TV
Lee Ji-ah and Soon Ok Kim join hands for 'Pandora', 7.5% viewership rating
The tvN Saturday-Sunday drama 'Pandora: Fabricated Paradise' (Creator Kim Soon-ok, Directed by Choi Young-hoon, Written by Hyun Ji-min, Planning Studio Dragon, Produced by Chorokbaem Media), which aired on the 11th, captivated viewers at once with a strong stir from the first broadcast. The unexpected ending of Hong Tae-ra (Lee Ji-ah), who opened Pandora's box with her returned memories, caused goosebumps as it announced the beginning of 'bloody revenge'.
Viewer reaction also exploded. The first episode's viewership ratings averaged 6.1% and peaked at 7.5% for households in the metropolitan area, and averaged 4.9% and peaked at 6.3% for households nationwide, signaling a good start by ranking first in the same time slot, including cable and general programming channels. (Based on Nielsen Korea paid platform)
Hong Tae-ra's daily life, where everything was perfect, began to be shaken by unfamiliar memories that suddenly appeared. The ugly afterimage, which may be a dream or a lost memory of the past, constantly tormented Hong Tae-ra.
Meanwhile, an incident occurred that completely shook Hong Tae-ra's life. Go Hae-soo (played by Jang Hee-jin), Hong Tae-ra's best friend and YBC's main anchor, suffered from trauma due to the murder of her father, former President Go Tae-seon (Cha Gwang-soo), 15 years ago. Go Hae-soo, who was tracking down the real culprit who killed his father, received a photo with a message from someone wearing a skull-shaped helmet. Oh Young (Chae Rin) is the real culprit who killed her father, and if she wants to find her, she should come to Hanul Mental Hospital.
Hong Tae-ra felt a sense of déjà vu and was overcome with anxiety when she saw Oh-yeong with her left ear torn off in the photo given to her by Go Hae-soo. So the two headed to Hanul Mental Hospital together. Hong Tae-ra separated from Go Hae-soo and walked towards the back of the hospital as if being guided by something. There, we encountered an old iron gate guarded by a familiar wild dog statue. As if possessed, I placed my hand over the wild dog statue's mouth and the tightly closed iron door opened. The moment I opened the door and entered, Hong Tae-ra came face to face with her past. The memories that poured out like a Pandora's box being opened were shocking in themselves. The woman in the photo that Oh Young and Go Hae-soo, who were thoroughly raised as murder weapons, believed was the real culprit was Hong Tae-ra herself. Hong Tae-ra's shocking ending, where she faced the unbelievable truth, saying, "Oh Young... I was Oh Young," signaled the beginning of the tragedy that would begin in the future.
The truth that Hong Tae-ra, who Go Hae-soo trusted and relied on more than anyone else, was Oh Young made me even more curious about future developments. It raised questions about why Hong Tae-ra lost her memory and who was behind the manipulation of her fate. Moreover, the unusual look in the eyes of Jo Gyu-tae (played by Gong Jeong-hwan), the hospital director whom Go Hae-soo encountered, and the true intentions of Hong Yu-ra (played by Han Soo-yeon), who put Hong Tae-ra in danger and secretly manipulated her to restore her memory, also left a question mark.
Meanwhile, Pyo Jae-hyeon (played by Lee Sang-yoon), who was enjoying success as the chairman of the IT company 'Haechi', had big dreams of heading to even greater heights. However, a crisis began for Pyo Jae-hyun, who rejected the invitation to join the party by Han Kyung-rok (Jeong Jae-seong), leader of the Korean Democratic Party. Red, a super chimpanzee who was equipped with 'Haechi''s new technology VR medical device brain-linked smart patch 'Clover', was brutally killed. “Let’s catch it first. Pyo Jae-hyun's angry resolve, saying, "I am the culprit who killed Red," foreshadowed the conflict that would arise in the future. The crisis that permeated the couple, Hong Tae-ra and Pyo Jae-hyun, heightened tensions by foreshadowing the rift that would come to them.
‘Pandora: A Fabricated Paradise’ was intense from the first broadcast. The passionate performances of trustworthy box office hit maker Kim Soon-ok, director Choi Young-hoon, and actors were absolutely perfect. The synergy of Lee Ji-ah, Lee Sang-yoon, Jang Hee-jin, Park Ki-woong, and Bong Tae-gyu, who do not lose sight of the emotions in the swirling and unpredictable development, added to the immersion, and the spectacular visual beauty full of urgency maximized the pleasure of the genre and led to favorable reviews.
Meanwhile, episode 2 of tvN's Saturday-Sunday drama 'Pandora: A Fabricated Paradise' will be broadcast at 9:10 pm today (12th).
Ryu Ye-ji, Ten Asia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr
