Don-kkot

Thank you Netflix. The Hallyu came as a tidal wave with this show. As an American living in India with no knowledge of Korean or it's culture I have become addicted to K-dramas. Money Flower is not the typical Korean romcom that I have been watching recently. The initial episodes lull you into a hopeful snuggle and slowly drops you into an abyss of a power struggle that rivals Hamlet, schemes within schemes.

I had recently watched "You Are My Destiny", and was amazed with the breadth of emotions that Jang Hyuk displayed and caused to resonate within me. While his character went big with his emotions. In Money Flower Jang Hyuk pulls the emotions in tight, while flashing all with clench of the jaw, a purse of his lips, an icy stare or desperate longing. Park Se-young and Jang Seung-jo compliment Jang Hyuk's minimalism with the ability to depict their characters' evolutions from light hearted lovers to abused puppets.

Unlike many other shows where the minor character become caricatures, Money Flower, kept the supporting characters from being flat, allowing each to be multi-faceted. Lee Soon-jae could easily have been a typical autocratic patriarch, someone who needed to be defeated. Yet there were moments of tenderness, love and even doubt in his megalomania.

Normally, I would discuss the story in much more detail, but because the writing, acting, music all came together to create an epic I wanted to praise the craftsmanship that all brought to the table.

The story itself is one told over and over. An illegitimate son trying to get revenge for his mother being thrown away and to take his rightful place at the table. Yes, there is so much more to the tale that is so artfully woven with threads being added to make a rich and vibrant story. In order to take nothing from the experience, I will not say more about the story.

I highly recommend Money Flower.

I love Jang Hyuk and became a fan after watching his dramas like Thank you, Beautiful Mind and Fated to love you. Initially I was reluctant to watch Money Flower as it was a revenge drama and that is not my cup of tea. However, when I started watching it, I must say I was blown away by the acting prowess of Jang Hyuk and Lee Mi Sook. It must be said here that Jang Hyuk is terribly underrated in Korean dramas. This man has such a broad acting spectrum. Through out his drama career he has done a variety of roles with perfection - comedy, action, thriller, melo. Money Flower was a series where he shone the most. As it was in this series he portrayed his feelings with his eyes.. It was only in his eyes you could see the anger, grief, despair, and need for vengeance.. The entire time when keeps his identity concealed he is walking around with a mask on his face. Never allowing anybody to see his real self. A character so driven to seek revenge that he uses his love to accomplish that. Money Flower had it all. Stellar acting by the cast, great direction, haunting soundtrack. The script may have been a bit flawed but the loose ends were nicely tied. This series is a must watch for the kdrama lovers.

The story is dark without any lighter moments. It's a character driven story. All but a few are tortured by their own ambitions and are stabbing each other in the back. Above all it's a slow moving revenge tale. The central figure is an avenger consumed by his own guilt. The story builds tension, slowly, slowly until the last few rapid fire episodes. At times my own tension was noticeable while waiting for the next few lines of dialogue. The musical soundtrack deserves mention as only a few themes but for adding theatrical emphasis. Award winning actor Jang Hyun plays a meticulous conniver with a plot to take control of his family's business under his assumed identity as the family lawyer. His and the others' shenanigans sometimes made me laugh. All of the excellent actors are convincing but a stone faced JH dominates because he's Jang Hyun and because his character manipulates the story. 24 episodes is too many to binge watch but I did my best. 10 stars.

Started watching this series only because of Jang Hyuk. I liked his minimalist powerful performance.

...Well worth watching. Jang Hyuk is magnificent in this Machiavellian series ;he carried the show with the support of a very capable cast. I highly recommend this series,