[2024 Year in review] Actors bringing their A-game » Dramabeans

[2024 Year in review] Actors bringing their A-game

by mistyisles

Whereas reflecting on my 12 months in Ok-dramas, I thought of a couple of completely different themes to write down about. A number of featured rain, as an example, and much more have been about musicians. However the extra I thought of it, I spotted the widespread thread that stood out to me essentially the most concerning the Ok-dramas I watched this 12 months was that the casts have been constantly stellar.

So whereas I often focus my year-end evaluations on the tales or characters themselves, this 12 months I assumed I’d give particular point out to the parents who introduced these tales and characters to life.

With out additional ado, then, listed below are a few of my favourite appearing performances of the 12 months.

Maestra – Strings of Fact: Lee Younger-ae

As an entire, this present didn’t precisely wow me — however Lee Younger-ae’s efficiency because the titular Maestra Cha Se-eum did. When she first took the stage (er, display), I truly didn’t anticipate to love her very a lot. She appeared chilly and harsh, and I anticipated an uphill battle to attach along with her as a personality in any respect. Oh, how mistaken I used to be!

Se-eum’s outwardly chilly demeanor was simply that — outward solely. And for good motive, contemplating the variety of terrible individuals making an attempt to regulate her life. However Lee Younger-ae infused her with a depth and vulnerability that not solely stunned me, however made her certainly one of my favourite drama heroines of the 12 months. By the top, actually all I wished was her happiness — even when that meant accepting that she was selecting to open again as much as a love curiosity who, in my view, didn’t deserve it.

Usually, I attempt to steer clear of terminal sickness plotlines (thanks, 2024, for giving me two surprises in that vein!), however this one labored surprisingly properly for me. And I’ve to provide Lee Younger-ae credit score for doing such a compelling job of exhibiting Se-eum’s wrestle to struggle for her personal life, in additional methods than one. Add to that the mastery with which she commanded the stage as an orchestra conductor and violinist, and suffice it to say she was breathtaking to look at!

Fascinating the King: Jo Jung-suk

I’ve mentioned it earlier than, and I’ll say it once more: When this present was good, it was in actual fact “fascinating” — and Jo Jung-suk was essentially the most fascinating of all. Actually, I believe it’s fairly secure to say he carried the complete present. With out his gravitas and pathos, sure plot factors and character selections would have been rather more irritating than they already have been. However even when different characters made *questionable* selections, we might belief his Lee In to assist bridge the hole between what the present wished us to really feel and the way its makes an attempt truly landed.

As a result of, when it got here all the way down to it, I preferred lots of Fascinating the King’s concepts way over their execution. I cherished the usage of baduk for example the characters’ political schemings and the leads’ promise to at all times meet when it rained, however I assumed each might have been used to even higher impact — particularly when the feminine lead’s schemes usually made issues worse as a substitute of higher. However by all of it, Jo Jung-suk made certain the stakes at all times felt actual, even when the writing didn’t fairly get us there.

The Midnight Studio: The ghosts

To be clear, The Midnight Studio’s main couple have been nice as at all times. However whereas I loved their chemistry and the way in which their characters turned one another’s secure house, the ghosts have been actually the guts of the present — even when a few of them acquired the brief finish of the stick ultimately.

There was a unique ghost story every week or so, which meant we acquired a bunch of cameos and particular appearances. I don’t suppose it’s any secret by now that I’ve a ginormous gentle spot for Search engine optimisation Ji-hoon (severely, I’m BEGGING for somebody to provide him the main function he deserves!), so his shock cameo was an particularly good deal with, even when I did know he would die the second he appeared on display. (Comes with the “ghost story” territory, in any case.)

However I’d additionally like to provide particular point out to the kid actor from week one, in addition to Ki-joo’s ghost assistants and Park Ki-woong (oh the Gaksital reunion that solely barely was!) for doing their greatest with what they got. The Midnight Studio wasn’t excellent, but it surely was full of heat and sweetness all through, and every visitor who got here by these mystical doorways made me root for them to get no less than some semblance of closure.

Beautiful Runner: The OTP

Nope, I simply can’t separate these two, even in an end-of-year evaluation! Jokes apart, although, this present was every thing, and it simply wouldn’t have labored if both of them had did not match the opposite’s efficiency. In spite of everything, whereas Sol drove a lot of the motion, Solar-jae refused to let her (well-intentioned) sacrifices have the ultimate say — their comfortable ending was the product of a good looking partnership, and superbly acted on either side.

With such a time-twisty, memory-fuzzying plot, each Byun Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon needed to work further exhausting to ensure we knew (after we have been alleged to) which ones remembered what, they usually greater than rose to the problem. Plus, they did such a fantastic job of portraying the identical characters at completely different phases of life — who retained the essence of who they have been whereas additionally being affected by completely different life experiences in numerous timelines — and operating the gamut from harboring awkward crushes to scorching with chemistry. It wasn’t a simple job, however Solar-jae and Sol — and the story itself — have been in excellent arms.

