Doom at your Service – Full Review
Welcome to Doom at your Service -Full Review. A terminally ill young woman makes a deal with the spirit of destruction that could have tragic consequences. If you haven’t watched this drama yet, I recommend checking out my unspoiled review here.
Doom at your Service
♥ Aired: May 10 – June 29, 2021
♥# of Episodes: 16
♥Where to Watch: Viki
♥Genre: Romantic Fantasy Drama
♥Starring: Park Bo Young and Seo In Guk
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The Story
When a young woman is diagnosed with a brain tumor and told she only has 100 days to live, she lashes out by wishing the world would be destroyed. Little does she know that her wish sets off an unlikely chain of events in the heavenly realms. A contract with God’s personal helper, Doom, puts her in a difficult situation and there doesn’t seem to be an easy way out. Will she choose to save the world or save the person she loves the most?
The Leads
Park Bo Young as Tak Dong Kyung
For Tak Dong Kyung, life has never been easy, but even she can’t believe her bad luck when her doctor informs her she has terminal brain cancer and only has 100 days to live. In a drunken fit, she curses this cruel world and wishes for it’s destruction. But when she meets a mysterious man the next day who promises to grant her wish she isn’t so sure. Sensing her hesitation, Doom includes a clause in their contract that if she doesn’t make her wish officially, the penalty will be the death of the person she loves the most. Dong Kyung decides that the only way out of this situation is for her to fall in love with Doom so that the world will be saved and he will be the only one to die. Unfortunately for her, the plan works too well and she is left with the impossible choice of killing the whole world or this sweet man who she has fallen deeply in love with.
Tak Dong Kyung has spent her life sacrificing for the good of others; whether it be the aunt who raised her, her younger brother, or her work colleagues and clients. She is generous and kindhearted. She even tries to pretend that she is okay with her impending death. But as she is forced to come to terms with the loss of both her own life and Doom’s, she finally is able to admit that life isn’t fair and that she desperately wants to live. Park Bo Young is adorable and she fits this role well. She is meek and loveable and I had no problem believing her emotions were genuine. My only complaint is that, while seeing her big doe-eyes brim with tears rips at my heart, I don’t love her hysterical sob scenes. The crying seems too forced in my opinion and I find myself more annoyed than sympathetic.
Seo In Guk as Doom/Kim Sa Ram
Doom is technically not a human being. He is a heavenly creature created by God to bring an end to all things at the appropriate time. Having always seen humans at their worst, Doom has a serious distain for all people. So when he hears Dong Kyung’s wish to destroy the world, he is thrilled. It is exactly what he would have wished for. But once he gets involved with Dong Kyung, he learn that humans aren’t all as bad as he thought. And after seeing her struggle with the weight of her wish, Doom realizes that his death is the only way to relieve her pain.
Doom is cold and emotionless. Not only does he hate all people but he can’t begin to understand why God likes them at all. Even when he finds himself relenting a bit, all he has to do is listen in to the thoughts of the people around him to confirm their selfishness. But Dong Kyung opens his eyes to the personal side of life. Through her, her friends, and her family, he suddenly sees the beauty of human love and relationship. Seo In Guk has the ability to both smoulder and freeze with those eyes of his. He plays the transformation of Doom into Sa Ram perfectly and I really enjoyed him in this role.
Supporting Characters
Shin Do Hyun as Na Ji Na
Na Ji Na is Dong Kyung’s best friend. The two met by chance while they were still students. Ji Na is now a writer at the agency where Dong Kyung works. Her latest online romances have not been doing well partly because all of her heroes are based on her first love, who broke her heart. For the sake of her own happiness and her writing success, she needs to move on.
Kang Tae Oh as Lee Hyun Gyu
Lee Hyun Gyu is Ji Na’s first love. He ran away to the US after failing his college entrance exams and never told Ji Na the truth about why he left because he was too embarassed. Even after coming back, he hasn’t had the courage to be honest about what happened or how much he regretted it. But a school reunion brings them back together. Will they get a second chance?
