm still giving this a 7.5 for a plot though. This drama would be best for watchers who just started kdrama.
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Very good overall
The show was very good overall. Especially the concept of the story, I found it very interesting. It made me want to keep watching. But at the same time it was kinda obvious to me what was going on. So, the element of surprise was not there. The acting and casting were good and fitting. Good acting chemistry between the "couple". The last episode was a bit underwhelming in comparison to the previous episodes. I get the hype that this drama garnered, it is worth giving it a go.Esta resenha foi útil para você?
When the Phone Rings": A Perfect Romantic Drama with a Unique Twist (5/5)
When the Phone Rings is an underrated K-drama that masterfully combines suspense, emotional depth, and a touch of romance. While it may not have the hype of mainstream hits, it stands out for its well-written plot and compelling performances.The drama follows a mysterious premise where every phone call brings a new twist, testing the boundaries of trust, fate, and survival. The story keeps viewers on edge, blending thriller elements with moments of heartfelt character interactions.
One of the drama's strongest points is its cast. The leads deliver standout performances, portraying their characters with authenticity and depth. The chemistry between them feels natural, adding an emotional layer to the gripping storyline.
The cinematography and soundtrack deserve special mention. The haunting melodies and atmospheric visuals perfectly complement the drama's tone, enhancing the overall experience.
When the Phone Rings is proof that great storytelling doesn’t always need flashy promotions. It's a must-watch for fans of thrillers with emotional undertones. Don’t miss this hidden gem!
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
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Promise remained undelivered.
The plot started off quite interesting, with frequent twists, revealing more about the main characters. Initially, there was a fair balance between the thriller, suspense and romance in the story which made it quite engaging. However, as the show progressed, the plot became repetitive, predictable, and somewhat frustrating.Still worth binging, but was definitely not worth the weekly wait (after a certain point in the show) anymore.
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Classic and seductive.
Uptated every week !!!!!!!I don't want to rush into expressing my enthusiasm, but I love stories of love and hate, and the first episode was really great. So, I'm saying welcome!!!
This series has given us everything we want as a classic K-drama in the romantic thriller genre. So far, with just two episodes, it's been quite satisfying.
Who doesn't love a contract marriage storyline? I guess we'll never get tired of it. It's potentially very exciting and intriguing.
The chemistry between the couple is definitely intense.
I'm eagerly looking forward to the flirting period.
I'll definitely continue watching!
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Comments on Episodes 3 and 4:
The series continued with the same excitement and intrigue as the episodes released in the first week. Since it will last for 12 episodes, I think they need to move the plot along a bit faster, and I expect we’ll see more detailed events next week.
This week, we learned more about the backgrounds of our couple. Both of them have traumas influencing their behavior (of course, it's a must-have in K-dramas). The source of these traumas stems from their bad parents (yes, here we go again).
In a way, both are trying to protect their lives, but they are unaware of each other’s struggles. I believe that in this episode, some of the emotions they’ve been hiding came to light, even if just a little.
Baek Sa-eon’s feelings are clear, but for some reasons, he is not open with Hong Hee-joo. I think he feels guilty about forcing her to stay by his side, which is why he pulls back. He believes his wife hates him, but he protects her in his own way. In the coming weeks, we’ll see the reasons behind it more clearly.
Hong Hee-joo believes she is just a backup and is definitely confused about her feelings for her husband. She has other pressing issues to think about, and she’s focusing more on those. However, she will have the chance to reflect on her feelings in the upcoming episodes because she can no longer deny what her husband and his father have done for her.
She even confessed that he is her husband to protect him, omooo!!! She has now proven to him that she is not alone.
I can't wait to see the scenes of this couple getting to know each other and flirting. I hope they give us plenty of those moments.
I’m eagerly looking forward to the next episodes!
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Had they just dialed down the crazy a tiny bit..