Participant 2 – Grasp of Swindlers: Tune Seung-heon

Previous to this present, I wouldn’t have described my emotions towards Tune Seung-heon as something greater than detached. Now, although? I’ll fortunately purchase something he tries to promote me, particularly if he’s in character as good-hearted conman Kang Ha-ri. I adored the entire workforce of “Gamers” right here, however Ha-ri charmed me utterly, and I’m undecided I’ll ever get better.

However the important thing to a compelling character like Ha-ri is that he’s not all appeal and deception — he’s acquired his personal inside struggles, too, in addition to a coronary heart of gold that makes him straightforward to root for even when he inches towards the sting of taking his cons a bit of too far. Tune Seung-heon introduced all this to life with nice talent, to not point out nice enjoyable.

I watched the 2 seasons of this present in reverse order, however in some methods I believe that was the higher selection. Season 1 turned the origin story for characters I already knew and cherished, and added extra depth to my understanding of them, plus a little bit of dramatic irony with regard to their futures. Briefly, I might watch infinite numbers of seasons of this present, so long as it stored the essence of the “Participant” workforce — and so long as Tune Seung-heon stayed on as Ha-ri.

Black Out: Your complete forged

What a wonderful forged this present had! Everybody from well-known veterans to contemporary faces knocked it out of the park and made this darkish and twisty present tremendous compelling, even when it threatened to make us lose all religion in humanity (solely to show it round with a surprisingly hopeful, satisfying conclusion!). I’m at all times excited to see Jo Jae-yoon, however this was a aspect of him I’ve by no means seen earlier than. And I additionally must commend Kwon Hae-hyo for making my pores and skin crawl with every layer of his character’s horribleness peeled again, Byun Yo-han for making Jung-woo a massively sympathetic protagonist even when his innocence wasn’t 100% assured, and Lee Ga-seob for enjoying complicated twin roles so convincingly.

Black Out had its flaws, but it surely’s quite a bit simpler to miss them when you might have a forged this proficient throwing themselves into their roles. I used to be repeatedly shocked that individuals would stoop so low as these characters usually did, however by no means disbelieved that these individuals would make the selections they did. I understood them even once I didn’t essentially need to, and that’s a testomony to the actors’ dedication and talent.

Love Subsequent Door: The dad and mom

The forged listing basically (okay, Jung So-min plus the remainder of the forged) was the primary motive I began this present within the first place, and if I’m sincere, they have been in all probability the primary motive I caught with it by disagreeable surprises (*cough* (not-so) terminal sickness *cough*) and draggy detours I didn’t care about. However whereas this was a stellar forged general, it was — surprisingly — the dad and mom whose efficiency impressed me essentially the most.

Each time I questioned why I used to be nonetheless watching, one thing would at all times reel me again in by the heartstrings, and infrequently it concerned Seok-ryu’s sophisticated relationship along with her dad and mom. Her dad and his tteokbokki store was certainly one of my favourite storylines in the entire present, and the friction between her and her mother was the preliminary hook that made me buckle in for the lengthy haul. Whereas I knew to anticipate greatness from Jo Han-chul in portraying a personality who may very well be each comical and sympathetic (and never with out faults of his personal), Park Ji-young stunned me by making me perceive what Seok-ryu’s mother was feeling although she pissed off me 98% of the time by how she expressed these emotions.

Then there have been Seung-hyo’s dad and mom, performed by the at all times satisfying Jang Younger-nam and Lee Seung-yoon. If I might elevate two characters from Love Subsequent Door and make an entire present about simply them, it might have been these two. Actually, I discovered myself craving a drama a couple of married couple who barely know one another reconnecting whereas one navigates their political profession (thanks, When the Telephone Rings, for scratching that oddly particular itch!). Whereas these two characters may be irritating, it was additionally pretty to look at them rediscover why they gravitated to at least one one other within the first place.

Jeongnyeon – The Star is Born: Your complete forged

As soon as once more, the complete forged poured their hearts and souls into this present — they usually had the additional problem of blending appearing for the display with appearing on the stage. The gugeuk performances, lots of which we acquired to take pleasure in in full, have been merely wonderful. It’s value watching these by themselves even should you watch nothing else of the particular present!

I’ve cherished Kim Tae-ri since Mr. Sunshine, however she blew me away right here — particularly within the extremely intense Episode 8. That dream sequence of her screaming in silence nonetheless haunts me. However the perfect factor about this forged was that actually everybody had unimaginable chemistry with everybody else. Jeongnyeon preferred to point out us completely different pairings performing the identical gukgeuk scene to spotlight the variations in that chemistry — not as a result of any have been “lower than,” however as a result of every duo’s dynamic was distinctive.

And whereas the story’s queer components have been suppressed, what was lacking within the writing was nonetheless current within the last product, as a result of these women made certain each scene was dripping with subtext. For as soon as, this was a present that might have used a couple of extra episodes to actually flesh out its character arcs. However regardless of the constraints, the forged completely gave it their all, making Jeongnyeon a shocking finale to a 12 months of gorgeous performances.

So take a bow, Ok-actors of 2024! Thanks for all of your exhausting work, and I stay up for watching you shine much more brightly in 2025.

 
RELATED POSTS