Directed by Jung Dong Yoon and written by Kang Cheol Woong, Fate & Fury is a 2018 to 2019 Korean drama that was the final project of SBS's Weekend drama hour. This drama was leading actor and actress: Lee Min Jung( actor Lee Byung Hun's wife) and Joo Sang Wook's second time working together since 2014's Cunning Single Lady. There's also an extended cast featuring So E-Hyun, long time actor Lee Ki Woo, Yoon Hak of Supernova, and Park Soo Young formerly of Kpop girl group After School. The drama spans twenty episodes but I've seen misinformation saying that there's forty episodes….. I don't know where the extra episodes could be unless I missed something here.
A women who loves to create shoes joins a man in getting revenge on a wealthy couple. He wants to break the couple up because the women is the mother of his child who she left behind for fame. In order to do this, the man wants the shoe loving women to seduce the rich heir thats said to marry his ex. Old wounds sure do run deep. Lets also top that off with internal power struggles for mass destruction.
Fate and Furies goes in various directions during that story's twenty episode run. Honestly, the drama has a lot going for it, even if a plot dealing with revenge isn't the freshest in Korean drama history. Rich men coming in to rescue the poor girl also might nerve wreck the hell out of viewers if you've been an addicted K-drama watcher but Furies breaks through in the details that sets it apart from the rest. This drama could take multiple directions since the script literally starts out strong introducing characters in their problematic furies to go to a place that seems in their reach. A lot of layers get peeled back or that have to get peeled back to get to the core message. Sometimes I thought that I understood the story's direction until the next episode would shift everything to a new perspective. Not that this would be a complete bad experience if the writing was as solid as the shifts. Korean dramas tend to suffer in trying too hard to please romance lovers using extra scenes that slow down the excitement. Furies takes almost too much time trying to establish the relationship between the main couple instead of depending on their acting to get the point across in a select few scenes. One episode was mostly the two talking to each other as they get to know each other. Its just that only half of those scenes were needed craft that emotion. Most of us want to see a realistic love that grows on limited time, not borrowed time that could be used on advancing the plot which was very interesting when things got down to the point. I also wasn't too big a fan of the third couple because they brought nothing(Is being loud and bratty good traits?) to the plot outside of the connection to the main characters. They were annoying and I found myself looking at the clock when they had scenes on screen. What Fate and Furies gets applause on was the drama's ability to keep the story going just when you think things are over. The script does an awesome job of this during the last two episodes. Even if the script sort of lays the last twist in your lap before the final episode. Fate and Furies could have tighten up a few weak points to make the script writing stronger however, This drama has some magical moments that makes it a good watch. Not quite as good as Money Flower though.
The acting saves this drama at the times where the writing falls short. I mean the acting was the show during emotional moments between characters trying to find their own way. Especially So E Hyun's performance as a woman that always said what was on her mind. She a strong female character with a glare that could kill a lion. I can't say I was a big fan when some of the directors choices seemed so typical Kdrama(ish). A character dies in one scene and I called it before the death happened. I even knew how it would happen based on the stiuation. Stuff like that doesn't make me happy. All Korean dramas should strive to bring viewers something different from the typical norm. We're all much too knowledgable nowadays.
Fate and Furies is a mature drama that shows promise while lacking a solid foundation to be award winning. It has re-watch value for the reasons I mentioned above. I might even do just that latter on.
