The Scandal - NETFLIX

The advancement of video media and the diversification of platforms have broadly guaranteed creative freedom, significantly elevating the level of expression in dramas. Unconventional and explicit content or high-level exposure scenes—which could not possibly be handled on terrestrial broadcasting that had to pass strict censorship standards in the past—now frequently appear not only on the silver screen but also in our living rooms. In particular, as global OTT platforms led by Netflix have gained immense public popularity and firmly established themselves as the primary medium for viewing, there is a trend of works freely pouring out that boldly depict primal human desires, regardless of whether they are modern or historical dramas.

Interestingly, these unconventional and explicit scenes provide the public with much greater buzz and stimulation when they unfold within the genre framework of a historical drama governed by a strict class system and Confucian norms, rather than when they are set in a thoroughly modern background. The intense contrast created by the ascetic era, layered in traditional Hanbok, and the blatant eruption of instinctive desires suppressed beneath it, simultaneously delivers a strange sense of immorality and thrill to the viewers. The newly released series Scandal also gathered burning attention even before its broadcast, giving a strong implication from its very title that a provocative and unconventional eroticism would be deeply ingrained in the show.

Many viewers might simply think that the original work of this drama is the Korean film Untold Scandal, which was released in 2003 and caused a massive sensation, but the true root of the story lies much deeper. The genuine original is the 18th-century French classic novel Dangerous Liaisons written by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, an attractive classic that has already been adapted into films and plays numerous times in Hollywood and around the world. However, because the recognition of the film version—which achieved tremendous success by perfectly substituting this Western classic into the Joseon Dynasty in Korea—is so absolute, this drama naturally embarked on its journey with the fate of having its plot developments and character charms constantly compared to the film.

Despite clearly wearing the outer shell of an authentic historical drama where characters wear traditional Gat hats and robes, prominently featuring the foreign English word "Scandal" as the title evokes a strange sense of heterogeneity. Paradoxically, however, that heterogeneous title itself acted very successfully in strongly engraving the impression of a provocative and secretive melodrama—which this drama aims for—into the public's mind. In fact, the physical relationships and explicit scenes between men and women in the play are merely one of several materials used to depict the complexly intertwined power struggles and psychological warfare of the characters; they are by no means the entirety of the message the work intends to convey. Nevertheless, because it gained fame for its highly provocative subject matter and setup, a phenomenon occurred where the public's interest disproportionately leaned toward the stimulating surface rather than the essential narrative of the work.

Currently, in internet communities and various SNS platforms, rather than serious discussions about the narrative strengths and weaknesses of this drama or the actors' performances, only timeline information like "at what episode, minute, and second an explicit scene appears" is being actively shared like a ghost. When you actually open the lid, scenes exuding an erotic atmosphere do appear about once per episode as if to keep up appearances, but considering the average explicit level of modern OTT platforms or the public's elevated threshold for stimulation, it is somewhat ambiguous to evaluate them as highly erotic. Furthermore, the fact that scenes where the major lead actors—whom viewers probably held the highest expectations for—directly show physical unconventionality are virtually nonexistent even imparts a strange sense of betrayal.

Taking advantage of this absence of shocking exposure from the lead actors, it was none other than the supporting characters 'So-ok' and 'Eun-sil' who breathed vitality into the play and became strongly embedded in the viewers' minds. Initially, they gathered primary attention simply because of the unconventional scenes where they took the risk of exposure, but if these two actresses had merely remained in the role of physical exhibition by taking off their clothes, they would not have ridden the wave of positive word-of-mouth for such a long time. Actress Shin Yoon-ha, who played the role of So-ok, tightly tuned the tension of the play and added a rich flavor to the narrative with her deep gaze and bold expressiveness that did not seem like a rookie. Meanwhile, actress Kim Ji-an, who digested the role of Eun-sil, is receiving unanimous praise from viewers for excellently showcasing her uniquely sly and sticky acting within a melodrama that could easily become too heavy.

In particular, the quirky yet endearing gluttony shown by the character Eun-sil, especially her detailed appearances of licking her lips with an unusual obsession with beef, are constantly being talked about on the internet and consumed as a joyful conversation topic among viewers. Audiences are mesmerized by the vivid energy radiating from the two rookie actresses who perfectly assimilated into their roles, and a continuous stream of expectant praise suggests that they will undoubtedly play stellar supporting roles in numerous future works. I dare to assert that without these two scene-stealing actors—who exquisitely refreshed the atmosphere of the play and granted dimensionality to the network of relationships between characters—the entertainment value of the drama, which could have easily flowed into a heavy and boring pace, would have definitely been cut exactly in half.

Director Jung Ji-woo, who took the megaphone for this work, is a master who excels at delicately capturing humanity's innermost desires, to the point of being evaluated as having made a mark in directing sex scenes in the Korean film industry through his past film Happy End. His filmography is incredibly broad and diverse, even wonderfully crafting an extremely pure and lyrical romance film that stimulates the nostalgia of first love, such as Tune in for Love. Because of the director's weighty track record, it is a fact that viewers secretly held deep expectations that this Scandal would also go beyond simple, peripheral visual stimulation of clashing flesh, delivering a highly dense psychological thrill tangled with the terrible greed and obsession of the human inner self.

Especially since the drama Somebody, which Director Jung Ji-woo previously wrote and directed in collaboration with Netflix, showed a rather bizarre yet unconventional development that sharply pierced into the dark nature of humanity, the public anticipated a bold variation that threw off predictable grammar in this historical drama as well. No matter how famous the original novel and the excellent film version are, they are merely great reference books for creation, and there is no obligation to safely unfold while tracing the exact same trajectory. Unfortunately, the drama locked itself within the predetermined mold of the original work that the audience already knows, remaining in a somewhat predictable and clichéd development. Ultimately, this narrative complacency acts as the biggest cause of the disappointing reviews currently pouring in.

At least what firmly grips the center of the collapsing play and leads it forward is the weighty, passionate acting of Son Ye-jin, who exudes an undeniable aura. On the other hand, the performance of Nana, who has proven her decent acting skills in various works thus far, leaves a deep sense of regret as it cannot erase the feeling of floating somewhat flatly among her prominent senior actors. Ji Chang-wook, who took on the role of providing the excuse for all the incidents with his fatal charm, also tried to show a slightly more developed appearance compared to the chilling charisma Bae Yong-joon displayed in the past, but he fell short of perfectly embodying the ripe sleaziness and decadent beauty unique to the character. In the end, the essence of the work as a meticulous psychological warfare faded away, leaving a bittersweet aftertaste as it seemingly deteriorated into a drama where only fragmentary timeline charts of which episodes feature explicit scenes are shared among viewers.