Elements and themes I loved watching: tragic, romance, revenge, nefarius plan, justified ending, psycho main character, badass and unhinged female characters. The kdrama Eve served all of it!
about the drama
Title: Eve (이브)
Genres: Romance, Mystery and Thriller, Revenge
No. Of Episodes: 16 Episodes
Released Date: June 1 - July 21, 2022
Directed By: Park Bong-Sun
Written By: Yoon Young-Mi
Network: tvN
Language: Korean/Hangul
thoughts about the characters
Eve's characters were well-crafted. All are morally grey. You would hate, love, and feel remorse for all of them all at once.
Kim Sun Bin or Lee La El
Le La El was the daughter of Gediks Semiconductor CEO. After Han So Ra, Kim Chul Jun, Han Pan Ro, and Kim Yoon Kyum took the company by force and fabricated it as if the two companies merged together. Lee La El flew to the US and came back as Kim Sun Bin to get their revenge that they had planned for 13 years.
Lee La El struggled with her family when Han Pan Ro decided to take everything from her. She grew up alone and survived alone. Then, she came back as Kim Sun Bin with a plan for revenge. Kim Sun Bin is really a badass character, unhinged, and morally grey. I liked her character; when she psychotically laughed, and stayed calm in every anxious situation was amazing. Quick-witted, cold, and determined but a big softie at heart.
Her revenge plan was also well-made. I liked how she made use of technology, the recordings, the bugged recorder, hacking, CCTV's and more. Because she was the main character, automatically you would root for her, but not every time. This drama's characters were well-crafted. You would hate the character you love, or love the character you hate, of course based on their respective context.
I love Sun Bin's plans, everytime she mocked Han So Ra and everytime she won over her. But I hate the cheating element here. Cheating in its element is the worst. But if you think of it, her choosing to be a mistress was actually effective, it made it easier for her to infiltrate the enemy's base and weakness.
Another thing, I believed that Sun Bin's plan was well-made because if you have read the book 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. You could see how she used some of Rober Green's laws of power. After reading that book then proceeding to watch this, every time I saw a similarity of Sun Bin's plan to Robert Greene's laws was such a great feeling! She put the law of power into life.
For instance, in the first few episodes, you could see how she approached Han So Ra. She praised Han So Ra in a subtle way, she became her friend, she never outshine the master. Which is Robert Greene's Law number 1: Never outshine the master. And Law number 14: Pose as a friend, work as a spy.
She never laid out all her intentions, she even let Han So Ra a chance to know her intention behind this. Which is Law of Power number 3: Conceal your intentions. (Watch episode 8)
She knows when to tease, mocked, and pay respect to the people around her, especially toward her enemies. Law number 19: Don't offend the wrong person.
Kim Sun Bin or Lee La El's revenge plan was amazing, you will never know what her next step is, her plan was always in the dark, full of mysteriousness. So Yea Ji, definitely nailed this drama as always.
Her clothes and dresses were styled beautifully and creatively. I mean, every dress she wears rocks! Her chosen clothes have this old money vibe. She is definitely wealthy here, she was the daughter of a company, so no doubt about that.
Han So Ra
Han So Ra is the daughter of Han Pan Ro, Korea's Prime Minister. They took the Gediks Company by force and violence. So Yea Ji is not the only fierce and strong actress and character here.
You would like, hate, pity, and laugh with Han So Ra.
Han So Ra also has an amazing style but more colorful and excessively designed. Sometimes, for unknown reasons, you would just like Han So Ra. She is strong, fierce, and knows how to play around with her power. She knows her strengths and weaknesses, but she failed to handle them well.
Han So Ra was of course one of the antagonists, so you would obviously hate her. She was rude and had no remorse when it comes to violence, like hitting her helpers, fabrication, and killing someone without guilt.
What I refused to acknowledge was her begging and going to all this trouble just for her husband who cheated on her. So Ra expressed her great love for Yoon Kyum, but it's too much. Love isn't like that. So Ra's definition of love was tweaked.
Kim Yoom Kyum
Kim Yoom Kyum is Han So Ra's husband. He was the CEO of LY. I loathed, pitied, and like Kim Yoom Kyum. (Again, so morally grey.)
I hate how he just agreed to take La El's company. He knows it was taken by force but he was also greedy and trying to prove himself to her father. Which leads me to how I pity him, he was also abused by his father. Always the second choice, never taken priority, always getting compared to her half-brother.
