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[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Triangle - Drama" Episode 4

Taken out of context from the rest of the drama, the first scene here actually looks pretty mainstream. You've got the rough guy from the wrong side of the tracks running from gangsters, holding his love interest by the hand, then there's an epic fight scene and a rather fuzzy intermittent period where we're left wondering, what exactly happened to Yeong-dal? It's a question that lingers over the rest of the episode.

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From the few snippets we do get of the guy, the impression is pretty clear that he's not doing well. It's not completely clear how Yeong-dal was wounded, but the damage is looking pretty important. The contrast of the rest of the episode to the opening scene is a pretty striking one. Even in Yeong-dal's most triumphant moment, he's still stuck with an extended punishment because as it turns out, Yeong-dal bleeds just like anyone else.

All the other characters remain in a holding pattern, though. I do like that there's at least a reason now for the whole story to be standing still. The entire conflict at this point is over where the money is, and there genuinely aren't any clues for anyone to follow outside of capture and interrogation. While Yeong-dal's been able to do a decent job evading these problems, this isn't a sustainable situation. And even in the throes of pain Yeong-dal still can't figure this out.

I really like the way this drama is handling the mystery of where the money is, from a logistical level. Most of the time fiction makes it look like every crime is solvable- here, even though Yeong-dal isn't terribly bright, he's still managed to commit an untraceable criminal act. This doesn't mean he's going to succeed. If the police don't get to him, the gangsters will. There's a basic brutality here that renders the possibility of a magical solution nonexistent, and that's very good for the tension.

It's a pity there's not much actual drama around the characters themselves. "Triangle - Drama" veers just a tad too close to being true to life. Because we have so many people with no clearly defined goals, it's difficult to get particularly invested in the narrative. Presumably at some point all the pieces will come into place and it will become clear what each character is supposed to be bringing to the larger part of the story. For now, we're left with fragments, and still wondering exactly where the narrative is supposed to be going.

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.

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