Audiences are naturally more forgiving and prone to favorable recollections when things end well, versus starting well and face planting at the end. That’s due to the ending being the final contact with the work which turns into the last thing taken away, right? Who reads a book or watches a movie from back to front, unless it was me starting with the last page of HP: Deathly Hallows, which may or may not have happened because anxiety for a happy ending clouded the brain there.
With Hyde, Jekyll, Me, there is actually a sliver of hope now that the ending might actually be okay. Not good per se, but better than anyone still watching could have expected up to this point. Thanks to a solid episode 18, with a nice lead into the solution at hand for Seo Jin’s DID, I foresee the final episodes to be wrap up of the bittersweet kind with plenty of warm and fuzzies. The official stills for episode 18 contain two of the best scenes in the episode, my favorite being the scene where Seo Jin and Robin are seamlessly spliced into the same conversation with Ha Na and Young Chan. Why couldn’t this have been the tone of the entire drama all along? Such wasted talent and opportunities, sigh.
I actually didn’t think Hyun Bin did a phenomenal job with Secret Garden, and the same goes with Ha Ji Won, when it comes to the body swap acting. It was Binnie doing his best Ha Ji Won impression of pouting and glaring and never felt natural, which was a bit better than Ha Ji Won’s really awkward Binnie impression. What Binnie did well was playing his own character in SG, to the degree that it’s become somewhat iconic in his resume and in people’s memories.
This time he’s done a seamless job playing both Seo Jin and Robin, I see the two different characters completely whether in stills or in scenes. From body language to speaking to his eyes, he nails it so perfectly. Just look at the BTS still above when he’s reading the script when the cameras aren’t rolling, it’s a totally different Binnie reading the script as Seo Jin then as Robin! Too bad the story is dumb and bricks and no one is watching this drama now. At least a few who are still chugging along get to enjoy his hard work.
On a side note, Han Ji Min finally woke up in episode 18 and started acting like a living, breathing human being, rather than as a tree. Thank goodness and better late than never. Maybe she finally got a cup of coffee to drink.
This is one of the most wild branded airport looks I recall ever seeing and…
C-drama Strange Tales of Tang Palace (唐宫奇案之血玉韘) was confirmed last week by streaming platform Youku…
It's almost time to find out what's in The Trunk as streaming giant Netflix heads…
So the big November C-drama premiere actually had two high profile dramas arrive on the…
This weekend the promos for Squid Game 2 started rolling out and it's certainly going…
Oh this is a fun question to ponder! A recent hot post has K-netizens heatedly…
This website uses cookies.
View Comments
I'm in total agreement. I am very taken over by hyun bins portrayal of both seojin and robin. He perfected both uniquely. This was a peak at ep18 when the merge of both started. When seojin was robin yet also truly felt like he is truly getting robin characteristics and at the same time still seojin - the performance was sublime. Those small eye contact, the smile, the tonality of the voice even.
I do agree that his acting here is better than SG. In SG his character shone because it had the best lines and scenes but like koala, I also found that the gender swap ( it was hilarious no doubt) neither hyun bin or ha Ji won really nailed it, more so for hyun bin IMO but he made it up by crafting joo won to be a likeable asshole. (Sorry for saying that but if joo won was a real person I would have called him a stalker and a creep)
Here in HJM seojin is absolutely fantastic. I don't know how in the world can a really mediocre (or shall I say lousy) drama have such an endearing character. I followed HJM for seojin and if his ending is going to follow the arc started in ep18, I think I might even say I like the drama enough!
couldn't have said it any better!! definitely a great performance by binnie in this drama! but it's sad to see that binnie's performance won't be noticed by larger audiences. damn you crappy story line...how hard is it to make an interesting drama with the given cast!!! sigh, whenever binnie decides to do another drama again (whether it be years from now) hope he finally gets an outstanding script to make up for all he had to suffer with his crappy writing!
I agree with everything you said except for Han Ji Min. This is actually the first project I've seen of hers and Hyun Bin's.
I checked out The Fatal Encounter and loved her portrayal of the grandmother queen. Evil does suit her. I'd have to blame the writer on Hana's character. Hana just seems like the reactor and there's only so much that Han Ji Min can do with that
For me all the actors are good but I really love Hyun Bin. When he plays the CEO, he's so charismatic ! For me the problem is the story... It's a big mess.
Hyun Bin is such perfection in his portrayal of both characters. I actually enjoy HJM but even if I didnt, it would be worth the 20 hours for Binnie and his genius alone. I hope we get a good ending and that he comes back and does a drama by the end of the year. One that's worth his talent and with a costar who isn't sleep walking through the entirety of the drama. He deserves better.
Thankfully, he's too big a star to get drastically affected by one drama. He'll be just fine making lots of money and most likely further establishing himself as a movie star.
Yes yes, I absolutely agree with you gals on this!! I too think his performance as Seojin and Robin is much improved over his acting in SG. His SJ and Robin are pitch perfect and the two personalities are very distinct in the way they behave and present themselves. So even when they are dressed the same, we can tell the difference. It was fun to see the personalities play each other. I too thought the performance of the body swap by both Binnie and HJW was awkward at best. I think I actually cringed a few times and kinda wanted them to show the switch thing with the veil thing that they did. They definitely did their best at it though. Binnie sold me on the asshat, stalker, steamroller that KJW was, which I really didn't like. I knew from the start that SJ felt really different from KJW.
Despite all its major flaws and dissmal ratings, I fully enjoyed every scene that Binnie was in. Even the 35 minute kidnapping scene.
I'm so gonna miss Binnie when this ends. And we gonna need lots of tissue for the coming episodes I suspect. Let's hope we don't have to wait another 4 years to see him on small screen.
yes, let's hope so too! i really want him to do a better drama to wash away this crap from my memory. but, 2 more episodes left! praying the drama ends on a good note at least.
Looks like their outdoor shoots in Daegu attracted a big crowd. N plenty of crying by both leads. Looks like a teary end. Maybe Robin says goodbye in ep 19. Why do I feel so sad eventho I'm rooting for GSJ!
I agree Hyun Bin nailed both characters. As if we are looking at 2 different persons. I am sad to see Robin go even it is expected. I don't think HB will wait long for another drama if there is good script. I will be waiting till then farewell to HJM. A bitter sweet drama for me.
I know that this is your site and you can say whatever you want but don't you think it is a little presumptuous of you to say that nobody is watching this show so confidently? I mean you didn't even say it like it is your opinion but you just stated it like it is fact that you've confirmed with the whole world. I notice you doing this with almost all of your reviews.
I think HB did great job as Seojin but not really good at Robin,
despite the background, it just he is charming at portraying as cold-silent-type rather than warm-ordinary-guy next door.
It just even if he is smiling as robin, I see that he is smile but not relax become Ro-bin,
Seo jin on the other hand is more natural, even when try to act like Robin because that's how I see Robin, as seojin try to be him
some scene Robin is awesome but it just not so much as diff with smiling seojin
Seo-jin has the same start-vibe with joo-won but that's bound to be happen, but when he is trying to be funny as robin, it wasn't funny or creepy but more like smiling hyun bin or smiling seo-jin.
So as much as Seo-jin become warmer and relaxed,the feeling conveyed more than happy Ro-bin that wasn't surely look like Robin
just my opinion though
Kinda off-topic, but I cracked up about your Harry Potter confession. XD