I'm deeply impressed by the psychological components of this thriller (I'm in the therapy/psychology field!). I think the writers were thorough in their research and the portrayal of complex psychological issues. From the long-lasting effects of PTSD for Hsiao Chi, to the CPTSD + psychosis (with hallucinations) + substance use disorders for Jia Wen, to the interwoven ASPD and NPD for He Ping -- I could keep going -- all of them were portrayed with a believable level of accuracy, nuance, and complexity. I felt like, throughout the show, there was significant character exploration; personal values, personality, and developmental experiences were all explored in a really meaningful way. And!! There was character development even in people who I thought wouldn't change too much like Ya Cih. I'm not sure if she reflected on the killings and thought about what her absence meant for her child's development and that's why she decided to be home more and take a different job, but that was a truly exciting part to see.

Of all the characters, though, Mr. Ma was the character for me. Often times religious or spiritual identities are portrayed in an extreme and negative way, but his spiritual/religious identity was what made him vital to the plot, as well as wise and empathetic. From the beginning, he stood by his belief that his granddaughter was a good person despite the persecution he faced. He accepted his granddaughter exactly as she was, saying he didn't care about her religion. He spoke about acceptance for how things are/were, and finding a pathway forward. He made reference to Lao Tzu who authored the Tao Te Ching, and he talks about the belief that we are like water. Not only do we have the strength of water, but we have the flexibility of water to move over the stubborn rocks and obstacles, moving through and around it to continue on the path toward a life worth living. And, boss move of it all, he called He Ping out on his shit to his face without any hesitation. Though he was considered a "support character," I think he played a pivotal role, and without him, I don't think the characters would have developed and transformed as they did.

I do think that some of the characters weren't as human as they could have been. For instance, we rarely if ever got to see them outside of their career, not even for simple things like eating out together, playing games, watching movies - simple things that could bond them in a healthy way (bc let's not lie, most of them were trauma bonded lol). Such a minor issue, but nevertheless, something I considered. I'm also a bit disappointed Yun Hui died. I get that her death forced Hsiao Chi to act violently - which served meeting the killer's expectation / taunt - but I feel like he had already lost so much...I would have been grateful for the writers to give him at least one thing.

The unfolding of the plot was very nicely paced. I was worried that, with Jia Wen being revealed halfway through, they would really drag out the remaining episodes in a way that wouldn't be noteworthy. But, they added the components of multiple accomplices (which I predicted), moving through misleading evidence, and through He Ping's evasion of the authorities. For people suffering from such delusional grandeur and narcissism, I think he was unnaturally lucky he didn't slip up more often or in more obvious ways, and yet, it was believable enough to move the plot along. I liked that all the characters were involved in making the plot move and that there were powerful female characters in the show too. The women were not all victims - they demonstrated gentle strength, intellectual prowess, cleverness, and resilience. I was glad that they weren't tossed to the wayside and depicted as entirely helpless.

There were a couple of things that were bothersome, but not enough to change my rating. The level of gruesomeness, especially the inclusion of a lot of the victim's crying and screaming during flashes of their pictures before/after their deaths, felt intolerable at times. I either had to stop watching or skip through because the audio-visuals were so overwhelmingly horrific (despite knowing, obviously, that it was fake and no one was actually harmed). I also couldn't understand how Hsiao Chi ended up being a public defender after getting out of jail. Are there no stipulations against it in Taiwan? Idk! Feels unrealistic though.

TLDR; this is a worthwhile watch, and i may rewatch it in the future :) the psychological elements, the character development, and the pacing with nice twists made it entirely worth binge-watching.