when thriller / mystery dramas are done well, they leave an impact on you and man, did this drama break and fulfill me at the same time. i’ve seen many thriller movies and shows but FOE truly left a mark on my heart from how brilliant this drama is — i was hooked from the start and above all what transcended the most: a couple whose love would get tested and that showed the true meaning of loving someone and believing in them even when everything else tells you not to. hyun soo is loving, gentle, and kind to his beloved wife but in reality he’s haunted by a dark past — being the son of a serial killer and a psychopath that struggled with being rejected from society, thus leaving him scarred emotionally. yet he is innocent of the crimes pegged against him and forced to clear his name from a crime that would lead to his own wife investigating him; events that were seemingly impossible and devastating that it left me wanting to know how ji won would handle the fact that her husband was connected to the case she was handling and her choice in trusting in her husband is simply incredible. seeing ji won as a skilled, badass detective that is passionate about her work and an empowered woman that knew how to let people know she meant business without walking all over them was awesome — once again applauding MCW’s bomb acting skills!

i applaud the casting because lee joong ki and moon chae won’s chemistry as a married couple was impeccable. their romantic scenes made my heart skip a beat and i’d laugh and cry with them. i’d say one of their most meaningful scenes is when hyun soo denied ji won’s love, saying he’s incapable of loving her and her only response was “you love me. i can feel it”. that scene upon from others simply made me fall in love with them as characters from the mix of angst and love from our leads — and the acting from both LJK and MCW was astoundingly wonderful; LJK especially left me mind blown by his ability to make one feel for his character hyun soo especially his facial expressions — it was also impressive to see him completely switch his demeanor from the loving husband to a sinister man with that dark look in his eyes. his character truly had me pondering if he was good or bad at times and just when i thought i had figured him out, a twist would suddenly yet again leave me in the dark. it was quite a ride following the characters as they attempted relentlessly to uncover the true culprit, the thriller aspect shining through brilliantly. lee joong ki simply smashed his role and i will forever remember his acting in this drama as one of the best performances i’ve ever seen.

the plot in this drama stayed consistent and always left me wanting more, rushing to watch the next episode because of how captivated i was. the music that set the eerie, mysterious vibe only enhanced the scenes and truly made the scenes enjoyable — especially the villain’s subplot. baek heesong is a bone chilling villain that would make shivers go down my spine from the creepy facial expressions to when he mercilessly killed his maid — the actor did a great job in portraying his character, especially when he was dangling from the cliff, his psychopathy showing and the darkness that lived inside him resurfacing even in his last moment of life. the aesthetics and lack of plot holes made the drama all the more enjoyable and it is a true gem that deserved the high praise it received. some viewers i noticed were unsatisfied with the ending but i personally thought the drama ended well on an open ending, hyun soo may not remember ji won completely but he could properly love her and be happy with her and their daughter. the writer did an incredible job in execution and i applaud the impeccable raw talent by the actors; this is one of the best dramas i’ve ever seen and i highly recommend it to all thriller lovers out there!