K-Drama Review: “Lies Hidden In My Garden” Slow Burns To Suspenseful and Addicting Thriller Series

Two women work together to emancipate themselves from the abuse they get from their husbands in Lies Hidden In My Garden.

In this compelling story, you have to be patient because the hook does not come in right away.

  • Main Leads: Kim Tae Hee | Lim Ji Yeon | Kim Sung Oh
  • Romance/Addictive Meter:
  • Overall Rating:
  • Rewatch Value:
  • Dramas of Similar Vibe: Mouse | Beyond Evil | Blind |

Bubbly Haruhi watched Lies Hidden In My Garden on Prime Video

First Look

Lies Hidden in My Garden poster kdramadiary


Lies Hidden In My Garden Series Recap + Highlights *Spoiler Alert

Lies Hidden In My Garden is a suspense thriller story about two women whose lives are completely different from each other. In this 8-episode series, we see how a foul smell coming from Moon Joo-ran’s garden brings her together with Chu Sang Eun in ways they never see coming.

Moon Joo-ran is a wealthy housewife who lives in a nice house with a big backyard. She smells a foul odor in her garden and as she investigates, she finds a human hand buried there. He has a son, Seung-jae who she loves dearly.

Chu Saeng Eun is a pregnant woman who suffers domestic violence from her husband Kim Yoon-beom. She wants to escape her pitiful situation. Kim Yoon-beom works as a salesman in a pharmaceutical company.

Dr. Park Jae-ho, is Joo-ran’s seemingly perfect husband. He is a hospital director.


What is the mystery behind the foul smell in the garden?

One day, Jae-ho and Seung-jae see Joo-ran digging in their garden. When asks what she is doing, she says she smells a foul odor for days and tries to look for the reason behind it. But Jae-ho and Seung-jae tell her that they smell nothing.

Believing they have better judgment than her, she stops digging and Jae-ho reminds her to always drink her medicines on time. Jae-ho who tries to be a caring and thoughtful husband seems to be a manipulator in reality. He always reminds Joo-ran that she is sick and makes her doubt her judgment.

One day, Sang-eun receives a call that her husband is dead. Jae-ho and Joo-ran go to Yeon Boom’s funeral. Sang-eun tells Joo-ran that Jae-ho killed her husband. From there, Joo-ran starts to become suspicious of her husband. Sang-eun learns that her husband has 5 insurance policies she doesn’t know of. The thing is, she can’t get the insurance money if the death of her husband is concluded as suicide.

Joo-ran and Sang-eun team up to reveal the truth about their respective husbands. Sang-eun is determined to prove that her husband’s death is not suicide to get the insurance money that she badly needs for her and her baby but early in the series, it is revealed that it is Sang-eun who killed Yoon-beom.


Who killed Lee Soo Min?

Lee Soo-min is the girl buried in the garden of Joo-ran where the stench is coming from. Just as we thought we knew that it was Seung-jae who killed Soo-min, it is revealed that it is actually his father, Jae-ho who killed her.

Seung Jae leaves for school in the morning but decided to come home to check on Soo-min who survives the fall from the stairs. That is when he sees Jae-ho strangle Soo Min to death and buries her in the garden. Jae-ho is unaware that his son witnessed his horrible deed.

Joo-ran was devastated to learn the truth from Seung-jae. How can her husband do that to their child? How can he make his own son a murderer just to cover up his lies?

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What happens next?

Joo Ran teams up with Sang Eun to kill her husband. She will pay Sang Eun 500 M KRW if she finishes the job. Because of her difficult financial situation and the police concluding his husband’s death as suicide, Sang Eun agrees to do the job and plans to kill Jae Ho the way she killed her husband.

But since this is a thriller mystery drama, anything can happen. Everyone betrays everyone. Just as Sang-eun executes her plan to kill Jae-ho, the latter also does his plan to kill her. And in the end, it is Joo-ran who gets to kill Jae-ho.

In the police station, Joo-ran gives a statement where she tells the entire truth but says that her husband killed Yoon-beom.

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Lies Hidden In My Garden Series Musings

Although some scenes may seem dull, the cliffhanger in every episode makes you come back and watch for more. Kim Tae Hee is back on the small screen with a superb performance. She gave her best to act as a weak, fragile and depressed wife. Watch how her character unfolds throughout the series. We can’t wait to see her more in serious roles like this.

We can expect nothing less from Lim Ji Yeon’s performance as a battered housewife. She did a good job here just like how she did in The Glory. Maybe next time, we get to see her in a little lighter drama where she can show her bright side as an actress.

Notably, the two lead actresses gave a superb performance. They totally nailed it to bits. We can feel the pain that they go through. Kim Sung Oh’s performance as an attentive, loving, and supportive husband to Joo-ran in the first half of the series is so good that when his evil character was revealed in the second half of the series, the distinction of the emotions was achieved flawlessly.

We see two different women, with different family background but has the same fate about their husbands. Sang-eun was physically abused by her husband while Joo Ran suffers from mental and emotional abuse. They both want to break free from whatever imprisons them.

One aspect that we will like in this drama is the cinematic quality. How they capture the viewers’ attention to watch closely whatever is happening. And it makes us feel the emotions that match the scene.

The story may seem so slow in the beginning but as the story progresses and the mysteries start to unfold, the question we have in mind will be answered.

The conversation between Joo-ran and Sang-eun as the drama ends is very fitting and makes the viewers like us happy and smiling as the two women finally get the good life that they deserved. They came out victorious from the situations that made them suffer for a long time.


Lies Hidden In My Garden Takeaway Quotes

“Maybe it wasn’t him Maybe I keep myself locked up. The door was always open.”
“Why didn’t you leave?” ” Because I was afraid, I won’t be protected anymore.”
“The lie you told did not protect anybody.”
“In the end, this is all because of you.”
“If you hadn’t approached me at the funeral, I would still be living without smelling anything or hearing anything. And in the end, I would’ve become someone who couldn’t see anything. Sang Eun, I can finally see myself now.”
“Then, what’s going to happen now?” “I must live as myself. “Can I really do that? Can I go on living too?” “Please. Please do so.”
“Did you regret it?” “So much that it is absurd.”
“What if you could go back in time?” “I would make the same decision.”

Photos: Studio Genie
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