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.

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.  

Esom as Seol Ah

Seol Ah works for the Defense Intelligence Command as a Military Intelligence Officer.  She is the adopted sister of Sa Wol and is secretly helping 5-8 and his friends get information on how to defeat Cheonmyeong Group and specifically Ryu Seok.  

 ♥ 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.  

♥ 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.  

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.

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.

“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?