2010-08-10 IRIS

I know I had said I'm giving up on dramas, but I had always wanted to watch IRIS so I've decided to watch it after a year away from dramas. I had high expectations for IRIS but after watching it, I can't exactly say it's an awesome awesome drama. Truthfully, I have mixed emotions about this one.


THE PLOT
The plot was different than I had imaged. The story is basically:

I. Hyun Joon with NSS

• Background Info on Hyun Joon & Sa Woo
• Hyun Joon & Seung Hee's love story + jobs at NSS
  
• Hyun Joon escaping for his life

II. Hyun Joon vs NSS

• Hyun Joon joins North Korean terrorists in nuclear weapon making

III. NSS vs IRIS

• Hyun Joon returns
• Second attempt to end Summit

Because the drama is called IRIS, I had imagined the main characters dealing directly with the organization called "IRIS". Of course, the protagonist of this drama is indeed IRIS, however, most of the things was done through Baek San, which means mostly NSS. I was disappointed to see so little of TOP, who works for IRIS, and had to see so much of that traitor Sa Woo and Baek San.

I like IRIS because it's a different genre than the previous Korean dramas I had watched. I especially enjoyed the different twists involved within the plot and the complexity of the characters. It was an intense drama that kind of required your own thinking. ^o^ However while watching I also questioned many elements:

1. Hyun Joon & Seung Hee's love story progressed unusually fast -- she changed her mind about him so easily. Everything basically happened within the first three episodes. But I don't mind =D I can understand that because this drama is not mainly focused on their love story, it needs to happen pretty fast or the storyline will progress way to slow. Hyun Joon was so cute before all the crazy stuff happened~~
2. While Hyun Joon was running away from everyone does he not eat or drink? -- Where does he get all the energy from running away, etc.  and how come he knows everything? @__@ He knows how to drive dangerously and how to fly a plane? I'm guessing he learned it while in military? @__@ .... but then again, it's a drama. Not everything little detail can be portrayed or else the drama would be very boring and won't progress so I'll just let it go like all the other movies and dramas I watched. =D
3. What happened to South Korea's nuclear planning? -- I thought the President wanted to revive nuclear technology in South Korea but that idea and project just kinda disappeared after the terrorists stole the detonator from NSS.
4. Is Yoo Jung Hoon associated with the President? -- so Hyun Joon used the ID and key to retrieve car keys. And then he met with the President. So was Yoo Jung Hoon working with the secretary? So the secretary was part of the anti-IRIS organization?  I thought that ID was like an old secret so if it is then how does Yoo Jung Hoon know that the president wants to talk to Hyun Joon? @___@
5. How can Vick (T.O.P) just die like that! D: -- Vick is a top assassin. How can he not notice that Hyun Joon was following him...home??!! And the way he died was just sad -- got beat up by Hyun Joon without even fighting back. It would be so much more glorious if there was an epic battle that showed off his awesome assassin skills. 
6. What happened to Baek San? -- nothing was ever clarified after we last see him getting captured after his confrontation with Hyun Joon. He didn't die because he would be useful in getting info about IRIS, so what happened to him? What info did NSS get? 
7. What happened to the Summit? -- the main conflict of the drama is for IRIS to stop the summit and the unification of North and South Korea. Although the final summit day came, IRIS basically canceled it with all the shooting and stuff. So did they reschedule it? I mean, if they didn't, then it'll be really sad because the whole point of all the people dying and all the suffering Hyun Joon had to go through would be a total waste of effort. 
8. Did NSS think they destroyed IRIS? -- in the ending, all we had seen was that the employees of NSS were joking around, and Hyun Joon and Seung Hee quit to enjoy their lives. But didn't they say the list wasn't complete? What do they know about IRIS? Are they not going to continue in figuring out? NSS basically killed all the people of IRIS and the whereabouts of the only alive person associated with IRIS, Baek San, was unknown in the end. It feels like IRIS was just kind of forgotten...@_@
9. What happened with Seung Hee and IRIS? -- okay, so in the end Seung Hee was kinda in the same situation as what Hyun Joon had experienced so what happened afterwards? She wasn't forced into IRIS. Why did they recruit her so late in the series? Why not earlier? And so I guess she made the decision of not joining them in the end by not killing president but then what happened with her and IRIS? And speaking of the assassination, after hearing the gunshot, the IRIS people wasn't even surprised the president wasn't dead. So were the snipers not suppose to kill the president? @__@

