Véspera (2022)

Korean Fashion Drama :)

This is not your typical revenge drama. It aired roughly the same time as “Why Her?” which is way better than this one.

The main plot and underlying storyline is quite interesting- young 15yo girl’s dad was murdered in front of her, she was sexually assaulted, her mother went missing; she lived abroad many years and came back with her ultimate revenge. First half had a really good build up. However after awhile it became more of a parade of who wears it better.. which brand clothing, who had the better body etc.. thus why I said Korean Fashion Drama! And at one point Seo Yea Ji was wearing hats as if she was going for a British Royal wedding! And all Han So Ra does is scream and vent and throw tantrums. It must have been so exhausting playing that role.

The ending was not your typical ending, sort of like an open ending. It is true the first few episodes are quite seductive and steamy, which is why apparently it was banned in Korea. Only watch this if you’re looking for a really angst drama. ;)

Leia Mais

Same old school drama revenge turn into trash pathetic romance

If writer wants us to symtheis with ml choose better storyline ml is toxic selfish he never care about his children
Same goes for fl if she want to revenge there is another way and atlast she waste her 13 years for pathetic so called love if it's called love i thing fl go to assylum and after learn what is love
If SML is not there for fl she gonna end up die SML always care love fl
And I never want fl choose SML she don't deserve SML ......
......
..............
If u want to learn what is ending go watch goodbye princess
Writers are the main reason of downfall of this drama .........
Fl acting lead this drama.....

Leia Mais

This drama is so annoying! I still don’t believe it’s TVN. The leads are so irritating for me. The acting is sub par and I am not enjoying this at all.
The whole revenge scheme is kinda outdated and I wish it had a better storyline.
I hate how the FL seems to forget her original plans half way through and is now being a home wrecker (granted there wasn’t a home to break)?
I hate how mistreated the children are. Da Bi is in a horrible home and Bo Ram’s father went abroad and left her with La El. She’s not a bad person but the father was shitty for doing that. At least in my opinion.
One of the worst dramas I have ever watched.

Leia Mais

Terrible plot

Honestly, I saw everyone talking about this show and how it's so good and satisfying so I'll admit I was expecting an amazing S-tier drama. But when I watched it... It's a whole different story, it was almost like they were letting 10-year-olds write the script. This is honestly such a boring yet intriguing drama just to see if it actually does what the synopsis says. Basically, if you read the synopsis it will explain how she is out for revenge... But this is nothing but a frigging love story atp, and I don't even care 1% about the love line it's so terrible. Like, you fell in love w the man that stole your father's company, and now you're stuck? Such a weird plot, I don't recommend it to anyone that likes their time. Even the acting is a bit overdone by both female lead characters at times, I can honestly say that I have been confused in this drama for more than 50% of the drama. I don't know, maybe I'm just bitter because I ship her with SEP but I really don't care for the main lead's love line at all and it just makes the drama worse than what it has to be. It sincerely would have been a good drama without them forcing down our throats that 'they're in love, she loves him sm' trope, like okay?? Get to the actual point of the show like....

Leia Mais

Emotions et vengeance a leurs paroxysmes

Voila,
Eve c'est fini. C'est une aventure de vengeance pleine d'émotions qui atteignent encore et encore leur paroxysme. Il y a des défauts notamment un manque de cohérence puisque rappelons que les personnages sont soit les plus riches soit les plus influents du pays. Oui, du pays. Mais ces défauts sont vite rattrapes par un rythme aussi bien maitrise qu'une partie de tango. Ca va vite, ca va lentement, ca se rapproche, ca s'écarte.
J'ai trouve les personnages bien écrits et avec une évolution qui vient nous déranger dans le bon sens du terme. Peut-être que le président est le seul qui aurait du etre mieux écrit. En effet, je me suis tres vite attache a lui alors que nous sommes censes plutot douter de lui et de ses actions. Or, le gars est juste parfait: Il aime ses enfants, il traite bien ses employés, il est respectueux...etc Je pense que la série aurait gagne a le faire évoluer au delà de son amour.
Concernant les autres personnages, c'est un jeu ou on va jusqu'à ressentir de la peine pour les pires d'entre eux. C'est d'ailleurs pour moi le point fort de la série: les rapports de force évoluent sans cesse. On ne sait jamais a quoi s'attendre et les personnages qui nous semblaient forts dans un épisode se retrouvent au bord du gouffre dans le prochain. Et la fin, je suis heureux qu'elle ne soit qu'a moitie bonne, ca aurait fait tres étrange d'avoir une happy end apres toutes les trahisons et manipulation qu'on a pu observer tout au long de la serie

Leia Mais

Seo Yea Ji and her outfits are the only things that kept me going

Seo Yea Ji is my fav actress and I was pretty excited for her comeback however this drama was a disaster. Her acting skills were superb but the main guy's acting pissed me off, he was completely expressionless, no offence to the actor tho , maybe the actor is good but the role did not fit him or the direction wasn't well done, anyhow it seemed off. The drama was super lengthy and I had to skip through most of it and I still understood what was going on. Some of the characters were awful. I did like some parts of the drama for which I increased my rating or else it would be lower. Some parts were too silly and some were good which balanced it. Lee Sang Yeob did great, I loved him here. Also thanks to the one in charge for the outfits used in this drama, it made the drama look better somehow.

