“The Escape Of The Seven” Review [Episode 1 And 2]- As Absurd And Over-The-Top As It Gets

After what felt like a solid year of anticipation, “The Escape Of The Seven” finally premiered this weekend to much anticipation, so how was the premiere? Let us 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.

The creators who brought the makjang series “The Penthouse” reunite again with a massive ensemble cast in a new drama titled “The Escape Of The Seven,” the drama had also been filming for season 2 and is scheduled to run until March of 2024 [split into two parts]. So, it seems that SBS not only had hope but quite the confidence this drama could do well, but will it?

Let us discuss!

“The Escape Of The Seven” has screenwriter Kim Sun Ok’s name all over it and director Joo Dong-Min’s style all over it, it almost feels like a carbon copy of the style and direction for the penthouse which isn’t a good indicator, thus far.

If you guys don’t recall, The Penthouse series, while popular, ended on a somewhat downward turn with critics and viewers alike slamming the finale season for its absurdity and writing. So, what compelled our lovely production team to proceed with nearly similar style for this one dialed to 100?

I don’t know, I guess we’ll find out later, perhaps. If ever.

I think anyone walking into this drama expecting any sort of common sense is at the wrong place, not unless they don’t know who the creators are. I see anyone complaining about how illogical it is to be somewhat funny.

Not that such complaints aren’t valid but because its Kim Sun Ok we’re talking about. Her dramas have always been like that.

What I can say is this…. this time, it’s a bit different, as in the characters are so obviously and cartoonishly villainous from point zero… which is quite honestly jarring. As if somebody who never did drugs suddenly took a BIG dose and they can’t seem to come down from the high.

In the penthouse, and I’ll continue to compare because of how similar they are, the craziness aspect wasn’t immediate, it progressed somewhat slower into madness until it became a shell of what it was supposed to be. Regardless, it wasn’t that jarring from the get-go. This meant you had time to breathe in with the characters as the story got progressively worse in every aspect. By that point, you’re honestly too invested to let go. I don’t know if it’ll be the case with this one. It’s a 50-50 chance. I think they’re relying on that. I think it’ll either become a massive hit or not.

The basic idea and the basic structure of the characters is eerily similar to that of the penthouse, down to the fine details, especially the core plot of the bullying Da Mi suffers which feels very much the same thing the character Seol Ah from the penthouse went through before she died.

I trust that the creators will make this drama even more dizzying, absurd, illogical and annoying as time goes by. I also trust they won’t make it an easy watch either because makjang dramas are mostly not. It’s a bit difficult to swallow this many horrible characters so early on in the drama, there is a reason most other screenwriters don’t follow Kim Sun Ok’s writing style.

It’s a makjang drama by definition, which means you’re not really meant to take it seriously, but to an extent, there needs to be a basic level of logic [even if its faint] that you can still rely on. This is needed so the audience can still feel attached to the good characters in the drama enough to stick around, not completely turned off by the main villain characters. When it comes to this specific part, Kim Sun Ok has always had an issue correctly applying it, in my honest opinion. I feel she gets carried away while writing such characters easily. It’s a personal opinion tho.  

I don’t know to what degree that will be present here this time but I highly doubt there would be many redeeming qualities to any of the villain characters.   

If there is one thing I can salute Kim Sun Ok for its this, how she’s not afraid of risk-taking, she makes the villain characters the protagonists of the show. This is a rare sight still in kdrama land. Its now more accepted to play a villain role, that’s for sure, but you still don’t often find unironically villain characters as the MAIN characters, not the supporting ones.

I feel Uhm Ki Joon’s character will not appear in the next week even, I think he’s either playing the actual biological father of Da Mi or the adoptive father who got surgery after his daughter died, somehow got money and avenged his daughter.

I think he will be the character that sort of punishes these 7 individuals badly for their actions. This is what I understood. I could be wrong.

I can see a good number of people tuning in and enjoying this show regardless of any issues no matter how glaring they may seem. And that’s not a wrong choice either, if you enjoy something, watch it, more power to you.

As for me, I don’t know if I’ll be tuning in next week, Makjang dramas aren’t my fav thing but I really really like watching Lee Joon in this one, so I am rooting for him and his character. I might wait a couple of episodes and see how it goes.

So these are my thoughts on The Escape Of The Seven, so what about you guys? did you like the episodes? let me know what you thought in the comment section below.