tvN’s newest drama “Eve” is arguably one of the most anticipated and talked-about kdramas airing in the first half of 2022 and for a variety of reasons.
Beyond the past controversy of one cast member, the drama was being talked about as having one solid script that was known in the industry.
tvN has not held back on promotions and they’ve done a lot to hype up the drama. With those two things in mind and including the star-studded very talented cast, I was expecting to be wowed…. Which didn’t happen but it doesn’t mean I am losing hope or too disappointed either.
Lets talk about it.
Note: this article is a first-impression review, it doesn’t mean this is the writer’s final thoughts on the drama. This is a spoiler review.
Before we begin, I need you to understand why I had such high expectations going in.
Besides being aware of the summary of the drama, when the casting news came out, Korean media outlets reported that the script was famous, they said, ‘The drama is said to be a hot topic among industry insiders for its solid script.’
To top it off, the casting is immaculate in terms of talent. They got some great actors starring in the project so going in I thought it would be like a “SKY Castle” sort of drama but instead of high school drama it focuses on extramarital affairs and revenge.
And who doesn’t love a good revenge drama?
The results were…. Unexpectedly average in many areas and at times. The overall sensation I felt watching the drama was mixed hence the title ‘rocky.’ I think it was filled with ups and downs in terms of its script irregardless of the acting, directing, and editing.
Lets take a look at the screenwriter because it’ll help you understand a bit about her approach.
The script
“Eve” is written by Yoon Young-Mi who is mostly known for writing longer form kdramas, and by longer form I mean 100+ episodes. She began her career in 2006 writing shorter kdramas before switching to longer-form kdramas and recently started writing shorter form kdramas, but the two she’s recently written weren’t met with much success, they might be known among some kdrama fans but I highly doubt people can easily recall who the screenwriter is.
So the fact that she snagged such a star-studded cast could be a testament to how good the script is. We don’t know so far. But I am hopeful.
With this background in mind, many of the writing choices now make sense. “Eve” episode 1 was difficult to get through because it was unexpectedly slow [more on that later]. I get that its an introduction episode but it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of what it could have been. The 2nd episode definitely picks up and is a lot more interesting.
Episode 1 has many things I personally disliked- in terms of writing. There were scenes that felt awkward and cheesy. In melodrama, awkward isn’t necessarily a bad sign but cheesy is. Some lines uttered by the cast felt so cheesy I was baffled and I don’t think the screenwriter intended for that.
It comes off cheesy because the drama takes itself so seriously but the lines are what you’d expect from a rom-com. The way the characters were introduced is too basic and the screenwriter does her best to shove as much info as she can in your face by basically speaking through a character to the audience. If you know me, you know this is one of my pet peeves. “Show don’t tell” would have been nice here especially since the drama was heavily promoted.
I think most people walking into the drama knew of the premise so some choices in episode one are odd. Two scenes stick out in this episode, in particular the scene where the screenwriter shows something then circles back to why Lee La El did it but the thing is… we know why she’s seducing him like that, we know she’s doing everything she can to bait him so there was literally no need to circle back with a scene that shows why she’s done what she’s done because we know she will seduce him to take down LY group.
The editing and directing style of this scene towards the end of the episode was odd, it is made to feel as if they’re pulling the rug from underneath you but they’re not, because you know why she’s doing it. It would’ve been much more impactful to just showcase it as it is because its shocking enough on its own. [what leads up to the sex scene]
The second thing which I personally didn’t like was the amount of suspension of disbelief the screenwriter is asking of us.
It is said that Lee La El has been working on this for 10 years…. In the scene where she drops a bracelet, she assumes he’ll pick it up, go to her room to deliver it, and see her having sex with her husband from that specific angle. The number of probabilities that need to take place for such a scenario to occur are….. is it even a possibility?
So we’re expected to believe that Lee La El is smart and is using her body and mind to take them down but the way she goes about it at first is more of an indication of how highly she thinks of herself rather than what is possibly the reality.
Because he’s the richest man in South Korea, its safe to assume Kang Yoon-Kyum has been approached by at least 50 women who all attempted to seduce him and marry into his family or seduce him while he’s married simply because he can be a sugar daddy. So… what exactly makes Lee La El so special? And what if he didn’t fall for her?