In some ways, Kim Yoom Kyum is a pity.
He was desperate for love, to be accepted for who he is. When Sub Bin expressed that she likes him for who he is, he went all-in. He opened up, and loved her despite the obvious suspicion he had on her. He was in love.
But going back to the first main plot, he cheated. He chose Sun Bin as his mistress rather than his wife. If we'll take a look at the real and exact situation, it was understandable. But cheating is a choice. He took the wrong path.
Sometimes, I applaud him. He really loved La El. Not only by his words but also by action. Hence, the ending.
Seo Eun Pyeong
All these characters made me a walking contradiction. I liked and hated them all simultaneously.
Seo Yung Pyeong remained consistent. While the rest of the characters were morally grey, Eun Pyeong is the only guy I sided with here. He was logical. He claimed power without hurting anyone, he got the power with justice. All he wanted to do was protect La El, the ending served it like that.
One thing I really liked about him was he never pushed himself to La El, he was there protecting, be the man La El could lean on. Nothing more, nothing less. That was made him stand-out.
Han Pan Ro & Kim Jung Chul
Han Pan Ro and Kim Jung Chul are the most wicked here. Corruption, harassment, and murder. All for money and power. Han Pan Ro is weak because of his old age which weakens his stance as an antagonist. While Kim Jung Chul is more energetic than Pan Ro, he was just a mere puppet.
Both of them deserve their ending.
thoughts about the drama
Favorite Episodes
Episode 8 and episode 9 are the best episodes for me. Their clothes were marching to their roles! Han So Ra was wearing a red dress acting as the rose, while Sun Bin was wearing a green dress that could be the rose's leaf or better yet the rose's thorn. The snake necklace was a symbol too! I think it represented Sun Bin as a mistress and also as a snake that would bite and poison them that would lead to Sun Bin's desired death.
Epiaode 9 was the best too! Especially when they're fighting in Sun Bin's studio. The slap, the shout, the dance, and her bitchy laugh was everything.
The Ending
Eve's ending was justified. Unlike other dramas, the ending was served how the viewers expected. Nothing added, and no lackness. Personally, it was not a happy ending and it was not tragic either.
One thing I liked in the ending was about La El and Seo Eun Pyeong. It was not cleared if they stayed friends or beyond that. But I was really happy that Eun Pyeong fulfilled his promise to La El, until the end he was there for her.
Lee La El got the justice she deserves.
About So Yea Ji
So Yea Ji proved that she is the best and versatile actress. On her last show, It's Okay Not to be Okay, she was an anti-social and famous children's author who, most of the time, has a chaotic energy. While, in Eve, she's calm, elegant, and "psycho" as ever. So Yea Ji never failed to amaze me.
Foreigners as background characters
What I noticed most of the time is the amount of foreigners as background characters. They put foreigners to the background to make a certain look more high-end or expensive. To send information that this event is only for wealthy people.
I find them creative but ridiculous. First of all, why is it only white or western people? I scarcely see people of color in the backgrounds. Secondly, this kind of set-up revealed how East Asians (or even South-east Asians) perceive and value things based on western validation. If people from the west like this, the value goes up. If it's the other way around, it is perceived as common. It is ridiculous how we seek validation from the west.
My gay heart was gushing!
In the first few episodes, there's a lot of Han So Ra and Kim Sun Bin scenes. Though they are scenes that really stand-out for me because my gay heart is shipping them. Like the scene where their faces are so close to each other. I was like, "Wait, why's there chemistry between them?" Other people may not have found this, but I did! There's a chemistry between them. Though I know, they aren't meat to be together per se, but give my gay heart a chance to gush here.
eve ost & playlist
This KDrama has the most amazing, beautiful, and chilling soundtrack! I searched for Eve's OST Playlist, you could enjoy them here.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/JiJRpcsKhFg
Favorites: Hold Me Tight, Eve, Want To Be Your Everyday, and Poison.
The playlists, channels, and account was not mine. So give an appreciation for the people behind these.
rate and end notes
★★★★☆
Eve is a romance and mystery drama full of revenge, plans, morally grey, and badass female characters. An addictive drama that you wouldn't want to end!
Content Warnings: Murder, blood, lose of loved one, suicide, self-harm, cheating.
Let's Talk!
Have you watched Eve? How would you rate it? Beside La El, who's the character you loved the most?
0 Comments
Share your thoughts! ☆