Leia Mais

Revenge is the new K-drama trope.

Revenge drama has become the new K-drama trope, and this production company uses eccentric characters and eccentric fashions in an attempt to differentiate it from the competition.

The plot and subplots were predictable, and the characters were predictable, over the top or blasé. The two female leads dominated the entire plot with their eccentricities, mood swings and fashions. Fifty percent of the women's fashions were fugly or over the top. EVE evolved into a revenge fashion romance melodrama drama.

As usual, the director and film editor chopped up the flow of the episodes with extraneous flashback filler, or flashbacking scenes to clarify actions after the fact. The flashbacking scene seemed relevant to the plot, and should have been presented in chronological order of the story. The director threw Fluidity and Lucidity out the window.

Ra El was passive, So Ra was bipolar aggressive, Kang was passive, Lawyer Seo was passive. The main and supporting cast were very good at stare acting. The director was not really directing, he was telling them when to stare blankly at the camera. This type of emotion does not emote on film, and looks like ... stare acting. The lunatic characters did a very good job acting like lunatics. There were many filler villains. So Ra was Queen Lunatic Villain.

The final episode was deflating. As the episode was winding down, I concluded that Kang might be alive, and in a witness protection program, and that So Ra might be pretending she was mad, so she would not be charged with the multiple murders of her father Prime Minister and other individuals, and the attempted murder of Ra El.

Overall ratings
Revenge 6 - planning and execution were flawed and mediocre.
Fashion 5 - do the rich really dress in the daytime, as if they are going to an awards show?
Romance 3 - boring stare acting and boring sex by Ra El and Kang. XD
Stare acting 9 - several award winning performances
Music 5 - repetitive singing
Ending 6 - predictable
Violence 8 - excessive
Teamwork - 2

Leia Mais

Not even top-tier actors can save this shitty drama

This is so disappointing. This drama could have been a little bit better without the love interest; it doesn't even need any ounce of romance, and there is not enough buildup in the background story of Lee Ra El for me to feel the revenge. Ra El waited 13 years to execute her revenge just to fall in love with an old guy who contributed to the death of her family. That is so stupid; she and Kang Yoon-kyum don't even have chemistry. If she just focused on her plan, I would add 1 point to my rating. The only time I feel thrilled in this drama is when she is inside the secret room of Yoon Kyum; the rest are all bland. Han Sora is the only good character in this show. I am surprised Seo Yeji and Park Byungeun accepted this drama.

A 3/10. This is more of a fashion show between the wives than talking about revenge.

Leia Mais

Signor Verdi would be proud of this show

Eve is fundamentally a modern interpretation of a classic tragic grand opera where revenge, lust, love, power and money are fused together into a cascade of inordinate acts that assault the senses until the grand finale where all the evil deeds come home to roost. Usually, the protagonist is so altered by the soul destroying need for revenge that they are consumed by the vengeful act. This might be seen as a prime example of a makjang drama as well.

Eve would have worked so much better as an opera or a film, but 16 episodes allowed us too much time to notice its flaws. That is a real shame because it is a well-made show in many regards.

It is because of these flaws that the show will be polarising. On one hand, we can be swept away by the haunting love story, the all-consuming greed, hatred and thirst for retribution. Scenes that mixed shock and awe, opulent display of wealth and power can be mesmerising. Much the same way that extreme depravity can be spellbinding.

The flip side of such a strong stylistic statement can be a lack of substance. Does style ride shotgun over narrative logic? With such a long runtime and days between episodes, there is a lot of time for us to absorb the narrative and put two and two together. Seek and we shall find some serious plot holes and contrivance. At some point I decided that to enjoy this show, I need to switch off some cognitive functions and rely more on primitive emotions. Bring on the extra strong tinted lens!

With that in mind, I would say that I mostly enjoyed the show but with caveats. I did get distracted by some illogical scenarios and some contrivance gave me pause. In the end, I was swept up by the head long rush to the grand denouement where it reached the all consuming crescendo. It was a fitting final act to a monumental tragedy and there is little room for moral ambiguity. Death cometh to us all. Signor Verdi would be proud.

