Disney Plus Just Released a New Korean Procedural, but It's Not Worth Your Time
A series that doesn't know what it wants to be.
At first glance, the South Korean series Unmasked, which premiered on Disney+, looks like a traditional journalistic procedural.
It is clear that director Yoo Sun-dong was inspired by both Western projects and South Korean movies about reporters. However, he has not decided on the main genre of his work. Moreover, he has a hard time maintaining the level of dramatic tension throughout all the episodes.
What Is Unmasked About?
An ambitious but clumsy newcomer with a complicated biography, Han Do, comes to work in television. He ends up on the crime show.
He doesn't have the best relationship with his boss, the eccentric, quick-witted journalist Oh So-ryong. It will take some time until the two people with different personalities start to like each other.
Unmasked Has a Lot of Awkward Jokes That Take the Viewer Out of the Story
Yoo Sun-dong, who made his debut with a comedy, also tries to entertain the viewer with eccentric situations in Unmasked. The problem is that he sometimes goes too far and exaggerates the portrayal of his character as extremely awkward, which gives the impression of a bad parody of classic comedy movies.
The ridiculous comic timing, aggravated by the unjustified use of slow motion, is dissonant with the topics that the series touches on: totalitarian sects, zoosadism, domestic violence.
The Characters in Unmasked Are Written in an Inconsistent Manner
The weakness of the dramaturgy is especially noticeable in the quiet scenes, when it is necessary to create emotional tension. The characters' personalities change without any plot justification, as if the writers forgot what happened in the previous episode.
For example, the eccentric journalist Oh So-ryong, who acted as a mediator in the conflicts that arose, suddenly becomes a hot-tempered woman who takes revenge on her personal offenders. Han Do quickly transforms from a bumbling, good-natured man into a seasoned cynic with a penchant for pompous speeches.
Despite All the Flaws, Unmasked Has Some Worthy Episodes
However, Unmasked also has its merits. The first episode is a joy to watch, with an exciting scene where journalists infiltrate the cultists' lair. This comes as no surprise since Yoo Sun-dong's previous series were made in the dynamic action genre.
The second and third episodes were the most exciting, connected by the overarching topics of violence against animals and the difficulty of bringing juvenile offenders to justice.
The director smoothly combined a problematic drama with elements of a dark thriller about a madman and used less humor.