Awkward acting develops suddenly, 'Pandora' that even Kim Soon-ok couldn't save

《Taeyuna’s Listening Bodbo》
Reporter Tae Yu-na and Ten Asia will properly cover all aspects of the drama based on what she heard and saw on the spot. We will be the eyes and ears of readers in an era where dramas are flooding in on numerous channels.

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There was no glory for the SBS drama 'Penthouse', which had a viewership rating of close to 30%. Lee Ji-ah returns to the small screen after losing 6 kg in a year and a half. The subject of a killer who was raised as a murder weapon lost its power due to Lee Ji-ah's awkward acting and unrealistic development without any change in facial expression. ‘The Greatest Godmother’ Kim Soon-ok’s division came back as shackles rather than glory. This is the story of tvN’s new Saturday-Sunday drama ‘Pandora: A Fabricated Paradise.’

'Pandora', which first aired on the 11th, is a revenge drama in which a woman living a life that everyone envies recovers her lost memories of the past and punishes those who manipulated her fate. This is a new work by Kim Soon-ok, written by a local writer.

'Pandora' received great attention even before it was broadcast simply because writer Kim Soon-ok participated as a creator. Here, Lee Ji-ah, Bong Tae-gyu, and Park Ki-woong, who appeared in 'Penthouse', appeared, heightening expectations. Previously, writer Kim Soon-ok's 'Penthouse' series gained syndrome popularity, reaching a peak viewership rating of 29%. Lee Ji-ah, who played the character Shim Soo-ryun at the time, was well-received for her elegant yet courageous attitude toward revenge.

Lee Ji-ah showed off her killer action through ‘Pandora’. At the production presentation, Lee Ji-ah said, "As I am a killer trained to be a murder weapon, I wanted to tone my body as well as do action scenes, so I exercised a bit. I also built abs. I lost a lot of weight compared to 'Penthouse'. I lost another 5 to 6 kg. “I wanted to do action scenes while maintaining a slim and agile body,” he said, drawing attention to his acting transformation as well.

But were expectations too high? In the unveiled 'Pandora', Lee Ji-ah broke the immersion of the play with her awkward acting without any change in facial expression. Even in a situation where he has to act out the cataclysmic emotions of losing his memory and discovering his identity for the first time in 15 years, his facial expression is always expressionless, with no discernible emotion.

In addition, the development that seemed to mix various things such as adultery, politics, murder, and action damaged the identity of the work. People asked to see it as entertainment to enjoy on a weekend evening, but the dark and complicated plot came across as an inconvenience rather than a joy to the viewers. It's too gloomy to have wanted a drama.

Because the expectations coming from the name ‘Kim Soon-ok’ were high, the disappointment must have been even greater. The viewer rating was also 4.9% in the first episode, which was only 1/3 lower than the 17% viewership rating for the last episode of the previous work 'One-shot Scandal'. The competing work ‘Model Taxi 2’ recorded around 14%.

There should be an upward trend through word of mouth, but the response is also not good. The biggest problem is that it's not fun, and the actor's acting is awkward. There is no hero like Cheon Seo-jin (Kim So-yeon) from 'Penthouse' in 'Pandora'.

He lost weight and got in shape for action scenes, but his consistent expression was holding him back. Lee Ji-ah's unique mysterious atmosphere was not an advantage in killer action. The glory of being part of Kim Soon-ok's division returned as a tag. Can ‘Pandora’ break this atmosphere and take the upward trend? This is why concerns come before expectations.

Taeyuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr