Stream K-Dramas at OnDemandKorea

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Triangle - Drama" Episode 3

Somehow this drama still doesn't have a plot. I was sure after the last cliffhanger we'd get some sort of conflict or tension, but after an extended brutal opening it's pretty much right back to business as usual. The three brothers continue to persist in their apparently purposeless lives. Even events that seem like they should be important, such as Yeong-deol running into Yang-ha, lack any kind of real urgency.

Advertisement

Again, it's pretty obvious that this is all part of the point. These are characters who make bad decisions mostly because it takes a really long time for the consequences to actually set in. That's just the way life works for them, and for the most part it has worked so far. Well, except for Dong-soo, who appears to be battling depression as always. And criminals every so often. He really isn't much of a main character. I can barely remember anything he actually did this episode- his younger brothers may be running in place, but at least they're moving.

Strangely enough, it's Jeong-hee (played by Baek Jin-hee) who comes off looking the most like a dynamic character here. Jeong-hee just wants to get by in life, and is continuously frustrated in these efforts by the brothers, who keep popping up uninvited and forcing her into awkward situations. The scene at Yang-ha's apartment is an utterly perfect example of this. It feels erotic from Yang-ha's point of view but objectively speaking, the whole situation is horribly creepy and unsettling.

It's an appropriate disconnect, actually. The main unifying theme of Yeong-deol and Yang-ha is that they want really dumb things out of life for no reason. A romantic subplot with Jeong-hee fits perfectly into this kind of simplistic narrative, if only because it's illustrated so starkly that she has no interest in either one of them and is only interacting with them out of force. Jeong-hee's situation is a sympathetic one- she's practically being bullied for the crime of being attractive.

These are all interesting ideas, but the drama is currently suffering from an overflow of concept with little execution. Jeong-hee isn't the main character here. I'm beginning to think that "Triangle - Drama" would be better off if it was from her perspective altogether, since not much is being done with the whole brother thing. Another format altogether might be a better fit- so far this just isn't working as a story intensive drama.

Review by William Schwartz

"Triangle - Drama" is directed by Choi Jeong-gyoo, Yoo Cheol-yong, written by Choi Wan-gyoo and features Lee Beom-soo, Kim Jae-joong, Im Si-wan, Oh Yeon-soo, Baek Jin-hee, Kim So-hyun.

❎ Try Ad-free