Mask Review: A Strong Start But A Struggling Middle And A Hasty Finish

A few readers asked me if there were any good Korean dramas they could watch on YouTube for free and I shared some links of my favorite dramas on YouTube. And while exploring, I came across ‘Mask’ and watched it on a whim. I didn’t have much expectations from it which was good because the show is a decent watch. Fans of the show love it for various reasons. I did not love it but I think it is surely worth a watch.  

 

Mask (2015) (20 Episodes)

Byun Ji Sook (Park Soo Ae) is a hapless young girl who works as a sales executive in a showroom. She belongs to a poor family and is constantly troubled by a loan shark who wishes to retrieve the loan he gave to her father, from Ji Sook. Burdened by her life struggles she wonders how her life would be had she been born in a rich family.

Min Suk Hoon (Yoon Jung Hoon) is married into the rich Choi family and dreams of taking over the business someday. To achieve his dream, he plans to have his girlfriend, Seo Eun Ha (Park Soo Ae) marry his brother-in-law, Choi Min Woo who suffers from various mental issues. Suk Hoon and Eun Ha decide to prove Min Woo incapable of taking over the family business so Suk Hoon becomes the heir by default.

Due to a twist of fate, Suk Hoon is compelled to replace Eun Ha with Ji Sook who is her doppelganger. He promises to pay off her family debt only if she agrees to impersonate Eun Ha and marry Min Woo so he can execute his plans. Buried under debt and constant threats, Ji Sook is left with no option, and she agrees to pretend to be Eun Ha and enter the Choi family to destroy them.    

Let’s see what makes this show of love, lies, and betrayal worth watching.

I enjoyed watching ‘Mask’ because…

…of the formidable Min Sook. Never before have I felt so awestruck by a negative character that whenever I think of ‘Mask’ I can only think of him. And by this I mean the actor Yoon Jung Hoon.

But first let’s talk about Min Sook, the social climber who is an extremely selfish, conniving, and manipulative person. He lives with the Choi family only to be able to destroy them. And he will go to any lengths to achieve his aim. He learns about Byun Ji Sook, finds out her weakness, and uses it to arm-twist her into doing what he wants her to do. He is a despicable character who only knows to use people to his benefit.

In the show, Min Sook appears to be a dignified man who conducts himself extremely well before others. But people like Ji Sook, who do not comply with his wishes get a glimpse of the real monster that he is. Actor Jung Hoon gave a smashing performance as the vile Min Sook. I loved his acting so much that I collected a ton of his screenshots only to show how menacing he can look with a subtle change in expression.

He is not loud or expressive but his icy glare will send a chill down your spine. For the first time, I have maximum screenshots of a drama villain instead of the female or male lead. He gave me so many screenshots worth saving. Have a look at these facial expressions and you will know what I am talking about.  

 

…I loved Min Sook’s doting wife Mi Yun too. This is my first time watching actress, Yoo In Young and I have no words for her superb performance. Her character Mi Yun is a rich spoilt brat who does nothing much in life than create problems for others. Her biggest weakness is her blind love for her husband, Min Sook who couldn’t care any less for her. And this is where she goes wrong. She is aware of Min Sook’s affection for Eun Ha and so she tries to make life difficult for Eun Ha (who is actually Ji Sook but Mi Yun is not aware of it at least initially) after she marries her brother Min Woo.

Everything she does is either out of resentment for Eun Ha or out of undying love for Min Sook. She is a grey character who has her good and bad moments. At times, you will hate her guts and at times you will pity her for being so hopelessly in love with a man who does not deserve her. In Young and Jung Hoon did a fab job at portraying a volatile couple like Min Sook and Mi Yun.

 

…as pitiable as Ji Sook was actress Soo Ae played the character well. Soo Ae plays two characters who are quite opposite in nature and you can see the difference through her good acting skills. Eun Ha walks with her nose in the air, shoulders pushed back, and a smirk on her face while Ji Sook is always looking down, avoiding eye contact, and in the doldrums most of the time.

She wants to help her family but also feels extremely guilty for cheating the Choi family especially her husband Min Woo who she eventually falls in love with. For the sake of her poor family, she follows Min Sook’s orders but then slowly tries to fight back so she can be free from this pathetic façade. Her true caring nature comes forth when dealing with people she loves as she strives to do everything she can to make them happy. It is through her sincere love that Min Woo is able to overcome his mental problems and heal from the past wounds.

Coming to actress Soo Ae then the most evident thing about her is that she is gorgeous! Her disarming smile can work like a balm on the worst of headaches. Such a pleasing personality, I would love to watch more of her shows.

Too bad she had to look despondent and helpless through most of the drama but she did well. She looked her part and was never once out of character. Even her body language was that of a defeated person which is nothing but her ability to play her character convincingly. I wish I could see more of her smiling face. 

 

…Choi Min Woo is the quintessential drama lead who falls in love with our dear female lead and does all that romance lovers love to see when a guy falls in love.

 

Min Woo has been struggling with mental ailments and feels lonely without his mother who passed away in his childhood. His marriage to Eun Ha is nothing but a business arrangement supposed to be beneficial for both parties. When he starts living with his wife, he notices the change in her personality and slowly warms up to her subsequently falling in love with her.

Since she plays such an important role in helping him get over his mental issues, he too wants to make her happy. He does everything to make her fall in love with him and his naïve attempts are sweet as sugar.

 

Actor Joo Ji Hoon gave a decent performance but I just didn’t feel impressed either by him or his character. He is okay in moments where Min Woo suffers from his mental ailments and emotional scenes too he is just average. Basically, Mask is not the drama to remember Joo Ji Hoon.                                  

                                                                                                                                               

I did NOT LIKE ‘Mask’ because…

…the dramas gets painfully draggy. Had it concluded at 16 episodes it would have been so much better. But post the first-half, the show just drags on and on with a hell lot of annoying product promotions. After episode 15, I started skimming through scenes because I couldn’t bear watching such a nice drama go downhill.

…some important aspects related to the story are never explained or even addressed. Without giving any spoilers, all I can say is that there are a few story arcs that make no sense and sadly the writers don’t even try to make it plausible. The justification for many is left to your imagination which I feel is a plot hole because probably even the writers weren’t sure of how to explain these arcs.  

 

Mask starts really well and does show a lot of promise. The main lead romance is swoon-worthy and all types of sweet. The only problem is the second-half which goes round and round before getting back on track to head toward a quick climax.

I give ‘Mask’ 3 out of 5 rating. Even with its glaring flaws, Mask is certainly worth a watch. It is one of the few good dramas available on YouTube so if you want to watch a Korean drama for free and legally then do watch this one.

 

You can watch this drama for free here.

 

Feature image and screenshot courtesy: SBS World

 

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