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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Blade Man" Episode 15

"Blade Man" is a strange mixture of moving and perplexing. It is the moving aspect that keeps it an engaging show, while the perplexing aspect has me wondering what the writer is thinking. So many plot points are dropped and picked up at random that there is very little consistency in the storyline. What is consistent is the emotional development of Hong-bin, Daddy Joo, and Se-dong.

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Hong-bin spends most of the episode hunting down Tae-hee, but while he does we see that he really has grown. Now it is he who instigates honest and open communication in his relationship with Se-dong while she suffers jealous pangs at Tae-hee's presence. The growth in him is the most satisfying aspect of the show. It's also good to see Se-dong deal with selfishness since she has been giving so much of herself for most of her life. The switch between their emotional roles was a smart move.

In regards to Tae-hee, she is suddenly a major character who takes up most of the episode with her medical and emotional baggage. She is determined to hide from Hong-bin to save him pain, one of my least favorite television intrigues. The directing of her scenes exacerbates the melodrama of her situation by pretending to pet Hong-bin from afar and crying while following him around the streets. It is all too much and seems as though production is grasping at straws in order to keep ratings up. Including a living Tae-hee into the story was unnecessary.

A few other bobbles in the episode are the fact that Hong-bin's powers seem to be defective. He cannot smell or hear Tae-hee when he is on the other side of a door making quite a bit of noise. The one sense that worked even when his blades weren't out was his sense of smell. Why not now? The selective appearance of his powers is disconcerting. Another bobble involves Madame Yoon. She is the evil mastermind in "Blade Man" and yet she is always one step behind. She burned a letter Hong-joo wrote to Hong-bin that indicated Tae-hee was alive, which was a futile move since Hong-bing was bound to discover the truth. The action only placed her further at risk. It was a dumb move and villains who are fools are no fun to watch.

Daddy Joo is one of my favorite characters because his learning curve parallels Hong-bin's. He is learning to take responsibility for what he did. At Hong-joo's urging he even tries to initiate an apology with Tae-hee (but is thwarted by her kidnapping.) It is the relationship he is tentatively cultivating with his son that holds the most sway. Daddy Joo admits to hating Tae-hee because she "stole" Hong-bin away from him, which is a huge step for the selfish man.

I'm not sure how the Tae-hee situation will be handled, but I prefer for the show to swing back towards Hong-bin and Se-dong rather than focus on this side show. It had four episodes to do it in.

Written by: Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Blade Man" is directed by Kim Yong-soo-I, Kim Jong-yeon, written by Kim Gyoo-wan and features Lee Dong-wook, Shin Se-kyung, Kim Kap-soo, and Jung Yoo-geun.

 

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