“Vagabond” – Netflix Korean Drama Review 10

8/10: I loved this drama so much that even the WTF ending didn’t really get me down lolol…(I still feel very cheated though).

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I’m speechless, honestly. HOW COULD THE WRITERS DO THIS TO ME?!

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

I enjoy a good cliff-hanger as much as the next girl, but the ending to Vagabond was especially frustrating because it felt like after 16 hours of espionage, conspiracy, and bloodshed, we literally went back to square one. Like, WTF?!

However, that being said, there was so much good acting and good action, and a highly gripping (albeit grossly unrealistic) plot involving terrorist attacks and corrupt powerful people, that even though the ending had me writhing with dissatisfaction, I still have to walk away saying it was a good drama, and definitely worth watching.

Cha Dal-Geon, played by the hunky Lee Seung-gi, had a fairly simple characterization, and is a brooding, vengeful stuntman who swears to untangle the insidious web of corruption behind a plane crash that kills his young nephew. However, I was truly impressed by Lee’s intense portrayal of the character. There was so much grief and frustration and rage LOL!! And the fact that he did all his own stunts in real life, too! Although his character didn’t go through a lot of deep development, it kind of made sense that his convictions and sense of justice didn’t waver throughout the drama. No matter what obstacles got in his way (and no matter how many people popped up trying to kill him – trust me, there were many), he grit his teeth and fought his way out. I admire his steadfastness and resolve a lot!

My girl Bae Suzy was also back as the female lead, this time portraying the clever and tenacious, but also somewhat incompetent, NIS agent Go Hae-ri. She gets caught up in the plane crash terrorist attack when it becomes apparent that the cause of this tragic event extends beyond just isolated terrorism, but actually involves huge business conglomerates, the federal government, and Korea’s very own National Intelligence Service. DUn duN DuN!!! Suzy’s acting continues to improve! I really enjoyed her performance in “While You were Sleeping”, and I was curious to see how she would hold up in a more dramatic, action-heavy show as opposed to a romantic comedy (although “While You were Sleeping” did expand into many genres). I think she did a really great job! She complemented Lee Seung-gi very well, and their excellent chemistry was a highlight of the drama for me!

Also, this scene, where they were trying to high-five through prison bars with Cha Dal-geon handcuffed to a pipe was so cute haha.

The acting and production value in general was top-notch! I have noticed that most Netflix original dramas do seem to involve more exotic places, complex camera work, and larger sets and action sequences (Ie: “Memories of the Alhambra”). It’s nice to see that a bigger budget does lead to bigger entertainment sometimes, aha. Another thing they have in common is the OPEN ENDING LEAVING ROOM FOR A SEASON TWO. “Memories of Alhambra” was bad enough, but the ending at least provided some level of closure, while still dangling some loose ends for more story. But VAGABOND, OMG. Just watch it…you’ll understand.

Finally, shout-out to the whole supporting cast!! The acting was consistently strong throughout, even with the foreign actors (which was nice to see! I’m glad they used local actors, too!). Engaging characters and well-developed portrayals can definitely make up for perhaps a weaker storyline in many cases! In particular I really loved the NIS agents Ki Tae-woong (played by Shin Sung-rok) and Gong Hwa-sook (played by the hilarious Hwang Bo-ra). Hwa-sook was mostly a comic relief character, but she was sharp and resourceful, and I always enjoyed her scenes. Agent Ki was a character who really grew on me as the drama progressed. He acts a a foil to Dal-geon. Both of them are so stoic and rigid in their senses of justice and righteousness, but where Dal-geon is more fiery and headstrong, Agent Ki was icily calm and more calculating in his actions. Agent Ki placed super high importance on following orders and obeying the government…but when those ideals clashed with his moral code, it was really interesting to see him wrestle with his priorities and go through that character development.

I would say one criticism I have is that there were a lot of PLOT TWIST moments that successfully cause my fiancé  and I to be like “OMGGG NO WAYYYY WHAT??!?”, but then when you take yourself out of the story and actually think about if that was feasible, the answer would be “lol no”. This also happened with a lot of characters, because for the vast majority of the show, you had no idea what people’s intentions were, whether they were on the good side or the corrupt side, or who could be trusted. I personally don’t really mind unrealistic “far left field” plot holes as long as they aren’t too frequent or too blaring, but I could see how some viewers might feel like the story just gets “too crazy”. As my sister described it, it’s literally a conspiracy theory taken ALL THE WAY haha. But hey, I’m here for it, lol.

Overall, if you love action dramas that keep you on your toes and guessing the whole time, I think you’d like this drama. Amidst the fighting and gunfire, there was also enough of a sprinkling of humour, romance, and heart-warming/heart-wrenching moments to adequately diversify the emotions of the audience. I would highly recommend it for a fast-paced and thrilling good time!

Thanks for reading, and happy watching!!