song kang said "i know 2020 is almost over but i'm gonna come through real quick and end every other actor's career" and honestly? we should thank him for that

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This had it all... the directing, ACTING, plot, ost, visual effects... they went off, good lord. The only - and I mean only - negative thing I have to add is that pacing felt a little patchy at times. But if you want my honest opinion, I feel like it wasn't an objective pacing issue, but a subjective one. Even the slower scenes had full purpose for being the way they were, so I really can't fault the show for that. Either way, my own opinions on pacing were flipped upside down in the final two episodes where things completely exploded. Those episodes were about as close to perfect horror/thriller as you can get.

Side note, I really appreciated the lack of main focus romance. I know it's a huge thing with kdramas, but in shows like this, I would rather focus on the story and found family relationships than taking time to focus on romance. If I want that, I'll go to the romance genre. I know this'll probably be nullified in s2 - I'm sure Eun Yoo's crush will be explored more - but for now I'm gonna milk the fact that they chose not to assert any romance with the main characters (although I will say, if there HAS to be romance... the typically cold Eun Yoo's protective nature over Hyun Soo was actually pretty gratifying and sweet to watch. But, you know. Just best friends would do!!!!!!)

Should I talk about Song Kang again? I don't care, I'm gonna do it. Why did he have to body this role the way he did? Who asked him to do that? Who said "portray a self-harming, suicidal depressed teenager with abusive & complicated family and social relationships, who then finds out he'll likely become a monster, and must come to terms with what is happening to him as well as slowly building up a relationship with the people around him... and make it nuanced, heartbreaking, and terrifying"? Who asked him to do that and why did this man deliver the way he did? The scene where one moment his eyes are black, veins distorted, furious & completely submerged in his monster psyche, and in the next he's a terrified, exhausted, sobbing teenager, crying in the arms of the man he just killed? How the hell? Y'all really expect me to just move on from this?

Cut the cameras deadass