I found the early episodes awesome. It's been such a long time since I felt this way while watching a kdrama. I find the basic concept to be incredibly fun & despite the leads being a bit lacking in chemistry I felt their back and forth refreshing, interesting & even the related mysteries/thriller bits were quite well presented, for a kdrama.Unfortunately my excitement started to seriously fade around e7-8 & by 10 I felt a tremendous amount of boredom. By e8 I thought that I had most of the plot figured out & that I pretty much know what's what with the villains & how this is going to go down.
Again unfortunately I was surprised, the script really went above and beyond my expectations in a bad way. The writers escalated the makjang to absolutely insane levels, not even a hint of sanity had been left in the show. Then comes e12 & again I thought this is it now we'll just go through the motions & we'll get some kind of a cringy super unrealistic happy ending. We've ultimately gotten that alright, but the forced separation & some of the noble idiocy explanations, the dialog related to that part is again completely insane & if we add in how she ended up "there", that's just too much.
I could talk about intelligence insulting plotholes, but I'm not motivated enough to go back & rewatch some of the earlier parts to be absolutely sure this is right.
When The Phone Rings is really hard for me to rate, because on one hand the early episodes were wonderful, but on another this drama has almost everything I hate about kdramas & Brazilian soaps. The one thing it does not have is a strong love triangle & I'm greatful for that, but good gawd all the makjang classics are present & in incredible abundance at that. Epi 11 of this show is quite possibly the craziest kdrama episode I have ever watched, we really go through all the big soap tropes and more in a super condensed way...
The OST on the whole is not great, I barely felt it most of the time, but there is an instrumental track I really liked, though it only played like 3 times throughout the entire show. It's called `In Your Arms` and it can be easily found on Youtube searching for that + When The Phone Rings.
In the final episode there are some veiled references to events that are going or went down in the Middle East, I did not watch the mistranslated version & I don't really care honestly, but it's strange the production team had to go with stuff that resembles controversial real world events, why would you step on toes like that I don't know. This did not influence my rating though, I just find it strange that this was given the okay, considering the ramifications.
Then again maybe I shouldn't be too surprised, Korean writers/directors rarely care about international success & the opinions of international viewers, Netflix or not. Just look at how often Africa comes up in kdramas & how dumb it is every single time.
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? Thoughts After 4/12 Episodes: First Impressions ?
I must admit, I didn’t have high expectations for this drama 🤔 and was even tempted to skip it. The genres—Thriller, Mystery, Romance, Drama—didn’t grab me initially. 🤷♂️ And honestly (I can’t believe I’m saying this 😅), I wasn’t the biggest fan of either lead before this.BUT WOW... this drama has completely changed my opinion! 😍 Both leads fit their roles perfectly, and their performances have really won me over. 👏👏 The cinematography, music, and OST? Absolutely stunning! 🎶✨
Yes, if you really dig, you can find plot issues and faults (as with any drama, tbh). But this isn’t one to nitpick over. Dramas are all about escapism, and this one, based on a novel 📖, does a fantastic job pulling you into its world.
At just 4 episodes in, I’m already hooked! 🥰 If they can keep this momentum going, this could easily turn into a standout drama. Fingers crossed! 🤞
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The swing to the right is real
...so the swing of the public opinion to the right, patriarchal is real. Another drama with the trope 'he treats her like trash, with contempt and sometimes real hate, but that's for greater good and he will later mend the error of his ways'.She fights back, but obviously not in a healthy way, because she's used to be abused. So first time he offers her some bread crumb of attention, she'll be head over heels.
Never been tempted to watch 50 shades.
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Most interesting romance mystery drama
Overall, quite enjoyable their chemistry and interesting plots lines!! Romantic thriller!!!Most interesting romance mystery drama!! Unexpectedly, the plot is interesting story line and strong chemistry between main leads.
"When the phone rings" is best drama of 2024 for me!!
I am not fan of actor and actress !! But I really enjoy watching their strong chemistry!!
Still can't think the secret of main lead actor!!
Hope the ending is good and there is no plot hole !!!
The storyline/ script is well-written and fast-paced !!!
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Most Romantic drama series in 2024 are flop in the middle or at the end!!
