Monday, November 12, 2012

Five Fingers Mid-Series Review

Yes, episodes 25 and 26 air this weekend, but I am only at episode 13, so I'm close to the midpoint of this insanely long drama (30 episodes total).


You may be wondering why I'm doing such an early/late mid-series review. I have a bone to pick with this drama and I just had to share.

This drama is like Baker King--the Poorly Executed Version. There's daddy issues, mommy issues, and an awkward love square that hasn't been fully drawn out.


First of all, this whole successor issue was way more focus than it needed to be. The back and forth between Ji-Ho and In-Ah was so unnecessary. Especially since Ji-Ho was going to get it anyway (...and he had it in the first place, so...). We could've solved this in one or two episodes like in the childhood years. All this scheming was for naught, and yes, that was the point, but omg, being so freaking early in the show, we could just point this out quickly and move on to the next project that Mama Chae Yeong-Rang will ultimately fail at.

And I get that Ji-Ho is a super genius, but does he have to see EVERYTHING? He sees Yeong-Rang in the mirror in the elevator, he sees In-Ah coming out of Ji-Ho's room, he sees the delivery guy at the restaurant, it just goes on and on. How is he so omniscient? I like good guys who are quick on the uptake, but he's unrealistically too quick.

Speaking of which, I don't think Ji-Ho is that much of a good guy. Frankly, he's an asshole. He was a good kid with a sweet heart, but clearly growing up rich changed him. He acts like the typical celebrity to me. All sweet to his charity (the kids he tutors for free), extremely thankful to his "management" (Professor Ha and his mom), but a jerk to people that can't do anything for him (Da-Mi initially). He does nice things randomly, but he's hardly consistent. I don't think he deserves Da-Mi at all (more on that later).


Then there's this love triangle that's trying to be a square. There's the obvious three, but then Professor Ha's daughter So-yool (Is that her name? I keep forgetting) keeps sidling up to her oppa Ji-Ho and has been set up with In-Ha by the parents. She is super annoying, and has really only been used as the Exposition Fairy thus far. And always she comes into the plot so awkwardly! How did she even know about Ji-Ho being set up? Yes, she suspected it and she works at the company, but she's not high enough up in rank to know definitively what goes on in board meetings. She just pops in and in her annoying personality/voice, whines to her dad and then, poof, everything's better for Ji-Ho. Contrived much?

Back to our main love triangle. Da-Mi is this super innocent character, yet these two not-so-great guys are vying for her heart. Not unusual for a drama, but frankly, I have a serious case of second-lead syndrome. I don't get this often, as BOF/BBF was the only drama that I cheered vainly for the second-lead. Why second-lead you ask? Okay, In-Ha was a spoiled, bratty child. But I think he got his reality check when Ji-Ho came along. After his initial anger (justified, especially for a nine-year-old), he was actually starting to warm up to having a hyung, and probably would've been fairly okay if it weren't for the fire (aside from daddy being a terrible person and scaring his son for life). Then he was basically ousted, and lived overseas for years without contact. He comes back, is once again slighted, and stuck in this loop of always losing everything (Can we get him a psychologist?).


Then there's Ji-Ho was a complete jerk to Da-Mi the moment they re-met. Screamed at her on the street, made a fool of her publicly, and shunned her when she was on campus... until he realized that Professor Ha favored her. Then all of a sudden he was all extra sweet. Can't be mad at someone his winning ticket likes! Yeah, maybe after it's revealed that they were each other's first loves it would be a little more believable, but Da-Mi is so enamored with Ji-Ho The Celebrity who now happens to be Ji-Ho The First Love, that she glosses over all his asshole traits, even when they're displayed right in front of her. Yeah, that's what early-love/infatuation is, I guess, but he was a royal jerk from adult day one. How can she be mad at In-Ah for not mentioning Ji-Ho is his hyung, but not mad a Ji-Ho for playing a trick on their mother so he could come out on top of In-Ah? So. frustrating.

Yes, In-Ah is starting to get a little obsessive-crazy over Da-Mi, so I'm pretty sure in another episode or two, I'll be all for Da-Mi dropping both of them and fining a nice, sane man, but that's too much to ask, I'm sure.

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