Watching Beyond Evil is the equivalent of being handed a very frayed and old yet warm quilt, sewn together colorful patches and scraps collected from the past. The kind of quilt you wrap around on a cold, rainy day while you read your favorite book or a movie from your childhood, while also slowly picking away at the fraying ends of the quilt until the entire quilt unravels over time and all your left with are the strands of the past. Beyond that, there aren't many words I can use to describe my feelings for this beautiful drama, but I will try my hardest. Also, I did mark this review as containing spoilers but I feel like the ones I do mention are very small and insignificant, and I don't think they give away too much.

First, I want to begin talking about the two main leads of this drama, Lee Dong Shik (Shin Ha Kyun) and Han Joo Won (Yeo Jin Goo), because quite frankly, I don't think there would even be a story here to tell without them. At first, they appear to be another iteration of a common dynamic we often see in detective shows: an older detective who is probably been demoted or is considered a loose-cannon, or even both, and then a younger detective who has a strong sense of justice and is perhaps more mild-mannered compared to their partner. In this case, I would say these roles can still be applied to the two main leads of Beyond Evil but also...not quite, only because Beyond Evil really subverts your expectations for these characters and everyone else in the drama, for that matter. Keep in mind that one of the most important messages of Beyond Evil is that everything is not as it seems. Yes, Lee Dong Shik is considered to be the loose cannon of the substation, but at the core of his character is anger: white-hot and unyielding, all because of the injustice he and his family, especially his sister, have gone through. There's also a kindness within him, too, as he tries to prevent anyone else from getting hurt as he and his family did. (I don't want to call Lee Dong Shik the mom-friend but I also do want to call Lee Dong Shik the mom-friend. Sorry.) And yes, Han Joo Won is calculating and cold and seems to be almost willing to do anything for the sake of justice, but his character is slowly unpacked as the show goes on and we see that there is a fear that holds him back from being anything more than emotionally distant.

The relationship, too, between Lee Dong Shik and Han Joo Won is so incredibly important to me; I will be keeping the two of them close to my heart for a while. I think they have the kind of relationship where actions speak louder than words and the fact that they gave up so much for each other, that Lee Dong Shik broke down Han Joo Won's walls in a matter of months just makes me feel so crazy. There was SO much attention to detail given to their relationship, things like the way they addressed each other, physical contact, and how they would parallel or mirror each other's actions. Especially that scene at the end, where it is revealed that Han Joo Won has been spending a lot of time combing through the mountains and other rural areas in search of people with dementia or disabilities who have gotten lost, much like how Lee Dong Shik did before him. POETIC CINEMA. Also, these two had no sense of personal space whatsoever and I love that for them. Despite the biting words and back-handed compliments between them, I think they truly grew to care for each other - I mean, telling someone to 'eat well, sleep well, and poop well' is actually something that can be so intimate - and it was this amount of care that made Beyond Evil so compelling.

Speaking of Han Joo Won, I just want to comment on a few things about his character that will hopefully help me segue into some other things I really want to talk about. For the first four or five episodes, I was really frustrated with him, as I was with a lot of characters in this show *cough cough* Lee Dong Shik *cough cough* but kind of in the way that you get frustrated with a family member or a friend as you're watching them make a stupid decision. Lovingly frustrated. At first, I wasn't really sure what to think of Han Joo Won. He kind of gave off the vibe of [standing-man emoji], and then [standing-man emoji who also gets eggs thrown at him.] Of course, I didn't know that my perception of him was about to be subverted, and for that, I really applaud the writers - I don't like static main characters. And then, of course, there were those moments towards the beginning when Han Joo Won started going around suspecting and accusing everyone, which is when my frustration with him hit its peak. Basically, the first four or five episodes went something like this:

Han Joo Won: I've connected the dots.
Basically Everyone in Manyang: You didn't connect shit.
Han Joo Won: I've connected them.

However, I think the fact that the writer - Kim Soo Jin - chose to have Han Joo Won go around suspecting everyone really connects to another sentiment expressed by the police officers of Manyang, and that is the idea of suspecting everyone in order to no longer suspect them, which really helps to demonstrate how Han Joo Won is able to acclimate to living in a rural area after living in Seoul and is able to make these connections with some of the townspeople and his coworkers. I absolutely love the concept of exploring differences between rural and urban life, and I think this show would have been a whole lot different if it had been set in Seoul instead of Manyang, especially because it really helped to draw in all the characters together.

Another concept/theme of the show I liked was the concept of food. It is one of my deepest beliefs that the action of serving another or making another food is in itself a love language and that it can definitely be used as a metaphor for love. There are so many examples of that here in Beyond Evil that I don't think I even have time to write about them all. There are just so many tender and touching moments where characters are reminding each other to eat well and sleep well and just in general lots of great moments where we can see them taking care of one another (the absolute found family of it all.) Also, I really loved the idea of the characters gathering around the Manyang Butcher Shop in times when they needed each other. (Yoo JaeYi, my beloved.)

Finally, the music and cinematography were both stellar. I loved the colors in this show, and that one scene of the reeds field during the daylight was absolutely breathtaking.

Okay, so, this review got really long. As far as things that I didn't quite like, I will be brief and just say that one particular subplot was not as satisfying for me to watch as everything else in the show, and I wasn't totally happy with how the subplot was wrapped up, but oh well. I don't think it impacted that enjoyment of the show too much.

Obviously, I have lots of thoughts and feelings about Beyond Evil. I will say that this is a show I could easily see myself re-watching again, almost in the same way that you can listen to a family member tell the same story over and over again, a story that is forged with love and sits in the bottom of your belly like a good meal. If you're in the mood for an excellent detective show with unique characters that break the mold and will leave a lasting impression on not only your memory but also your heart, then I definitely recommend giving Beyond Evil a chance.