Lee Soo Hyuk as Cha Joo Ik
Cha Joo Ik’s father owns the building and business where Dong Kyung works. But he hides his true identity by working as a team leader in the company because he wants to earn his own way. He was a tutor for Hyun Gyu when Hyun Gyu was in high school and they are roommates now. He watched Ji Na pine for Hyun Gyu and fell in love with her. Now that she is a writer for his company, he finds excuses to see her and hopes she will finally stop thinking about Hyun Gyu and look at him.
Things I Liked
♥ Nam Da Reum
I love Nam Da Reum. He is definitely an up and coming young actor and it was fun to see him as the young writer/idol Park Young. Even as a bit part, his character added a fun element to the story. Each peak into what was happening for his character was fun and his one-sided crush on Dong Kyung was sweet and not over-played. It’s good to see him get to play his own character instead of another younger version of the star, even if the part was small.
♥ Messages
“Doom at your Service” took on some powerful themes that give the heavier moments some purpose and beauty. Concepts of family, love, and sacrifice are sprinkled throughout the story in different ways and through various characters. They remind us of the importance of embracing life to it’s fullest, each day, so that we aren’t left with regrets. Being human is hard, and none of us escape without scars, but there is joy in the process of living.
♥ Second Lead Triangle
It’s unusual to give the secondary characters a love triangle, and I really loved it in this one. Toward the middle, the lead couples’ story got a little slow, and I was happy to have the second lead love story to pick up the slack and hold my interest. Their story was entertaining and I thought Ji Na’s chemistry with Joo Ik was amazing. I was really rooting for Ji Na to finally get her chance at love.
Things I Didn’t Like
Seon Kyung
I thought SF9’s Dawon did a wonderful job with the role of Dong Kyung’s younger brother. Seon Kyung was there to support everyone else, but it would have been nice for him to have some storyline of his own. He does open his own cafe, but even that doesn’t get any real screen time. He played such an important role in the overall story, that I would have liked to see him get a little more individucal story time.
Uncle Kevin
I just didn’t love Uncle Kevin’s role as the big, dumb foreigner who never understood what was going on around him. He had his moments of deep understanding and overcoming the language barrier, but for the most part his character was ridiculous. And Aunt Soo Ja’s English didn’t seem much better. So the two had just been living in Canada without being able to carry on more than one sentence conversations? It just didn’t seem very realistic.
God
I really loved the way they thought outside the box by making God a sick, young girl. But I found her character a bit unsettled. I never understood where she was coming from or what was actually motivating her. I feel like her character needed more focus and definition so that we could know a little bit more about what she was thinking and feeling. That would have given her conversations with Doom some substance and made them feel less cryptic.
The Ending
Regardless of all the tears we shed along the way, “Doom at your Service” gives us a big dose of happily ever after for the ending. Ji Na finally admits her feelings for Joo Ik and they start dating. And it seems like she and Hyun Gyu might actually be able to be friends at some point in the future. Uncle Kevin and Aunt Soo Ja buy their own house and plan to stay in Korea. Seon Kyung has his own coffee shop. God is healthy enough to go back to school and live her human life. And Sa Ram is now a normal human who gets to work saving people as a doctor instead of killing them as Doom. Dong Kyung is also healthy again and she and Sa Ram are happy and in love. All is right with the world and life is blossoming in the heavenly realms.
Should I Watch
“Doom at your Service” is an intriguing story with a sweet romance. It’s definitely not the kind of drama that you can say you have seen this plot a hundred times before. But it is surprisingly heavy for a fantasy genre show. Even when they are being cute and sweet, there is an overriding feeling of impending, well…Doom. So if you are looking for a light, easy love story, don’t let the romance part of this drama fool you. It’s not always light and fun. There are plenty of tears to go with the laughter during the course of this one. There are times when the deeper plot of God’s role and Doom’s purpose in it gets a bit confusing and non-sensical. So if you like your plots tidy and perfectly defined, this one probably won’t be to your liking. But the cast is great and the message is powerful. I give “Doom at your Service” an 8 out of 10 ramen.
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