Review – Blind (2022)

I have just discovered I did not write a review for Blind, despite it being one of my favorite dramas in 2022. It’s got everything I love. Siblings with strained relationships but a deep connection, gruesome murders, and unfolding mysteries linked to secret atrocities that are slowly revealed. I thoroughly enjoyed every episode and am gonna run you through the general set up for it – and what happens in the first episode (so spoilers for the first episode follow!)

Blind opens to a group of young boys, elementary to middle school aged, in matching dirty uniforms running through the woods as vicious dogs chase them down through the night. These boys are terrified and desperate. It’s clear they are running from more than just the dogs… but a horrible situation. 

One of the boys gets his foot caught in a bear trap. Another boy is waiving down a car for help only to be run down on the road. Savagely the drivers put the car in reverse, running over the kid a second time, ensuring his death. Those who are uninjured are quickly surrounded and trapped, their escape attempt thwarted. A man the boys call Crazy Dog narrows in on them, whistling an eerie tune.

– and the scene closes on a child’s wide eyes before it cuts away… to an equally horrifying scene in present day 2022.

A young lady is kidnapped off the streets and wakes up in a plastic lined room tied to a chair (never a good scene). She is strangled by an unknown man… who is whistling the same creepy tune as Crazy Dog. 

Back at home her parents await her return, hanging up balloons, the entire house decorated for the young lady’s birthday. She will never come home.

The stage is set.

The basic mystery presented: 

Who were the children? And where were they? Did any of them escape? Who is the person that murdered the young lady? Is he connected to the man that was hunting the children in the first scene? Is it the same man?

I was riveted and hooked after 15 minutes. 

We meet our main character, Sung Jun (Taecyeon), in the next scene. He is a cop amongst the crew called out when the girls body is discovered on the outskirts of town. 

Sung Jun’s older brother Sung Hoon (Ha Seok Jin), is a judge. But not just any judge, he’s a righteous man known for his unfailing devotion to fairness. He eats alone, he refuses to take any bribes, and won’t even help a family member who got into trouble. The law is just in his eyes. It is only people who are fallible.

We learn quickly that both parents seem to loathe their police officer son while they dote on their judge son. It is not a happy home.

We learn the two brothers live together. That the cop brother has a history of violence and was often in fights as a youth. The judge implicates maybe he became a cop to continue a life of violence, and the suggestion clearly upsets the police officer.

Big brother judge is overseeing the murder trial of the girl strangled, now nicknamed  “Joker’s Murder Case,” because of the wounds on her face. The suspect was caught in a security camera threatening the victim with a knife… but he claims another man was involved – our young police officer! Could the judge’s suspicions be true?

The show flashes back once again to the young boys hiding in fear from the opening scene. The whistling man who is hunting them is finally revealed… It is the father of the young woman who’s been murdered. And as the camera pans in on one of the young boys, it cuts back to modern day – to our police officer.

Are they same?!

Was the murder truly an act of retribution? For whatever horrible things were obviously happening with those boys???

Ya’ll. I had to know. I knew I wasn’t going anywhere until I’d burned through this entire show and binged it all over the weekend.

Overall Rating: 9/10 – A Dark Murder Mystery About the Dark Side of Humanity.

Read on for some very mild spoilers… and the connection of this show to true events

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Review – Save Me (from people!)

Review – Save Me (from people!)

Is this show a dark commentary on humanity?  YES.  Was it awesome?  Yes… but it’s very, very dark, so light a few candles and pray for the soul of the world before you start viewing.

This is the story about how a family got sucked into a cult.  It’s also a story about growing up, and realizing your parents aren’t the gods of our childhood.  It’s a story about society, and how the struggle for power changes people.   Power over your own life, power over circumstances, power over others.  It’s a commentary on politics, religion, government, and the basic needs of humans – to be useful, to be happy, and to be safe.  And at its heart, it’s a story about friendship.  There’s a lot packed into this drama.

It’s not a pleasant experience, though.  The drama tackled quite a few uncomfortable topics – from police corruption to political corruption, violent school bullying to murder, unbelievable cruelty to cold manipulations of others – both emotionally and physically.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  I’m not sure I want to again for a while, either.  You’ll want to give your brain a rest after this intensity… maybe watch a Disney movie or something.  Cleanse the palette, cleanse the soul.

Overall Rating – 9/10.  Getting To New Heaven Is Hell On Earth.

Thoughts on religion, my personal opinions on the matter, and various musings follow…

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Review – Who Are You (2013)

Review – Who Are You (2013)

So simple.  So small.  So satisfying.  This drama knows its place in the middle, making itself the “just right” cozy bed for Goldie Locks.  It’s a compact little cupcake of a mystery-romance with a low-calorie supernatural sugar coating.  It’s not enough to make a meal of.  It’s just a tasty little treat.

Like a paper back romance you take to the beach with the full intention of leaving it behind in the hotel – you’ll enjoy this drama if you don’t have high expectations.

Overall Rating – 7.5/10

SPOILERS FOLLOW

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