Season 1 |
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Episode Guide
Episode 1 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 2 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 3 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 4 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 5 -| Review Score – 2/5
Episode 6 -| Review Score – 2/5
Episode 7 -| Review Score – 2/5
Episode 8 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Disney+ K-dramas are usually a hit or miss but when a critically-acclaimed cast and crew is attached to it, it is usually a success if not a viral hit. So, while shows like Moving are rare, they still tend to give us some cool dramas like The Worst of Evil and A Shop For Killers.
So, when Disney+ announced Gangnam B-Side with several of The Worst of Evil cast returning, expectations were high. Said to be a gritty crime thriller, Season 1 has exciting themes of psychological games, corruption, drug scandals, betrayals and messy investigations.
The K-drama begins with the mysterious Jenny, an escort going missing. And she seems to have taken something extremely valuable with her, leading to several factions trying to find her. The Gangnam underworld is run by the elusive Mr. Choi and he puts his corrupt cops on the case to retrieve the item.
Meanwhile, her pimp, Yoon Gil-ho does his best to save her but gets entangled with Choi’s thugs. Not to be outdone, the good guys include Detective Kang Dong-woo, a whistleblower who takes on the case when he realises his daughter has something going on with Jenny. On top of it, the Chief Prosecutor assigns Prosecutor Min Seo-jin to Jenny’s case as well, hinting at a promotion should she wrap it up quickly and quietly.
The star-studded cast includes Jo Woo-jin, Ji Chang-wook, Ha Yoon-kyung, BIBI, Hyun Bong-sik and Oh Ye-ju among others. It is helmed by Jo Won-gyu and Park Noo-ri, and produced by Han Jae-deok who is known for some iconic projects like Old Boy, The Berlin File, Man in Love and The Worst of Evil.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot going for this show so we’ll try to get the plus points out first. The cast is impeccable including the rookie BIBI who definitely proves her mettle with the role of Jenny aka Jae-hee. She is a brash student with a heart of gold who is forced to work as an escort and takes it upon herself to expose the misdeeds of her clients after a shocking incident.
Despite having limited screen time, BIBI is without fail, the star of the show which is surprising since we have heavyweights like Ji Chang-wook, Ok Ja-yeon, Kim Jong-su and Jo Woo-jin leading the plot. Now, this may be unintentional but we are also impressed with BIBI’s chemistry with her co-stars.
While in The Worst of Evil, her sexual chemistry with Ji Chang-wook is off the charts, with Gangnam B-Side, they have a guardian-child bond or more of a sibling dynamic which cannot be mistaken for anything romantic in the slightest. Instead, Jenny’s chemistry with the cop’s daughter, Kang Ye-seo screams of a queer relationship even though the whole thing is displayed with subtlety and nuance.
And as expected of a Han Jae-deok project, Gangnam B-Side Season 1 has all the makings of a neo-noir thriller such as the dark and bloody aesthetics which visualise the dark side of the city. Percussive instrumentals make up most of the soundtracks to keep the suspense up and adrenaline high as every character is caught up in some kind of a trap.
All of this is tied up with cleverly choreographed action scenes and neat camerawork that will have viewers believing that they are right in the middle of Jenny’s mess. The blood, the gore, the swearing and certain explicit visuals may be a little too much for some viewers but it all makes sense when we take a look at the cesspool that is Gangnam B-Side’s world.
However, that’s it for this K-drama since everything else goes horribly wrong. It’s not like we didn’t try. The first half does its best to create a thrilling mystery but when it tries to unravel it for the main conflict, that’s when everything goes to…hell.
To keep it short, Gangnam B-Side Season 1 has a poorly-written script with an unoriginal and uninspiring premise and shallow, superficial characters who have weak motivations. Due to this, their actions more often than not, do not make sense, leaving viewers flabbergasted as to why they are making such obviously wrong decisions.
The weakest link happens to be Ha Yoon-kyung’s Prosecutor Min Seo-jin. A shame since Yoon-kyung has had hit after hits so far with projects like Hospital Playlist, Extraordinary Attorney Woo and See You In My 19th Life under her belt. But with Gangnam B-Side Season 1, she is a puppet with her strings being pulled by numerous unseen adversaries who are not in harmony, making the plot convoluted for no reason.
Is she corrupt, is she good, is she pretending, or has she had a change of heart – none of these tropes are able to give irrefutable arguments for her character arc. And with her playing an extremely important role in the story, it damages the credibility of the show.
To put it mildly, Gangnam B-Side Season 1 is a forgettable, style-over-substance K-drama that unwittingly highlights the importance of a good script. Simply skip this one and rewatch The Worst of Evil if you are in the mood for a crime thriller focusing on the city’s drug-filled underworld.
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Verdict - 4.5/10
4.5/10