Ailiseu

NOTE: This review has been edited as of 10/08/18.

Iris is 20 episode Korean TV show that aired in 2009. It's your basic Korean melodramatic TV series format, only it's infused with a significant amount of action & intrigue. Iris 2 (Iris II, Iris; New Generation) is its second/follow up season, which was also 20 episodes, but it didn't air until 2013.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

I had originally written 2 separate reviews years ago for this show/series, because IMDB originally listed them as 2 different shows. Since then, IMDB has apparently merged the original Iris page and the Iris 2 page together, so I'll do my best to merge my two original reviews together here under one review for both "shows/seasons".

Iris (Season 1) was a unique show in Korea when it aired. The idea behind it, was to get some guys who like action/spy/intrigue flicks to also tune into a TV genre almost exclusively geared to attracting female viewers by nature. They spent a fortune making this show (by KTV standards at the time), and it shows; production values are through the roof, various exotic locales are visited, there's some terrific cinematography, blazing gunfights, action scenes, etc.

Viewers loved it immediately (as did I), and it's easy to see why; it's often a riveting television series that is hard to look away from! And, Judging by the show's super high nationwide ratings (nearly 40% of all Korean TV viewers were watching this show by the time it wrapped up), I'd say the producers accomplished their goal and then some. Iris was a massive success by KTV standards that soon spawned a spin-off show (Athena), a movie (which was just an edited version of the TV show), talks of a second season (which only rarely happens in this medium), and so forth.

The closest comparison to this show for western audiences is the American TV series "24", and that's a fair analogy, as they do share many similarities. Here's your story: Two marine friends get recruited by the NIS (basically the South Korean equivalent of the U.S. CIA/NSA). While there, they meet the primary love interest who is their section chief responsible for training them. The 2 friends quickly take to their new jobs as secret agents, and are soon deployed in the field. Things go wrong when they are sent on an important mission though, and they discover they're mere pawns in a much bigger picture.

After the botched mission by the 2 friends/leads, this show boils down to a matter of uncovering what everybody's motives are, who's working for whom, and trying to stop the world from blowing up. Along the way, there's your main love interest story line, the main friendship story line, and so forth.

What cannot be understated is that this show is, at its core, a soap opera. It's a high octane soap opera indeed, but a soap opera nonetheless. I've seen a ton of Korean melodrama shows/series over the years, some of which tried their best to have these "soap operas" reach an audience that includes EVERYBODY (males/females, Koreans/foreigners, action fans/love story fans, etc.), and this is one of those rare shows that actually accomplishes this fairly well.

Iris (Season 1) is very entertaining and highly watchable. I gave it 8 out of 10 stars in my initial rating, and I stand by that. As for Iris 2 (i.e. Season 2). Very disappointing for several reasons. I see some reviewers think it's better than the original, however they are wrong, and I'll now explain why: Iris 2 is greatly hampered by two overriding factors: 1) It's just more of the same with a weaker story and less prominent actors, and, 2) The show producers missed the window to capitalize on the popularity of the original show/1st season, by delaying its production for nearly 4 years.

Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of the actors/actresses in Season 2, and they performed well overall, but the story and writing is lacking in general compared to the first season. In addition, everything seems rushed and tacked on (and/or poorly thought out), in what appears to be a last ditch effort to just cobble something together to put on TV and bring this show/series to a close. Part of the problem is because there was a bunch of hemming and hawing FOREVER about how to write and budget for a new season, along with trying to negotiate and sign up much of the original cast (despite the fact that, SPOILERS, most of their characters died or "were disappeared" at the end of the original show), and so on. As a result, Iris season 2 turned out to be a hodgepodge mess that was just "too lacking, too little, too late".

There are a couple of cast members in Iris 2 that are back from the original, but they're mostly all supporting roles that are non-essential and/or are under-utilized. There's also several new tie-in characters related to characters from the 1st season, but none of these prior cast members or new "related characters" really fit well within the overall story. And, I cannot forgive the fact that they cast some English speaking dude as the main evil guy. No offense to him as an actor or person, and I understand they're trying to be more "globally receptive" by speaking English some, but this role should have been given to someone fluent in Korean; the resulting "forced" English dialogue between him and some of the Korean actors/actresses is often distracting, and prevents the Korean actors/actresses from acting at their best (since they have to use a foreign/second language in some crucial scenes with him).

Iris 2 (Iris, Season 2) is not very good when compared to its forerunner. I originally gave it 5 out of 10 stars, and I stand by that.

Bottom Line: 8 out of 10 stars (for Iris 1 ONLY). As for Iris 2, hmmm, watch Athena; Goddess of War instead!

This is a review of season one. The story line is fast paced and keeps your interest with tension. The production values are better than average for a Korean TV series, with the exception of the then, trendy, camera jerkiness which is horrible at times. Don't expect the production values to be as good as a movie.

