W – Two Worlds Review: This Brain Warping Sci-fi Drama Will Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat
I don’t mean to exaggerate but when I say that I actually felt my brain twist several times while watching this drama I really do mean it. Ok. I did exaggerate but hope you got what I was trying to say. ‘W- Two Worlds’ is a drama that it will make anybody’s brain spin in the skull because it’s so damn weird! It’s one of a kind. I had to reset my brain a hundred times just to grasp what was happening in the show. Nonetheless, all the complications in the story make the drama hatke so the mental stress is all worth it.
W –Two Worlds (2016)
W – Two Worlds is a 16 episode long Korean sci-fi drama about a manhwa (Korean term for a comic) character that comes to life and mixes with the real world of the writer. Oh Yeon Joo (Han Hyo-Joo) is a 30-yr-old doctor working at Myungse Hospital in Seoul. Her father Oh Sung Moo (Kim Eui Sung) is the writer of a popular comic series or manhwa titled ‘W’. Her superior at work is a fan of the manhwa and too excited to know what happens next in the series. He bribes her to ask her father for some spoilers of the manhwa. She agrees and goes to meet her father for the same. However, when she visits her father’s office his co-worker Su-bong informs her that her dad has vanished without saying anything and that nobody has a clue as to where he is. For spoilers, he tells her that her dad has been planning to kill the main character Kang Chul. She is shocked to know her father’s plan for the manhwa and waits back alone in her dad’s room wondering what prompted him to kill off the main character. As she sits thinking to herself, a bloody hand stretches out from her father’s computer and pulls her inside. She finds herself standing on a rooftop of an unknown building and sees a heavily bleeding man lying on the floor. She identifies the man as the manhwa W’s main character Kang Chul (Lee Jong Suk) She rescues him and returns to her real world where she finds out that hardly few minutes have passed while she was in the manhwa. She then reads the latest post on ‘W’ and sees that the exact same thing that happened to her moments ago has been illustrated in the manhwa. In the next episode that is posted, she sees that Kang Chul is safe and sound in the hospital room. But he is now curious about the girl who saved him and wants to meet her again. From here onwards, Yeon Joo is constantly dragged out of the real world right into the manhwa. She saves Kang Chul’s life on more than one occasion and he starts to fall in love with her. She too feels the same for Kang Chul however, the only problem in their love story is that Kang Chul is a fictional character of an unreal world. Also, there is someone in the manhwa who often attempts to kill Kang Chul and the people that are close to him. Kang Chul has already lost his entire family to a faceless murderer and now he cannot afford to lose Yeon Joo. He decides to track down this mysterious murderer and end this conflict once and for all. But while doing so he is confronted with the real truth behind his existence that shakes his entire world.
Good Weights
Interesting Plot: The show is about a manhwa character’s life merging with the real life of an alcoholic writer. It is about how characters of a fictional world created by a writer start coming to life and mess with the life of the writer and his daughter. This distinctive plot made the show such a success in South Korea. The show survives mainly because of its unique storyline. It was because of this show that Kim Woo Bin’s Uncontrollably Fond suffered and dropped in ratings. W – Two Worlds and Uncontrollably Fond were pitted against each other by rival channels. W – Two Worlds managed to garner higher TRPs in South Korea with its thrilling plot.
Highly Unpredictable: This is one of the few shows where you just cannot predict the next scene. No matter what you think should happen next, the writer will throw a complete googly at you and you will be left gaping wondering what just struck you. Every episode is full of twists and turns and all that you anticipate will never really happen in the show.
Good Direction: The shows’ camera work and direction is sharp yet smooth. Even the computer-generated effects on the show were excellent. The director has done full justice to the suspense and thrill theme of the show.
Bad Weights
Too Complicated: There were some weird things happening on the show that was never explained clearly. For example, the rules of the manhwa kept changing without any reason. As a viewer, it’s too confusing to keep up or understand the twist when there is no clear reason behind it. The show is fast paced and you have to pay attention to understand how things are constantly changing in the two worlds. This is the reason why I call it a brain blasting drama.
No Explanation: Many things that occurred on the show have no logical explanation behind them. I was hoping that the last episode will answer all the questions I had, right from the starting of the show, but sadly that didn’t happen. The show ended leaving several questions unanswered which disappointed me to a great extent.
Aww and Wow Moments
Episode 3: Yeon Joo needs to do something shocking to leave the manhwa world and re-enter the real world. So she flashes at Kang Chul hoping to surprise him but he looks unusually cool. Here, Kang Chul and his assistant Do-Yoon’s reactions are just spot on!
Episode 7: Kang Chul and Yeon Joo kiss several times in the show but their passionate kiss in the jail is the best especially given the situation they are in. Later Kang Chul gives Yeon Joo four types of romance to choose from and tells her that the fourth option of a raunchy romance is his pick. Kang Chul looks adorable each time he winks or flirts with Yeon Joo. He sincerely does his homework on her choice of romance and even shows her a book from where he studied. Such a typical awww moment.
Episode 10: Kang Chul and Yeon Joo share a connection and have no idea why and how. In this episode, Kang Chul is shown to meet Yeon Joo but has no memories of her. Despite not knowing who she is, he is nice to her and helps her when she sneaks into So Hee’s house. It shows how true their bond is.
Episode 11: Almost all of the show’s cliffhangers are good but episode 11’s freeze point is just too good. As I said, you cannot anticipate what will happen next on the show and I was caught totally off guard with this one.
Episode 13: Yeon Joo is injured and Kang Chul is making his way to the hospital to see her. Some policemen are driving him to the hospital and notice that he is bleeding and ask him his relationship with Yeon Joo. He tearfully replies, “I’m her husband”. I watched the scene several times only to see him worried about her. The fear, the concern, the love is so evident in his eyes. Lee Jong Suk acts so well in that scene.
Despite the loopholes, this sci-fi drama kept me on the edge of my seat throughout its run. This show is one helluva brain twisting ride. I often praise the actors of a drama that I liked but here the story is the hero of the show. The actors are good no doubt. Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo are perfect for their roles but this time, it’s the story that won me over.
I give this show 3.5 out of 5 rating. If you are game for something that challenges your rational thinking then do go for this one. This thriller will make you think…… really think. If you are a romance lover, you can still go for this one as the show has plenty of romance.
Also Read:
You must be logged in to post a comment.