Hierarchy

A big budget, beautiful actors and sceneries, and nice cars could not propel this KDrama to the level of others that share the same tropes. It's not all bad, but there were so many wasted opportunities for this to be spicy.

Characters: FL-dull and lifeless; ML- I liked, but I was sneak dissing him by the end. Other characters- awesome opportunities to explore how they could have pushed the plot, but didn't.

Unnecessary parents- did not impact or improve anything.

Avenge your brother-period. Nope. Let's "change the school's culture". Unrealistic outcomes based on a lackluster plot and mediocre acting.

Romance? Let's race to see if we stay together (Boys over Flowers vibes). They tried to have a triangle, but that failed.

The "blackmail" idea became tiresome by the end. This could have been so awesome with some twists.

The biggest letdown, IMO, were the underdeveloped relationships, irrelevant flashbacks, and overall failure to launch (all over the place).

Watch it. Grapple through all 7 episodes. At the end, I think there's an aftertaste that needs a spoonful of sugar.

To be honest, there was no likeable character in this show. Maybe He-ra and sometimes Kang Ha, but everyone else sucked. Like the mystery/revenge wasn't executed well and the ending was super underwhelming. The romance was also bad, like they would insert past clips of the female lead and second male lead, for what? To make us like them?, because they were both terrible people to be honest and dull.

Every actor besides Lee Chaemin also looked lifeless. Literally no emotion. The only good thing about this show is maybe the visuals, but tbh even with the good looking actors, it still sucks.

Don't watch this show. It's a waste of time. Only the 1st episode was decent and then it went downhill fast.

"Hierarchy," a Teen Romance Korean Drama directed by Bae Hyeon-jin, is a gripping seven-part series set in the elite Jooshin High School. The series stars Roh Jeong-eui, Lee Chae-min, Kim Jae-won, Ji Hye-won, and Lee Won-jung, and delves into the lives of the top 0.01% of students who attend this prestigious institution, highlighting issues of bullying, excessive drug use, and the abuse of power by the wealthy elite.

Plot and Execution:

The story revolves around the lives of students at Jooshin High School, where scholarship students are often treated as outsiders and the children of the elite wield their power without consequence. The narrative explores themes of revenge, crime, drama, and romance, weaving a complex tale that is both engaging and thought-provoking.

While "Hierarchy" doesn't break new ground in the genre, it effectively captures the essence of similar series such as "Elite" and "13 Reasons Why." The series addresses the serious issue of bullying and its devastating consequences, a recurring theme in Korean dramas like "Revenge of Others," "True Beauty," and "The Glory."

Characters and Performances:

The cast delivers strong performances, particularly Roh Jeong-eui and Lee Chae-min, who bring depth and authenticity to their roles. The characters are well-developed, allowing viewers to empathize with their struggles and triumphs.

Strengths:

Engaging Storyline: The series offers a compelling narrative that keeps viewers hooked from start to finish, with its blend of drama, crime, and romance.

Strong Performances: The cast, especially the leads, delivers powerful performances that add depth to the story.

Relevant Themes: The exploration of bullying, drug abuse, and the abuse of power resonates with contemporary issues, making the series both relevant and thought-provoking.

High Production Value: The cinematography, set design, and overall production quality are top-notch, enhancing the viewing experience.

Weaknesses:

Predictable Plot: The series follows a familiar formula seen in other dramas of the same genre, making it somewhat predictable.

Inspired Elements: "Hierarchy" feels heavily inspired by series like "13 Reasons Why" and "Revenge of Others," lacking a unique identity of its own.

Conclusion:

"Hierarchy" is a well-executed drama that effectively tackles important social issues within the setting of an elite high school. While it may not be groundbreaking or particularly innovative, it provides a gripping and engaging viewing experience. The strong performances and high production value make it worth watching, even if it sometimes feels derivative of other popular series.

With a teaser hinting at a possible second season, "Hierarchy" is likely to maintain its popularity and continue to make noise globally. It stands as a solid entry in the genre, offering a mix of drama, crime, and romance that will appeal to fans of teen romance and revenge dramas.

This drama is like being presented with a fine wine, but getting served water instead. Very weak storyline. They lure you in with, what should be, a really good revenge/mystery plot but give you a story that's dull and not well written. The actors did the best they could with what they were given and how they were directed, so I can't fault them. With the exception of Lee Chae-Min, I found the others needed more guidance in their portrayals as they seemed like lifeless puppets reciting lines. No emotions really, their eyes remained blank. Plus, sorry gentlemen but the only character I found intimidating was played by Choi Won-Young. The story is too fast paced as well, revealing things way too soon without proper foundation, like the writer kept coming up with last minute ideas and implemented them before solidifying their base in the story. One last thing, I felt the whole 'love' storyline between the 2 top rich students was both unnecessary and emotionless.

Why in the heck did I watch all 7 episodes in this (thankfully) short series? It started off really interesting but it lost me somewhere around episode 3 1/2. I guess I kept watching because I thought that at least some of the monstrously entitled characters: Jae-Ri, Kim Ri-An and their coterie of sycophants would somehow CONVINCINGLY tranform into better human beings. But that never happened. And the one decent character, Kang Ha just got less interesting because of his joke of a dumb crush on a girl with the allure of a designer doormat. The finale/Episode 7 was the worst episode of all. A coda of inconsequential duhhh-like-we-didn't-know-all-this-already moments, hollow mea culpas and the obligatory throwing of a posse of nobodies under the bus. Our series' unloved hero, Kang Ha just fades into the background while the 2 characters (who I couldn't stand) take over the series' final scenes. Side notes: Jae-Ri is disturbingly weak both physically and mentally, yet still manages to be consistently imperious around her sassy so-called best friend. How Kang Ha fell in love with her at first sight was unfathomable-unless maybe in Korea it's normal to worship ice queens with blank stares. And why did the drama feature most of the rich kid's parents but scholarship student KangHa is presented like some parentless possibly homeless nobody from nowhere? I sort of wondered if it would turn out that this was a clue that Kang Ha wasn't real- that he was a revenging ghost figure. (Think Clint Eastwood in Pale Rider.) Now that would have been a worth sticking around for twist. And Yo Netflix! Don't order another season of Hierarchy unless you can fire the Season 1 writers. They totally dropped the ball.