There are the typical plot holes, but the show moves fast enough you can mostly ignore them. It is amazing to me that still, in 2020, most Korean shows never admit the ability to track a cell phone for location or recent calls after a bad guy or phone number has been identified. Regardless, I didn't mark this 2009 show down for that omission because my review is in comparison with other Asian dramas.

The show is well written enough that I couldn't always tell what was going to happen next, which I really enjoyed. Most shows follow pretty standard plot lines and this one follows a common overall plot arch, but the details were often difficult to predict, especially early in the show. Later in the show it becomes more formulaic.

The main characters aren't the best actors in the world, but they had chemistry with each other and with others, so that worked well.

SPOILER ALERT! I have to admit that I was disappointed in the tragic ending which I assumed was a vehicle to pull the female lead back into the spy agency. But, turns out that is not the case. So, just another Asian drama with a tragic ending.

I am usually very analytical (an engineer by education), but I generally want my shows to lift me up at the end, so that is entirely emotional and I did not enjoy the ending.

I just want to mention that Season Two is mostly new characters, weaker writing and weaker production values. It starts roughly 3 years after season one.

Wikipedia gives the following information: "Iris is a South Korean espionage television drama series broadcast by KBS in 2009. With a budget in excess of 20 billion won (17 million USD), it, along with its spin-off Athena: Goddess of War, share the record for the most expensive Korean dramas ever produced. Premiering in October 2009, the series was a critical and commercial success, with an average viewership of over 30% in addition to ranking as the top program consistently every week after its debut. The series also took home many of the highest honors at the 2009 KBS Drama Acting Awards, including Byung-hun Lee winning the top recognition, the Daesang Award. Among other nominations and recognitions, Lee and Tae-hee Kim were also named as one of the best on-screen couples."

My Review In One Breath: This series (20 episodes, 60 minutes each) concerns a National Security System agent who attempts to take down a secret organization. After the introductory opening episodes, the missions are similar to what one would find in the American "24" series (excluding the "real time" element), with agents attempting to stop terrorist attacks with the use of satellites and information support technicians. Of course, this is in the Korean style with some romance and melodrama blended in. Acting is top notch, with Byung-hun Lee in the lead role and a very good supporting cast: Tae-hee Kim (his love interest and fellow agent), Seung-woo Kim (a North Korean agent) and So-yeon Kim (as the gorgeous North Korean sniper). Production values are slick, the scoring is great at times, and the pacing is very fast for a K-drama with plenty of shootouts (a few of which are fantastic) and suspense. Storyline is clichéd but the secret organization is intriguing and represents a brilliant little twist on the North/South Korean conflict. Consequently, the relationships between the characters change significantly in exciting ways and the viewer will have an emotional investment in the protagonists. Highly addictive stuff.

A stunning miniseries from South Korea about the 'NSS' (the South Korean Secret Service). Pardon me if I struggle with the character (or actor) names, but several performances are quite stunning. Character-development and -relationships are superb, irony occurs frequently, and there's plenty of action to match the slower sweet scenes showing the developing love-story between Choi Seung-Hee, the pretty female Service leader, and Kim Hyun-Jun, a stud recruit to the spy service. Talk about star-crossed lovers! They get separated, find each other, and then lose track of the existence of each other for months, but only after some very near connections. It's one of those: 'HEY! HEY! Look to your right - she's still alive... HEY! HEY.. Oh No..!' Unexpected sentimental stuff when you are are watching a cold-hearted spy & intrigue show.

IRIS also features a 'cross-over' character {that's a term I invented, by the way, so credit me if you use it!}: a character who switches sides, for some reason, to aid the protagonist. Example: the cowboy who breaks free from the wealthy townfolk in 'SHANE' and rides out to warn SHANE about the pending ambush. In IRIS, it's a pretty North Korean agent who falls out of favor with her bosses, and joins Hyun-Jun in his quest to get to the bottom of this IRIS conspiracy (after a few attempts to kill him, of course).

Also in the show is one of those super-assassin types, whose imminent presence is signaled by the camera focusing on his distinctive cowboy boots. Lots of fist-fights and shoot-em-ups to go with some well-staged car chases. Plenty of double-crosses and plot twists. It has everything U.S. network primetime action shows DON'T have. Like I said, run -- don't walk - to tune this thing in. I am writing this in early December: if you have down-time this month, add IRIS to the mini-series that will dominate your time, instead of clearing snow.

... in it's heart-stopping action scenes, this drama is the closest cousin to Bond and Bourne I have seen on TV, with death-defying stunts, a huge budget and a massive body count. It also boasts a very physical turn from Byung-hun Lee as a highly believable super agent.

It is unfortunate that the plot wanders too far away from credibility on occasion to maintain the suspense.

The opening action sequence grabs you by the throat. Then there is a hiatus while the past history of the characters and their relationships are presented. Stick with it and once the action kicks back in it just does not let up.