Air Dates: July 29 - September 23, 2020

Episodes: 16

Where to Watch:

Genre: Crime Thriller

Starring: Lee Joon Gi and Moon Chae Won

Baek Hee Sung seems like the perfect husband and father.  But he hides a dark secret from his past.  His father, Do Min Seok was a cruel serial killer and Hee Sung himself is wanted for murder.  He has lived with another man's identity for years without anyone finding out.  Hee Sung's wife, Cha Ji Won, is a violent crimes detective who knows nothing about his past.  So, when her team is charged with reinvestigating Do Min Seok's murders and locating his son, she has no idea the trail will lead to her own family.

Lee Joon Gi as Do Hee Sung

Do Hee Sung is a loving husband and doting father, but none of those emotions come easily for him.  He has had to teach himself each facial expression and emotion.  His very name and everything he pretends to be are a secret stolen from another man's identity.  So obviously he will do whatever it takes to keep his wife from discovering those secrets.  At first, the writers let us believe that at least part of it could be true.  But as the story unfolds, we see that his secrets also hide a kind and sincere heart.

This is a breakout role for Lee Joon Gi.  As an actor,  I have always found him to be a fabulous actor, but this role really shows off his talent for making every nuance in his facial expression count.  The depth of character development that he is able to show in so many subtle ways, is impressive.  The audience felt and believed every moment of it.  I especially loved to watch the interaction between Lee Joon Gi and the child that played his daughter.  It was obvious that there was a true affection between them and it was truly heartwarming.

Moon Chae Won as Cha Ji Won

Cha Jin Won is a hardworking detective with limitless faith in her husband and their marriage.  Hee Sung is the person who gives her the strength to face evil day after day and fight against it.  She has never doubted him or his love for her.  So she is totally blindsided when she begins to put the pieces of his dark past together.  Even as the truth begins to come to light, she refuses to believe that he could be the monster that everyone says he is.

Moon Chae Won played this role well.  The chemistry that she and Lee Joon Gi shared was natural and easy to watch.  Not that her interactions with her daughter were done poorly, but she really shined the brightest when she was on the job.  This fit her character so perfectly.  While Hee Sung was the primary care giver for their daughter, she provided their financial stability by doing a job she loved and had always dreamed of.

Jang Hee Jin as Do Hae Soo

Do Hae Soo is the sister of Hee Sung (Formerly known as Do Hyun Soo).  In the beginning, all we know is that they have been seperated since he claimed a new identity and became Hee Sung.  Eventually, we find out that the murder Do Hyun Soo is wanted for was actually done by Hae Soo.

Following the "Suicide" of their father, the towns people repeatedly performed exorcisms on Do Hyun Soo, claiming he helped their father with the murders.  Hae Soo went to the village chief to beg him to stop hurting her brother, and the chief attacked her.  In self-defense she stabbed him.  Hyun Soo was the first to find her, took all the blame, and disappeared from the town and his sister's life.  Now that they are reunited, Hae Soo is determined to repay the debt she owes her brother for the sacrifices he made in his life to protect her.

Seo Hyun Woo as Kim Moo Jin

Kim Moo Jin has known Hee Sung and Hae Soo since they were young.  Hee Sung was his best friend, and he has always had feelings for Hae Soo, even after all this time.  Currently, Moo Jin is a reporter who has been obssessed with the murders from 18 years ago and who was really the accomplice who helped with all of the killings.  When his research accidentally brings him face to face with Hee Sung/Hyun Soo they gradually become unwilling partners in the effort to find the true accomplice and clear Hee Sung's name.

Kim Ji Hoon as (the Real) Baek Hee Sung

Baek Hee Sung is the true villain of this story.  In a twisted history, the real Hee Sung was the real accomplice to Hyun Soo's father.  On the way to pick up one of their victims, Hee Sung hit Hyun Soo with his car.  Hee Sung's mother finds him trying to bury Hyun Soo's body in a pit in the backyard, even though Hyun Soo is still alive.  In a moment of panick, she attacks her son to try to stop him, and Hee Sung ends up in a coma.  From that point on, Hee Sungs parents hide his condition and allow Hyun Soo to live as their son.  Just a pause here to praise Kim Ji Hoon for his outstanding work in this role.  He owned this role, and I loved to hate him.

