With a mix of tension, drama, and a little humor, Beyond Evil took viewers to a suspenseful ride, captivating with its peerless writing all throughout.
Beyond Evil follows Lee Dong Sik and Han Ju Won, two fearless police officers with tainted pasts. Bent on cracking the case, the two cops also bend the law and rules to get to the culprit. The audience follows them as they investigate the case tied to crimes committed more than two decades ago.
As they slowly get closer to finding out the perpetrator, everyone, including themselves, falls under suspicion. It is one of the most thrilling and riveting dramas this season. Adding more to its suspense are the mystery and secrets that need to be revealed in order to serve justice.
Overall, the drama is so engaging and captivating. Viewers watch with bated breaths for the outcome of their investigation. They tuned in to see the results of their mind games in order to catch the people who started it all.
While there are a number of things Beyond Evil excelled at in its execution, such as its beautiful OSTs, to give the audience a quality drama, there are three points that stood out, giving viewers a satisfying and immersive experience.
Beyond Evil’s Pinnacle Aspects
Lee Dong Sik and Han Ju Won’s Bromance
Shin Ha Kyun and Yeo Jin Goo put in excellent performances in portraying the characters of Lee Dong Sik and Han Ju Won, respectively. Throughout the series, they both share a chemistry that is engaging and compelling whenever they appear side by side.
Although they somehow started off in the wrong foot, the tension between Dong Sik and Han Ju Won grabs the audience’s attention. They are completely opposite to each other as Dong Sik with his quirky personality has his own ways of handling the situation.
Meanwhile, Han Ju Won likes to operate on his own and doesn’t want people to meddle in his business. Despite their differences, further, in the drama, they team up and work together to investigate the case and reveal the truth.
Riveting Storyline
Set in the small fictional town of Manyang, Beyond Evil is a story that delves deep into human’s multifaceted nature. It highlighted people’s greed which led to the cover-up of 20-year-old crimes. The story mainly revolves around Lee Dong Sik. He is a police officer looking for her sister who disappeared more than 20 years ago.
The show confuses the viewers by making him a suspicious character who has gone through pain and grief. With incidents after incidents, that agitated Manyang, Lee Dong Sik is suspiciously holding onto a secret.
Though he was a prime suspect, there was a lack of evidence of his involvement. With his eccentricities, there is also no guarantee that he is not the real criminal. The tragedy greatly affected Dong Sik’s personality and the way he does things. Regardless, the people of Manyang treats him in a civil manner, the community was also still wary of him.
Yeo Jin Goo plays the other lead character named Han Ju Won. He is an elite detective from the International Crime Investigation Team at the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. He’s a highly skilled detective with a father who’s a high-ranking officer. For some reason, he was transferred to the Manyang Police Substation.
His primary motive for transferring is to closely investigate cases of missing migrant workers, and also Dong-Sik, whom he suspects. The two, being suspicious of each other, began playing mind games. As they get closer to the truth they slowly form a bond.
The characters in the drama are dubious and cunning. Most of whom hinted that they have a personal agenda or hiding a secret. Their interactions combined with the way the events unfolded make this series worthy of your time.
Harsh But Realistic Life Lessons
There is a conventional pattern of Korean thriller that mostly focuses on the character’s psychological change, plot structure that conflicts against the culprit and prioritizes explicit scenes. But Beyond Evil, while following this trend, somehow manages to set itself apart, as it highlights some social problems.
People are missing every day and there are those unlucky enough to not have relatives or friends searching for them. These missing persons just became a number or someone part of the statistics and that’s a sad truth. Beyond Evil also pointed out that people are quick to judge and even if you have proven yourself to be innocent, that one stain in your reputation will take years to fade (or maybe never).
Beyond Evil is such a dark drama that the serial killer in the series seems more human than those helped covered up someone’s crime. It’s scary to think that there are people who would do everything in their power to stay or gain an even higher position.
However, despite its dark and depressing tone, the series also highlighted that a family can exist outside your own. The people of Manyang showcased that in a glaring manner.
Given the simplicity of the story, it was quite impressive that the series added new twists and turns in each and every episode till the very end. The drama is completely consistent and efficient in it’s writings that it not only kept episodes intriguing but also kept the suspense intact. With its perfect cast, great storyline and simple takeaways, Beyond Evil has truly sets itself apart and became one of best series to air this year.
Images from JTBC
Edited By: purple panda
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