Season 1 |
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Episode Guide
Episode 1 -| Review Score – 4.5/5
Episode 2 -| Review Score – 4.5/5
Episode 3 -| Review Score – 4.5/5
Episode 4 -| Review Score – 4.5/5
Episode 5 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 6 -| Review Score – 4.5/5
Episode 7 -| Review Score – 4/5
Episode 8 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
There are shows that are just right from start to end. Then there are shows that start weak but end on a high note. And finally, there are shows that are masterpieces but fizzle out by the end. The last one is exponentially the hardest to achieve because how do you take so much perfection and just ruin it? Well, that is exactly what happens with Gong Yoo’s much-awaited romantic thriller of a K-drama, The Trunk.
We started out kind of harshly so we would like to put it out that The Trunk Season 1 is actually a super fun and exciting Netflix Original K-drama. It dropped in November 2024 and is a thriller version of the fake marriage trope.
But along with this premise, it has exciting themes of psychological mind games, murders, betrayals and social commentary on marriages and women’s roles. The series stars Gong Yoo, Seo Hyun-jin, Jung Yun-ha, Kim Dong-won and Jo Yi-gun, and is helmed by filmmaker Kim Kyu-tae known for Moon Lovers and Hotel Del Luna.
The Netflix K-drama follows Han Jeong-won, a music composer and a pill popper whose insomnia gets worse when his wife, Lee Seo-yeon divorces him after an incident. Unable to see him spiral, Seo-yeon requests him to get into a contract marriage with a stranger. Believing that she will take him back if he does it for a year, Jeong-won complies.
Noh In-ji is a stoic woman whose heart has turned cold after an incident ruined her engagement. She now works for a contract marriage company and her latest fake husband happens to be Han Jeong-won. As she tries to make the fake marriage work with an uncooperative Jeong-won, a missing trunk and a figure from her past threaten to ruin everyone involved in the strange arrangement.
The Trunk Season 1 begins on an extremely strong note and no, we are not exaggerating. We’d, in fact, suggest viewers go in blind without looking at the trailer or the plot summary. The premiere is completely wild, strange and unpredictable.
When the first plot twist arrives, you are bound to have your jaw hanging wide open for a whole minute. And this continues right up till…the penultimate episode! The Trunk is able to do this since it keeps feeding viewers bit by bit instead of revealing the whole mystery in one go.
Yet, it is able to keep viewers seated and invested with the suspense, the chic and cold aesthetics, the surprising rock and melodic soundtracks and the impeccable acting from our main leads.
Each time In-ji’s walls crack, it has us wishing for Jeong-won to take a hammer and completely knock them down. While you may have tuned in for Gong Yoo, you are definitely going to be staying back for Seo Hyun-jin and her brutal rivalry with Jung Yun-ha who plays the deliciously vindictive ex.
But and this is a big but, In-ji’s motivations which serve as the final conflict for your usual separation trope are as flimsy as they come. And it is a huge problem since her vague reasoning is the driving force of the finale. One may argue that it is up for interpretation, but we can only interpret her actions if the writers give us enough clues to base it on…which they don’t.
There is also the bit about Jeong-won’s friend’s “normal” marriage which acts like a foil to the fake marriages of the lead couples. It is randomly placed and doesn’t contribute to the plot. It is meant to add to the show’s commentary on marriages but it is unnecessary as the writers have already made their point by emphasizing the difference between In-ji and Seo-yeon.
However, when we look at the big picture, The Trunk Season 1 retains its laurels and can be considered a pretty good romantic thriller, competing with the likes of Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) or The World of the Married. The technical execution, the cast and (most of) the writing all tie up together in a pretty neat bow. However, it is a shame that the lukewarm ending keeps it from being perfect.
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Verdict - 7.5/10
7.5/10