Premium horror drama Hon’s ending lacks punch
by javabeans
This past Thursday, MBC’s “premium horror” series Hon (Soul) ended its 10-episode broadcast. While the drama has generally been received favorably, there were some comments expressing disappointment at its end. It’s been called “2% lacking,” which is an expression that means that everything was generally good, but missing a certain punch. (No spoilers in this article.)
The ratings numbers aren’t the issue; although the finale went out with a 7.2%, the number is in keeping with the rest of its run, and Hon is still being credited with reopening the door for more high-quality genre dramas in the future. Rather, the problem was the way the drama went out: Many felt that compared to the rest of the series, the finale held improbable plot developments, a lack of tension, and a somewhat ill-fitting ending.
PD Kim Sang-ho admitted frankly that he also felt some dissatisfaction with the way things wrapped. On September 4, the actors and staff gathered for the airing of its last episode, where Kim said, “To be honest, I was disappointed with the ending too. I take all the responsibility for it, and I understand the viewers’ criticism.”
He explained his intent: “The core of the drama was expressing the coexistence of good and evil within people’s hearts. However, at some point, the confrontation of good and evil came through the character of Do-shik [actor Kim Gab-su]. … Originally, I wanted to show that humans have value just by being able to choose good. However, I was so pressed I didn’t have the time to think of the overall flow. Time was chasing us, and I’m really disappointed to have ended like that.”
(If you think that sounds tough, consider how insane the time crunch was on his last series.)
The drama’s star, Lee Seo-jin, had the same sentiments about the last episode, but expressed no regrets about his role in the drama as a whole, which he “put my name on the line for” and views as “a very special project in my life.” Lee came to the project already good friends with the director, which contributed to the solid relationship and faith they had in each other.
Meanwhile, the breakout new star Im Joo-eun, who played a possessed high school student, thanked Lee Seo-jin and credited him as being “an outstanding acting teacher” to her. She said of him, “To be honest, at first I found it difficult to ask oppa [Lee Seo-jin] questions, but later I grew comfortable enough with him to seek him out to ask his opinion on things.”
Of her first major role, Im said, “We worked so madly on this drama that I’m so sad that it’s over. I’ve been praised by a lot of people, but there are a lot of things I’m lacking. …Everyone prepared for the drama’s filming so perfectly, but I think I set it back by being the only one who was less prepared. We didn’t make it this far because I did a good job, but that I received so much help from the writer, director, and actors.”
Given the widespread praise for Im’s acting, that sounds like it’s her modesty talking — Lee Seo-jin praised her, saying, “Im Joo-eun acted so well that it’s hard to believe she’s a rookie.” However, some of her self-reflection may be deserved, and it sounds like she’s conscious of her flaws: “In the beginning, there were many difficult scenes, and many people helped me. What’s disappointing is that in the later part, we were so pressed for time that I couldn’t focus. I heard some comments that my acting declined toward the end and was even asked if we filmed the later parts first.”
Despite the ending’s flaws, PD Kim Sang-ho did assert that he was proud of being able to incorporate variety of social issues into the drama to create a different kind of horror drama: “I think horror these days isn’t about ghosts, but horror about our own selves and the uncertain future, and I wanted to express that in this drama. I was very pleased as a director when viewers went searching for the various social messages within the drama. …Even though I was disappointed with the limitations of our ending, I’m proud to have been able to make a horror drama of this caliber.”
If you liked PD Kim Sang-ho’s work in Hon — who had tread completely different ground with his romantic comedy Fantasy Couple — keep your eyes peeled for his next project: “A science-fiction comedy called My Stepmother Is an Alien.” (Related to the American movie, perhaps?) Lee Seo-jin, on the other hand, has yet to choose his next role.
Taking over Hon‘s Wednesday-Thursday time slot in the coming week is U-Know Yunho‘s debut acting project, Heading to the Ground.
Via Joy News 1, 2, and 3
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Tags: Hon, Im Joo-eun, Kim Sang-ho, Lee Seo-jin
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1 jo
September 5, 2009 at 10:55 PM
Hon started off well for me. But I felt that the plot simply fell apart soon after fourth episode or so. i wish it was a 20-episode drama, it wasn't thorough and developed plot-wise. it's like yeah the audience can kind of get the gist of the theme, but that's about it.
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2 cranky
September 5, 2009 at 11:13 PM
Hon was one of the rare Korean horror stories that I really got hooked on because being a horror genre enthusiast, I love a well developed plot. While I haven't watched the final two episodes, it does seem that towards the final few episodes, there's a lag in the tempo of the drama, making the last couple of episodes sort of slow and filler-like. I would have loved for the proposed-then-abandoned extension was executed so that the PD would be able to really flesh out everything instead of just ending it abruptly. But I do like Hon, despite of everything, because of the risks they took in casting and producing this.
For me, it's one of the finer dramas this whole year. It's a pity the ratings weren't better but screw the ratings!