Was the epilogue necessary? Was it better that we are given a glimmer of hope (was it wistful thinking?) or would it be better to let the dead rest and leave us to our reflections?

Similarly, comments regarding the acting will be polarised as well. There is no shortage of stylistic flairs and film noir moments so some might think that the actors are not showing enough emotions or when there is an outburst, it is over the top. A lot comes down to the direction and I don’t think any of the actors did a bad job, but 16 hours is a long time repeating a small range of pose. There are times when I felt that the leads were wearing a gilded mask but a mask nevertheless.

OST is fine, got to love a good Tango. Rewatch is unlikely in the near future.

Leia Mais

Acting and Music

Seo Yeaji has been through so much this year, and her acting is amazing for this comeback. I can feel the character's emotions, and I just think her acting is so well that it draws you in.
The OST at the end is perfect. The lyrics are extremely representative of Ms.Seo's character.
I also want to say that the woman who plays Han SoRa is also an amazing actress. She shows her character's anxiety and anger so well.
The men and husband's also act well, especially the actors that play Yoon Gyeom and EunPyeong. Them and Han SoRa's actress play obsession amazingly.
This story is almost the perfect revenge plot (so far).

Leia Mais

Eve is first and foremost the revenge story of Lee Ra El (LRE) who witnessed her family being trampled on and killed by more powerful people. This trauma causes her to spend the following 13 years of her life etching on a revenge to take these people down and make them pay for their crime.


What Works :
The lead actress Seo Ye Ji of course. As LRE, she was perfect. This role enabled her to showcase different ranges from calm and classy to erratic and cruel. I hope this role will mark her comeback and enable her to work in great projects.

Yoo Sun as Han So Ra: She was really good and managed to make us feel sympathy for the horrible woman that was Han So Ra. She managed to show that this bratty tantrum-throwing woman also had another side to her that could make us temporarily root for her character.

The music: I loved it! Especially the title song "Hold Me Tight" which was daunting and really suitable to the atmosphere of the drama.

The story : Who doesn't like seeing rich and beautiful people showing us their ugliest side ? Hahaha
The premise was really good especially the seduction period between Seo Ye Ji and Kang Yoon Gyeom.



What doesn't Work :
The writing : We are promised a story about a 1.6 trillion won divorce battle but sadly, this was barely touched on by the author. The story is about the seduction of a married man leading to his obsession and subsequent divorce sure but it's first and foremost the story of a revenge.
Also, why have Kang Yoon Gyem and Han So Ra have two daughters when the eldest didn't have any role in the story ? She was never mentioned even when her parents were in a much publicized divorce and tearing each other apart.

The direction : I felt it might have added to the story if the audience discovered LRE's motive and background afterward. Wouldn't it have been more intriguing to see a newly arrived young mother who sets her eyes on the The CEO Kang Yoon Gyeom (KYG) while also befriending his wife Han So Ra ?
I feel it would have prevented the show to become repetitive at one point.

The camera work : I feel the Rated 19 scenes were wasted. It should have been filmed more sensually as it was about KYG letting loose and finally getting the object of his obsession.
Also the tango scene in which SYJ danced solo could have been better filmed imo. I think the aim was to show her sensuality and make her desirable but it fell flat because of the way it was filmed.

The characters : My problem lays with the assemblyman. Many shipped him with LRE but I personally thought he was cringy and borderline creepy. I understood the intent. He was supposed to be LRE's rock unwavering and sturdy in his support but the way they made him fall him love this desperately only after seeing her dance was cringy.
First because he knew her as a young girl when she was at her lowest and was thus her only support system now that they back in each other's lives.
Then because he kept referring to her father as family and thus giving off brotherly vibes
Finally because the way he fell for LRE could have been presented better. He was supposed to be perfect and want LRE for who she was and not for what she looked like.


As for the CEO, I know what they were aiming for by making him emotionless for 90% of the drama. He was someone who couldn't show his feeling as they could be used as a weapon against him. He was someone who never felt warmth from his family and despised his wife.
BUT! I feel they could have written him another way and insisted more on his being ambitious and wanting to be the real king and not a mere puppet.
I'll admit that I enjoyed his pairing with LRE though. It's a pity the writer didn't make it more of a psychological game between the two as they were both masterminds who put themselves and their personal goals first.




OVERRAL :
It was a nice watch. I'll personally won't rewatch it but I'll watch some scenes that I really enjoyed. This drama did have some highs and started off great but it was let down by the writing toward the end though there were still some great moments.

Leia Mais