Money Game

This show is actually a hidden gem. It is a work of fiction, but many of the events and themes come directly from what happened in Korea during the IMF crisis. While some of the financial lingo may throw off some viewers and some of the concepts may seem too esoteric, the show can be quite entertaining and rewarding. However, you do have to pay attention. This is not a show that you can casually watch while also playing games on the phone or doing something else.

Another problem with this show is the fact that it aired on one of the cable networks. Consequently, it had to fit the pre-set format of 16 episodes. Had this been a Netflix or Disney project that did not need to conform to such rigid format, it could very well have been a 8 or 10 episode show that would be much more appealing to many more.

If you liked movies like the Big Short, Margin Call, or something similar and are willing to fully invest your time and attention to a new show, this may be the perfect show for you.

This series is not like some typical series that you might want to watch. If you are a fan of romantic movies this series is definitely not for you. I had to give some effort to watch the first 3,4 episodes but I don't regret it. Because it's worth. I don't have the qualifications to review to financial background of the series but overall this series deserves more than it has. This is not boring if you are looking for something out of the frame. The director definitely has done a great job mixing little romantic scenes to make the series more realistic. I really liked the phrase where Ryoung Cho said, "Go with the flow" and then Hye Joon decided to listen to it when she was sending the email. This is what happens in most of situations today. I really love those simple scenes which have a lot hidden.

The drama had commitment issues and was quite indecisive in what to make out of this drama. It was swinging between making an economic/political piece supported by human drama and between a human drama themed around economics and politics. This was mostly noticeably around the middle parts. Irrespective of its narrative direction, dramas of this nature are reliant upon the strength and range of their characters, and in this case it was pretty limited in that regard. The four leads did provide that to some extent and had a good dynamic and contrast but that wasn't remotely enough for a drama of this scope. The remainder of the cast felt more or less like a background noise, of which, they were divided into two groups, the selfish ones and the lesser selfish ones.

Regarding the ending, the drama built itself up to a big climax but it never got there. It didn't allow itself to manifest into something greater despite the earlier episodes indicating the exact opposite of that. One last thing, in the last episode they were throwing around new emerging ideas/topics and relevant world news that are related to economics at the time but it was a load of crap! By the way, the title of the drama is kinda cheesy compared to its actual content. Anyway, it's good enough.

Watched first 4 eps with some effort. Too elaborated...