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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Mask" Episode 9

"Mask" has taken a turn for the epically dramatic. And despite the fact that it has become a little ridiculous, it still has that special something that makes it a great watch. The characters are so well-planned that the incredulous amount of bad luck that befalls Ji-sook can almost be overlooked.

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So much stacks up against our heroine that it's difficult to digest. Not only do the loan sharks hound her and threaten her brother's life along with Seok-hoon, but her car runs out of gas on her way to save her brother. It is quite ridiculous. But what distracts from that is the richness of the characters and how they are molded by all of the pressures that surround them. Ji-sook keeps wavering between her kind nature and the cruelties she's asked to perform. She becomes as poisonous to Min-woo as his viperous family. Despite desperation, Ji-hyeok chooses the right path after living a life of bad choices. Min-woo learns to consider others despite his neurosis because of his love for Ji-sook. Seok-hoon's jealousy interferes with his devilish plans. There is so much depth to these characters and that balances out the crazy happenings.

While all of the dramatic plot twists could theoretically happen, what is strange is that Seok-hoon doesn't train Ji-sook to deal with people from her past. It has happened often enough that he should see that those people are a hinderance to his master plan. It's not a character flaw, but a writing flaw. In Ji-sook, however, her weakness and inability to choose a path is realistic. She's under a lot of pressure as is Min-woo. Her pressure is making her do things she detests while Min-woo's love is helping him fight the pressure's of his family. The disconnect between their paths in life is what makes their romance so intriguing.  I also love that Min-woo associates Ji-sook with happy memories of his mother. That's strong writing.

Mi-yeon is a sleeping tiger, I fear. As she glides passively past all that angers her it's easy to see the fury building. She also has a nasty edge to her that may lead to more. I'm looking forward to her becoming less passive - the same holds true for Ji-sook.


Written by: Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Mask" is directed by Boo Seong-cheol, written by Choi Ho-cheol, and features Soo Ae, Ju Ji-hoon, Yeong Jeong-hoon, and Yoo In-young.

 

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