Basically the ending was just very unsatisfying....I mean VERY VERY VERY UNSATISFYING!!!!!  We don't know what happened to the president, the Summit, Baek San, and IRIS. And the worst part: HYUN JOON DIED!!!!! ARE THEY NUTS??!!! THE HERO WHO SUFFERED THROUGH GAZILLION IMPOSSIBLE SITUATIONS JUST DIED LIKE THAT!!!!! WHAT'S THE POINT THEN?! WHAT'S THE POINT OF HIM RUNNING AWAY FROM ALL THE CRAZY, DANGEROUS SITUATIONS IF HE'S JUST GOING TO DIE IN SUCH A STUPID WAY ANYWAYS?! The reason they killed him off is because the actor won't be returning for the second season but seriously, the way he died was just sad. Even before I watched the drama, I knew he was going to die. But I watched it because I wanted to see how he died in the end because he escaped and survived through nearly impossible experiences. In the end, he just died while driving!! @^%#(^(@!!@)*#!  and they didn't even show the face of the killer! -- though it's very likely IRIS but who? It'll be awesome if it was Vick but Hyun Joon already killed him! And it can't be Sa Woo because he's dead too! Baek San? Yo like seriously, I'm seriously pissed at how stupidly he died. And in the end, nothing more about IRIS was discovered than what was said in the earlier episodes. I feel like there are still so many questions left to be answered. So BLaH. There wasn't that satisfactory feeling of finishing the drama whether it's a happy ending or sad ending.

