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Sanyanggaedeul (2023)
Strong First 6 Episodes But Ended Limp
Bloodhounds has a solid cast, director, DP and was very cinematic for the first 6 episodes. In episodes 1-6 (inclusive), the writing occasionally made some jumping assumptions buy nothing that broke the continuity for me. Camera work, editor and colorist were really a step up from what I usually find in the K-Drama category. Then the last two episodes show standard fare.
Episodes 7 & 8 felt rushed and uninspired. The impression I was left with was a b-team was assembled to finish-up an alternate ending. (I have no basis for that comment other than opinion spawned from how these episodes came across) These episodes didn't work for me at all.
Mauseu (2021)
Much Was Improbable - None Of Which Was Unexplained
Warnings - mature audience material: violence, violence against children, suicide, open-mouth eating, drinking, more violence, pulsing lights, mature audiences.
Acting: enjoyable; double popcorn w/butter for the central character.
Script work: exceptional.
Production values: somewhere between good and very good.
Directing: the director is responsible for everything. Props for how everything came together; however, the director is also responsible for editing...
Editing: not without glitches and occasionally bothersome. There were jump-cuts that should not have occurred. Music segues and scene transitions were occasionally jarring. Maybe the series was artlessly recycled from the movie. The director should have made the editor fix these things.
Notes: The talented writers use of misdirection in Mouse kept me second-guessing until the 19th episode. Much was improbable; none of that was unexplained. And plenty of themes to discuss after viewing. A tangled skein that fully needed 16 of its 20 episodes so the writers could address all the times viewers hit the stone wall of improbable action.
My hat is off to the script coordinators, who kept all the threads in sight and without loose ends. They likely wondered why the writers hated them.
Highly recommended if you are not bothered by violence, psychopaths, and/or K-drama eating scenes.
Baptiste (2019)
Very Good First Season, Meh Second
My title says it all. I was hooked after Missing and Season 1, but the second was predictable with uneven production values. Directing and writing for the second was not my cup of tea, either.
What ever they were trying to do with the mixed camera looks and cliché ridden narration was lost on me.
My two cents: watch the first season skip the second.
Luther: Episode #5.4 (2019)
Flawed Heroes and Perfect Villains
Season 5 maintained the level of story integrity needed to keep my interest. There was an aspect of the story arc that seemed added to please the longtime fans but it was dealt with in a way that gratified me.
Of the five 'seasons,' this was my third favorite. While some in my family felt other choices should have been made by Luther, I thought he was consistant with his drive to help those in his life while trying to minimize the damage to his 'duty' caused from actions he knows are darker than grey: He wants to protect and do the right thing for individuals and is willing to compromise his professional duty for that goal. A bit like 'The Bureau' in that regard.
I felt one of the villians could have been stronger but the direction it went kept them human without being cliche. The writers seemed boxed into an inevitable ending if they wanted to keep the story's integrity plausable. I was okay with that and I still was left asking, "what's next?" ;)
Technically, from an editor's aspect, this was not the worse Luther season. The story building craft impressed me more than some of the earlier seasons and it came together better for me.
The Tunnel: Episode #3.6 (2018)
Season 3 Missing Synergy - But 3.6 Worth The Time
No spoilers: Season 3 was missing the synergy of the others; however, that doesn't include the last episode.
There seemed to be a "wrapping up" aspect to the third season and a dip in the powerful creative energy that came together in previous years: The creative team wasn't operating at the same level. As GLArm noted, jumps in plausibility almost destroyed credibility. But it is TV, so views might not even notice an antagonist developed E.O.D. expertise. More than that, there was a creative fire fed by interweaving various the production companies strengths that didn't survive the third season.
The rest of the wheels are flat but the emotion and humanity acted out by the characters in the last episode is a triumph, in my book.
Travelers: 17 Minutes (2017)
Which Of These Things Is Not The Same?
All through this series the producer and writers have been building a set of rules. The director or the writer didn't make this feel a part with those previous episodes.
Bimilui Soop (2017)
Social Commentary Worth Watching
My family are viewers, not a reviewers. Here is our no-spoiler take of "Bimilui Soop" (Forest of Secrets):
As viewers who enjoy the occasional k-drama, but not 'fans' of the genre, we understood Forest of Secrets had to survive in the "k-drama" market. Standard market treatment to avoid alienating the domestic viewer; the standard k-drama outro sting, 16-episode 'season' container, and a few 'over the top' cartoon characters are glaring examples. With that in mind we found the story treatment very good. There was about 3 episodes of eye-crossing back-and-forth shot in offices and 2 episodes of arcs with too much focus for our taste; maybe to make a 'season.' In total, there was around 2 total composite hours where the story felt like it was dragging. These were choices that might not have been made in this manner if a story of this caliber was told in the West, but again, might be market appropriate. Even the stereotypical cartoon characters were made interesting by the writers, actors and director.
As a personal note: Koreans seem to communicate with less 'hand-holding,' making the translated captions a fast read. Something might be lost in the attempt to capture nuance in captions that only stay on the screen for 3~4 seconds.
My family are tough raters and we still thought "Bimilui Soop" earned between a 7 and 8 for story and 6-7 for shooting. We loved the treatment at the end of the arc, interesting in how it diverted from the expected ending. We'll round up in consideration of rating inflation.