Teureongkeu

"The Trunk," a Korean TV series featuring veteran actor Gong Yoo and actress Seo Hyun Jin, had me hooked right from its announcement. The electrifying chemistry between the leads was something I didn't expect. Although they both have quiet personalities, they understood each other remarkably well. Netflix did a fantastic job by releasing all eight episodes at once. The series had a gloomy vibe, but to my surprise, it was very comforting. The screenwriting was top-notch, and I binge-watched the entire series in one go. This is one of those standout series that Netflix releases every year. It felt like a perfect year-end K-drama. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I hope you have a great day!

Gave this an 8 rating because the basic concept of a "marriage service" agency and a FL who plays the wife is not new. Saw another one of these K-Dramas with the same concept, albeit a different script, that was much better. This script was very slow going but if you can stick with it, the ML gives off a strangely calming appeal when he warms up to the FL who is also usually a quiet type person. He is calming amongst all his emotional problems, turmoil with his x-wife and drug problems. He makes you wish you could just handle your own problems so calming as he begins to rely and fell comfortable with the FL and finally begins to realize what a trap he was in with his x-wife (thanks to the FL new contract wife). The music is nice which helps set the mood in the background for the love story. Ending just Ok, not all that satisfying IMO.

I was hooked on the mystery vibes, but then it did turn into a pretty steady love story. It is in fact the story of several loves - In-ji's doomed love for Seo Do Ha, Jeong-won's love for Seo-yoon, Seo-yoon and her husband, Om Tae-seong's obsessive love for In-ji, and Jeong-won's unexpected love for In-ji. And vice-versa, in some of the cases.

The main story was a little surprising and a little unconvincing for me in the beginning, I am missing a timeline to understand how long it took Jeong-won to get over his obsession for his ex, which is paralyzing as shown in the first episode. There are quite a few things that don't make sense emotionally here, I am not given enough to believe it, there are connections that are a bit underdeveloped, such as Ji-o's apparent affection for his wife, which clearly doesn't serve him other than materially, and he seems to be a pretty material person, and by his own admission with a pretty mean streak. In-ji's past relationship with Do Ha is not revealed sufficiently for me to understand her heartbreak, or his actions, although I think we get quite a lot in episode 7. Better late than never.

I disliked the house, it felt very inhospitable and I don't understand why somebody would make (or keep) that as a home. Maybe getting stuck in your traumatic past. I didn't care for In-ji's style, I actually disliked the actress' face, I think the hairstyle that they chose does not do her any favours, it only makes her look old and gaunt, but maybe that's a matter of preference. I found her more appealing when her hair was more natural. It's an interesting pairing for sure, and not an obvious attraction. But this is a mature story and I liked that about it, despite what I said above. I guess I would have preferred more developed characters, because the mystery as such turned out to be pretty bland. It is slowly revealed piece by piece, but maybe the most shocking thing in this drama for me was Seo-yoon and Jeong-won's unhealthy attachment to her. And how a few weeks (is it weeks?) with a chill woman dismantles that whole relationship. It's a pretty tough sell, but I went with it because it felt satisfying to watch. What I didn't like, again, is the fact that they did employ the exhausting k-drama trope of them having met previously and it was sort of fate, right?

Also, how on earth did they find out about Ji-o? I wish they hadn't really. I felt sympathy for that guy, I don't know why.

I liked the kind of harsh aesthetics of this show and the cold characters, as it depicts the trauma of the protagonists very well. For me, the chemistry between the lead couple worked and the slow building mystery as well. I would have liked to know more about the marriage agency and how it works, as it is an important plot device but not explained very well.

Unfortunately, after a capturing beginning, the mystery plot is resolved in a boring and lazy way. The build-up to the Whodunnit and the ending in general is very weak and unsatisfying. More focus on the plot to complement the great visuals better would have helped a lot.

I usually vote a series down for one of three reasons: 1) the ending isn't convincing and satisfying 2) the plot isn't logical and believable 3) one of the main characters is evil or just plain annoying andI lose all interest in him or her. The majority of K-dramas, lately, have fallen into one of these categories.

This time it's door no. 2.

I guess THE TRUNK works as a sophisticated, understated thriller, but I couldn't warm to the FL, played by Seo Hyun-Jin. She's an enigma, wrapped in a mystery - a reserved, cryptic presence, who seldom smiles and never laughs. Mistress of the blank stare, she gives herself away by small gestures, or the way her face freezes, mask-like, when she's guarded or frightened. Han Jeong-won, played by Gong Yoo, is like a needy puppy, blurting out his thoughts and emotions from time to time.

The details are what makes this series remarkable-the haunting, beauty of Han Jeong-won's opulent, but glacial, residence, the unusual score, and the terse, nuanced dialogues that insinuate more than they elucidate.

If you have the patience to unwrap each exquisitely conceived puzzle piece, you'll eventually suss out the situation. But by episode 3, I realized that I just didn't care. Why? Because the premise is so ridiculous. While the characters are well-delineated, the plot is contrived and unconvincing-especially the ending.