I hope the rest of the script isn’t on the same level in terms of how much it requires of us to suspend our disbelief because it will border on ridiculous if this is repeated especially later on.
Episode 2 is much better as I could feel the screenwriter could finally set her plan in motion after having done that introductory episode.
The characters
Note: to those who might be confused this is a discussion about the characters not the actors.
The only one I think I like so far is Seo Eun-Pyeong… but… there is also something about the age gap in that drama because he met her as a human rights lawyer so its safe to assume he was 25 to 27 and she was 15. Of course, in the flashbacks, you can tell he’s more of a brotherly figure but I wonder how the screenwriter plans on handling their relationship in the future.
Not only is Lee La El married but has a child. So, in the synopsis, it says he throws everything away for love. I hope the progression of their relationship begins from zero, not based on the pre-established connection they share.
Kang Yoon-Kyum doesn’t seem like the most terrible CEO which kinda makes me feel a bit bad for him, we shall see. This might change in the future. The dude seemed miserable. It doesn’t excuse his cheating or his wife’s but it helps you see his angle.
I dislike Lee La El’s character thus far. The fact that she approached what would be her future husband with the purpose of marrying someone who knows Kang Yoon-Kyum is already bad, what did that dude do?
and the fact that she had a child with him and is cheating on him is too much for me to feel sorry for her in the slightest.
It might be that her husband turns out to be a bad person or someone who also harmed her family, I don’t know, but regardless, she’s starting a fight with crazy people when she has a child to look after. Would this be what a good mother would do? I just know that they’ll target her child as soon as she’s exposed to having been behind this. Its difficult to sympathize much with her. I am not sure if this is intentional.
I don’t know what the screenwriter intends with this approach because aside from seeing the posters, I avoided the teaser videos in order to lower my expectations which didn’t work, again. So I personally didn’t know Lee La El was going to be married and a mother. That shocked me.
The fact that she’s dragging what appears to be an innocent man and a child into this fight is….. a sign she needs help. I can see how hate shaped her entire being and consumed her and I think she’s very interesting as a character. I don’t like her character but in such type of drama, I don’t feel its necessary to like a character to enjoy the project. I am still interested in what she’ll do in the future.
Will the screenwriter attempt to redeem her character or will she take the other approach, the approach of bad versus worst. As in, Lee La El might be a terrible person but look at LY Group, aren’t they the worst?
Han So-Ra is a different kind of terrible and I hope the screenwriter shall address that sex scene she had with the secretary of her father. Because it didn’t look consensual. There is a huge power imbalance and I doubt the dude is doing it willingly.
Conclusion and comments on future episodes
I can see the screenwriter upping the antics of what you’d expect from revenge kdramas in terms of how shocking and unexpectedly 19+ things turned out to be.
There are many of what you’d call ‘problematic’ scenes in the drama. Scenes that should be accounted for in the future. As in addressed properly taking into account the weight they hold.
This includes the sex scene Lee La El had with her husband, she left the door open on purpose so somebody could walk on them and see them, would the husband have been okay with that? Would you be okay if your partner did this?
The second scene is the Han So-Ra sex scene with the secretary. Will she be punished for it? Or was it just a ploy to show how ruthless Han So-Ra is?
I also hope the screenwriter addresses those scenes properly in the future through the script.
I also hope she takes into account the mental state of Lee La El, as in discussing how this mentally affected her and how her actions shouldn’t be relegated to ‘she’s crazy for revenge’ type of argument. That would be a slippery slope. I hope she’ll also be held accountable depending on how much damage she does in the future.
For a premiere, “Eve” was both lackluster and good, unexpectedly turbulent. Despite saying that, I have a lot of high expectations for the future. I might have not liked some of the writer’s approach but I think this could easily be remedied and tackled properly, this is only the first week.
I also enjoyed everyone’s performance. They’re all pros. It will be fun to see how this turns out to be.
So these are my thoughts on “Eve” premiere, so what about you guys? did you like the episodes? let me know what you thought in the comment section below.
