Mar de la Tranquilidad

I was kind of excited when I first started watching this because it had a cool concept and the trailer looked good. And even though the visuals were stunning and the actors did an amazing job, it felt like something was missing. It's definitely a thriller but once the unknown was known, its momentum slowed down. And that ending was kind of anticlimactic, with some plot holes included.

It's a story that doesn't really tell anything new. The show is nevertheless quite entertaining and in places really exciting. However, the story is not quite convincing, especially since there are some rough plot-holes and logic errors, and the ending is not really satisfying either. Some effects and also the set can't always convince. But since it was not a boring story, I can give 6 stars.

This eight part Korea science fiction series is set in a near future where events have led to almost total desertification of the Earth. Water is a treasured commodity. With this in the backdrop Captain Han Yun-Jae has been tasked with leading a mission to retrieve samples from an abandoned lunar base. Amongst the team is scientist Dr Song Ji-An. Dr Song's sister had been one of the base's staff that was lost in a 'radiation leak' five years previously. The mission, which was due to take twenty four hours, gets off to a bad start; a crash landing leaves the crew having to walk several miles on the moon with limited oxygen. Things don't get much better when they reach the station. It soon becomes clear that not everything they were told was true, there are plenty of hidden dangers, they have difficulty finding the samples and what they find appears to be dangerous; to make matters worse it would appear that they are not alone.

I thought this was a pretty solid series. It might not have been the most original but it delivered plenty of tension throughout. It is science fiction but there are also good horror elements such as what happens when people come in contact with the strange 'Luna water'. The characters were the sort one would expect in such a series; the leader who insists on sticking to the mission even after things go wrong; one trying to learn what happened to a family member; one constantly complaining and one who can't quite be trusted to mention just a few. The cast is solid; most obviously Bae Doona, who always seems to impress, as Dr Song. The effects are pretty good even if science is often ignored... for example I never though characters were operating in one sixth of Earth gravity. There are some nice surprises and ultimately I enjoyed the series so would recommend it to fans of the genre; just be prepared to suspend your disbelief.

These comments are based on watching the series in Korean with English subtitles.

Korean Drama "The Silent Sea" is a decent attempt to create a post-apocalyptic drama with loads of suspense and thriller factors.

And for sure, the drama keeps things edgy and suspenseful till the very last minute. The viewer is thrown straight away into the action, with the earth struggling to find water to support the needs of the population, and a scientist is forced to leave the planet. And there is a nudging feeling that something is off right up when the team lands on the moon and goes into the base. That feeling is maintained all throughout the story. In addition, the mystery that is formed and solved is well constructed, well presented, and perfectly paced. It gives small cheese bites throughout the episodes, and it concludes everything nicely in the final one.

However, the drama leaves a lot of things out. The condition of the earth and the dystopian current situation is not well explained and just given as a fact rather than something that needs more exploration. The characters are also the losers of the mystery-thriller focused story. There are some flashbacks that indicate some short of past and personalities, but other than those, the characters are left as blank ones that were acting on based on their initial introductions. The CGI, moreover, were bad and almost ruined the atmosphere of the drama at times.

On the other hand, the performances were top notch, as expected by top tier actors and actresses.

So, overall, 7.5 out of 10.

The good : The story, it's pretty good, and it creates tension in a masterful way. The special effects are great.

The bad: It's a slow burn and a bit of a cliché. Conversations seem to be somewhat forced for character creation and at times seem out of context and significance.. The story sometimes loses momentum.

This show needs another season, because it leaves many unanswered questions and the story does not have a meaningful conclusion.

So... Despite these facts I still recommend this show, to SCI-Fi fans, it is better than many recent productions.