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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Temptation" Episode 10

"Temptation" has firmly set up the secondary couples and the blame and the bitterness sets in. It is really the aftermath of divorce that moves the couples emotionally - the rebound effect. It is not only the couples who suffer, but their families. "Temptation" is slowly reaching out to encompass what happens to a family structure when cheating and divorce are involved, but focusing mostly on the illicit romance.

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That is the weakness of the show as well is its strength, the focus on the romance that neglects thorough development of other elements. Se-young and Seok-hoon's burgeoning relationships is moving despite its unsavory beginnings, and the show does a good job of juxtaposing their bliss with how unhappy Min-woo and Hong-joo are. Se-young is like a teenager in love, inexperienced and experiencing everything for the first time. In their relationship it is now Seok-hoon providing the temptation with his well-time flirting and deliberate movement in their relationship.

In the other couple it is Min-woo attempting to move things forward. Like Se-young, he is new to emotional love despite his prowess in the physical. Hong-joo isn't receptive until she sees Roy again and meets his sisters. It's the key to her childless heart and she warms to Min-woo who, for the first time, thinks of someone else over himself. He works to strengthen her when she sees Seok-hoon and Se-young together. In that way, his love for her is good for him - it's pulling him out of his extremely selfish tendencies. It's also good for her to learn to speak up rather than let things fester, like she did with the marriage that just ended in divorce.

The side effect of developing couples with people who run in the same circles is that they inevitably meet, and the fangs come out. It is Seok-hoon who reacts first, perhaps because he had no say in the divorce and chose not to act on it. How this will play out can only be by following the most melodramatic path, but it should include the families. Hong-joo's father is still angry about the divorce and how she handled her relationship. Her brother blames her relations with Min-woo as he unknowingly cultivates a relationship with Se-young's sister. It's a twisted mess that will play against the families. One thing the show did do well was show how close Hong-joo's family was to Seok-hoon before the divorce. I'd like to see more of how they react to the fallout.

In terms of direction, there is a lot of repetition of angles and timing for dramatic music that becomes more wearisome with each repetition. Some creativity in shooting the scenes or, a plainer approach to filming, would be appreciated. The repetition of the camera angles makes some of the scenes feel very contrived. Also, the music is much too loud during the brooding scenes and is distracting.

Episode 10 in a twenty episode drama is usually a turning point, and this one was. Now its going to be a romantic battle fought between the two couples in private, and on a business playing field. Unfortunately, the business war between Min-woo and Se-young is frightfully dull. It should be minimized or spiced up. Hopefully the entire drama will be more tightly directed over its second half.


Written by: Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Temptation" is directed by Park Yeong-soo-I, written by Han Ji-hoon and features Choi Ji-woo, kwon Sang-woo, Park Ha-sun and Lee Jung-jin.

 

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