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Black Knight – Full Review
Welcome to Black Knight – Full Review. A group of delivery people work as rebels to protect the common people from a corrupt government. If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
Black Knight
♥ Aired: May 12
♥# of Episodes: 6
♥Where to Watch: Netflix
♥Genre: Sci-Fi Action Drama
♥Starring: Kim Woo Bin and Kang Yoo Seok
The Story
After the earth is struck by a meteor, air pollution kills most of the population, leaving few survivors on a planet rampaged by climate change, where clean air is a commodity controlled by a corrupt government. And as political tensions heat up between the government rulers and the commoners, a group of rebels, led by a famous delivery man known as 5-8 and his new student, Sa Wol, may be the only hope the world has for peace and equality.
The Leads
Kim Woo Bin as 5-8
5-8 is a delivery man who is famous among the refugees as a tough and dedicated hero. While working as a delivery driver for the all-powerful Cheonmyeong Group, he and a small group of his co-workers have formed a rebel group intent on taking Cheonmyeong down and recreating a society where there is equality for all people. As plans to move the wealty into a new, better community get closer, 5-8 and his friends are sure their time is running out and the time for action is very soon. With the help of Jeong Seol Ah, an officer of the Defense Intelligence Command, and her “adopted brother, Yoon Sa Wol, who is the newest delivery man, they will fight to shut down Ryu Seok and his evil plans for world domination.
5-8 started as a refugee himself before winning the honor of working for Cheonmyeong Group and receiving the privileges that come with that. But he has never forgotten to stay true to his roots. As an experienced driver, 5-8 can easily handle the dangerous hunters who wait in hiding to ambush unsuspecting delivery people. I know that fans all stand up and cheer just to see Kim Woo Bin healthy and back on their screens, and he is incredibly charismatic in this role. As a short action drama, this character is all about attitude, and Kim Woo Bin brought that in spades!
Kang Yoo Seok as Sa Wol
Sa Wol was left alone as a child, but he was taken in by Seol Ah and Seul Ah, and raised as their brother. He spends his days outside in the desert, hanging out with his trio of close friends and fighting hunters as a method of training to fulfill his dream to become a delivery man. When he meets 5-8 by chance, he jumps at the opportunity to ask for his help in making that dream come true. And when one of the coveted positions opens up soon after, 5-8 and his friends agree to help Sa Wol train. Following a grueling, Hunger Games style competition, Sa Wol becomes delivery man 5-7, just in time to help 5-8 fight Ryu Seok and his plan to kill all of the refugees.
Sa Wol is rash and overconfident. But like 5-8, he is an idealist who believes in the idea of equality and a better society. And he is never discouraged by the hard work or the hard hits that it takes for him to realize his dreams. I really liked Kang Yoo Seok in this role. His youthful optimism was contagious and I really found myself rooting for him.
Supporting Characters
Song Seung Heon as Ryu Seok
Ryu Seok is the heir of the Cheomyeong Group. He is in charge of overseeing the Group’s newest project, which will supply better housing and better air to their wealthy patrons. Along with the building project, he is secretly kidnapping groups of refugees to use as test subjects for some undisclosed illness that he is suffering from. He is selfish and greedy, and he will take down anyone who gets in his way.
Kim Eui Sung as Grandpa
Grandpa lives in the desert and takes care of Sa Wol and his buddies. But he is more than just an eccentic old mechanic. At one time, he was a business partner and reseacher who worked with the Chairman of Cheonmyeong Group. Even now, he spends his time running tests from various regions in the hopes of seeing an improvement in the soil and air quality.
Things I Liked
♥ Delivery Heroes
For a world that just a couple years ago faced global quarentines, I am sure I am not the only person who felt like the amazon delivery person was my own personal hero. And that makes this portrayal of delivery people as heroic knights all the more relatable. It is the perfect time to tell this kind of story and it worked really well. The concept of an elite class of “warriors” is certainly not original, but the delivery people concept gives it just the unique flavor that it needs to stand out as something different.
