Stream K-Dramas at OnDemandKorea

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Mad Dog" Episode 14

It is a dog eat  dog world out there and the "Mad Dog" team is going for the kill. The villains are confused and cornered, which means that they make mistakes and provide ample opportunity for our good boys and girl to get everything they need in place. It will not be an easy fight, considering the Powerful Opponents, but we know that the good ones always win in such stories.

Advertisement

The more the Dog Team pushes their buttons, the harder the villains go for one another's throat and there is some satisfaction to be drawn from it. The bad dogs are practically doing Team Good's work for it, which makes me curious as to why the team did not use these tricks earlier. It feels like related persons and evidence have landed on our heroes' lap just in time for them to have their revenge.

Hyeon-gi realizing he is being manipulatedNoo-ri saying goodbye to his father

On the other hand, I appreciate the time we have had to see Noo-ri (Kim Hye-sung) bloom and he is finally used well. I just wish that he and his father had been around as pivotal characters longer so that I would have had the time to feel invested. Kim  Min-joon's (Woo Do-hwan) family drama has been hammered in throughout the entire show, but the interesting position Noo-ri is in has been rushed through as a plot device to spice things up for the villains.

Not that I do not enjoy Min-joon finally realizing some of the consequences of his actions. I have had a problem with the series glorifying his behavior and angst and while I understand the reasons behind this type of treatment for such characters, it does not make his lack of development and accountability until later in the series any less problematic. That being said, he has finally gone through the process I have wished to see, even if it was expedited.

Min-joon and Kang-woo having a talkHong-joo blackmailing the officials

Now that everyone is against everyone on the villain field aside from Hyeon-gi (Choi Won-young) having some sort of honorable dishonest fixation with Hong-joo (Hong Soo-hyun), I expect the rounds of backstabbing to continue through to the end. I highly enjoy the scenes between the antagonists in this series, but I catch myself feeling grateful to the actors, because I feel very little for the characters.

It has to be said, the cast of "Mad Dog" is doing a fine job with limited creative resources here. A good actor cannot salvage bad writing or uninspired stories and characters, but they can definitely elevate flawed material to something manageable, assuming it is not broken beyond repair. "Mad Dog" has not lived up to its potential or its cast and crew's hard work, but it is not without virtues and some are very enjoyable.

"Mad Dog" is directed by Hwang Ee-kyeong, written by Kim Soo-jin-V and features Yoo Ji-tae, Woo Do-hwan, Ryu Hwa-young, Kim Hye-sung and Jo Jae-yun.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

Watch on Viki

Note: Due to licensing, videos may not be available in your country

❎ Try Ad-free