This is not an easy watch by any means. I urge you to not watch this if you`re not open minded, if you`re immature or moot to the brutal realism of the capitalism run world. If the movie "Parasite" was a show, this is a whole circus.

The acting is immaculate. I actually have no complaints whatsoever about any actor. They all did their jobs brilliantly. Kim Hee-Ae and Yoo Ah-In`s chemistry is palpable, raw, it morphes from something animalistic into something frail and true. In fact, the scene where she reads his diary while he plays the piano for her gave me the feeling of being around my long-time crush and steadily spending time, all the while these butterflies kept flying around freely in my stomach. Even my fingers got tingly every time these two were on screen. I have never felt that in a drama and the feeling never went away. At times I was uncomfortable because the things the characters were dealing with hit too close to home as I live in a corrupt country where these situations are all too common.

As I`ve mentioned before, the topics discussed in this drama, which aren`t clear and you have to search for answers yourself, won`t appeal to someone whose biggest problem is what they`re going to wear for the day. I`ve recently had a short discussion about this drama and more importantly, about Hye Won as a character, with someone who sees drama characters as blueprints of how we should live or wish to, so he thought that Hye Won was a pathetic older woman who put herself in this situation and can get out of it any time she wishes to. He blamed her for ruining Sun Jae, pegging him for a victim and saying how she used the Chairman as much as he used her. So I very well understand the polarizing consensus. It doesn`t matter how well acted or written something is, if you aren`t able to place a mirror to yourself and the world and see that people aren`t morally positive or negative, good or evil. Hye Won is a case of a character caught in a monetary trap out of which she cannot escape as a consequence of her co-dependency on money and stability. There is a big difference between born and raised parasites, such as her snobby husband, who acts as a morality gatekeeper when he is nothing more but a puppet, or her anger management issues struck boss Young Woo, who can only live with someone else`s help. Hye Won has to solve their issues and pretend to be a parasite for survival. Nothing she has truly belongs to her. No one recognizes her as an equal even after decades of hard work. So of course she`s going to be drawn to something warm and welcoming, someone who worships her, like Sun Jae.

Some may say that the writing is convoluted, and I think I could see it from their perspective. Little is ever explained and what is, isn`t typical for a drama. It`s ugly, unfair, ruthless and disgusting. And it exists. Right now, someone may be living like this and it`s a sad, sad life. Does that mean that you should justify her behaviour?No, as she herself fed into this carnivorous world. But one should try to understand her because that is the only way to understand the statement behind this drama. Life is messy, sad, pathetic. You have to deal with bullies and corrupt individuals, but there is no happy ending at the end of the tunnel. We all live to survive. But you still root for Hye Won and Sun Jae, because you either understand them, or find redeeming qualities about their characters. Or both.

Whatever the case may be, this is a masterfully acted drama talking about themes that are too uncomfortable for most. But not in the graphic, over the top, violent way. Just in an unfiltered way.