The Trunk

Suspense dramas are not my favorite but I watched this one because it was also tagged as being a romance drama. It didn't really hit the mark for either genre for me. I thought the editing was rather poor. The first episode does not provide a very good foundation for what is going on an it took the next couple episodes for me to really get the gist of things. Also, while the flashbacks usually indicated how far back in time they were going, the flash forwards were generally not tagged and you had to glean from the context that the scene was happening in the future.

I also found the ending to be very unsatisfying...both the ending of the romance thread as well as the suspense thread...for the latter, some of the earlier flash-forward scenes provides misleading information about the fate of the villain that was intended to point you in the wrong direction as to who ultimately deals with the villain. That is just lazy/sloppy writing.

But on the bright side, I thought the acting was great. Seo Hyeon-jin and Jung Yun-Ha completely sold the animosity toward one another that their characters felt. And Gong Yoo brought to life how broken and submissive Han Jeong-won started and then how he was slowly rebuilt with the help of No In-ja.

Overall, I am glad I watched it but was also very glad it was only 8 episodes.

I liked the kind of harsh aesthetics of this show and the cold characters, as it depicts the trauma of the protagonists very well. For me, the chemistry between the lead couple worked and the slow building mystery as well. I would have liked to know more about the marriage agency and how it works, as it is an important plot device but not explained very well.

Unfortunately, after a capturing beginning, the mystery plot is resolved in a boring and lazy way. The build-up to the Whodunnit and the ending in general is very weak and unsatisfying. More focus on the plot to complement the great visuals better would have helped a lot.

Based on a novel, this is a dark psychological drama/thriller exploring complex themes of relationships, marriage and love. It also centers on themes of past traumas, psychological manipulations and complexities of different relationships. It's a powerful well-acted storyline that unwraps slowly but ever so steadily.

Thankfully, It's not a typical "Kdrama" series that you can find plenty of on Netflix and other streaming platforms lately but you wouldn't find Gong Yoo on one of those anyways.

The acting is quite solid especially from the main characters portraying their past emotional traumas and the slow healing they both go through finding each other again (as this was not their first encounter) and possibly lasting love from something that started as an unwanted, bizarre and disturbing contract marriage. But most marriages are contracts is one of themes the show explores and what binds two people together.

I haven't read the novel and I am sure this is not completely true to the book as others before it haven't been but on its own merit, this is a beautifully and well crafted production including the music scores and absolutely worth the watch.

Many people find this drama slow and not worth watching but I was totally invested. It does a decent job in portraying dark sides of human and marriage while exposing the characters' vulnerability; none of the characters is 100% 'good', I'd say, they are all jaded and broken in their own ways. With a tinge of exaggeration, the drama realistically shows how complicated and heart wrenching relationships can be. 10/10 for acting skills and the cinematography; I am not a fan of the intimate scenes though. Hope it gets more recognition; even though it may not be as good as the novel(?) according to some reviews, it's worth the time if you prefer the dark, depressing drama type.

I usually vote a series down for one of three reasons: 1) the ending isn't convincing and satisfying 2) the plot isn't logical and believable 3) one of the main characters is evil or just plain annoying andI lose all interest in him or her. The majority of K-dramas, lately, have fallen into one of these categories.

This time it's door no. 2.

I guess THE TRUNK works as a sophisticated, understated thriller, but I couldn't warm to the FL, played by Seo Hyun-Jin. She's an enigma, wrapped in a mystery - a reserved, cryptic presence, who seldom smiles and never laughs. Mistress of the blank stare, she gives herself away by small gestures, or the way her face freezes, mask-like, when she's guarded or frightened. Han Jeong-won, played by Gong Yoo, is like a needy puppy, blurting out his thoughts and emotions from time to time.

The details are what makes this series remarkable-the haunting, beauty of Han Jeong-won's opulent, but glacial, residence, the unusual score, and the terse, nuanced dialogues that insinuate more than they elucidate.

If you have the patience to unwrap each exquisitely conceived puzzle piece, you'll eventually suss out the situation. But by episode 3, I realized that I just didn't care. Why? Because the premise is so ridiculous. While the characters are well-delineated, the plot is contrived and unconvincing-especially the ending.