♥ Desert “Rats”
The ragtag trio of “desert rats” in this drama were a nice addition. Not only do they serve as the support system for Sa Wol, but they give us some insight into how the common people are living during this time. While their comic relief was silly, it was not overly cliche or slap stick. For certain events like the explosion at the live broadcast or the deadly vaccine stations, watching our band of goofballs narrowly escape death gave those scenes more gravity than if they had just showed it happening to nameless crowds.
♥ Amazing Visuals
One of the really interesting things to me about this drama is that they were able to create a whole other world without ever having to leave our universe. Giving us a land where oxygen doesn’t flow freely and once lush land and busy city scapes are now vast deserts felt and looked new and exciting. The dusty colors and muted tones of the whole drama reinforced the themes of an emotionally desolate society. I have heard some complain that the darkness made it hard to see certain scenes, but I never felt like I was missing something I should have been able to see. Maybe it’s just that I keep my brightness levels pretty high! But I thought it all looked very cool.
Things I Didn’t Like
Undeveloped Villain
So, I love Song Seung Heon and I think he is a talented actor, so this is not a statement on his ability. But this villain just didn’t capture my imagination at all. He felt very one dimensional. Maybe whatever illness he was suffering from was supposed to show us a bit of vulnerability, but since we don’t really find out anything about what is actually wrong with him, that whole storyline just felt like a waste of screen time. And as is often the case with weak villains, his death felt sudden and completely anti-climatic. The heroes in this drama were wonderful, but Ryu Seok is a weak villain with no purpose or direction.
Unnecessary Deaths
Maybe you are all sick of me complaining about the deaths of characters that I like, but I really felt like, in this case, the deaths of both Seul Ah and Useless were, well…useless. Sa Wol was desperate to be a delivery man even before Seul Ah’s death and Seol Ah had obviously been helping 5-8 and crew for awhile, so neither plot made her death necessary. And the same can be said of Useless’ death. Things were already underway. It just felt like they threw the death scenes in for dramatic tension with no actual purpose. Neither character gets more than a quick moment of grieving before the story is off and running again. It just didn’t work for me.
Lack of Context
This drama did such a nice job of creating a whole new world, but there were points when I wish we had time for a bit more backstory. Of course, I understand that 6 episodes is a whole different story from 16. But there were so many issues that felt like they lacked context. The whole mutant story is a total mystery. Other than the fact that it came from parents working in a mine, and that it turns bone to metal?, I think?, the details are pretty sketchy. And was Ryu Seok actually a mutant as well, or did he have some other illness that the mutants could somehow help cure. And if he was a mutant, how did he get that way. I doubt the Chairman was working in the mines. Also, I was very curious about the connection between 5-8 and Seol Ah. In some ways, it’s good that this drama left me with so many questions that I couldn’t help thinking about it even after it was done, but I really would have liked a few more answers.
The Ending
“Black Knight” finishes with our hero delivery people saving the day. Both Chairman Ryu and his evil son, Ryu Seok end up dead, along with Ryu Seok’s band of greedy allies. We do also lose Useless in the battle to stop the refugees from getting the poisonous vaccines, which was really too bad. But 5-8, Sa Wol, and all the rebel delivery people make it out alive, with Seol Ah at their side. The President announces that all people will be moved into homes with proper air supply and the social caste system will officially cease to exist. In a final scene, three months have passed and there is evidence that the air seems to be getting cleaner, according to grandpa’s studies. 5-8 and Sa Wol, as 5-7, are out making deliveries and they seem to have developed a true friendship. And who doesn’t love to see a rebel victory?
Should I Watch
“Black Knight” is a dystopian action drama that is short and fast-paced. With only 6 episodes, it is definitely binge worthy and exciting. This one doesn’t have a lot of time for backstory or character development, but the adventure element is enthralling and the concept is interesting. Kim Woo Bin is amazing and it is rewarding to see him back on the small screen and healthy enough to play a very believable action hero. I give “Black Knight a 9 out of 10 ramen.
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