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3 langdon813
September 5, 2009 at 11:16 PM
I was thoroughly entertained by Hon (and by that I mean totally creeped out, in a good way). This is the first time I've ever seen Lee Seo-jin in anything; I thought he was great and Im Joo-eun was fantastic for a newbie. I've still got to watch Episode 10, but from reading this article it sounds like it's even more of a shame that they didn't extend the series like they planned. JB, seems like you said something once about this show being perfect at around 12 episodes? If I'm remembering that correctly, looks like you were right on the money. Another couple of episodes might have made all the difference in allowing them to shoot the ending they wanted.
I didn't spend too much time analyzing the plot or looking for any particular "social messages", but I did appreciate that I never figured out what was going to happen in advance (so far, anyway). Overall, I thought it was a solid effort; a great cast and plenty of chills and thrills. Well worth watching...in the daytime, with all the lights on, of course. ;-)
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4 ron
September 6, 2009 at 4:48 AM
Hello. I was shock when I found out that this one has ended. Because I thought that it would be longer. I think that it started off recently, maybe in August. this one maybe is interesting... i didn't watch it but i will try...
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5 guini
September 6, 2009 at 6:03 AM
That’s my problem in Kdrama they started it so perfectly that they end it with so many headaches in tow. I kinda feel the sentiments of the funs, I for one had been a victim of this that I started falling out of love of Kdramas and so I instigate to be more selective until developing a routine of knowing first the ending before starting a drama lol. But it’s better than suffering the heartache on something that you’ve spend weeks to months watching just to be slap with a terrible and sad ending.
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6 nai
September 6, 2009 at 9:20 AM
Hon is absolutely one of the best dramas. i've seen, I'm sure you could probably understand why. (for those who watched it with an open mind) I'm quite dissapointed that Korea did not enjoy it as much as us(outsiders) did. The story flowed smoothly , the acting was above average. (especially Ha Na) The story was even segmented (Ha Na's story + Ryu Jin's side plot)
I expected this ending. IT'S A HORROR DRAMA , I am definately buying this boxset for sure. I can re-watch it many time. I loved the cinematograhy...such as the Suicide scene in episode 1, that's was beautiful! The music was well done too!
I feel bad for MBC, did japan buy the rights for this drama? I hope they do >.< Hometown Legends II was EPIC fail (for me)
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7 chuck
September 6, 2009 at 10:01 AM
do they write the script/plot as the episodes are being shot and aired? I was trying to understand if the lackluster ending is due to the script itself or something else -- like the acting or directing...
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8 oi
September 6, 2009 at 11:37 AM
LOL....on the pic, to me it looks like the actress forgot to put on on skirt or trousers. The top is sooo short. Especially her tighs being so white.
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9 jacq
September 6, 2009 at 11:47 AM
I watched the last episode yesterday and I thought it was okay. I kind of expected the ending too although it felt a little bit rushed to me. I think the 2 leads were very good, especially the newbie actress, she acted out the possessed troubled character fantastically (she has the eyes for it). Overall I enjoyed the drama a lot and hope there are more horror series to come in the future!
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10 Nikki
September 6, 2009 at 1:46 PM
Are you still up for the recap for Hon? Pretty please?
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11 savaris
September 7, 2009 at 9:33 AM
Oooh let's have a Hon alternate endings contest =)
Actually I wonder what the PD had in mind for an ending?
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12 angelicmissy
September 7, 2009 at 11:58 AM
Random question.
Am I the only one who thinks Im Joo-eun's legs in the top pic look strikingly creepy.
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13 tree
September 7, 2009 at 10:36 PM
I think this drama could have benefited from a few more episodes. From episode 7(I think) onwards things sort of began to fall flat. It felt a bit rushed. I think one of the reasons why, there should have been more development between Ha Na and the evil lawyer, and her and also, Si-woo.
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14 love
September 8, 2009 at 7:28 AM
i am disappointed with the ending and I agree this drama could have benefited with few more episodes , as it is, there are lots of loopholes
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15 Nonie
September 21, 2009 at 8:49 PM
I am not into horror films. But since I saw the name Lee Seo Jin ,I eagerly buy the DVD set. Surprisingly, I watched them 3 times. At the beginning I was so scared with the usual scary scenes and music. But for the second time I watch with wide eyes, and found many cheesy scenes. The thunder, the dark room....blood every where,very usual drama horror scenes that we can found in many horror movies. But somehow I found many interesting facts...the relationship bet Yoon Hana and Lee Ryu is interesting. Too bad it doesn't develop a lot and the end of the story is too rush. I still hope the drama is extended since there are many unclear holes.
The storyline is interesting...., too bad is too short.
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16 kate09
September 26, 2009 at 5:40 AM
they should have hired Kim Tae Hee to have played the role of Hana...it could've helped the ratings....too bad...the drama just fell apart!
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17 Yumi
July 4, 2013 at 2:07 AM
Lee seo-jin is a great actor. He did a great job in DAMO alongside Ha Ji-Won & Kim Min-Joon. I was kinda disappointed with how short it was considering that the storyline was good, all the characters were great, the ost was perfectly fitted and the 3 lead characters had a wonderful chemistry. I wish they could all act again together, maybe in HWATU?
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18 hgtfrdedn
February 27, 2014 at 12:48 AM
It started well but just got worse and worse after a few epis. The actors did a good job though.
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