‘Escape of the Seven’ Kim Soon-ok, failed to rob Namgoong Min’s empty house? Chaotic drama version [Oh! Strong Focus]

[OSEN=Reporter Yeon Hwi-seon] After the exit of Part 1 of ‘Lovers’, which attracted attention thanks to the performance of actor Namgoong Min, writer Kim Soon-ok made a comeback with ‘Escape of the Seven’, but the reviews were divided. It is a hiatus for popular broadcast dramas that lead the drama series from Friday to the weekend.

SBS’ Friday-Saturday drama ‘Escape of the Seven’ recently began its first broadcast. The work that reunited writer Kim Soon-ok and director Joo Dong-min, who worked together on ‘The Last Empress’ and ‘Penthouse’, garnered anticipation from the start. The viewership rating is around 6% based on Nielsen Korea’s national standard, which is not a bad score, but when looking at the evaluations of the work, it is not a number that can be just observed.

The biggest criticism of ‘Escape of the Seven’ is that the provocative elements cross the line and cause discomfort. First of all, the whole story starting from Bang Dami’s (played by Jeong Ra-el) misfortune was similar to ‘Penthouse’, so there was a strong feeling of déjà vu. Geum Ra-hee (played by Hwang Jeong-eum) brings back her own daughter, Bang Da-mi, whom she abandoned, and uses her as a tool for her success. The sight of her hitting her daughter’s face with her fist and hitting her with her aquarium shocked viewers. made me do it The same goes for Han Mo-ne (played by Lee Yoo-bi), who uses her transfer student to cover up her own infidelity, including her cheating, supporting dating, and giving birth at school.

Basically, ‘Escape of the Seven’ is a picaresque work that uses villains as the main characters. However, contrived settings were rampant, and sufficient probability was lost in the process. Among the actions of the characters who had nothing to focus on, the only fun that could be enjoyed in ‘Escape of the Seven’ was ‘high stimulation’. It was no exaggeration to confess from the production press conference that the cast and production team said, “It was more than just a taste, it was a taste of death.” In the end, complaints about the broadcasts in question poured in to the Korea Communications Standards Commission.

Of course, as was the case in ‘The Last Empress’ and ‘Penthouse’, due to the dramatic nature of writer Kim Soon-ok’s unique development, the stimulation and evil deeds of the first half may return with even more explosive force in the second half. However, the rapid development from the beginning leaves viewers feeling uncomfortable right away, drawing criticism.

Moreover, competition in the same time slot is now meaningless and all weekend dramas compete through VOD or OTT. Competitors to ‘Escape of the Seven’ are no longer just Friday-Saturday dramas of the same time slot. The unfortunate thing is that there is no popular Friday or weekend night drama to replace it.

tvN’s Saturday-Sunday drama ‘Sword of Aramun’ boasts a higher level of perfection than Season 1’s ‘Arthdal ​​Chronicles’, and the new main characters, including actors Lee Joon-gi and Shin Se-kyung, are receiving favorable reviews as they naturally blend into the drama. However, due to the nature of the completely newly created fantasy genre and worldview, it appears that it is not easy to attract new viewers. As a result, it is difficult to break the 5% barrier.

JTBC’s Saturday-Sunday drama ‘Hip-Hope’, which began airing early last month, is in a similar situation. Actress Han Ji-min’s natural psychometric ability and romance with Lee Min-ki are enjoyable to watch. However, as the play has already entered the second half, there is hardly any development to show off, and the percentage remains in the single digits at 8%.

KBS 2TV’s weekend drama ‘Hyoshim, Each Life’ is also raising expectations as a new drama from Uee, who was especially well-received as a weekend drama. However, due to the long run of more than 50 episodes, which is typical of KBS weekend dramas, the full story has not been developed.

The ’19th Hangzhou Asian Games’ are scheduled from the 23rd to the 8th of next month. Ultimately, it is predicted that there will be a gap in TV productions that will captivate fans of weekend dramas on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. As the viewing churn rate from TV to OTT increases, it is expected to become an even more painful hiatus in the broadcasting market.

So, is the alternative really just waiting for Part 2 of MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama ‘Lovers’? Even they will only make a comeback on October 13th, so the period of patience is not short at all. As a result, it is especially sad that Kim Soon-ok, who was thought to be a reliable rock in the place of Namgoong Min, is dying. / monamie@osen.co.kr

[Photo] Provided by SBS, tvN, KBS, MBC.