THE CHARACTERS

• Kim Hyun Joon: I love his personality except he can be very rash sometimes and let his emotions take over. I love it when he's acting all kiddish, it's very cute =D and when he's all serious, it's very cool =) Too bad near the end, the haircut and everything make him look much older than in the beginner...I guess it shows the time change =D He is a very carefree guy who acts whatever he feels like -- and likes to have fun. But when it comes down to serious stuff, he can be. He is also very caring, kind, and persevering.  He is freakishly intelligent ~because of his photographic memory~ and good at everything ~ shooting, driving, fighting, etc (this only happens in dramas T__T). I think he has a strong sense of justice, which is why he only kills when necessary. And in a sense, he feels abandoned since childhood. Which is probably why he was driven to seek revenge after he felt betrayed and abandoned.
• Choi Sa Woo: I don't know what to think of him. Although his character is a traitor friend, he really cares. Before entering NSS, we see that he was the more innocent one. He is very truthful, although it's not always to be so trusting in others and be so truthful. He is also kind of wishy-washy. But like Hyun Joon, he has a kind heart. He took on the task of killing Hyun Joon in order to save Seung Hee from the pain. He continued to work for Baek San because I think he knows that if he doesn't, he'll suffer dire consequences. He can no longer back out once he accepts the task and has to keep moving forward. I think at one time, he really trusted Baek San and thought he had the ability to do well in IRIS. But of course, just like back in the military, while Hyun Joon accomplished all his missions, Sa Woo mostly failed his. I think he really tries hard to play the boss role but deep down he is insecure. This is especially the case after he left NSS and entered IRIS. And of course, this sad character had to suppress his love for Seung Hee but everytime she does anything reckless, he is always worried and go to make sure everything is fine. However, there are times that his actions make me think that he wants to get rid of Hyun Joon so he can have Seung Hee himself. Of course, I don't doubt that the thought did indeed cross his mind. Throughout the entire drama, he tells himself that he needs to sacrifice his friendship in order to live and succeed in life but of course in the very end when he was confronted of his worst fear: he was merely a pawn, a puppet, did he realize that IRIS will never work out for him. But of course, like all dramas, he dies after his final realization thus making everyone feel pity for him.
• Seung Hee: I thought she's be a very cool headed person but I guess when it comes to love, she is weak. After parting from Hyun Joon, she really showed her stubborn side. She acts repulsively and act without thinking of the consequences. It bothers how she always wants to Hyun Joon and go to the terrorists' hideout by herself, as if she can deal with all of them by herself. I hated it how she doesn't appreciate how everybody else was helping her and worrying about her. In a way, she is selfish. I liked her in the beginning because I thought she was a very cool character who's not clingy to anyone. Her transformation was nice when going out with Hyun Joon but after they got separated, she seemed possessed and stop caring about anyone except her selfish reason in finding Hyun Joon. Though I admire her skills as a top profiler and her calmness when it comes to fighting.
• Kim Seon-hwa: I like her character. She is very cool and calm. When Hyun Joon was getting all emotional and everything, she was able to keep her cool and remind him of the reality. Although she hides her personal feelings, she feels lonely, especially with the death of her family, which is why, I think, she liked Hyun Joon because he cared for her. Although she didn't tell Hyun Joon nor Seung Hee that each other are alive (which I kinda got annoyed during that part =D) but in the end, we see that she just wanted Hyun Joon's attention. Although it's a selfish act, I think it really shows the loneliness she feels inside. She is very selfless when it comes to Hyun Joon. I'm glad she didn't die =D
• Park Chul Young: I thought he was a head of the bad guys but he turned to be a lesser important figure too. It's not necessarily bad because we realize that he is only a very patriotic soldier who wants the best for his country. =) 
• Vick: Oh Vick, why can't you appear more often? D: Everything he does, he does it with grace and a certain coolness. It's so unfortunate that he is the bad guy. When he battles with Hyun Joon, I don't know who to cheer for T___T. The way he dresses, the way he kills, the way he talks, everything about him is just slick coolness...until his death. DUUUUUUDDDEEE the way he died was so disappointing. He should have at least defended himself but NOOOOOOOOO he just got beat up by Hyun Joon and died. I must say I was surprised that Vick died! I thought he's so good that nobody can kill him. Like he said, only he can kill himself but unfortuately Hyun Joon killed him. Blah
• The president: The president annoys me. He is ambitious which makes him annoying. Although there are times he was okay because he understands the situation of NSS and IRIS and everything but  I just don't like how he's so persistent with his nuclear technology and the unification and the summit. If he just canceled it, NSS and Hyun Joon would never have to suffer that much. The sad part is, the summit never successfully happened. =__=

Overall, I was disappointed nearing the end. The beginning and middle was enjoyable but near the ending, everything just went downhill. I really felt that the part with Seung Hee and IRIS was kind of pointless because nothing big really happened. All we learned was her past with Baek San. Okay, then what? because she didn't join IRIS. I was surprised she can just refuse without getting killed. So I wonder what if Sa Woo refused to accept the mission in killing Hyun Joon and got her to do it. If she refused, then what?

Basically, I felt that the ending didn't really conclude anything and everybody died. (They killed off everybody I liked =[)  HYUN JOON'S DEATH WAS A HUGE DOWNFALL! JUST RANDOMLY KILLING THE PROTAGONIST IN THE END KINDA DEFEATS HIS ENTIRE PURPOSE IN THE DRAMA! WHAT WAS THE POINT OF HIM DOING ALL THAT AND DIE. GEEZ~ Oh ya, why do they have to kill Mi-jung?!!D: she was such a cool hacker. (I'm still mad about it)

In the end, I have to only give this drama a 7/10.

And the sequel? I'm not sure if I want to watch it. Maybe I'll watch it to see if there's anything else about IRIS but I don't like the idea of a new cast since everybody I liked already died. =(