Trolley

Everything about this S Korean drama is top notch. The story moves along with no slow boring bits, actors are believable and really invested in their roles. Camera work is nothing spectacular, but then again, this isn't an art house film. Technically, 100% right.

The story, which is basically all a movie/series needs to keep the audience invested, is well written, with intelligent, believable conversations even while watching with subtitles.

I won't go into all the details of the two main families, but it's all twisted political intrigue, with flashback explanation helping carry the story.

Episode 12 - the last: Reality. I found myself shrieking at my TV. OMG NO!! That did not just happen!! Why, but hey, that's good TV. Worthy of the 12 hours you'll invest and the 9 stars I gave.

The story was supposed to be a good one but the decision of Ms. Kim was so below par only thinking of herself, the thoughts and sentiments of only 2 people and not her daughter and the rest of the society in general. I for one can't accept her decision, I find it selfish and not right. She could have moved forward of her choice when everything had been accomplished, thus even her daughter not suffering the harassment of her clasmates because of it. With that, everything could have been better for all concerned. It's a pity, it didn't materialized and the core of the story wasn't achieved. That's a pity.

I loved this story, every twist and turn of it. Wonderful writing, beautiful cinematography, and performances all around that knock your socks off. Where does Korea train all of their splendid actors? The woman playing Hye Joo is remarkable, with a performance so nuanced it breaks your heart. Themes of deception masked by earnest faces resonate, as do the explorations of people with initial good intentions losing their way in the thicket that is politics. Teenagers' passion, quests for what is true or real, play an important role in this drama, again handled exquisitely by the young actors. The treatment of sexual assault which motivates much of the action is raw and powerfully depicted. It's not "too much" as some might claim. Just ask anyone who has experienced this trauma, as have 38% of my friends and acquaintances and students. (And yes, when the ME TOO movement started, I took a random survey.) The casualness which the assaulters display about their actions falls in the "what's the big deal" category and is sickening. This is wonderful psychological thriller, carefully deliberate in pacing because these issues, and difficult, sometimes impossible, choices , require deliberation and a slower paced production.

The moral of the story is that the truth is never wrong and you can't trust a man!! Was curious to watch this drama after watching the SBS Award Shows for K-Dramas and K-Drama Actors that was just held live on December 29, 2023 (you can still view it in it's entirety on Viki), and this particular drama was up for many awards - mostly for the acting parts of supporting actors and actresses. I watch a lot of dramas and this one escaped me somehow so after seeing so many nominations and some wins I had to watch it. Actually I was disappointed in the drama as a whole, but I can definitely agree with the 2 supporting actresses (the 2 young ones) Choi Myung-bin and the older girl who was pregnant and living with the assemblyman and his wife as being recognized at the SBS Award ceremony for their excellent acting. The drama was introduced at the award ceremony as a drama for middle agers which kind of offended me because it was so slow going and overly calm..........what do they think about middle agers? They are too slow so let's make this in 1/2 time? I didn't like a lot about how the main FL handled the infidelity episode - so calm and reserved, no emotion from her whatsoever until only the sea scene. There was no surprises; you could guess the ending way from the beginning due to the theme of the drama and clues all along - I guess the middle agers must be too slow to get a real twist so there is no real surprises so rating a 7 but kudos to the award winning actresses.

This drama is SO powerful. Not easily understood by many. The whole drama is as per the title. Referring to the Trolley dilemma. Every decision in the drama was based on this dilemma. The majority of people, when given this problem would sacrifice the one to save the majority but this drama highlighted the moral issue of sacrificing the one to save the majority. Who are we to make that decision? Is the one sacrificed not worthy of any notice? The drama can be slow in some episodes but hits so hard at the end and leaves viewers thinking. Highly recommended for thinkers. Writer should receive an award.