Unexpectedly , "When the phone rings" is still the best romantic plot line drama among them in 2024x
Hope hope the ending is good !!!
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Entertainer of 2024 Indeed!!!
Sometimes what we see might not be the absolute reality!While “When the Phone Rings” started with a bang, charting through unraveled mysteries, I kept questioning the need for the “Almost” animosity between the lead couple. The pilot episodes led us to believe that Baek Sa Eon doesn’t care much about his fake wife, she is a mere replacement for her elder sister who ran away on the wedding day. None of the people in Sa Eon’s social circle have met her and no one knows about her existence; and yet somehow she ends up kidnapped. Makes you wonder how well Sa Eon kept her hidden. The plot gets thick when Hong Hui Jo decides to take things in her hands and starts blackmailing her own husband to get an easy divorce. Shockingly she doesn’t expect two things- one that her aloof, grumpy husband actually loves her and also his real identity is different from his public image. What drives the narrative further is deciphering these secrets and betrayals levied upon them by their so-called parents.
Read the complete article here-
https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2025/01/08/when-the-phone-rings-series-review/
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Drama per chi ha la sindrome di Cenerentola
Bel drama, ma non ho capito tutto l' entusiasmo che c'è dietro, non ci sono argomenti profondi, la protagonista è una vittima senza via di uscita, come al solito la donna è una schiava del terzo millennio e non riesce a liberarsi se non con l' aiuto di un uomo che l'ha amata fin da quando erano bambini e succube di una madre che pensa più a se stessa che alla figlia, da madre e questa è una cosa che mi fa incacchiare non poco! Mah! Va bene per chi ha la sindrome da Cenerentola, trama assurda come al solito soprattutto nel finale, con errori di scene, e vabbè come sempre penso che bisognerebbe fucilare (in senso figurativo) gli sceneggiatori che non sono proiettati nel 2025, ma fanno sti drama con altissimi rate, per quelle che vivono nelle fantasie di fiabe che ci hanno raccontato da bambiniEsta resenha foi útil para você?
Cutest dysfunctional marriage with all the kisses
No major spoilers:That is so satisying. When The Phone Rings' premise needs a LOT of suspension of disbelief...but who cares right? Those kisses(omg!) alone make it all worth it. We get a delicious male lead, a heroine we can root for, an 'it's complicated' marriage in the midst of it all, with a bit of psycho killer mystery and endless taboo family secrets thrown in.
Yoo Yeon Seok's looks are not typically what I go for as male lead, but he is amazing as Paik Sa Eon, who is the epitome of what all kfangirls go weak for---dashing 24x7 in a suit, each strand of hair meticulously arranged, so competent, ruthless, and unbothered, until you threaten his wife (yup, the one he's supposed not to care for). Then he goes all bonkers. Chae Soo Bin equally embodies vulnerable yet strong-willed Hong Hee Ju well, whose life has all been about sacrifices because of her selfish mother.
Someone likened this couple to the Flower of Evil dynamic, and I see the likeness. There's something delectable about watching a dysfunctional marriage, where they clearly care about each other, but all the secrets and miscommunications are on the way.
Spoilers
Where else can you see a distant couple who can only communicate their deepest secrets and repressed feelings behind a kidnapper's burner phone? Where a wife blackmails her husband to divorce her for 20 billion won?
I like it that Paik Sa Eon doesn't dwell too much on his hurt on Hee Ju's betrayal, he knows he wronged her a lot too, and he understood right away the reasonings behind her actions. Oftentimes it's easier to communicate behind the phone, things we cannot tell the other in person, and it was wondrous to see these two slowly fall more for each other as they open up their feelings.
Since childhood, Sa Eon found a kindred state with Hee Ju, amidst all the affluence surrounding them, they felt suffocated in a gilded cage, living a life forced upon them. There were probably some shortcuts so the story can fit into 12 episodes, so now I'm excited to tackle the webtoon and the source novel material. But undoubtedly, this is an easy recommendation, for those looking for a different spin on the 'dysfunctional marriage' trope, which I'm getting way addicted to.
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