OCN Thriller Black Holds Successful Drama Wrap Party with Leads Song Seung Heon and Go Ara
I want to give a shout out to OCN thriller fantasy drama Black, a drama I waited a few weeks in before getting started and never looked back in the level of hooked intensity it had me every weekend. The drama averaged 3.308% ratings which is high for a cable drama and one of the highest ever for the smaller cable network OCN, and the final episode 18 brought in 4.181% to end on a series high. Even better was this drama brought out the best of my beloved oppa Song Seung Heon, who I love and acknowledge is a giant hand towel usually in acting ability but lordy he was on fire and brought every ounce of his passion to this project.
The final two episodes showcased his best acting EVER and wrapped this story up with a tidy bow albeit being wholly inconsistent with much of the world building mythology. This is definitely one of my favorite K-dramas of 2017 but be cautioned that is is extremely dark with underage prostitution, rape, so much murder I lost track of the body count, and in the end the story even one-upped the shock factor with child killing to steal a heart for a transplant. The biggest weakness in the drama was sadly Go Ara’s character and performance, and way more the former as the character was just a plot device from beginning the end and the worst kind ever where she ends up causing almost all the pitfalls that befall the other characters.
Song Seung Heon and Go Ara are both hopeless actors. SSH did fine in Black tjough. although I was disappointed at the ending. Also, why couldn’t they just cast an older actress to play the older version of Go Ara? That makeup looked ridiculous
I didnt like the ending.They waste alot of time on that tape. But overall, it was a good watch and a lot of confustion. I enjoyed SSH performance but Go Ara was annoying most of time.
Tape audisso till the end?
Ditto. Go Ara was a major turn off for me. And her voice.
I was in occasionally, but checked out most of the time for this drrama.
Go Ara’s acting still the same not much development all these years…what if they have casted some other actress.
Luckily for SSH at least he did much better in this drama compared to his previous works.
Wow that was a ravishing photo of SSH at the wrap party, I mean the last one. Who would have such riveting black-as-coal eyes? About the show, I was literally shouting “why why why?” with that ridiculously disastrous ending. Why writer Nim? After all this consistency, rich layers, intricate plot twists and this refusal to romanticise or sentimentalise, why give up at the end, and in such a self-degrading way? I never expected this from this writer. This has been a strong show despite its many weaknesses, but the bad ending now threatens to overshadow everything.
Lots of Korean press praise, though, for SSH’s acting. Called it the best in his career, the role of a life time. I totally feel his pain and remorse and passionate anger in episode 17. Ssh carried the whole show.
There are a number of loose threads still hanging by the end of the show, but the one that keeps bothering me is how come that Haram never gets to see the dark shadow in Leo’s body all this time he is inhabited by 444’s escaped partner?
Because he was her reaper it was revealed that she couldn’t see her own reaper and also the the fact the loser was a partner of 444 and that makes him her dealer as well
Because 444 wore black. Haram could not see the dark shadow in his body.
I only watched it for SSH. He was very funny in comic scenes and great in action ones. I loved him in.
It’s hard to say of it’s the character of Haram was not very well written (she was very useless) or if it’s Go Ara’s acting, but the female lead was boring.
The story was a big mess since the start and the end was just the same for me. I think I prefer God’s Gift – 14 Days, at least it was just the end that sucked but all the story was pretty clear. In Black, the story was exhausting.
The TV-MA BLACK was very good. Song Seung-heon and Go Ara both played their parts, which was written for them. She was the right woman for the part, to play the opposite role of Song Seung-heon. They a special seasoning going on together. You could not have added another woman to play her part, it would have made the movie a flop. We need a BLACK PART 2
It was a good performance by SSH’s standard and writer and director were a great help too.
I liked it a lot too and agree that SSH’s acting was convincing and spot on. The end was a bit weird though, but I will not complain, it was fun to watch all the way until the end.
I literally just finished downloading this but reading that the ending is very inconsistent with previously established mythology gives me serious pause, that is a HUGE pet peeve of mine when it comes to this type of genre. I’m not a huge SSH fan so honestly, I’m not watching to see him act well for once, I just want an entertaining show that’s not too messy from beginning to end. Kdramas very rarely end WELL so I should have expected this *sigh*
Congrats to him and the team either way. It’s good to see that the writer also tried something different.
Go Ara continues to be very disappointing… if she was chosen for this character because of her unique eye color, this could easily be achieved with colored contacts. I will stay away from her from now on, she has made Hwarang distasteful and now Black… what a shame!… sigh….
SSK did one of the best acting jobs that I’ve ever seen from him but Go Ara just didn’t quite make it. This is another recent case-like two cops-where the female lead character could have been portrayed in a more convincing manner. It was well worth watching even with the underwhelming end. But Go Ara as an old woman was a big “nope”!
I’m one of those who like and love Go Ara’s acting and personality,, Idk about the hate or somewhat “jealousy” I feel whenever I came across such comments.
But anyway.. All the cast did a great job even the villains..not Ssh alone.
Not hate or even mild dislike-it just didn’t quite “click”for me. Glad it worked so well for you but you gotta admit that old woman scene was not not a winner.
Yeah,I laugh at that old version of Leo and Ha Ram. They should have just pick old actors for the scene.
We have our own preferences when it comes to liking an actress/actor. I just love the way Go Ara acts.
I enjoyed the drama and all of the cast did a great job portraying their roles. I love how Go Ara portrayed Kang Ha Ram..she didn’t overdo her acting. She showed the right emotions..so for me she did great.
Just finished the drama and yeah this deserved a high rating! congrats to Black team.
Ssh is the most badass but gentle grim reaper! Such a cool one! and with dark humour too.
Go Ara as Kang Ha Ram did well too.
Her character is the most essential one.. Ha Ram’s gift is kinda bittersweet.
I feel her pain and burden having that kind of power.. However I’m glad that it’s a happy ending for them.
Who says they can’t pull the characters?
They are just daebak!
I’m proud to say that I’m one of Go Ara’s fans and she did well in Black.
It’s her first time to be in this kind of genre and she pulled it so well!
I just love her and her acting! congrats to Black team.
I’m not Go Ara fan. This is the first Go Ara drama that i have ever watched. I think her acting is good. Congrats for SSH. Finaly, people can see his talent. For me, ssh is the best korean actor
SSH, I have to agree. He was very good. He did an excellent job well done. And GO Ara did a wonderful job.
Korean netizens are still dissing the bad ending. Today the writer uploaded all the script onto her blog and said there should have been 20 episodes and that the show turned out to be quite different from her script. The director came out today and apologised. This piece of news got 500 comments and 4000 likes.
The original ending would have had Black perish/turn to nothing and would have described Ha Ram’s new life in more detail. From what I understand the director wanted it to have some sort of happy ending so he added the last scene.
Eva, can you please please share the blog link. I so wanna read it. Pretty please! ^^
Go to Naver, type the Korean word for Black, 블랙, and you will see all the news.
I really expect it to have 20 episodes..they should have extended it. Now that the writer and director were apologizing for the ending…
Should we hope for a second season?
I made it to the end but IMO it was a big mess.