...deciding what to watch next

You didn't bring me here. I brought you here.

MERCY FOR NONE (2025, Choi Sung Eun)

I do think a few tweaks could have really made this a standout series though. The lead is doing all this revenge for his lil bro, but we barely get a glimpse of them together. More flashbacks of their bond would have been nice!

The writing was also pretty minimal. I get that bro is seeing red but a lil more dialogue from him here n there wouldn't have hurt lmao

Also, the lead is just straight up overpowered. He sends out a single punch and three men go flying. He gets shot three damn times and stabbed everywhere but is still able to keep going. It's just a bit much hahaha

If anything, I disliked people's interpretation of the characters this season. I keep seeing complaints that they nerfed woojin or made gunwoo a crybaby, but that's gotta be the media illiteracy talkin fr :/

To me, it was obvious that both characters experienced some major character growth this season. They both underwent some pretty intense stuff in s1 over 4 years prior and thought that would be it, that the worst time of their lives was over. So, of course, woojin, who had sustained some pretty major injuries back then, would have retired from the ring and taken on a coaching role for gunwoo, who, in turn, is training solely to fight in the ring. His close call with death would have, of course, made woojin a lot more mature and less goofy, especially as he is battling with some heavy internalised insecurities about his strength and ability to protect his new family.

This season's events completely upturn their comfortable lives and give each of them a tough reminder. For woojin, its that if he wants to be a reliable hyung and protect his ride or die lil bro and second mother, he needs to get stronger ASAP! i guarantee he will be a beast in the next season. And for gunwoo, he realises he needs to stop conflicting with his morals and fight dirty when necessary to stop any more of his loved ones getting hurt.

This first season provides such good insight on detective work in the 90s before the integration of technology we all rely on today. Just good ol fashioned detective work with pen n paper. It's a real delight to watch them work using classic police procedural.

The team's dynamic was fantastic and though I'm sad to see members leaving and new ones joining at the end, I like the realism it adds. It just makes sense for people to be constantly transferred in and out of such grim, mentally draining work.

I cannot offer you great wealth or Italy but I can offer you my love, and my devotion, and my hope to build a family one day.

The characterisation of Mary absolutely shines above everything else. She was quirky, charming, and so damn real, especially when addressing her insecurities. I just loved how she was written, she truly was the highlight!

I just really did not like how 'disney-fied' Thia's character was...I get that her peppy cheery attitude is supposed to contrast Dek's moodiness but oh man was it annoying at times

its a gritty and unsettling crime thriller where every single character, except for the child, is a scumbag in their own right. they all take advantage of the situation for their own personal agenda, inadvertently messing up the investigation

the characters are all frustrating and unlikeable, and their environment is full of death and decay, enhancing the film's overall grittiness and realism

the movie hits the hardest as soon as the credits start rolling simply because you realise if the adults hadnt been caught up in a whirwind of their egos, insecurities, selfishness and greed, they could have prevented such a tragedy

i enjoyed all the references, jokes and spoofs on the cop/detective/noir tropes, as well as all the dunking on tech billionaires, but wasnt too much of a fan of some other jokes, which landed a bit dry imo

pamela was great tho!! love seeing her expand her filmography and hope she continues to do so!

its not subtle at all with its harsh critique on women's beauty standards, and the pain and suffering we go through just to become 'high-value' in the lecherous eyes of patriarchy - as if we exist just to be used, modified and discarded according to society's tastes

i liked seeing the story play out in the stepsister's perspective, with 'cinderella' as the adversary, especially since they are both a victim to their circumstance, and are only in competition to escape debt or a life of servitude

whenever we think of the holocaust and europe during ww2, we always think along the lines of, "how did society let that happen? how were they ok with it?", and the film answers that perfectly - through complete moral apathy and extreme dehumanisation

the family live their idyllic lives and enjoy it, while we, as the audience, watch on in horror as smoke constantly rises from the chimney over the wall, and its horrific meaning

it encapsulates how things led up to this point in europe at the time, with people actively committing the crimes (the husband), while others simply ignored it for their own convenience, even enjoying the 'benefits' (the wife)

i still think more could have been done in showing the stark contrast of the family's peaceful life and the atrocity next door - overalll not a great movie, but a very important one nonetheless

it starts off very 'normal', then quickly becomes more and more disturbing as it reveals what the woman and her dog get up to in both her professional career and personal life - and the implications this has on the political climate of the time

its got some excellent actors that you will definitely be familiar with if you're a fan of HK's blockbuster era! not to mention a fast-paced plot and a smooth, jazzy soundtrack!

at the end of the day, the point of this trial is to prove whether the husband's death was attributable to suicide or possible foul play by the wife, with the blind son's testimonies determining the final outcome - the truth itself is not important and is never revealed

it was so tense and thrilling!! the slow unravelling of their relationship revealed many pitfalls in their relationship and possible causes of why it happened, but what i really liked is the use of the son's piano playing to show which parent/outcome he was 'choosing' at that given time - that was brilliant!

the leads' acting was incredible! their scenes felt so genuine and immersive that at times, i couldnt help but feel like i was intruding on their privacy lmao

i do wish there was a stronger revenge subplot though - for all the talk about 'revenge', we didnt really get to see anything intricate or planned out

a stronger side story was probably needed just to incorporate more of the side characters too, they just felt way too underutilised at times, especially the best friend, the assistant, and the other actors

Yeah, they’re a bit eccentric. But when you’re born us, you don’t exactly win many popularity contests. Do I wish people didn’t see us as monsters? Sure, I do. But these are the cards we’ve been dealt, so we might as well play them.

i loved the not-so-subtle social commentary on how a combination of negative stereotypes and a lack of support/opportunities can push marginalised people into a positive feedback loop of 'fulfilling' those negative perceptions, and that those in power often take advantage of this to push their own agendas