Big Issue
Story
Big Issue is an intense action drama. The opening episode includes a fight scene that takes places on top of a train. It grabs your attention from the start. The stunts and photography are well done. The script is smart and interesting, with a dark tone. It is unpredictable and doesn’t fall back on the overused troupes that many Korean dramas use.
Big Issue is about the greed and corruption of Korean tabloids. The Sunday Syndicate is an online publication that makes its money by getting photos of the rich and powerful in compromising situations, and then blackmailing them to keep the pictures out of the media. The Syndicate CEO and Chief Editor have worked for years to build a web of influence that includes the Attorney General and the Chief of Police, among many others. The episodes follow reporters and photographers from the Sunday Syndicate as they uncover new scandals and create elaborate schemes to get the valuable photographs they need. Meanwhile in the background of these new scandals, the powerful people who have been manipulated by The Syndicate for years are banding together to try to overthrow its power.
Characters
Jo Hyung Joon, played by Kim Hee-Won (My Love from Another Star, Gu Family Book) is the CEO of the Sunday Syndicate. His role on the show, like the character he plays, is more supporting and not central to the story. Although his position is over the Chief Editor, it is clear to everyone that she is the person who is in charge. Hyung Joon hass become so obsessed with the power he has gathered, that in the end he chooses it over his own life. He is the cautionary tale of how greed can destroy us. Kim Hee-Won played the character well, but I never found the character to be engaging. There is nothing redeeming in his journey.
Han Seok Joo, played by Joo Jin-Mo (This is My Love, Empress Ki) is a down on his luck photographer. His former employer left him to take the fall for an article that they published based on the picture he took. He was arrested, his wife divorced him, and he is living in a subway station when the show begins. He gets hired by The Sunday Syndicate, goes through rehab, and begins putting his life back together.
A beautiful substory involves his very ill young daughter. She has been told that her father is dead. Seok-Joo begins to secretly pay for her medical care and gets to know her posing as a security guard. Their interactions are honest and sweet. I enjoyed watching their relationship bloom. At the same time, Seok joo’s relationship with Ji Soo-Hyun, The Syndicate Chief Editor, is also developing, and he soon finds his number one goal is protecting the people he loves.
I loved Seok-Joo’s character. He is soft-spoken but determined. While he is determined to get revenge on those who tried to destroy his life, he finds a way to do it that is legal and will not leave a stain on his conscience. He is unwaveringly devoted to the people he cares about.
Ji Soo-Hyun, played by Han Ye-Seul (20th Century Boy and Girl, Madame Antoine) is the Chief Editor. She is responsible for the original story that made The Sunday Syndicate a successful publication. She has fought to become someone who is taken seriously in the business, after rumors threatened to destroy her career. She hires Seok-Joo out of guilt for the role she played in his past struggles. In the beginning, her guilt is balanced by her need to keep him working for her. Because of this, she uses his sick daughter as a tool to hold on to the talented photographer. But as her feelings for him deepen, she begins to help him, without worrying about the cost to her.
Soo-Hyun is an ice-cold business woman who hides a sensitive heart deep beneath her tough exterior. I found myself rooting for her to break out of her shell and become the warm, honest person she tried so hard to hide.
Secondary characters
The women working at The Sunday Syndicate fell flat for me. They were stereotypes without enough storyline to make me care what happened to them. From the desperate one who dates every new guy who gets hired, to the gossipy one looking to stab anyone in the back in her fight to climb the ladder of success.
Luckily, not all the secondary characters suffered from this one-sided portrayal. There were two stand-outs for me. The first may seem like a strange choice, but I loved Lee Kwan-Hoon as Soo-Hyun’s silent, dependable driver. Several times he showed up out of nowhere to save the day, then casually turned around and left without a word. He could very well be the true hero of the whole series! Is it just me?
I also enjoyed Kang Sung-Jin as the wheelchair-bound IT specialist. He is the first to befriend Seok-Joo. As a long-time employee who spends all of his time in the office, quietly observing, his friendship and advice are invaluable. He even sacrifices his specially equipped van to save Soo-hyun and Seok-Joo, without any thought to his own personal injury.
Ending
I thought the ending was pretty good. The storyline relating to The Syndicate tied everything up nicely. The good guys won, leaving the bad guys to pay for the crimes they had committed. Hyung Joon suffers a serious injury that leaves him mentally trapped in a past where he is powerful. Seok-Joo has become the CEO of The Syndicate, and there is hope that he and Soo-Hyun will be using their power to initiate positive change in the future.
Seok-Joo’s daughter is able to get the heart transplant she has been waiting for and is living a healthy life. She invites Seok-Joo to her school program, and when he leaves without a word, she chases him and calls him dad for the first time. It is obvious he will be able to be a part of her life and their relationship can grow as father and daughter.
The romantic relationship between Seok-Joo and Soo-Hyun took a bit of a step backward at the end, which was a little disappointing for me. Even their final reunion kiss is interrupted at the last minute. The only kiss they shared was all the way back in Episode #10. Their chemistry is dynamic throughout the entire show, and it has deepened as they opened up to each other and learned to be honest in their feelings. But the ending scene of them travelling together takes us back to the times when he was still casually flirting while she pretended to resist.
Should I Watch
I didn’t hear much about this drama before I started it, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I’m glad I gave it a try. If you love a good thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, this is a good one. There isn’t a lot of romance, if that’s what you’re looking for, but there are plenty of engaging stories. I really enjoyed the ride. I’m giving this drama 8 ramen out of 10.
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