The Double is an outrageous, preposterous, totally ridiculous drama that is sure to please if you’re in the mood for over-the-top theatrics and CAMP. We are talking the most ludicrous plot line of all time, a complete disregard for historical accuracy, and fan machines running nonstop to ensure no strand of hair, ribbon, or robe is ever stationary. There will be a breeze gently wafting through this show at all times. Even indoors. Especially indoors.

Personally, I am a fan of such dramas – as long as they fully embrace their soap opera hearts and commit to the insanity. It’s why I loved the Korean drama Penthouse with its rich socialites throwing each other out the windows because of opera (truly a stand out show in the camp genre). It’s why I loved Bulgasal: Immortal Souls, which was fantasy camp nonsense through and through and I adored it. Devil Judge? Pure gay camp and politics. To be camp is to be a dumpster fire covered in glitter. Not many shows can maintain the sheer disregard for logic in favor of fun. Once you realize you are viewing a camp show, you must immediately stop asking questions and just go with the flow.

The Double is the story of a woman who wakes up one foggy evening to find herself framed for adultery (or is it early morning? time is nebulous in this show – between the fog machines and the spotlights aimed through every window, you will never know what time of day it is). To add insult to injury, her husband whisks her away into the night and dumps her into an unmarked grave. He confesses that the whole thing has been a set up, that her brother and father have been killed, and that he’s really sorry, baby, so so sorry, as he proceeds to crack her in the head with a shovel and bury her alive.

This all happens in the first fifteen minutes. It’s delicious. Soft white petals fall on her grave. I really wanted to see her hand shoot up from the grave, gripping that flute he’d tossed in with her.

And when that happened?!

OMG the audacity of this show to be so absurd?! The CAMP nonsense!

I cleared my viewing schedule as I knew I’d found THE DRAMA to get me through the next few days.

Our murdered wife crawls out of her own grave and resurfaces by a creek/river. She is found by two young ladies in white, who we discover are psuedo-nuns (aka, ladies who have been sent to old timey juvie for whatever infractions).

Super conveniently one of the young girls dies right away and even though the resurrected wife looks nothing like her and there’s at least a ten year age gap, she promptly steals her identity. She does not attempt to change her style or her appearance in any way and moves back into the same town she just came from, with a different name.

Cause, sure. I mean. Sure. Let’s do that.

Our “reborn” girl now has to pretend to be this other girl, move into her home, deal with her evil stepmom and stepsister, torment her murderous husband while solving her own murder (she knows WHO did it, she just doesn’t know WHY), flirt with a sexy Duke, and maybe help out the royals or whatever. It’s enough to keep you busy.

I don’t have much to say about this drama’s plot. Revenge. Romance. Really beautiful scenery. That sums it up.

I watched it and it was enjoyable because of all the camp nonsense. The insane entrances of characters, the deliciously overdramatic dialogue, the spotlights outside every window giving us these fabulous shafts of light in interiors, the swishing fans, the billowing robes… the thunderstorms!

I think this is a good time to point out one of the director (or perhaps cinematographer) quirks: close up shots of faces. Really close up. Usually cropped at the forehead, a wee bit of shoulder, with the giant head often staring straight into the camera – and thus at you.

What a waste of all those elaborate hair styles and bun ornaments, am I right? Not that everyone doesn’t look beautiful at all times, but geesh… give us some space, camera man! I have a relatively large television and felt overwhelmed by these massive full screen looming faces.

I guess that’s my only real gripe.

There are plenty of interesting and unique characters in this show. I particularly enjoyed the crazy Princess Wanning. That actress had me spellbound with her performance. I could totally believe a man might be trapped by her, caught between lust and fear.

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I think if you haven’t watched a lot of melodramas, or are new to Asian dramas, then this show may be a perfect 10 for you. Due to the excessive campy nature of the entire production, I could not take it seriously as a true melodrama. It was more like… Bram Stroker’s Dracula. A glorious, color saturated fever dream with ridiculous embellishments that no one minded cause… Dracula? Uh, yeah, of course the church cross is going to spout blood when you stab it. Don’t question our creative choices!

Our leading male Duke Su was a riot. I can honestly say I was always happy to see him saunter into the scenes with his red and black robes.

I’m not convinced this guy is the best actor, but this is what we call GOOD CASTING. They needed a big hunky man with swagger and that is what was delivered.

I mean… seriously…

Duke Su was sooooo overdramatic, I was eating it up.

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The Duke also had electric chemistry with the leading female.

Their romance was very… mature? I don’t know how else to put this, but the female lead wanted to bone this dude from day one. Listen, she was a married woman. And though her husband had his flaws (murderous flaws), he was obviously giving it to her on the regular cause she looked at the Duke like a woman STARVED. And our girl got progressively and obviously hornier as the episodes piled up.

Subtle she was not.

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Ain’t no one gonna believe you’re a teenager who just got out a nunnery, girl, you are waaaaaay too comfortable around the male body. We can all read your mind and it is not PG content, missy.

Though I think we can collective say “SAME, GIRL.”

They were gorgeous and hot for each other. There is a scene where he lets her bite into his hand and I thought I was going to pass out…

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I am not immune to such sexy shenanigans. The Duke is gonna have to let me borrow his fancy fan cause I was perspiring!

Though there are many villainous peeps in this drama, it is the Murderous Husband and the Crazy Princess who are most often behind the wheel driving the plot. I’ve already said I loved the psychotic princess, and I stand by it. But the husband… holy god, ya’ll… he’s… fascinating. Just a conflicted and tormented disaster. He’s honestly even scarier than the princess cause you’re just not sure about him.

Anyways, enough prattling. Go and fire up Netflix or Viki or whatever app you can find this on and settle in. This show is sure to please. It’s hard to imagine anyone not having fun watching this campy romantic mess of a show.

The Double – Overall Rating: 9/10.