Hee Sung and Moo Jin

A good bromance is always a favorite for me.  It was fun to watch the reestablishment of a friendship between Hee Sung and Moo Jin.  The fact that it was not exactly by choice just made it that much more fun.  I guess it could also be considered part of the full-circle story line I will talk about next.  But I wanted to make a special note about the growth they went through to be able to trust each other when they really needed to.  And becoming roommates was just icing on the cake.  Moo Jin's character offered a bit of levity in the midst of some very heavy plots and putting him next to Hee Sung, who can be absolutely emotionless, was perfect.

Justice Wins

Fans often complain that the villains in kdramas never recieve as much punishment as they deserve.  Those with power and money ofter escape with minimal harm.  Not so, in this case.  Our evil villain is shot by the police, his mother is serving time in jail, and his father has lost touch with reality.  This seems like a fitting end to a family caused a lot of pain.  Fitting also that the mother, who actually showed small moments of regret and compassion, with Hyun Soo and his daughter, seems to be the best off of the three.

Full Circle Plot

Above I talked about how Hee Sung and Moo Jin's friendship came full circle back to how they were as young teenagers.  But for me, the real poignant plot circle was with the two Hee Sung's.   Hyun Soo stole Hee Sung's identity for 18 years, and then Hyun Soo had those years taken away from him when he lost his memories.  I really hated the amnesia bit (More on that below) but I love the poetry of symmetry.  In some ways, it seemed like the final step for Hyun Soo to repay the debt he owed to Hee Sung for living his life all those years.

Do Hae Soo Ending

I know that I always seem to complain about secondary character endings, but even Jang Hee Jin herself expressed dissatisfaction with her character's ending.  She was finally legally free from the burden on her crime.  More importantly, Moo Jin has been waiting 18 years for her.  Is it really fair to make him wait longer?  They could have at lease shown her coming back to Korea at the very end.

Suicide/Murder Story

Am I the only one disappointed that they left this storyline hanging.  This puts a whole new light on Hyun Soo's father.  Shouldn't there have been a moment of discover for him to find out that his dad didn't actually kill himself.  And that he was killed by Hee Sung.  The murder was unravelled slowly as if it would be significant, but then nothing actually happens with it.

Amnesia

Am I the only one disappointed that they left this storyline hanging.  This puts a whole new light on Hyun Soo's father.  Shouldn't there have been a moment of discover for him to find out that his dad didn't actually kill himself.  And that he was killed by Hee Sung.  The murder was unravelled slowly as if it would be significant, but then nothing actually happens with it.

I have mixed feelings about the ending of Flower Of Evil.  In hindsight, I was satisfied with the final outcome of the show.  And who doesn't love a happy ending after such an intense journey.  But, I felt like the amnesia story ate the whole last episode.  It seemed almost like a story in itself, rather than an end to the other 15 episodes.  Hee Sung doubting his love for his wife when his final act before losing his memory was throwing himself in front of a bullet to protect her, seemed unbelievable.  As I already shared, I didn't exactly love Hae Soo's ending either.  But despite these complaints, I loved the outcome and thought the show was fantastic.  Does that make me fickle? I'm curious to hear what others thought about the ending and the final episode.

Flower of Evil is well-written and the cast is amazing.  It encompasses so many genres, so there is really something for everyone.  The story is unpredictable, with endless twists and turns.    For all the fans that love thriller style dramas, but miss the romance element, this one will not let you down.  There isn't much light-hearted comedy going on with this one, but I never missed it or felt like the serious subjects were weighing me down emotionally.  I give Flower of Evil a 5 out of 5 ramen.

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