Bullet Point Review: The Legend of the Blue Sea
Published in
2 min readDec 12, 2017
- The Legend of the Blue Sea is predictable, yes; the parallel timelines, the connection between the past and the present, the rich corporate heirs, the evil stepmother, the funny sidekicks, and a pretty leading lady, all are tropes found in other Korean dramas, and most arguably in the writer’s previous hit, Love from the Stars. Yet there was sincerity and a drive in the story that held me till the end.
- First, the plot. It is nothing new, but the story creates enough suspense and thrills, to make you sit through the whole season, which I think is absolutely great, because most dramas don’t know what to do with the story once you reach the halfway mark, and you either finish the season with one eye on the clock, or just leave it right there. I thought the inclusion of the past events as a prologue (which later leads to an epilogue), was clever. They were beautifully shot and it let the show writers decide which parts of the past to show us, and which to reveal to us later.
- Second, the characters. Jun Ji Hyun as the literal fish out of the water was excellent. Her inquisitiveness, her abnormality, and her innocence lead to a lots of laughter. I particularly enjoyed her friendship with the homeless women (Hong Jin Kyung) and the little girl, (Shin Rin Ah) and the constant questions she poses to others, asking about the definition of marriage, friendship, parents, and other words that we never need to define.
- Lee Hee Joon as Jo Nam Doo and Lee Ji Hoon as Heo Chi Hyun, were my favourites. Their characters had streaks of grey in them, and they always kept me on my toes onto what they would do and who they would side and choose to protect.
- Acting in water is hard, but Jun Ji Hyun really pulled it off! Kudos!
